Critical bow to John Key's offshore drilling propects

Key’s drilling plan “in freefall” as NZ’s biggest offshore oil prospector bails

August 30, 2016 at 13:25 - In the wake of last week’s reports that oil giant Shell is having a firesale of its New Zealand assets, prospecting company ION Geophysical has also now relinquished its oil surveying permits, which covered almost half of New Zealand’s waters.

Greenpeace,

30 August, 2016

ION’s bid, lodged last September, was the largest application ever to be made for prospecting in New Zealand’s EEZ. It involved surveying 1.6 million square kilometres of ocean.

To add to the mass pull-out, another Houston based company, TGS, also yesterday withdrew its application for its major offshore prospecting permit off the West Coast of the North Island.

Greenpeace New Zealand’s senior campaign advisor, Steve Abel, said the growing list of oil companies bailing are a solid indication that the Government’s oil programme is dying a death.

“Prospecting is the essential first step of offshore drilling. These companies gain data that is on-sold to the oil companies, but if there is poor indication of possible oil or there aren’t buyers for the data then the prospectors aren’t going to waste their time and money on surveying,” he said.

“The ION and TGS departures are another critical blow to John Key’s offshore oil prospects. I think it’s safe to say the New Zealand’s offshore oil industry is in freefall. International petroleum players are dropping like flies.

“It’s high time for Key to give up on this waste of taxpayers money and make good on the promises he made at the Paris climate conference by quitting support for oil drilling and properly backing the clean innovative sectors that should be powering and providing jobs and income for New Zealanders.”

In New Zealand: from autumn too "like summer"

Temperatures between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius above normal

September will feel like summer instead of spring

Forget spring - it's summer that has sprung, with meteorologists predicting yet more record-breaking temperatures for 2016.

Radio NZ,

30 August, 2016

The months of March, April and May were the second warmest autumn ever, with the warmest May on record, according to the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).

NIWA forecaster Ben Noll said more records were set to fall in the coming months.

You'll need sunblock come Thursday. Photo: 123RF

He said it would be good to break out the 30+ sunblock, with Thursday and Friday's temperatures on the country's east coast set to rise between five and 10 degrees above normal.

"Some places may approach 25°c as a classic foehn wind [dry, warm, down-slope wind that occurs on the downwind side of a mountain range] develops," Mr Noll said.

Mr Noll said 2016 had been the hottest start to any calendar year since records began in 1909.

Warm seas around New Zealand were primarily responsible for the summer-like heat, with above-average temperatures.

"We've seen that through much of 2016 so far and it seems to want to repeat itself here, even into the middle and latter stages of the year.

"You have this big high pressure system forming over warm waters and it brings winds from sub-tropical or even a tropical direction from the north, from near New Caledonia, even near the Coral Sea."

The atypical warmth was expected to expand across the North Island by the weekend, and could see records tumble from Sunday, said Mr Noll.

"It may repeat itself a couple of times in the first half of September, so if we don't break records this time around we'll have another chance around September 10, so a couple of rounds of this December-like weather," said Mr Noll.

It was time to put away electric blankets in the east of the country, he said, with parts of the country experiencing warm overnight temperatures for September.

But while people would enjoy getting outside more the predictions were bad news for farmers, with the North Canterbury drought set to continue.

Waipara West in the north of Canterbury was tracking towards its second driest winter on record, with just 73mm of rain through to 28 August - only 43 percent of normal winter rainfall, Mr Noll said.

"Places in Northern Canterbury, some spots have had only 40 to 60 percent of their normal rainfall so far in 2016 and these types of foehn winds will contribute to that.

"So it looks like in the next 15 days there's little in the way of rainfall for places that needs it most."

Mr Noll said ski fields could suffer from early snow melt, with Mt Ruapehu particularly affected.

Weather bombs and storms in the Atlantic

I am posting these without comment.I cannot say anything about the veracity of this information.

'Weather Bomb' Over North Atlantic Releases Tremors Felt In Japan

The rest is from me - conditions in the Arctic today

Russia's "invasions of Ukraine

How many times has Russia invaded Ukraine in the last year? Let’s add them up

• http://redpilltimes.com/many-times-russia-invaded-ukraine-last-year-lets-add/

  the 'Russian military invasion of Ukraine.' Last week Ukraine's Military spokesman Col. Andriy Lysenko, accused Russia of sending tanks, troops and lot's of other stuff across the border into Ukraine, as reported by the NY Times:

  Speaking in Kiev, the capital, Col. Andriy Lysenko, a Ukrainian military spokesman, said 32 tanks, 16 howitzers and 30 trucks hauling ammunition and fighters had crossed into the Luhansk region from Russia. He presented no clear evidence to support the claim, nor did the wealth of social media outlets in eastern Ukraine display any footage of a tank convoy. The Kiev government frequently made such claims that could not be substantiated during intense fighting between Ukrainian government troops and separatists earlier this year. Neither NATO nor the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is monitoring a cease-fire, could confirm the report.

  Zerohedge's article on the newest Russian invasion into Ukraine was aptly titled, "The Ukraine Who Cried Wolf:Kiev Reports 32 Russian Tanks Cross Border, Market Completely Ignores." So how many times has Ukraine, NATO, Jen Psaki and the main stream media "cried wolf?" Let's find out. First off, doing a simple Google search for just the term, "Russian invasion of Ukraine" yields 1,350,000 results. Lots of Russian invasion stories are floating about online. Let's get into just how many instances of 'Russian invasions' or near 'Russian invasions'have been reported this past year, starting from early days of the coup until Col. Andriy Lysenko latest 'invasion'announcement. It's a long, long list... February 28, 2014: Ukraine Accuses Russia Of Invasion, Considers State Of Emergency After Masked Gunmen Occupy Two Crimean Airports. March 2, 2014: Sarah Palin Predicted Ukraine Invasion in 2008 March 3, 2014: Russian Invasion of Crimean Peninsula. Movements and Forces March 3, 2014: Why Did Russia Invade Ukraine? Because The West Is Weak March 13, 2014: Russian Troops Mass at Border With Ukraine. Possible Invasion March 15, 2014: Ukraine Says It Has Repelled A Russian Army "Invasion"March 18, 2014: Ukraine Hikes Tensions Again, Says Russian Army Concentrated Near East Border For "Quick Invasion" March 30, 2014: Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine could happen 'any day', officials warn April 4, 104: Ukraine Defense Ministry "Warns" Of Imminent Russian Invasion May 1, 2014: Ukraine minister: Russia planning invasion May 21, 2014: Despite Withdrawal, Russian Invasion of Eastern Ukraine Still Possible May 30, 2014: Russians Invade Donetsk (VIDEO) June 2, 2014: U.S., Europe may have prevented invasion of Ukraine, Polish foreign minister says June 14, 2014: Russia's slow invasion of Ukraine June 20, 2014: Open Russian invasion into Ukraine has begun July 30, 2014: Putin could invade Ukraine in response to sanctions August 05, 2014: Poland's Sikorski Saying Russian Units Are Poised to Pressure or Invade Ukraine, Sees 'Huge' Escalation of Crisis if This Happened  August 6, 2014: Ukraine crisis: Nato fears invasion as Russian troops ‘mass on Ukraine’s borders’ August 6, 2014: Growing threat of Russia invading Ukraine, Hagel says August 14, 2014: Russian aid convoy blocked as Ukraine fears invasion pretext August 14, 2014: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues August 22, 2014: Russian Humanitarian Convoy Enters Ukraine Without Authorization; Ukraine Considers Move "Direct Invasion" August 25, 2014: Russia Prepares 2nd Humanitarian Convoy "Invasion" August 27, 2014: Ukraine Reports Russian Invasion on a New Front August 28, 2014: Ukraine Accuses Russia Of Launching Invasion, Then Promptly Retracts August 28, 2014: NATO Releases Satellite Imagery "Proof" That Russia Has Invaded Ukraine August 28, 2014: Has Russia invaded Ukraine? Here’s what we know August 28, 2014: Poroshenko says Russia invaded Ukraine August 29, 2014: U.S. official says 1,000 Russian troops have entered Ukraine August 29, 2014: Russia's Slow-Motion Invasion of Ukraine  August 30, 2014: European leaders warn Russian invasion of east Ukraine at 'a point of no return' September 2, 2014: The State Department Says Russia Is Invading Ukraine—Should We Believe It? September 4, 2014: Invasion of Ukraine Continues; Russian Ideologist Calls for “Genocide” October 3, 2014: Can US Support for Ukraine Help Prevent a New Russian Invasion? November 8, 2014: NATO Sees 'High Probability' Of Russian Invasion Of Ukraine November 12, 2014: Ukraine's Ambassador to the UN says Russia planning full-scale invasion

  ---

  Thats a lot of invasions, near invasions, possible invasions and fear of invasions going on...and that's just like 3 pages of Google results. With all that Russian troop movement west, one would think they would have captured London by now. Now the truth as spoken by CounterPunch, in a post titled, "What Russian Invasion?"

  The agreement to stop the fighting was reached at negotiations organized and led by Russia and held in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. It was reached at the same time that the US was pressing leaders of the NATO countries, at a meeting in Wales, to boost their military spending and to set up more offensive military positions in countries bordering Russia. The one thing that did not happen as a result of the cease-fire, and that in fact never even got addressed in the Minsk talks, was a withdrawal of Russian troops from eastern Ukraine. There was no withdrawal or even mention of those troops — said to number about 1000 by the US and the Kiev government — because there never were Russian troops invading Ukraine.

  Usually when someone cries wolf it's because they want something, likely a scam or some kind of swindling going down. In this case Ukraine is crying wolf in order to have EU and US taxpayers front the bill for their expenses...gas, oil, oligarch party funds, Hunter Biden - Igor Kolomoisky benders, etc... For the main stream media, well they are in bed with the MIC (military industrial complex), so their payoff is more business manufacturing war. The US and EU leaders who support the invasion meme are also in the pockets of the MIC, so it's good business...and manufacturing fear is also what helps keep them in office.  " target="_blank">As we approach the one year anniversary of the "Euromaidan" protests, and eventual coup of President Yanukovych, one meme has dominated the Ukraine headlines ever since, the 'Russian military invasion of Ukraine.' Last week Ukraine's Military spokesman Col. Andriy Lysenko, accused Russia of sending tanks, troops and lot's of other stuff across the border into Ukraine, as reported by the NY Times:

  Speaking in Kiev, the capital, Col. Andriy Lysenko, a Ukrainian military spokesman, said 32 tanks, 16 howitzers and 30 trucks hauling ammunition and fighters had crossed into the Luhansk region from Russia. He presented no clear evidence to support the claim, nor did the wealth of social media outlets in eastern Ukraine display any footage of a tank convoy. The Kiev government frequently made such claims that could not be substantiated during intense fighting between Ukrainian government troops and separatists earlier this year. Neither NATO nor the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is monitoring a cease-fire, could confirm the report.

  Zerohedge's article on the newest Russian invasion into Ukraine was aptly titled, "The Ukraine Who Cried Wolf:Kiev Reports 32 Russian Tanks Cross Border, Market Completely Ignores." So how many times has Ukraine, NATO, Jen Psaki and the main stream media "cried wolf?" Let's find out. First off, doing a simple Google search for just the term, "Russian invasion of Ukraine" yields 1,350,000 results. Lots of Russian invasion stories are floating about online. Let's get into just how many instances of 'Russian invasions' or near 'Russian invasions'have been reported this past year, starting from early days of the coup until Col. Andriy Lysenko latest 'invasion'announcement. It's a long, long list... February 28, 2014: Ukraine Accuses Russia Of Invasion, Considers State Of Emergency After Masked Gunmen Occupy Two Crimean Airports. March 2, 2014: Sarah Palin Predicted Ukraine Invasion in 2008 March 3, 2014: Russian Invasion of Crimean Peninsula. Movements and Forces March 3, 2014: Why Did Russia Invade Ukraine? Because The West Is Weak March 13, 2014: Russian Troops Mass at Border With Ukraine. Possible Invasion March 15, 2014: Ukraine Says It Has Repelled A Russian Army "Invasion"March 18, 2014: Ukraine Hikes Tensions Again, Says Russian Army Concentrated Near East Border For "Quick Invasion" March 30, 2014: Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine could happen 'any day', officials warn April 4, 104: Ukraine Defense Ministry "Warns" Of Imminent Russian Invasion May 1, 2014: Ukraine minister: Russia planning invasion May 21, 2014: Despite Withdrawal, Russian Invasion of Eastern Ukraine Still Possible May 30, 2014: Russians Invade Donetsk (VIDEO) June 2, 2014: U.S., Europe may have prevented invasion of Ukraine, Polish foreign minister says June 14, 2014: Russia's slow invasion of Ukraine June 20, 2014: Open Russian invasion into Ukraine has begun July 30, 2014: Putin could invade Ukraine in response to sanctions August 05, 2014: Poland's Sikorski Saying Russian Units Are Poised to Pressure or Invade Ukraine, Sees 'Huge' Escalation of Crisis if This Happened  August 6, 2014: Ukraine crisis: Nato fears invasion as Russian troops ‘mass on Ukraine’s borders’ August 6, 2014: Growing threat of Russia invading Ukraine, Hagel says August 14, 2014: Russian aid convoy blocked as Ukraine fears invasion pretext August 14, 2014: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues August 22, 2014: Russian Humanitarian Convoy Enters Ukraine Without Authorization; Ukraine Considers Move "Direct Invasion" August 25, 2014: Russia Prepares 2nd Humanitarian Convoy "Invasion" August 27, 2014: Ukraine Reports Russian Invasion on a New Front August 28, 2014: Ukraine Accuses Russia Of Launching Invasion, Then Promptly Retracts August 28, 2014: NATO Releases Satellite Imagery "Proof" That Russia Has Invaded Ukraine August 28, 2014: Has Russia invaded Ukraine? Here’s what we know August 28, 2014: Poroshenko says Russia invaded Ukraine August 29, 2014: U.S. official says 1,000 Russian troops have entered Ukraine August 29, 2014: Russia's Slow-Motion Invasion of Ukraine  August 30, 2014: European leaders warn Russian invasion of east Ukraine at 'a point of no return' September 2, 2014: The State Department Says Russia Is Invading Ukraine—Should We Believe It? September 4, 2014: Invasion of Ukraine Continues; Russian Ideologist Calls for “Genocide” October 3, 2014: Can US Support for Ukraine Help Prevent a New Russian Invasion? November 8, 2014: NATO Sees 'High Probability' Of Russian Invasion Of Ukraine November 12, 2014: Ukraine's Ambassador to the UN says Russia planning full-scale invasion

  ---

  Thats a lot of invasions, near invasions, possible invasions and fear of invasions going on...and that's just like 3 pages of Google results. With all that Russian troop movement west, one would think they would have captured London by now. Now the truth as spoken by CounterPunch, in a post titled, "What Russian Invasion?"

  The agreement to stop the fighting was reached at negotiations organized and led by Russia and held in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. It was reached at the same time that the US was pressing leaders of the NATO countries, at a meeting in Wales, to boost their military spending and to set up more offensive military positions in countries bordering Russia. The one thing that did not happen as a result of the cease-fire, and that in fact never even got addressed in the Minsk talks, was a withdrawal of Russian troops from eastern Ukraine. There was no withdrawal or even mention of those troops — said to number about 1000 by the US and the Kiev government — because there never were Russian troops invading Ukraine.

  Usually when someone cries wolf it's because they want something, likely a scam or some kind of swindling going down. In this case Ukraine is crying wolf in order to have EU and US taxpayers front the bill for their expenses...gas, oil, oligarch party funds, Hunter Biden - Igor Kolomoisky benders, etc... For the main stream media, well they are in bed with the MIC (military industrial complex), so their payoff is more business manufacturing war. The US and EU leaders who support the invasion meme are also in the pockets of the MIC, so it's good business...and manufacturing fear is also what helps keep them in office.