Here are a few news headlines, meteorological and political, for Saturday, August 27.
*Irene weakens, still poses major threat to Hampton Roads (“Newport News, Hampton and Poquoson order low-lying residents to evacuate”)
*Center of Irene moving to Outer Banks with Category 1 winds
*Gov. McDonnell: People ordered to evacuate ‘need to comply today’
*Dismal Swamp firefighters take cover, hope Irene puts dent in blaze
*Proposed rules hold abortion clinics in Virginia to tougher standards
*Amtrak cancels East Coast service
*What damage could Irene’s winds do?
*Tysons Metro parking? Fuhgeddaboutit
*Kaine says Perry ‘far too polarizing’ to win presidential election
*Virginia lawmakers to Obama: Declare federal emergency before Irene hits
*State Officials Starting to Question Securitization Fail, Whether States Should Tax RMBS (letter by Del. Bob Marshall to Virginia Finance Secretary Richard Brown, asking “what steps has the Commonwealth, VRS or other appropriate state agencies taken to secure any investments related to RMBS or REMIC’s?”)
*Warner helps raise money for Democratic legislative candidates
*Warner says deficit tops terrorism as country’s number one problem
*Congress Deficit Panel Should ‘Go Big, Go Bold’ on Savings, Warner Says
P.S. Click here for the latest on local weather conditions from the National Weather Service. Click here for the National Hurricane Center page on Irene, including maps, satellite imagery, forecasts, and a technical discussion (e.g., “LAND INTERACTION…DRY AIR ENTRAINMENT…AND INCREASING VERTICAL WIND SHEAR SHOULD CAUSE IRENE TO WEAKEN AS IT MOVES ALONG THE U.S. EAST COAST. HOWEVER…THE CYCLONE IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A HURRICANE WITH A VERY LARGE WIND FIELD UNTIL AFTER LANDFALL IN NEW ENGLAND.”)
UPDATE: Since we’re talking about weather this weekend, and we really SHOULD be talking about climate as well, check out this interview with Al Gore, in which he says, 100% correctly, that “This is an organized effort to attack the reputation of the scientific community as a whole, to attack their integrity, and to slander them with the lie that they are making up the science in order to make money.” Gore adds, “These scientists don’t make a lot of money. They are comfortable, as they should be, but they don’t make a lot of money. That is not their motivation for doing what they do.” And, he charged – once again, 100% correctly – that “the coal and oil companies are doing exactly the same thing” as the tobacco industry did for years with cigarettes, resulting in millions of people dying unnecessarily. In this case, it will be far worse, but apparently that doesn’t trouble the shills and hacks who work for the dirty energy industry. People like George Allen, for instance, who for the past few years has been part (for $$$$ of course!) of that disgraceful, despicable effort.
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