New Explosive Mutant (variant) Set To Hit USA...should this strain be in the stimulus talks?

update Jan 28

The culture of denial and the selective disclosure of information to protect us and serve selfish ends. We are all in a PTSD trance.  

 

Coronavirus updates: World caught in ‘pandemic paradox,’ a race between virus variants and vaccines, WHO says. 

I said this recently over and over again. The crux of the today's failed vaccination strategy goes like this. This is the greatest failure of a vaccination program in history. We just didn't go big enough. I don't know how many mega vaccine manufacturing facilities we have in the USA. This will give you the scale of this. Lets say we have five vaccination production facilities in the USA. We should have built 50 or more facilities. The vaccine production capabilities should have been sized to vaccinate everyone in the USA in one month. Big deal we had an excess of five facilities. In these unstable and crisis times, there is really no penalty for going too big. Big deal your are throwing a few pennies down the toilet. If you go too small, hundreds of thousand of human lives will be lost.       

update Dec 20

This variant has been around for six months. We are deep into the culture of denial. It is all over the place including the USA, albeit at very low levels. Countries are beginning to close themselves off to each other over this mutant strain. The cat has long gone out of the bag! 

Where is the call to stop all air flights from England and Europe? Trump will never do it on his own!

   

"COVID-19: Belgium joins Netherlands in halting air travel from UK following new virus strain discovery"

"Israel bans visitors from the UK, Denmark, S. Africa due to new strain"

 
"We need to close the whole world immediately," Netanyahu said in a cabinet meeting.

For some reason, Covid is beginning to mass mutate and it is going in the wrong way. 

"Israelis may be infected with new coronavirus strain from Denmark minks"

*There are most likely a lot of mutations we don’t yet know about because most of the world doesn’t consistently survey and track the mutation,” he said. “We place the focus on Britain, because that’s where the reports are coming from, but this is probably a universal issue,” Moran-Gilad said.

It is almost like we got the virus of self defeating  behavior?

"Londoners flee capital ahead of tougher Covid-19 restrictions that came into force on Sunday"

Italy banded fights. 

Biden needs to publicly talk about this today if he knows what is good for us

We traditionally with Covid, have been two weeks to a month behind Europe. 

How about the California covid spike, is this the new variant? I doubt we have been testing for the mutation? 

BBC news is filled with the variant news.

Can you even imagine the air traffic from the mega-financial centers of London and New York City?   

WHO: England’s new Covid-19 variant picked up in Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia

“It is of concern that the virus is spreading and that it has so many mutations,” she said.  

Has the testing capabilities in the USA advanced enough to detect specific mutation and variants? Are we intentionally not testing in the USA.  

Cuomo Calls for Testing or Ban on British Travelers as COVID Mutation Spreads in U.K.

 

  

***This is set to explode in the USA.

We should do widespread testing in the USA to see what the extent of this new strain is the USA. 

This strain is seventy percent more infectious. The official have no idea if this will make vaccinations less effective.  

The officials should put this in a Covid infection model to anticipate how this will effect the USA.

One has to ask if the covid virus collectively is mutating much more frequently and will it get much more fatal?

A paper about the new variant identified in England has been published by genomics researchers who say that the first two samples were recorded on September 20 in Kent...

I call this a coverup in the USA.

 

Preliminary genomic characterisation of an emergent SARS-CoV-2 lineage in the UK defined by a novel set of spike mutations - SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus / nCoV-2019 Genomic Epidemiology - Virological

We do not know if this is medical, pandemic or political response.

This response seen by this official seems way out of the bounds by these rest of the world: A member of the White House coronavirus task force questioned the danger of the coronavirus mutations that helped trigger the London lockdown and said vaccines should be effective against it.

“We don’t know that it’s more dangerous, and very importantly we have not seen a single mutation yet that would make it evade the vaccine,” Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett Giroir said on ABC’s “This Week.”

   

Preliminary genomic characterisation of an emergent SARS-CoV-2 lineage in the UK defined by a novel set of spike mutations

Report written by: Andrew Rambaut1, Nick Loman2, Oliver Pybus3, Wendy Barclay4, Jeff Barrett5, Alesandro Carabelli6, Tom Connor7, Tom Peacock4, David L Robertson8, Erik Volz4, on behalf of COVID-19 Genomics Consortium UK (CoG-UK)9.

1. University of Edinburgh
2. University of Birmingham
3. University of Oxford
4. Imperial College London
5. Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
6. University of Cambridge
7. Cardiff University
8. MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research
9. https://www.cogconsortium.uk 279

Summary

Recently a distinct phylogenetic cluster (named lineage B.1.1.7) was detected within the COG-UK surveillance dataset. This cluster has been growing rapidly over the past 4 weeks and since been observed in other UK locations, indicating further spread.

Several aspects of this cluster are noteworthy for epidemiological and biological reasons and we report preliminary findings below. In summary:
The B.1.1.7 lineage accounts for an increasing proportion of cases in parts of England. The number of B.1.1.7 cases, and the number of regions reporting B.1.1.7 infections, are growing.
B.1.1.7 has an unusually large number of genetic changes, particularly in the spike protein.

Three of these mutations have potential biological effects that have been described previously to varying extents:

Britain Sounds Alarm About Mutant Coronavirus Strain
By Jamie Dettmer
Updated December 19, 2020 03:11 PM

British scientists were scrambling Saturday to work out whether a mutant strain of the coronavirus, which has been spreading rapidly in England this month, may be resistant to the crop of newly developed vaccines.

The strain was first identified on December 13 in the county of Kent in southern England, and initial analysis by government scientists suggested it is “growing faster than the existing variants.”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson held an unscheduled meeting of ministers Friday amid mounting alarm about the threat posed by the mutant strain, which has been named VUI-202012/01. Johnson said at a press conference Saturday that there was no evidence so far to suggest vaccines would be any less effective against the new strain, but he added that “there is still much we don’t know.”

He noted the new strain was up to 70% more transmissible than prior strains.

The British leader announced a virtual lockdown for London and the southeast of England, with people urged to stay at home. All nonessential stores are now to close, and people should not enter or leave the British capital or large parts of southeast of England.

“We can’t continue with Christmas as planned,” said Johnson, noting that a previously announced relaxation of rules for the holidays would be reversed. In London and southern England, households now can’t mix to celebrate Christmas. Elsewhere in the country, up to three households can mix but only for Christmas Day itself.

“I must stress how complicated it is to work out, in a situation where things might be growing for other reasons, to really put your finger on that it’s actually the virus that is doing it, but the evidence is pointing in that direction,” Ewan Birney, deputy director of the European Molecular Biological Laboratory, told the BBC.

Midweek, Health Minister Matt Hancock said the new strain might be associated with the faster transmission of the virus in the southeast of England and London, but there was “nothing to suggest” it caused a worse disease, or that it might be resistant to vaccines that have only just received approval in Britain and the U.S.

England’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, said Britain had alerted the World Health Organization about the fast transmissibility of the variant strain.

“There is no current evidence to suggest the new strain causes a higher mortality rate or that it affects vaccines and treatments, although urgent work is under way to confirm this,” he said in a statement.

Jeremy Farrar, a government adviser and director of the Wellcome Trust, Britain's largest medical research endowment, warned Saturday of his concern. He tweeted: “The new strain of COVID-19 is worrying & real cause for concern & extra caution. Research is ongoing to understand more but acting urgently now is critical. There is no part of the UK & globally that should not be concerned. As in many countries, the situation is fragile.”


Johnson also held emergency talks with the first ministers of Britain’s devolved governments in Scotland and Wales. “I attended a four-nation call earlier today to discuss serious concerns over the spread of a new COVID variant,” Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford tweeted.

Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said that she would be holding discussions with her cabinet following the four-nation talks and that “preventative action may be necessary” to curb the spread of the new strain.

The new variant includes up to 23 changes, including with the spike protein, which the virus uses to enter human cells that allow it to replicate. There have been many mutations in the virus since it emerged last year in Wuhan, China, with 4,000 mutations in the spike protein alone. Virologists say most mutations are insignificant and are part of the expected evolution of the virus, but some may lead to more efficient transmission.

According to the government’s scientific advisers, the new strain is fast becoming the dominant strain, and they said it might be present in other countries.

“Scientists are working extremely hard to work out what is going on,” Mark Walport, a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, told The Times newspaper.

"But it does definitely seem possible that this transmits more easily. It will make the social distancing even more critical,” he added.

Government scientists said it could take two weeks to establish how the new strain reacts to vaccines, but virologists were hoping that the changes wouldn't diminish the efficacy of vaccines, which are designed to produce antibodies against many different parts of the spike protein.
Hospitals in England are seeing a record number of patients suffering from COVID-19, the disease triggered by the coronavirus. About 38 million people in England already were under tough coronavirus restrictions before Saturday’s announcement. The new measures amount to a virtual lockdown, something Johnson had said just a few days ago he would do everything to avoid.

Johnson’s decision to cancel Christmas for much of England prompted the fury of some lawmakers from his ruling Conservative Party. Many have fulminated for weeks against what they see as heavy-handed government and a lack of parliamentary oversight.

“The changes must be put to a vote on the Commons at the earliest opportunity,” said Mark Harper, chairman of the COVID Recovery Group of Tory MPs who have criticized government handling of the pandemic.

Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition party, Labour, accused Johnson of indecisiveness. He had been calling for tougher restrictions for weeks and had warned against relaxing Christmas rules.

“Millions of families across the country are going to be heartbroken by this news — having their Christmas plans ripped up. And I'm really frustrated because I raised this with the prime minister on Wednesday and he dismissed that and went on to tell people to have a merry little Christmas, only three days later to rip up their plans,” Starmer told British broadcasters.

British health authorities announced a further 27,052 confirmed cases of infection across Britain on Saturday and 534 more fatalities.

In all, 66,541 Britons have died from COVID-19, just 4,500 short of the total British civilian death toll in the Second World War.

The Trump Stimulus Game

updated Dec 11

So why didn't the Dems blackmail the republicans with not passing this bill to the last second or vetoing it 

Congress to send defense bill to Trump with veto-proof majorities

By 
Karoun Demirjian
Dec. 11, 2020 at 1:35 p.m. EST 

The Senate passed a $741 billion defense authorization bill on Friday, sending it to President Trump with veto-proof majorities in both chambers of Congress and effectively daring him to make good on his threat to scuttle the legislation.

The tally was 84 to 13.

In recent weeks, Trump has escalated his promises to veto the annual legislation, which directs funding for the Pentagon on everything from overseas operations to health care for civilian and uniformed personnel.

Trump’s threats began over the summer, when he vowed to stymie the legislation if it included a directive to the Defense Department to rename installations commemorating Confederate figures. More recently, he has demanded that the bill repeal an unrelated law granting technology companies liability protections against content that users post to their websites.

Trump has not sounded off about his pledged veto since the House passed the defense bill on Tuesday, by a vote of 335 to 78, a veto-proof majority. But should he still elect to veto the bill, he could complicate lawmakers’ efforts to complete the legislation, which has been signed into law for each of the last 59 years, before it expires at the end of the congressional session on Jan. 3.

***Pelosi is oozing weakness and Trump and the Republicans are trying to split the democrats. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad to get another speaker?  The whole system of the speaker of the  house and the senate magority leader doesn't work...it doesn't serve our nation and country. The whole deal is too secrecy driven. Both these leaders get way too much campaign money to influence their members. We need major reforms with the House and Senate. Too many secret agendas through black money.

Defund the police took away so much opportunity for the democrats.      

Pelosi looks to lock down speaker's vote in shadow of coronavirus

The longtime Democratic leader faces tight margins, and Covid could complicate her math.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's thinner majority will require a near-perfect showing from rank-and-file Democrats to again lock down the speakership. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

By SARAH FERRIS, JOHN BRESNAHAN and HEATHER CAYGLE

12/11/2020 04:30 AM EST

Speaker Nancy Pelosi had a blunt message for her junior members: I need your vote on Jan. 3.

That’s the opening day of the 117th Congress, and Pelosi was making her pitch ahead of the crucial floor vote for speaker. No one on Capitol Hill believes Pelosi is really at risk of losing the gavel. But the vote has become much more complicated with a shrunken Democratic majority and the coronavirus pandemic shadowing the proceedings.

“If someone votes for Colin Powell, it counts for the GOP,” Pelosi warned the group at a virtual breakfast Wednesday, adding: “We need people to vote with the nominee. That would be me.”

Pelosi and her allies have been ratcheting up their lobbying campaign in recent weeks to ensure House Democrats are in the Capitol that first Sunday in January. Pelosi has had help from her top deputies, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), according to several sources familiar with the effort. She and her supporters have also deployed former Obama administration alumni and big donors to help squeeze undecided Democrats, in addition to influential politicians and labor leaders in lawmakers’ home states.

House Democrats are expected to hold 222 seats on Jan. 3 versus 212 for Republicans, if all members are in attendance, say lawmakers and aides in both parties. Rep. Anthony Brindisi’s (D-N.Y.) tight race against Republican Claudia Tenney may not be called by then.

According to House rules, Pelosi must win a majority of votes cast “for a person by name” of the members who are in attendance and voting. So Pelosi can afford to allow a handful of her members to vote “present,” but a vote for anyone else is more problematic. In January 2019, some Democrats cast votes for Joe Biden, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), among others, as an alternative to Pelosi. With the narrower Democratic margin next year, that won’t work for the speaker.

“I think it’s a lot tougher for her this time,” said Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), a senior Democrat who opposed Pelosi as speaker in 2019. Schrader said in an interview he’s still undecided, but several top Democrats said they expect him to support Pelosi this time.

“It’s not all black and white. Everyone wants it to be all or none but that’s not the way it works,” he added.

BY NICK NIEDZWIADEK

Pelosi’s thinner majority will require a near-perfect showing from rank-and-file Democrats to again lock down the speakership, a far more difficult task in a year when the coronavirus has sidelined dozens of members over the course of the year.

One shift in Pelosi’s favor is that she will have far fewer Democrats to flip this time around compared with her 2019 bid, when she had to confront a whole group of disgruntled rebels. That negotiation ended with her agreeing to term limits, allowing her to return to the speaker’s chair after an eight-year absence with the upcoming two years in theory her last.

But with less room for error, Pelosi and her allies have begun applying pressure with hopes of winning over several of the defectors who opposed her in the past.

The lobbying blitz hasn’t gone without hiccups. House Rules Chair Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), a Pelosi ally, angered moderates after he wrote in a letter to the caucus that a vote for anyone other than Pelosi would be a vote for “the QAnon wing of the Republican Party.”

Still, Pelosi already has flipped several key Democrats, some without any direct outreach. Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee, a senior Blue Dog, told POLITICO this month he would support her. Cooper voted “present” last time. Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado also plans to back Pelosi after voting for Duckworth in 2019. And Democratic sources predicted Schrader will likely vote “yes” as well. Schrader voted for Rep. Marcia Fudge of Ohio two years ago.

“I’m going to talk to anybody and everybody. I think it’s absolutely essential that we be able to elect our speaker,” Hoyer said in an interview. Asked about any floor issues, Hoyer said: “I think we’ll get there.”

At least two Democrats plan to vote against Pelosi on the floor: Reps. Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania and Jared Golden of Maine, according to several sources. A third, Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, could also vote “no,” though she declined to comment in a recent interview. All three voted for other candidates last time.

Pelosi does have one way to release the pressure valve with other swing-district moderates: Several Democrats can vote “present” instead of “no” on the floor, which would shore up her path to the speakership without putting vulnerable Democrats on the spot.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan confirmed Thursday that she plans to vote “present” on the floor, as she did in 2019.

“I made a pledge in the spring of 2019, before I was elected. I’ve discussed that personally with [Pelosi], one on one,” Slotkin said in an interview. “That, to me, is a commitment that I made to my district. It just doesn’t change based on the ups and downs here.”

Democrats are closely circling another national security freshman, Rep. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, who could vote “present.” Reps. Kathleen Rice of New York and Ron Kind of Wisconsin, vocal Pelosi opponents in 2019, have also said they are undecided.

Of the 15 Democrats who voted against Pelosi on the floor in 2019, 10 survived reelection. An eleventh, Rep. Jeff Van Drew, has since switched to the Republican Party.

Making sure everyone is in attendance for several key early January votes is also on the minds of leaders of both parties. The Capitol physician has privately advised that members should be summoned back to Washington as early as Dec. 27 to ensure the House can safely hold its first vote on Jan. 3, although that is not official guidance, according to lawmakers and aides.

A single Democrat forced to stay home because of an infection or quarantine period — not to mention other health issues — could upset Pelosi’s careful balancing act. It could also complicate other key floor votes, such as the vote to certify the votes of the Electoral College for President-elect Joe Biden. That vote takes place on Jan. 6.

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Lawmakers heading into the Biden administration like Fudge or Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) shouldn’t affect the math; they are expected to remain in the House until Jan. 20, when Biden is sworn in.

“The only way she won’t win is — I’m always a little nervous about Covid. That’s the most frightening aspect of this. But it’s a problem for both sides,” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) said.

Update Dec 7

Out of all of this, Trump is a given and there nothing new. The Democrats have behaved abysmally and this pretends a very difficult next for years. 

I bet you Trump is going to precipitate a economic and market crash to weaken the Biden presidency years?   

I guess for the democrats they think it is more important to win the Georgia election that fix widespread starvation in the USA. The mealy mouth Democrats we see today really worries me. This is all high a high stake situation and lives will be staved or died with the outcome. Will the democrats hold their tongues and always cave to win a few republicans votes next election for the next four years? Be afraid to use the full power we gave them. Right, the Democrat's are sitting the stage with the Republicans for the next. Will they use their full power to confront these republican psychopaths or will it just be a pat on the ass to punish these guys for the serious transgression against our way of life and our constitution. What about dum dum Biden hinting a stimulus check might still be in the cards? The crooked Republicans will only respond to a over whelming show of force. I still feel the republicans strategized with this weak covid response, to put the country into a terribly unstable condition so as to weaken Biden opening presidency. I guarantee you if it is seen Biden floundering around in the opening stages of the presidency, the public will turn against him. He will have a failed presidency in the worst crisis this nation ever had. God help us all if we have a failed presidency!  

I never seen this coming. So the skinny bill is not happening. It will all be in the year end spending bill. The Republicans have all the cards. Like I said, now the dems need to blackmail the Republicans with shutting down the gov with the spending bill. We won't let you startup the government until we get that 3 or 4 trillion covid money. Even if we get the two senators, you know, the republicans will do nothing but obstruct Biden's government. 

"The $908 billion aid package to be released Monday would be attached to a larger year-end spending bill needed to avert a government shutdown this coming weekend." 

***Seems the $900 million dollar stimulus program is going to get passed. The much wider multi-trillion dollar program seems to going into the Dec 11 debt appropriation bill. Remember Trump threatened to not sign this bill. 

I see this as a widespread ploy by the republicans to split the democrat's party. This is a far sighed strategy. Already the left-wing says they won't sign the skinny bill. The left is terribly upset about the skinny bill and they feel left out.   

Pay People To Take The Covid Shots

Update Dec 4 

They are talking about getting $1500 dollars for getting a vaccination. That is just a mean spirited ploy. Most of them won't get a check to the end of March. The stimulus round 2 deal goes like this. The Republican won't go over one trillion dollars says the republicans. The democrats says a big stimulus will happen when they get into office. So the stimulus check would be coming out till Biden is in office. There are making a reckless speculation the democrats' will be able to pass the come February. There might be a deal made with passing the one trillion covid bill and then putting stimulus check on the national debt bill. I wonder on the national debt bill on Dec 11, putting the stimulus check on this, will this mode get the money to the peoples faster. Between these two bills, will the politician give the magority us the Christmas recue of our dreams?

The nation debt and military bill is coming up Dec 11. Can the democrats shutdown the government over the debt bill. That is what I do. I go with, if only a small proportion of people are getting relief, then its time to make everyone insecure by shutting down. You shutdown the government by not passing the national debt bill, the positive side of it is a lot more life's would be saved by not passing on Covid. So I wouldn't open up the government until the $4 billion comprehensive bill gets passed.

***Am I the only thinking here? There seems to be large proportion of people who won't take the covid vaccine. Our minorities and poor are a big proportion of this population. So why doesn't our US government pay people to take this vaccine? Pay them $100, $200 to $500 to take the shot. I believe on the second shot, you will have to boost the amount. What would be the ramification if some people got two vaccinations for money. Well, you would need identification to get the money and a comprehensive data base to prevent this.

You know what I say, screw ethics and morality at this point of the pandemic. Just get the god damn shots!

You should also on the spot, have a option to direct your covid reward to a charity. Maybe a list of charities have available.

Rush Limbaugh says his lung cancer is terminal

 It would be ironic if he dies from Covid. Does he wear covid masks? 

Derecho at Duane Arnold Damaged to All Lines Going Into Plant...LOOP

On August 10, 2020, at 1246 CDT, while operating at 80% power, NextEra Energy Duane Arnold (DAEC) experienced a generator load reject and subsequent reactor scram as a result of a loss of offsite power (LOOP) due to extremely high winds. An Unusual Event was declared at 1258. All Safety Systems performed as designed. As a result of the LOOP, the 'A' and 'B' Emergency Diesel Generators automatically started and supplied power to the safety related busses. As a result, the High Pressure Coolant Injection (HPCI) and Reactor Core Isolation Cooling (RCIC) automatically initiated and injected into the reactor. In addition, containment isolations occurred, as expected for this event. This resulted in a 4-hour event report to the NRC under 10 CFR 50.72 section 50.72(b)(2)(iv)(A) - ECCS Injection, 50.72(b)(2)(iv)(B) - RPS Actuation - Critical, 50.72(b)(3)(iv)(A) - Valid Specific System Actuation (reference EN#54826). The NOUE by was exited at 1600 on August 11, 2020. The cause of the LOOP was an extremely severe storm (called a Derecho) with heavy rains and very high winds. This event had no impact on public health or safety. There were no systems, structures, or components inoperable at the time of the event that contributed to the event. This event is reportable pursuant to 10 CFR 50.73(a)(2)(iv)(A) and 50.73(a)(2)(iii). There were no radiological releases associated with this event.

On August 10, 2020, at 1246 CDT, while operating at 80% power, NextEra Energy Duane Arnold (DAEC) experienced a Generator Load reject and subsequent reactor scram as a result of a loss of offsite power (LOOP) due to extremely high winds. An Unusual Event was declared at 1258. All Safety Systems performed as designed.

As a result of the LOOP, the 'A' and 'B' Emergency Diesel Generators (EDGs) automatically started and supplied power to the safety related busses. In response to the expected Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) level transient, the High Pressure Coolant Injection (HPCI) and Reactor Core Isolation Cooling (RCIC) automatically started and injected. In addition, containment isolations occurred, as expected for this event.

This resulted in a 4-hour event report to the NRC under 10 CFR 50.72 section 50.72(b)(2)(iv)(A) - ECCS Injection, 50.72(b)(2)(iv)(B) - RPS Actuation - Critical, 50.72(b)(3)(iv)(A) - Valid Specific System Actuation (reference EN#54826).

The cause of the LOOP was an extremely severe storm (called a Derecho) with heavy rains and very high winds. This event had no impact on public health or safety. There were no systems, structures, or components inoperable at the time of the event that contributed to the event.

The Unusual Event was exited at 1600 on August 11, 2020.

II. Assessment of Safety Consequences:

In response to the LOOP, the plant experienced a Generator Lockout, Turbine Trip and Reactor Scram. The operating crew entered the appropriate emergency procedures. The EDG's quickly re-energized the safety-related electrical busses and restored power. The Reactor Protection System (RPS) power was never lost as the EDG's were able to recover power to the essential buses quickly. This prevented a Main Steam Isolation Valve (MSIV) isolation signal and thus allowed the Main Condenser to remain available post event. As expected for this event, RPV level dropped below L2 setpoint (119.5") initiating the HPCI and RCIC systems. Reactor level recovered quickly. The Low Low Set System functioned as designed initially opening two primary system relief valves to control reactor pressure.

Operators were quickly able to establish pressure control initially via Steam Line Drains and RCIC and establish a cooldown rate.

Both recirculating pumps tripped when power was lost to their associated non-safety related electrical busses. The operators followed procedures for cooldown with no forced circulation in the core. When Shutdown Cooling was placed in service, forced circulation was re-established which resulted in exceeding the bottom head cooldown limits of 100 degrees per hour. This was anticipated and could not be avoided. 

This event did not result in a Safety System Functional Failure. Ill.

Cause of Event: The cause of the LOOP was an extremely severe storm (called a Derecho) with heavy rains and very high winds. Wind speeds exceeded 80 mph for over 20 minutes with peaks on site at greater than 100 mph. The National Weather Service later estimated wind speeds were likely near 130 mph. These winds resulted in all 6 off site power sources (4 - 161 kV and 2 - 345 kV) coming into the DAEC switchyard being damaged or downed. A separate offsite 69 kV line which feeds non-essential plant loads was also damaged. IV.

Corrective Actions: REV NO. - 00 The high winds experienced on August 10, 2020 were not considered a beyond design basis event. The systems and components responded as designed and the overall peak wind speeds were within the Design Basis Tornado. The damage observed coincides with the amount of damage expected for the event. Given this event was outside the control of the station staff and that all components worked as designed, no additional corrective actions beyond repair/recovery efforts related to the wind storm are needed. V.

Additional Information: Previous Similar Occurrences: A review of NextEra Energy Duane Arnold LERs from the previous 5 years identified the following event: LER 2018-004 - Automatic Reactor Scram due to Feedwater Regulating Valve Failure LER 2019-001 - Automatic Reactor Scram due to Loss of Feedwater.

The Hinsdale NH Police Department, the NH State Police Investigators...Are A Object Failure To The Victims Of High Crimes In Hinsdale!

All the citizens, the families and children in my town and the surroundings, these terrorist thugs, we should all be concerned these thugs are stilling running around in our town. 

I consider this a professional hit job. To me, I think the unknown thugs allowed Shippee to observe the murders, told Shippee he needs to commit suicide within a few days or they will come back to torture your family and then kill you.

Shippe's body was discovered in Vernon VT. There is a notorious biker bar near the shuttered VY plant. Well, I think the bar is shutdown now, so the building is a gathering place for the biker club. You can hear the bikes coming and going from my house. Where they selling heroin there? A distribution headquarters! Is this where the professional guys came from?

Did the tugs give Shippee the heroin to kill himself...told him to go to Vernon and commit suicide. That way the death could be a advertising tag for the biker club. Raise their credibility. Of course, the tugs could have taken Shippee and his car to Vernon in a inebriated manner, then killed him by a heroin injection there.

Remember, Hinsdale is the heroin and hard drug distribution capital area for Keene and the surroundings?

Remember Vernon has really sparse police coverage today...they no longer have a police department. Vernon today is a very poor town! Vernon would be a perfect place for a bike club headquarters or satellite office?         

Authorities continue to say little about Hinsdale double homicide

by PAUL CUNO-BOOTH Sentinel Staff 

Personnel changes at N.H. State Police have prolonged the investigation into an April 2019 double homicide in Hinsdale, which the authorities continue to say little about, according to a recent motion from the N.H. Attorney General’s Office.

Neal Bolster, 29, and Aaliyah Jacobs, 19, both of Hinsdale, were found shot dead that month in Bolster’s Plain Road home. The following day, the N.H. Attorney General’s Office announced it was charging Derrick Shippee, 28, of Westmoreland, with the murders.

Shippee was found dead in Vernon, Vt., that day of what the medical examiner’s office would later rule an accidental drug overdose.

Authorities in New Hampshire have never publicly described the circumstances of the killings, the motive or investigators’ reasons for suspecting Shippee. They say the investigation is ongoing.

“The length of the investigation has been in large part due to personnel changes within State Police,” Assistant Attorney General Jesse O’Neill wrote in an Aug. 12 motion.

Initially, the investigation was in the hands of a State Police detective and Hinsdale's police chief at the time, Todd Faulkner. But around the end of 2019 and start of 2020, the detective retired, and Faulkner left for a job with the Cheshire County Sheriff’s Office, according to the motion.

“At that point, the case was reassigned to another State Police detective, but shortly thereafter was brought under the purview of the State Police Major Crime Unit and assigned to two investigators within that unit,” O’Neill wrote in the August motion. “These investigators have now familiarized themselves with the history of the investigation and are taking steps to advance the investigation towards a conclusion.”

The Attorney General’s Office has consistently opposed the release of an affidavit from April 2019 that outlines the state’s case for charging Shippee with murder.

The Sentinel has been to court three times since June 2019 seeking access to that document, which is sealed. The Attorney General’s Office has argued that disclosure would harm the ongoing investigation because it could influence what potential witnesses tell police.

“To unseal the affidavit in support of Mr. Shippee’s arrest at this point presents a significant risk of tainting the ongoing investigation and preventing it from reaching a legitimate conclusion,” O’Neill wrote in the Aug. 12 motion.

In an order issued Sept. 4 and received by The Sentinel on Monday, Judge David S. Forrest of the 8th Circuit Court in Keene ruled for a third time that the affidavit can remain sealed. 

After hearing closed-door testimony from N.H. State Police Detective Matthew Anderson, Forrest wrote that the state had presented adequate justification to keep the records secret for now.

"In short, the Court finds that there is still an ongoing active pre-indictment criminal investigation, which could be jeopardized by unsealing the warrants and affidavits," Forrest wrote. 

However, he ordered the Attorney General's Office to update him on the status of the investigation by Dec. 4 and wrote that he would immediately schedule another hearing if the office continues to oppose disclosure.

Court documents like affidavits are presumed public. But judges can keep them sealed if convinced that the government's need to keep information under wraps overrides the public’s interest in seeing them.

Under N.H. Supreme Court precedent, the authorities have more leeway to block disclosure when an investigation is in a "pre-indictment" phase.

In a Sept. 2 hearing, Forrest noted that The Sentinel has questioned how the investigation could still qualify as "pre-indictment," given that the suspect has long since died. Forrest asked whether that was because police were investigating whether others were involved.

O'Neill did not answer directly, saying he would address that in the closed-door hearing without The Sentinel present.

The Attorney General's Office declined to comment on the ruling or respond to specific questions about the scope of its investigation, whether it is expected to conclude by Dec. 4 and how the office defines "pre-indictment."

"Based on the New Hampshire Rules of Professional Conduct, in particular, Rules 3.6 and 3.8, we are unable to comment on this matter as the investigation remains ongoing," Kate Giaquinto, a spokeswoman for the office, said via email Monday, referring to rules covering pre-trial publicity and a prosecutor's responsibility.

Covid: Are We Heading For Trouble With New Medicines and Procedures?

We have been saving a lot of very sick Covid patients with the new medicines and medical procedures. They are bringing back people from the dead. Steroids being one example. The patients still have very long hospitalizations and lengthy critical care needs. I think our hospitals and critical care facilities will overload a lot more faster than in the early covid infections. In the early days, there was a lot of patient turnovers because of the high fatality rate. You see what I am saying? In the late fall and early winter 2020 with the infection surge, it will be noted the fatality rate is smaller than last winter. The hospitals will be filling up with people who should have died. At some point it will overwhelm the facilities and medical staffs with the burdens of the very sick saved by the new medicines and procedures. This is when the fatality rate will skyrocket skyrocket!           

Justice Ginsberg Falls Down and Breaks Three Ribs

Update Sept 18

Bader negated all the good she done by not stepping down during the Obama presidency: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dead at 87.

Reposted from 8/23

Update July 17 

Ginsberg has had liver cancers since Feb 2019. She has had a secret  operation since then and took biopsies. She just disclosed this today. She just went into the hospital with a persistent high temperature. She is under gone cancers treatment and now some special kind of persistent cancer treatment.

If she dies before the next election, can you even imagine the constitional crisis she has created. Will Trump and the senate stuff another conservative justice down our throats before he leaves office. His popularity is so low now, it is doubtful he could win the next election.   

reposted from Aug 23 2019

 

Update Aug 24

If she dies or resigns anywhere near the last year of Trump's presidency, do you think the Republicans will replace her with a ultra conservative replacement? Would that rip the country apart? I think it would. But there are some positives outcomes with that. It would inflame the public and make the democrats more strident to get to the polls? 

Update Aug 23, 2019 

Justice Ginsburg is greatest traitor to American liberal values there ever was. She has progressively gotten more fragile in recent years. The arrogance of this women. Can you just imagine the who the conservative Trump and the senate are going to choose this go-round. If she was really great, she would have resigned at the end of the Obama administration.

She has pancreatic cancer now. They say she is stronger than superman. I give her three months in office now again. She had three weeks of radiation therapy and they got it all.           

Reposted from 12/18/18

***Ginsberg is a disgrace to the nation. She obliterated all the good she did on the court.

The White House is reaching out to political allies and conservative activist groups to prepare for an ailing Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s possible death or departure from the Supreme Court — an event that would trigger the second bitter confirmation battle of President Donald Trump’s tenure. 

The outreach began after Ginsburg, 85, on Monday missed oral arguments at the court for the first time in her 25 years on the bench. The justice, who was nominated to the court by President Bill Clinton in 1993, announced in late December that she underwent a surgical procedure to remove two cancerous growths from her lungs. 

Originally post on Dec 21 2018, reposted

***Update Dec 21

Ginsberg now got lung cancer. The doctors cut the lung cancer out and returned her body to a 21 year old women. She is a traitor to the cause, all the good she done is negated by not stepping down to a president with similar values as hers. Imagine, Trump gets to chose her replacement. She is such a disgrace and traitor to our nation. 

reposted from 11/8

This indicates she is in a very fragile state for her age. Twice she had cancer.  All the good she had done for women and for the liberal causes are going to be ruin if she dies or step down during the age of Trump and his senate cronies. Can you imagine who her replacement would be with Trump.

To keep the Justices fresh, they should be required to step down at 65 years. The replacement planning processes would be a lot more cogent on the big picture...

If she was really a great public figure and looking out for the best of the nation...she would have stepped down during the Obama administration. Had a hand in picking her replacement.

I give her three months...

Alien Craft Scanning Nuclear Plants, Particularly Palo Verde

Hmm, more drones. Either foreign forces testing our defenses or Aliens sending us a message. A submarine could put these drones into the air. Our adversaries satellites could get about as much information as a drone?    

Mysterious Drone Incursions Have Occurred Over U.S. THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile Battery In Guam

It's yet another reminder of just how vulnerable highly strategic assets, even air defense systems, are to low-end drones.

***There is just no doubt our military and government knows about UFOs. Our gov has a military policy of ignoring UFOs. We really don't act aggressive with them because we know our aircraft will get shot down or worst. Can you even fathom the planetary turmoil if one of our planes were chasing a UFO and it got shot down? Especially in the USA where out skies is so heavenly monitored by the civilians and military. I sure the aliens know the tightrope we are all walking on. If shot down, the civilians or another aircraft pilot would see it, it would get captured in a cell phone camera. I am absolutely sure it would be up to the total discretion with the aliens if they wanted outsiders to see the shoot down. At any moment, the aliens can utterly roil the planet.

"Rock star Tom DeLonge has spoken to Sky News about his work on UFOs, saying he would not have put music on the backburner to "chase monsters and ghosts" and that research into the subject could "change the world"."

I am sure our military and adversaries have extraordinarily sensitive satellites in our skies. They could just about discern any electronic emissions at almost undetectable levels. They monitors our skies 24/7 and record everything. So if incident happens, they can replay the event in detail. Lets take Palo Verde with the drone radio control signals. I am convinced our military can replay the drone events at the facility, then detect and identify all drone radio control signatures either commercial or foreign military gear. They could easily detect and decide if this was a spoofed alien drone. There have been UFOs in the past who flew nuclear plants. They have never shown any hostile intent to these plants.

I am just saying, we have a national military posture not to show the UFOs any hostile and aggressive intent with our aircraft. I suspect it would be the same strategy with alien drones.                     

***Somebody is gather intelligence on these sites and it is systematic. It is a sophisticated operation. Is it just imagines or other kinds of electronic emissions? 

Palo Verde: It is a three unit plant. It is the largest nuclear plant in the USA. This site was particularly designed to feed juice to California. Remember California had been in the electricity crisis all summer and is in a grid emergency as we speak.      

There is no doubt the aliens have the  technology to make them look like a typical drone. These guys are way more advanced than us. I mean, they could get a detailed scan by a spacecraft. They probable have drones the size of insects with more capabilities than anything we got. Obviously, if aliens, they wanted the plant security staff to see the drones and report it all the way up to the feds. They want this on the media record.   

Dozens More Mystery Drone Incursions Over U.S. Nuclear Power Plants Revealed

Forbes recently described how a swarm of drones flew in a restricted area at Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant on two successive nights last September. A new cache of documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) reveals how 24 nuclear sites suffered at least 57 drone incursions from 2015 to 2019 – and Palo Verde itself was overflown again in December, despite new security measures.

Scientific coalition for UAP studies: SCU is a cooperative of scientists, former military and law enforcement officials and other professionals, many of whom have decades of experience looking into UAPs, believe there are many unanswered questions, and that a serious examination is warranted"

The documents were obtained by from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission by Douglas D. Johnson on behalf of the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU). The SCU’s main interest is in anomalous aerospace phenomena, more commonly known as UFOs, but Johnson uncovered a series of incidents involving something less exotic but potentially more threatening: commercial drones.

In the September incidents, a swarm of five or six large drones flew over Unit 3 nuclear reactor at Palo Verde in Arizona for about eighty minutes, a length of time which suggested they were carrying out a thorough survey of the site. The documents released at the time referred to a similar incident at Limerick Nuclear Generating Station in Pennsylvania.

Johnson sent a follow-up request to get more details. The response was a terse list of fifty-seven security incidents (SIDs) involving drones, running from December 2014 to October 2019. This provides little more than the date and location, with no details of the number or type of drones involved. We do not know how many involved multiple, simultaneous drone flyovers. At the time the list was generated, three of the incidents were listed as ‘Open’ and five ‘Closed Resolved.’ but the overwhelming majority, 49 of them, were ‘Closed Unresolved.’ This indicates that for 85% of the cases the NRC has no idea who the perpetrators are or what they intended, and has given up on finding them.

There were 7 drone incidents in 2017, rising to 21 in 2018, the last full year for which numbers were given.

Twelve of the sites had only reported a single incident, but others had seen several. Limerick had five drone sightings, Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Cleveland, Ohio had six and Diablo Canyon near San Luis Obispo in California had no less than seven separate incidents from December 2015 to September 2018, all of them unresolved. The scale spread and number of intrusions indicate that this is not a local issue, and that the drone overflight may be carried out by a large, coordinated organization.

While most of the sites were nuclear reactors, there were also three drone incursions over spent nuclear fuel storage sites, including Trojan in Oregon and Rancho Seco in California where radioactive waste is stored in steel canisters inside giant concrete casks.

The new release also indicates that a third incident occurred at Palo Verde in December 2019, this time apparently with only two drones, described as ‘industrial-sized craft’ three feet across, similar to those previously seen. As with the two previous incident , they were exploring the Unit 3 reactor area. Following the September drone incident, Palo Verde was supposed to be protected by drone detection technology provided by ‘Area Armor’ (likely a typo for Aerial Armor) to pinpoint the drone operator within a 13-mile radius. The idea was that anyone flying a drone would be rapidly apprehended by site security personnel.

Site security personnel have have no police powers outside their plant. They can only make a complaint to the local police or Feds. 

This does not appear to have worked, and again the incident was closed as unresolved.

The big question is how much of a danger such drone overflights pose, and there has been some lively online discussion on this point. While reactors themselves are protected by thick concrete domes able to withstand the impact of a crashing airliner, the above-ground pools in which spend nuclear fuel is stored may be

Well, these guys now knows where the intake for the building ventilation is.  All three plants have have separate ventilation. My worry now is putting large qualities of poisonous gas into the ventilation system. It would kill them all in there or numerous people. The plant wouldn't meltdown on its own. This kind of attack would change the tragedy with the nuclear industry. Can you just imagine the media play on this.      

far more vulnerable. A 2011 report by the Institute of Policy Studies noted that over 40,000 tons of highly radioactive waste is stored in pools, many above ground: “some of the largest concentrations of radioactive material on the planet.” These pools are not heavily protected, but are in light structures similar to big-box stores and car dealerships.

A 2003 report noted how vulnerable such pools were to terrorist action, simply by making a hole in the pool to drain out the cooling water and causing the stored fuel to overheat: “We warned that U.S. spent fuel pools were vulnerable to acts of terror. The drainage of a pool might cause a catastrophic radiation fire, which could render an area uninhabitable much greater than that created by the Chernobyl accident.”

Robert Alvarez, author of the 2003 and 211 reports, reiterated the danger from terrorist attacks on fuel pools in 2017.

Greenpeace sought to highlight how easy it would be to hit such a target by crashing a drone into a French nuclear plant in 2018. How effective small drones would be is open to question. Certainly, small drones can be highly destructive against vulnerable targets, shown in incident where they blew up ammunition dumps and destroyed thousands of tons of munitions in Ukraine. The two-pound warhead fired by the shoulder-launched M72 rocket launcher can make a dime-sized hole through two feet of reinforced concrete. The drones seen at Palo Verde could carry something significantly bigger.

Drones might also locate, identify, distract or even target security personnel as part of a larger terrorist action. If drone flyovers become routine, security may cease to consider they are a danger – until it is too late.

The documents indicate that even within the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the evaluation of the threats, vulnerabilities and consequences of drone overflights is still ongoing. In one meeting on security, “Staff pointed out that no flyovers have yet exhibited a threat to nuclear power plant.”

That may sound reassuring. But as long as swarms of mystery drones are able to fly over nuclear facilities with impunity, there must surely be cause for concern.

I told you the USS Richard was a shipyard employee or sailor sabotage

I based it on the destroyed submarine USS Miami. So why was these two ships destroyed by either a sailor or shipyard worker?  What kind of conditions in the shipyard or Navy pier completing shipyard work causes this kind of sabotage. I am talking about 3 billion dollars distroyed.

On linkedIn I thought it was a sailor or shipyard employee who set the fire. I took a lot of shit over this.    

Sources: Sailor under investigation for arson in USS Bonhomme Richard ship fire


By: Jennifer Kastner , Jermaine Ong
Posted at 3:39 PM, Aug 26, 2020 
and last updated 8:47 PM, Aug 26, 2020


SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- A Navy sailor is under investigation in connection with the fire that caused extensive damage to the USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego, sources told ABC 10News.

Multiple sources with close ties to Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) told ABC 10News that investigators determined the July 12 fire may have been set intentionally. Investigators identified a sailor as an arson suspect in their probe, sources said.

The sources added multiple search warrants were executed at the sailor’s home and property. The sailor’s name and rank were not disclosed.

On Tuesday, a Navy spokesperson told ABC 10News that NCIS requested help from the National Response Team for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) because the agency provides resources and expertise on complex, large-scale incidents like the massive ship fire.

A Navy spokesperson on Wednesday declined to confirm what sources told ABC 10News regarding the suspect and now-arson investigation.

However, the spokesperson said, “The investigations are ongoing and there is nothing new to announce on their current status or findings.”

Them Damn Democrats' Are Doing It Again

 What I can say about the Dem convention, it just wasn't unsatisfying. It was like a exaggerated product advertisement who just shows you a selective view of the gadget. They are just promise the gadget will make your life perfect, but it never does. They are just selling dreams for selfish mean. Like, what was wrong with the last election and what did they learn from it (Clinton)...how will they be different. How did The Obama administration make black lives better? Reform the police departments? The example was bragging about all the jobs created by the Obama last night. He hardly created any jobs other than those lost from the great recession. I hold the Dems more accountable for how we got here because they are the party of the middle class and poor. This is how Trump flourish, the middle class and poor has had a really tough 30 years. We haven't gained much during those times and the world has gotten much harsher for most of us. It is just no wonder why so many people voted for trump and have given up on all institutions. Obama, the Dems and lot of them have failed us in so many year over decades. I just think so many have lost all faith in our institutions and politics, we voted for trump as a act of terrorism. I know Trump is a scumbag and unstable...but I want to vote to punish the system for ignoring me and the people around. So voting for great plans and ideas never worked, so I am going to do the opposite to vote against my greater self  and my nation's interest, in the hopes of punishing our political and institutional systems. 

I think a lot of people will see the shallowness of the Dems with their really excessive positive and savior opinion with themselves in recent days. An slick advertisement and a gross misrepresentation  of the Democrat experiences for most of us and especially the poor. Hey, you are all heroes to each other, as this nation and many of us were grounded into the dirt for decades. Especially our children who aren't voting in masses, because they feel it the most and are sick and tired of our shit. There has got to be a great reckoning with the Democrat experience in the last 50 years before enough people vote for the revolution we are seek. You bet your ass monied politics is behind all of this. You and us have to talk about all you sins, how you failed us. What you did behind the scenes. And sincerely apologies to us all for all your sins. disclose it all!  Beg us for forgiveness. Trust that the good Americans will do the right thing this up coming elections.    

All you people are is playing the covid card and going full anti Trump. Your failures created Trump! We have to regain a sense of trust and integrity with our politicians and institutions. It is pitiful you think we are going vote for you because you had a tough life and grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, then joined the system that created this horrible world in front of us. Or our Republic and beautiful Constitution is lost for all eternity!

Do you even know what Trump did to us in the opening stages of his presidency. He threw so many bad things at us in the early stages of his presidency, the campaign itself...we never had a huge transparent reckoning with why the Clinton campaign failed and why large segments of our citizens were turning or becoming indifferent to the party? We never had a deep searching in our hearts souls with how the party failed. And you can bet as a result of the last series of republican presidencies, the party move massively towards to the right in order to compete with the republicans for votes and money. How did such a wounded candidate as Clinton become the contender?                        

It is time to call up the Nation Guard or Military to help out with our unprecedented up-coming covid national election!

Remember it is going to take a long to train everyone and set up the system. 

Our poor Hinsdale Police Department

What about the Lorry List? We extraordinarily protect our town police and government with tremendous secrecy. Ninety-nine percent of this is protect careers and the reputations of the local politicians. It doesn't serve the local population. We don't live in the greatest democracy on the face of the planet. We have very limited involvement of the town people because no transparency. We more live in a communist or right wing despot type of government. You have to question the quality of the local population to tolerate such a poor style of government. It is all about insider deals and superiority of commercial and business interest thugs' interest. A lot of money gets passed under the table. The commercial and business thugs run the show in small town America.  

We need a massive and historic reform of the Hinsdale police department. We got the crime level and 911 calls of Keene and now only three police officers. They are all new people at the Hinsdale police department who really don't know our town landscape. It is diarrhea of the exiting with the police officers in recent years.  The vast amount of 911 calls revolves around heavy drug use and the drug cartels of Hinsdale. We are the drug gang capital of Cheshire country based on the access to the Roosevelt interstate system. We are even using the very expensive NH state police to do some of the local policing. The police chief says the staties are too expensive, as the state police require two officers on the road at the same time because our town is so dangerous. I think we should pay each town police officer's compensation package and training at some $90 bucks a hour. We really have no control of the training with the new police officers. What the hell goes on the NH police training academy do? The training academy need a historic overhaul. Does the academy train police officers on choke holds? Does the academy have enough money to do this valuable work? Six weeks of new police training is pitiful. We are going to have diarrhea of the police department for a far as the eyes can see. The Hinsdale police chief tells me the select-people will give him all the money he needs. He is full of shit! He is drinking the Hinsdale cool aid already.

You get it, Hinsdale is always in a dire crisis with not having a police officers. They are getting less training at the academy. The chief goes to the academy begging them to reduce training, as he doesn't have enough police on the road in Hinsdale.    

  

City releases unredacted version of Keene police's use-of-force policy

• by PAUL CUNO-BOOTH Sentinel Staff
 
• Jun 16, 2020 Updated 13 min ago
 

“However, the City has concluded that public trust in the operation of the Keene Police Department, and trust by the public in their interactions with Keene police officers, is paramount,” the statement said. “Successful and peaceful interactions between law enforcement officers and the community that they serve is based first and foremost on mutual trust, and cannot be based on fear and suspicion.”



Read KPD's full use-of-force policy


The statement came a day after a virtual forum on racial injustice and public safety convened by Mayor George S. Hansel, at which two attendees called on the city to release the full policy.

Also on Monday, The Sentinel informed city officials it was preparing to publish a story about which local police departments had released their policies and asked whether the city would reconsider its stance on redactions. 

Many local police departments have released their full use-of-force policies to The Sentinel, though others have made redactions or withheld the policies entirely.

The city’s statement Tuesday noted that the death of George Floyd, a black man, in Minneapolis police custody last month “has prompted a necessary re-evaluation of the use of force by law enforcement agencies throughout the country. And the City of Keene Police Department is no exception.”

Russo said earlier this month that in reviewing the policy after an inquiry from The Sentinel, he noticed it technically still allowed “chokeholds,” even though officers have not been trained to use them for as long as he can remember. He said he was updating the policy. The version released Tuesday does not appear to mention the term.

The Sentinel originally asked for the city’s use-of-force policy last November. The redacted version was provided in December.

Dragon and City Attorney Thomas Mullins justified the redactions on the basis of exemptions to New Hampshire’s Right to Know Law that relate to law-enforcement techniques and procedures and disclosures that put someone's life or safety at risk.

In a March email, Dragon said "disclosing such techniques and procedures could assist individuals in taking steps to counter the necessary use of force in an effort to escape detention, and which may result in an unnecessary escalation of the force required for the officer to safely control the situation, thereby endangering the safety of all of the participants.”
The city had resisted releasing its policy as recently as earlier this month. “As to our entire policy, I ask you to think of it as releasing a team’s game plan to the opposition, who would do that?” Russo said in a June 2 email to The Sentinel, after a renewed request for the full policy. “We have nothing to hide, we are as transparent as officer and public safety allows.”

Our Electric System: Greatest Decline in Demand Since the Depression

Energy & Science
Biggest Power Demand Plunge Since Great Depression Is Reshaping Markets

Slowdown is squeezing coal, buoying renewables and foreshadowing “grid of the future”

By
Mark Chediak,
Chris Martin, and
Rachel Morison
May 20, 2020, 4:00 AM EDT


The global plunge in electricity demand will drag on long after nations lift stay-at-home orders, leading to the biggest annual drop since the Great Depression and fundamentally reshaping power markets.

As economies struggle to recover, worldwide electricity consumption will decline 5% in 2020, the most in more than eight decades, according to the International Energy Agency. In the U.S. last week, government analysts projected the nation’s biggest drop on record. And in Europe, analysts say a full recovery could take years.

The prolonged slowdown will increase economic pressure

The most financially threatened plants are the nuclear power plants. I wonder why they never mentioned that? 

on older, uneconomic power plants -- especially those that burn coal -- and help speed the transition toward cleaner and cheaper wind and solar. It will also contribute to the biggest annual decline in greenhouse gasses from energy ever recorded.

“This unprecedented drop in demand is foreshadowing the grid of the future,” said Steve Cicala, an economics professor at the University of Chicago. The world is “getting an early look at what high penetrations of renewables will do.”

Cascading Dam Failures in Michigan

Update

Safety advocates think a dam failure or cascading dam failure could lead to a meltdown in the USA.

*You don't see this very often in the USA. So one dam fails, this causes the next downstream dam to fail and so on. Right now its up to three dams have failed. This is way up North in Michigan. I can't see any nuclear plant yet that is threatened.

It reminds me of the upper Midwest spring flooding event that threaten Cooper and Fort Calhoun a few years back.     

Michigan governor orders thousands to evacuate after 2 dams failed, saying one city could be under '9 feet of water'

Updated 7:46 AM ET, Wed May 20, 20

By Rob Frehse, Kristina Sgueglia and Christina Maxouris, CNNCNN)Thousands are under evacuation orders in mid-Michigan Wednesday morning, a day after two dams failed following heavy rain across the state.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency Tuesday night for Midland County after both the Edenville and Sanford dams breached and urged immediate evacuations.
"If you have a family member or loved one who lives in another part of the state, go there now," she said. "If you don't, go to one of the shelters that have opened across the county."

Residents should "seek higher ground" as far east and west of the Tittabawassee River as possible, according to the city of Midland's website.

"In the next 12 to 15 hours, downtown Midland could be under approximately 9 feet of water," Whitmer said Tuesday night in a news conference. "We are anticipating an historic high water level."

River Bend Is a Terrible Plant

I once got three special inspection of large breaker problems at this plant. It cascaded into three special inspection. Entergy and this plant is a very troublesome plant...particularly Entergy's western nuclear plants.  Entergy no longer has any presence in the Northeast.

NRC Begins Special Inspection at River Bend Nuclear Power Plant The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has begun a special inspection at the River Bend nuclear power plant to review circumstances related to the failure of five portable emergency diesel generators during testing. The plant, operated by Entergy Operations, is located in St. Francisville, La. The generators are used to supply power to plant systems in the event of a prolonged loss of off-site electrical power coupled with a failure of the permanently installed emergency generators. These portable generators were acquired as part of the facility’s safety enhancements mandated by the NRC following the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi facility in Japan. The three-member NRC team will develop a chronology of the test failures and evaluate the licensee’s causal analyses and the adequacy of corrective actions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they will complete most of their work remotely. An inspection report documenting the team’s findings will be publicly available within 45 days of the end of the inspection.

Triumphalism

Is President Trump Trying To Commit Suicide With Hydroxychloroquine.

President Trump and his family is heading towards being a nationwide pariah for the rest of their lives. He is under extraordinary pressure very few humans can understand. He is a prime candidate for suicide. It is probably the only way his family is going to survive. I think he is committing suicided with Hydroxychloroquine.

You know him, he does everything in a big way!

Game this out, how does things play out if he accomplishes subside. 

The Outcome of China and the USA After coronavirus

I believe in the near future China and the USA are going to be great friends just like we are with the European countries. A 100 year alliance with China. And yep, just like neighbors, we all adapt with living with strange neighbors next door and become good friends. There is no fundamental reason with two completely different governments we couldn't become vast friends. Our fathers and grandfather set in motion our divergent countries...it doesn't have to stay that way. If it is all done for the good of the whole planet and benefits us all. We could police the world together and and set planet wide standards.   

You get it, this virus set in motion the idea all humans behave exactly alike. We now got tremendous new commonality between us. 

NH Predicts 424 Dead by August---Huge Spike in Deaths In Recent Days

Closely watched model now predicts more NH deaths

By Mark Hayward New Hampshire Union Leader
May 13, 2020 Updated 5 hrs ago

An independent health research center has sharply increased its predictions for deaths in New Hampshire, as the Granite State experiences its worst run of COVID-19 deaths.

Granite State deaths could run about 10 a day the rest of May and could go as high as 16, according to May 12 projections from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. That is up significantly from last Friday, when the center projected an upper range of seven daily deaths.

On Wednesday, state officials announced eight more deaths, bringing the number to 150. The number of New Hampshire deaths from COVID-19 has jumped 35% in seven days.

“The mood is one of shock. It’s demoralizing,” said Brendan Williams, president of the New Hampshire Health Care Association, which represents nursing homes.

“We know we are going to have more fatalities, we know there are going to be a lot more COVID cases,” Gov. Chris Sununu said on Wednesday. “It is all about the ability of our health care system to manage the current pandemic.”

As of last week, 72% of New Hampshire deaths were associated with clusters, according to state data. Nearly all cluster outbreaks reported by the state have been in nursing homes.

The data also show that 94% of the COVID-19 deaths in New Hampshire were people 60 or older, and nearly two-thirds were people 85 or older.

“Anyone who’s elderly is at risk. There are elderly people in the grocery store,” Williams said.

“People say, ‘Only those over 60 have died, so why not reopen everything but for those over 60?’” Sununu said. “That’s because those under 60 can easily become a transmitter to a grandmother or someone at work, whoever it might be.”

The IHME frequently updates its predictions based on data from states and countries.

The IHME predicts 424 New Hampshire deaths by Aug. 1, with a possible high of 960. Also on Tuesday, the IHME increased its projections for deaths in the United States to 147,000.

Sununu said the number shows the reason the state has to be careful. But he said the IHME figure is only one of about a dozen projections.