& “PEACE MOM” OJs "W"!!
IT'S THE KRAKATOA
EXPLOSION ANNIVERSARY!!
Will Dick Cheney become the “new Gerald Ford?”
Letter: CHRISTINE NISKANEN: Meanwhile, back to Rove
It's time to get back on the Karl Rove case, now that President Bush has tried a political maneuver to help take Rove off the pages for awhile by nominating his choice for Supreme Court.
We know that Rove discussed the identity of an undercover CIA agent with reporters. Outing an undercover CIA agent hurts our national security. Rove either broke the law or was grossly negligent with national secrets, yet he still works in the White House.
I think Rove outed the CIA agent in order to discredit her husband, a critic of the Bush Iraq policy. There needs to be a full accounting to the American people about what happened. I don't want officials in important government positions who put their political agenda ahead of their patriotism.
MediaChannel.org: Tom Hamburger and Sonni Efron: A CIA Cover Blown, a White House Exposed
One of the most thorough summary of the affair - click the link above or this link for the L.A. Times article with the same content with photos
is lying to protect his chickenhawk
crony — odd that only VP Cheney
seems to be 'clean' in this mess ...
Treason Suspects
Smug Scum Rove the Traitor —
Just one of the many in the Bush Administration who deliberately mishandled pre-war intelligence to force America into a war with Iraq.
- Mother's plea to U.S. president gains widespread attention
- CIA gives up search and interrogation on Iraq WMDs
- Bush appoints John Bolton United States' ambassador to the United Nations
- Bush likely to appoint Bolton during congressional recess
- Capitol Hill Democrats hold informal hearing on Plame leak
- Rep. Barbara Lee calls for U.S. Congress probe into Iraq War planning
Photos
“... The implication of that is that this George Bush intentionally kept the Iraq war going largely to be reelected. If that is true, the Plame Case is likely to pale in comparison to the acts of a President who is responsible for the loss of a great deal of human life just to stay hold onto his power for another four years. It is mind-numbing to me. Not even Lyndon Johnson would stoop to that level.”
–––––––––––“... That the White House has lied throughout the runup to the Iraq invasion, and subsequently attempted, unsuccessfully in my opinion, to attack all those voices of dissent on this matter is an obvious fact to progressive people throughout the country. In all of this, the ultimate responsibility rests with President Bush. Surely he is aware as commander in chief of our armed forces that it is the commander who is ultimately responsible for both success and failure of those under his command.
Unfortunately, we in the United States seem to have forgotten this truism. Although recent polls show that Americans of all parties and in all regions have less and less faith in the Administration's handling of the Iraq occupation and the ongoing struggle against terrorists . This, at least is encouraging. … ”
Krakatoa
Krakatoa (Indonesian name: Krakatau) is a volcano near the Indonesian island of Rakata in the Sunda Strait. Location: 6°6?27? S 105°25?3? E. It has erupted repeatedly, massively and with disastrous consequences throughout recorded history. The best known of these events occurred in late August, 1883.
The 1883 eruption ejected more than six cubic miles (25 cubic kilometres) of rock, ash, and pumice [1], and generated the loudest sound ever historically recorded by human beings — the cataclysmic explosion was distinctly heard as far away as Perth in Australia, and the island of Rodrigues near Mauritius. Atmospheric shock waves reverberated around the world. Near Krakatoa, 165 villages were devastated, an estimated 36,000 people died and uncountable thousands were injured by the eruption, mostly in the tsunami which followed the biggest explosion.
The eruption destroyed two-thirds of the pre-existing island of Krakatoa. New eruptions at the volcano since 1927 have built a new island, called Anak Krakatau (child of Krakatoa).
Origin of the name
The earliest mention of the island in the Western world was on a map by Lucas Janszoon Waghenaer, who labelled the island "Pulo Carcata." ("Pulo" is a form of pulau, the Indonesian word for "island".) There are two spellings, Krakatoa and Krakatau, that are both acceptable. Krakatoa is overall more common, although Krakatau tends to be favored by Indonesians. The origin of the spelling Krakatoa is unclear, but may have been the result of a typographical error made in a British source reporting on the sudden eruption of 1883.
There are several theories as to the origin of the Indonesian name Krakatau. It may have been an instance of onomatopoeia, owing to the sound of the many parrots that used to inhabit the island. Alternatively, the name may be a derivation from the Sanskrit word karkataka, meaning "lobster" or "crab". There is also a popular belief that Krakatau was mistakenly adopted when a captain of a visiting ship asked a local person what the name of the island was, and the latter replied by saying "Kaga tau", which is a Batavian (Jakartan/Betawinese) slang phrase meaning "I don't know". This last explanation is largely discounted (it closely resembles a famous linguistics story where, upon landing in Australia, a ship's captain asks the natives what a local animal is called, to which the chief replies, "Kanguru". The animal is called the kangaroo, and it is only later that the captain learns that "Kanguru" is local for, "What did you say?").
1883 eruption
Krakatoa had been dormant for two centuries before it began erupting on 20 May 1883. The eruption had been preceded by several years of noticeable earthquakes, some felt as far away as Australia. The eruption began with small steam eruptions on 20 May, and these continued for the next three months.
By 11 August, three vents were regularly erupting on the volcano. During this time tides were unusually high, and phenomena such as windows suddenly shattering were commonplace. Ships at anchor were sometimes tied down with chains as a result. 11 August saw the onset of larger eruptions, with ash-laden eruption columns being emitted by up to eleven eruption vents. 24 August saw a further intensification of the eruption, and the cataclysmic phase began on Sunday 26 August at about midday. Ash clouds from the eruption reached a height of 36 km, and the first tsunamis were generated.
The 27 August eruptions occurred at 5:30 am, 6:42 am, 8:20 am, and 10:02 am local time. The last of these eruptions opened fissures in the walls of the volcano, allowing sea water to pour into the subterranean magma chamber. The resulting phreatic eruption of superheated steam destroyed most of the island. The sound of the explosion was heard as far away as the island of Rodrigues near Mauritius, 4,800 km away (3,000 miles). It is the loudest-ever sound in recorded history. (A possibly louder sound is believed to have been generated during the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora, also in the Indonesian archipelago).
Scanned from the Marshall Cavendish weekly
series "The Tree of Knowledge".
Although no one is known to have been killed as a result of the initial explosion, the tsunamis it generated had disastrous results, killing some 36,000 people; and wiping out a number of settlements, including Telok Batong in Sumatra, and Sirik and Semarang in Java. An additional 1,000 or so people died from the effects of volcanic fumes and ashes. Ships as far away as South Africa rocked as tsunamis hit them, and the bodies of victims were found floating in the ocean for weeks after the event. There are even numerous documented reports of groups of human skeletons floating across the Indian Ocean on rafts of volcanic pumice and washing up on the east coast of Africa up to a year after the eruption.
The 1883 eruption was amongst the most severe volcanic explosions in modern times (VEI of 6, equivalent to 200 megatons of TNT — by way of comparison, the biggest bomb ever made by man, Tsar Bomba, had an explosive power of around 50 megatons). Concussive air waves from the explosions travelled seven times around the world, and the sky was darkened for days afterwards. The island of Rakata itself largely ceased to exist as over two thirds of its exposed land area was blown to dust, and its surrounding ocean floor was drastically altered. Two nearby islands, Verlaten and Lang, had their land masses increased. Volcanic ash continues to be a significant part of the geological composition of these islands.
There is some evidence that the final colossal explosion may not have been caused by the ingress of sea water. The magma chamber below the volcano was composed of light coloured, relatively cool material. Following the 20 May eruption hotter, darker coloured material entered the chamber from below. The new material heated the original molten rock, releasing dissolved gases, and increasing the pressure. The early eruptions on 25 August and 26th cleared the throat of the volcano, releasing the pressure in a cataclysmic explosion that destroyed most of the island. Pumice stone from the eruption shows a mixture of dark and light material.
Long-term effects
The eruption produced spectacular sunsets throughout the world for many months afterwards, as a result of sunlight reflected from suspended dust particles ejected by the volcano high into Earth's atmosphere. British artist William Ashcroft made hundreds of color sketches of the red sunsets half-way around the world from Krakatoa in the years after the eruption. In 2004, researchers proposed the idea that the blood-red sky shown in Edvard Munch's famous 1893 painting The Scream is also an accurate depiction of the sky over Norway after the eruption.
It has been suggested that an eruption of Krakatoa may have been responsible for the global climate changes of 535-536. Additionally, in recent times, it has been argued that it was this eruption which created the islands of Verlaten and Lang (remnants of the original) and the beginnings of Rakata — all indicators of early Krakatoa's caldera size.
Subsequent volcanism
Since the 1883 eruption, a new island volcano, called Anak Krakatau ("Child of Krakatoa"), has formed in the caldera. Of considerable interest to volcanologists, this has been the subject of extensive study since 1960. Additionally, it has also been a case study of island biogeography and founder populations in an ecosystem being built from the ground up, virtually sterilized, certainly with no macroscopic life surviving the explosion. The island is still active, with its most recent eruptive episode having begun in 1994. Since then, quiet periods of a few days have alternated with almost continuous eruptions, with occasional much larger explosions. Since the 1950s, the island has grown at an average rate of five inches (12.7 cm) per week. Reports in 2005 indicated that activity at Anak Krakatau was increasing.
Media
The volcano has inspired several books and films:
- The novel Krakatit (1924, ISBN 0685513386) by Czech writer Karel ?apek, dealing with lethal menace of a fictional explosive, was inspired by the name of the volcano.
- Krakatoa is the name of a short 1933 movie about the volcano that won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Novelty for its producer Joe Rock. This movie was notable for overwhelming the sound systems of the cinemas of the time. In Australia, the distributors insisted on a power output of 10 watts RMS as a minimum for cinemas wishing to show the movie. This was then considered a large system, and forced many cinemas to upgrade.
- Krakatoa is the location of Professor William Waterman Sherman's adventures in the book The Twenty-One Balloons (1947, ISBN 0140320970) by William Pène du Bois, which won the Newbery Medal in 1948.
- Time Tunnel episode "The Crack of Doom" aired in 14 October 1966.
- The eruption is the subject of a 1969 Hollywood film entitled Krakatoa, East of Java starring Maximilian Schell. (The title is inaccurate; Krakatoa is actually located west of Java.)
- Simon Winchester explores the eruption of Krakatoa in his book Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded, 27 August 1883. (2003, ISBN 0066212855). The book examines the history of the region, the early spice trade, the growth of colonial governments, explains the geology of volcanos and describes in detail the series of eruptions and tsunamis and their effects around the globe.
- The name of the living island Krakoa which battled the new X-Men called together by Professor X in Giant-Size X-Men #1 is obviously derived from the real Krakatoa.
- The Third Doctor implied that he had heard the sound of the eruption — or possibly that of the creatures known as the Primods sometime prior to the Doctor Who serial Inferno. In the episode Rose, a sketch of the Ninth Doctor in front of the volcano dated "1883" was seen, with a character noting that it had washed ashore following the eruption.
- On board the Cutty Sark, Scrooge McDuck rode out the resulting tsunami from the 1883 Krakatoa eruption in Chapter 3 of Don Rosa's Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck.
External links
- Maps and pictures
- Other sources
- Cascades Volcano Observatory Krakatoa page
- More information
- Volcanolive information page
- Krakatoa Volcano: The Son Also Rises — Companion website to the NPR programme
- On-line images of some of Ashcroft's sunset sketches
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 Seattle Times | The CIA leak: Infighting, grudges, justifying a war Seattle Times, United States - ... What motivated President Bush's political strategist, Karl Rove; Vice President Dick Cheney's top aide, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby; and others to counter Wilson ... The timeline of a leak and a controversy |
There's a 'hunt for the real killers' reference below —
CNN: POLITICS:Sheehan resumes protest vigil
CRAWFORD, Texas (CNN) -- A day after she returned to the helm of a protest against President Bush's policy in Iraq, Cindy Sheehan expressed satisfaction Thursday about the peace movement she helped invigorate.
Cindy Sheehan, front, shares a light
moment with Gold Star Families for
Peace members Wednesday.
"When I left, it thrived, and it grew, and it's because I'm not alone," said the 48-year-old mother of Casey Sheehan, who was killed last year while serving in Iraq. "I'm not the only one who wants answers to these questions."
With the exception of a week by the bedside of her mother who had a stroke, Sheehan has kept a vigil at Bush's ranch since August 6. She hopes to question him about the reasons for the U.S. invasion of Iraq and to urge an immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces.
Sheehan is a founding member of Gold Star Families for Peace, an anti-war group led by relatives of fallen troops.
Her protest has drawn criticism as well as what she has called a "raging inferno" of support.
"If George Bush came out and spoke to me today, and we went home, this wouldn't end," she said. "It will be impossible to put out."
About her late son, she said, "I know, when I get up to greet him, when it's my time, he's going to say, 'Good job, Mom.' He's not going to accuse me of dishonoring his memory.
"I know my son, and I know he would say, 'I don't want any more of my buddies killed just because I'm dead.I want my buddies to come home alive'," Sheehan said.
The comment was a rebuttal to Bush's insistence that a withdrawal from Iraq would be a mistake. On Wednesday, he addressed the deaths of nearly 1,870 Americans during the war, saying, "we will honor their sacrifice by completing the mission." (Full story)
Her vigil has drawn dozens of supporters -- and counter-demonstrators -- around the site her group has nicknamed "Camp Casey."
A caravan of people supporting Bush's policy has launched a "You Don't Speak for Me, Cindy" tour headed for Crawford. Dubbed "Move America Forward," the group plans on arriving there Saturday.
Sheehan said she respects the opinions of those who disagree with her and her belief that the war is "illegal and immoral."
"If there is any family who says that they believe their child died for a noble cause, I say, that is your right. If that helps you get through the day, if that helps you in your pain, because we might not have the same politics but, trust me, we have the same pain."
Last year, Bush met with Sheehan and other relatives of troops killed in Iraq during an appearance at Fort Lewis, Washington. He has refused to meet with her a second time.
Sheehan said she does support the continued hunt for al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
"We need to hunt for the person who was allegedly responsible for 9-11," she said. "He's still out there and we've ruined a country that didn't have anything to do with 9-11."
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OTHER NEWS
REUTERS: Singapore locks up U.S. man for possessing porn
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore police handcuffed and locked up a U.S. citizen for bringing 58 pornographic DVDs and video CDs into the wealthy city-state when he moved to Singapore last year, a newspaper reported Thursday.
The Straits Times said Singapore state prosecutors had dropped charges of possessing uncertified and obscene films against Tran Nghia Hong after he presented them with a declaration by his brother, stating that he was missing "certain DVDs."
The films, found by Singapore customs officers in a shipment of his belongings from California, included titles such as "Frivolous Lola," "Copulation Nation" and "Lord of the Strings."
"I was handcuffed and put in a lock-up for four hours after I was charged," the report quoted Tran, 35, as saying.
Tran, a financial controller at U.S. Internet equipment maker Cisco Systems, could have been fined up to S$500 for each disc, up to a maximum of S$20,000, or up to six months in prison, or both.
Despite efforts to loosen some of its social controls, many tough rules remain in Singapore. "Playboy" magazine is banned, while oral sex remains technically illegal under a law that says "whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animals" can be fined and jailed up to 10 years, or even for life.
In recent years, Singapore has partially relaxed its famous ban on chewing gum, allowed some bars to stay open for 24 hours and ended a ban on the popular U.S. sitcom "Sex and the City."
Selected anniversaries
- 1071 – Seljuk Turks led by Alp Arslan captured Byzantine Emperor Romanus IV in the Battle of Manzikert.
- 1346 – Hundred Years' War: The military supremacy of the English longbow over the French combination of crossbow and armoured knights was established in the Battle of Crécy.
- 1839 – The slave-held Amistad landed off Long Island in the U.S. state of New York.
- 1883 – The volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in Indonesia generated disastrous tsunamis, destroying many settlements on Java and Sumatra and killing 36,000 people.
 CHEK TV News | Katrina leaves widespread damage in S. Fla. Miami Herald - Shaken residents of Miami-Dade and Broward counties carefully emerged from their homes this morning and assessed the floods, blocked roads, damaged houses, downed trees and the surprising havoc delivered overnight by Hurricane Katrina -- the storm that ... Florida hammered by Katrina and the waves Katrina's Next Move Awaited |
 MSNBC | Commission Votes to Keep Open Air Force Base in South Dakota New York Times - The independent commission reviewing the Pentagon's plan to close or reorient hundreds of military bases voted today to keep open Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota ... Hanscom will not expand US panel votes to spare S. Dakota air base |
 GG2.net | Tenet could face 9/11 reprimand Guardian Unlimited - The former CIA director George Tenet is among more than a dozen current and former officials who could be subject to disciplinary proceedings over the agency's performance before the September 11 attacks. Internal Report Said to Fault CIA for Pre-9/11 Actions Report said to fault agency officials |
 BBC News | Sheehan resumes protest vigil CNN - Cindy Sheehan, front, shares a light moment with Gold Star Families for Peace members Wednesday. CRAWFORD, Texas (CNN) -- A day after she returned to the helm of a protest against President Bush's policy in ... 'Peace mom': Protest won't end when she goes home Some moms support war effort |
 BBC News | Judge orders forced feeding of convicted sniper Reuters - A Maryland judge on Thursday gave corrections officials authority to forcibly administer food and water to convicted Washington-area sniper John Muhammad who has refused to eat since he was transferred from a Virginia prison four ... Sniper Goes on Hunger Strike Judge orders convicted sniper forcibly fed |
 CNN | Man surrenders in Gas Station Owner Killing FOX News - FORT PAYNE, Ala. - A man has surrendered in the death of the Fort Payne (search) gas station owner who tried to stop a 52-dollar gasoline theft by grabbing onto a moving vehicle and was run over and killed, according to the Associated Press. Jakarta clerk’s home Driver in gas drive-off death surrenders to police |
 Pravda | Poll Shows Voters Sour on Governor Los Angeles Times - Schwarzenegger's ballot measures aren't winning wide support and his job rating is down to 34%. He blames a contentious agenda and attack ads. Governor dwells low on opinion totem pole Schwarzenegger's Initiatives Lag as Approval Falls to New Low |
 Washington Post | Civil rights groups support Roberts CNN - With the approach of Senate confirmation hearings for President Bush's Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, representatives from a handful of advocacy organizations Thursday announced support for him and criticized groups on the left ... Sen. Feinstein looks to press Roberts on abortion On High Court Vote, Centrist Democrats Caught in Middle |
 PakistanTimes.net | Miss America bids boardwalk goodbye CNN - Venerable pageant leaving Atlantic City after an 85-year run; new location yet to be determined. NEW YORK (CNN) - Miss America is waving goodbye to Atlantic City, NJ, organizers of the pageant announced Thursday. Miss America packs her tiara There She Goes, Miss America |
 Albany Times Union | Half-million in state lose power when key line fails San Diego Union Tribune - The sudden shutdown of a key power line triggered blackouts yesterday afternoon for more than 450,000 utility customers in Southern California, marking one of the worst outages since the electricity crisis ended four years ago. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Power line fails, 700,000 homes blacked out Power Outages Roll Through Southland |
 Washington Times | Homeland Security reviewing border strategy Newsday - The nation's homeland security chief said Tuesday he had ordered a review of border security strategy before two governors declared an immigration emergency on the US-Mexico line. US Responds to Governors' Illegal Immigration Appeals Homeland Security Chief Tells of Plan to Stabilize Border |
 365Gay.com | Crime of passion Daily Telegraph - SAN FRANCISCO: Three men charged with killing a transgender teenager after discovering she was biologically a male should not be convicted of murder, a defence lawyer told a Californian jury yesterday. Defense in teen's slaying claims `crime of passion' Lawyer: Killing was not murder |
 KABC | Shoppers ran for lives as Wal-Mart shooter opened fire AZ Central.com - Gunfire. Screams of fear. And amid the chaos and confusion, the sounds of people running for their lives. Something had gone horribly wrong at a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Glendale. Friends, co-workers mourn Wal-Mart workers killed in parking lot Suspect was off his medicine, sister says |
| Fixing education reform Cavalierdaily.com - WHILE many debate the legitimacy of the rigid and expensive mandates the No Child Left Behind Act imposes on states, the extent to which the initiative is failing at the most basic level became transparent last Monday, when Connecticut sued the federal ... State confronts US over education law Education Chief Criticizes Connecticut |
 WNDU-TV | Zylon Bulletproof Vest Had Failure Rate of 58% Newsinferno.com - As more testing is done on bullet proof police vests containing a fiber known as Zylon, it is becoming clear that they simply do not do what they are supposed to do, which is to stop bullets. Feds Say Zylon Armor Vests Not Up to Task A Common Police Vest Fails the Bulletproof Test |
 CNN | Va. Student Killed by School Bus on First Day of School Washington Post - A school bus struck and killed a middle school student this morning on the first day of the new school year in Culpeper, Va. The victim was a 10-year-old girl who was beginning her first ... Culpeper mourns Culpeper school grieves over child’s death |
 MSNBC | San Diego Zoo panda cub is a girl San Jose Mercury News - SAN DIEGO - The giant panda cub born at the San Diego Zoo three weeks ago is a girl. Veterinarians suspected as much but waited to make the final call until their weekly exam Wednesday, keeper Kathy Hawk said. Project Panda It's a girl! |
 Houston Chronicle | $250,000 Bail Set in Boston for Boy, 12, Found With Gun New York Times - BOSTON, Aug. 24 - A juvenile court judge who said he was trying to protect the public from a "serious problem" with guns set bail at $250,000 this week for a 12-year-old boy arrested after police officers ... $250,000 Bail for Boy Stirs Controversy Judge Sets Bail at $250K for 12-Year-Old |
| Army Vet Gets 'Bomber' Credit Card Offer Washington Post - CORONA, Calif. -- The address was his, but the name on the credit-card offer took Sami Habbas by surprise: "Palestinian Bomber. Bank solicitation letter addressed to "Palestinian Bomber" Man upset at credit card offer addressed to 'Palestinian Bomber' |
Thanks for any eyeballs. Leave comments. - The longer winded one - Sparky
posted by Coat @ 8:55 AM
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