Monday, May 11, 2015


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mississippi-police-officer-shooting-suspect-declares-innocence/

Miss. police shooting suspect declares innocence
CBS NEWS
May 11, 2015

Photographs – From left to right, Marvin Banks, Curtis Banks and Joanie Calloway
 HATTIESBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT

One of the four people facing charges in the deaths of two Mississippi police officers declared his innocence in custody, reports CBS News correspondent Anna Werner.

Within four hours of the shooting Saturday, three suspects were arrested.

Marvin Banks, 29, and Joanie Calloway, 22, were charged with the officers' murder. Banks's younger brother Curtis was charged as an accessory to murder. A fourth, Cornelius Clark, 28, was apprehended Sunday afternoon and charged with obstruction of justice.

On Sunday, Curtis told a reporter, he "didn't do s**t."

"I want to take a lie detector test, sir. God knows I ain't did nothin'," he said.

Around 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Officer Benjamin Deen stopped a gold Cadillac Escalade for speeding.

Police say he had probable cause to search the vehicle and called for backup when he saw four people inside. Rookie Officer Liquori Tate, 25, arrived on the scene just before shots were fired.

One local resident described what she heard.

"I was upstairs in my kitchen and we heard six loud gunshots," Hattiesburg resident Torsky Williams said.

Dean and Tate were rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead.

"They worked feverishly to try and save both. It just wasn't so. Too much blood was lost and too much damage done internally," Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree said.


Deen, a member of the K-9 unit and 2012 "Officer of the Year" leaves behind a wife and two children.

Tate's father took to Facebook after learning of his son's death

"Well Lord. I had been praying that it was all just a mistake. My baby...I just need some kind of mercy right now," he wrote.

"No parent wants to bury their child before them, and here we are on Mother's Day. It's a tragedy for all America. It's a tragedy for our community," Mayor DuPree said.

The shooting marks the first time in 30 years an officer has been killed in the line of duty in Hattiesburg. The city will hold a vigil for both men Monday.




This time the police officers are the victims of a shooting, with no apparent cause except the fact that the four black young people didn't want to be caught and arrested. One has claimed innocence and asked for a lie detector test. The city of Hattiesburg is holding a vigil for the two officers. The article doesn't say whether they discharged their revolvers, or the shots all came from the suspects' car. I hope to see some more detail about this situation in the next few days.








http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-shrinking-gulf-states-summit/

The shrinking Gulf states summit
By MAJOR GARRETT CBS NEWS
May 10, 2015

Play VIDEO – What does the new Saudi leadership mean for the U.S.?

After announcing Friday that Saudi Arabia's ‎king would not attend the Camp David Summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the White House labored Sunday to downplay the significance of Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud's conspicuous absence.

‎"We look forward to the attendance of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef," a White House official said, noting Mr. Obama and the prince have met previously. The crown prince is the Saudi interior minister. King Salman's son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's defense minister, will also attend.

While they're both significant figures, neither one has the same clout within the Kingdom or within the region as King Salman, whose absence will diminish Mr. Obama's ability to nail down specific GCC commitments and plans.

White House spokesmen had announced a planned face-to-face meeting between President Obama and King Salman that was included on the White House weekly calendar. But late Friday, the Saudi government informed the White House King Salman would no longer attend the summit of Gulf nations led by Saudi Arabia - drastically reducing the strategic and diplomatic heft of an event designed to unify U.S. and Gulf states approaches to Yemen, Iran's nuclear weapons program, the fight against ISIS and Syria's civil war.

"We first learned of the King's possible change of plans from the Saudis on Friday night," a senior administration official said. "We coordinated closely with our Saudi partners on the alternate arrangement and timing of the announcement. This is not in response to any substantive issue.‎"

Even so, King Salman is central to the future of the U.S. relationship with the Sunni-dominated kingdom and its approach to Shia-led Iran. ‎He was crowned in January and had not has not traveled outside Saudi Arabia since ascending to the throne. This was to have been Mr. Obama's first meeting with Salman in America and the centerpiece of talks with smaller gulf nations about regional concerns related to Iran and ISIS.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arav Emirates, Bahrain and Oman. ‎Most of the nations will not send heads of state but will instead send government ministers. Until confirmed by the White House on Sunday, the Saudi King's anticipated attendance lent weight to the security-focused talks.

The Saudis are the military linchpin to the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS and the top purchaser of U.S. military hardware. The White House has also deferred to Saudi strategy in the aftermath of the collapse of the government in Yemen.

Secretary of State John Kerry focused heavily on Yemen while in Saudi Arabia and the White House is coordinating heavily with the newly reorganized Saudi government and is developing a relationship with the new King Salman. The Saudis have bombed Houthi rebels relentlessly since they ousted President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The Houthis announced late Sunday they would accept a five-day cease-fire due to begin Tuesday, the eve of the Camp David summit. The U.S. and Saudis have been trying to use air strikes to ‎prod the Houthis, nominally backed by Iran, to accept a negotiated political solution to the conflict on Saudi Arabia's southern border.

Saudi bombers struck the home of former ally of the Kingdom and also former Yemeni President ‎Ali Abdullah Saleh. After seeing his home attacked, Saleh offered, for the first time, his support for Ansar Allah, the formal name for the Houthi fighters.

Mr. Obama is expected to push for a GCC formal security cooperation ‎pact that would coordinate security strategy among member nations originally aligned along economic interests. A long-standing U.S. proposal for a ballistic missile defense system is also due to receive extensive discussion.




“While they're both significant figures, neither one has the same clout within the Kingdom or within the region as King Salman, whose absence will diminish Mr. Obama's ability to nail down specific GCC commitments and plans. …. drastically reducing the strategic and diplomatic heft of an event designed to unify U.S. and Gulf states approaches to Yemen, Iran's nuclear weapons program, the fight against ISIS and Syria's civil war. …. "We coordinated closely with our Saudi partners on the alternate arrangement and timing of the announcement. This is not in response to any substantive issue.‎" Even so, King Salman is central to the future of the U.S. relationship with the Sunni-dominated kingdom and its approach to Shia-led Iran. …. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arav Emirates, Bahrain and Oman. ‎Most of the nations will not send heads of state but will instead send government ministers. …. The Houthis announced late Sunday they would accept a five-day cease-fire due to begin Tuesday, the eve of the Camp David summit. The U.S. and Saudis have been trying to use air strikes to ‎prod the Houthis, nominally backed by Iran, to accept a negotiated political solution to the conflict on Saudi Arabia's southern border. …. Mr. Obama is expected to push for a GCC formal security cooperation ‎pact that would coordinate security strategy among member nations originally aligned along economic interests. A long-standing U.S. proposal for a ballistic missile defense system is also due to receive extensive discussion.”

This is apparently an important meeting, but according to the writer of this article, King Salman's absence will not greatly deter the group's progress as most other nations have not sent their head of state, and the US has only sent John Kerry. I do wish the Shia and Sunni would stop fighting, and ISIS et al would simply disappear in a puff of smoke. Since that won't happen, it's good to see that these five nations will try to create peace in the region. The Middle East is contributing on a daily basis to a general worldwide instability. Of course that has been the case since we invaded Iraq in that ill-fated war.





http://www.npr.org/2015/05/11/404200241/two-guys-in-paris-aim-to-charm-the-world-into-climate-action

Two Guys In Paris Aim To Charm The World Into Climate Action
Nell Greenfieldboyce
Correspondent, Science Desk
MAY 11, 2015

Photograph – ADP Co-Chairs Daniel Reifsnyder (left), and Ahmed Djoghlaf (right), at a February conference in Geneva.
Courtesy of IISD/ENB

Here's a job that sounds perfect for either a superhero or a glutton for punishment: Get nearly 200 countries to finally agree to take serious action on climate change.

Two men have willingly — willingly! — taken on this challenge. They're leading some international negotiations that will wrap up later this year in Paris at a major United Nations conference on climate change.

"It's kind of like taking 196 cats and trying to get them all to move in the same direction," explains Daniel Reifsnyder, whose normal job is being deputy assistant secretary for environment at the U.S. Department of State.

For the rest of this year, though, he's co-chair of the Ad hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action. This is diplomat-speak for the effort to get a meaningful global agreement to rein in the greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet.

The other co-chair is an ambassador from Algeria named Ahmed Djoghlaf, who says he's only doing this "thanks to Dan" — because Djoghlaf probably wouldn't have agreed to lead these negotiations with anyone else.

"The chemistry and working relationship between two to guide a process is very important," explains Djoghlaf. "It's like you have a co-pilot, not a pilot. So if you don't get along, the plane can collapse, and you can have a crash."

"They say that we're married this year, Ahmed and I," adds Reifsnyder. "It probably feels like that to our spouses, you know, because we're probably with each other more often than with them."

If this is a kind of year-long marriage, it's really an arranged marriage. The reason it takes two people to chair these talks, instead of just one person, is that the industrialized world and the developing world don't trust each other. In general, rich nations have wanted to curb emissions, while poor nations have worried about restrictions that might limit economic growth. So to ensure fairness in this process, there's one chair from the U.S. and one from Algeria — countries that usually are in opposing groups.

"But an interesting thing happens when you get elected to one of these positions," explains Reifsnyder. "You kind of are expected to — and you do, I think — kind of rise above your group. You cease to become an advocate. You become a broker."

And, despite growing up an ocean apart, these brokers seem to have a lot in common. They both wear suits and ties — in one recent meeting, Reifsnyder's tie was striped, Djoghlaf's had little elephants. They both have Ph.D.s and law degrees. They're both in their 60s, with some gray hair. They have spouses and children. Both say that, in another life, they might have been college professors.

Instead, they were both drawn to this career. To explain what high-level climate negotiations are really like, Reifsnyder tells the story of one would-be negotiator who once asked to follow him around, to learn the ropes. She didn't last long.

"She said, 'I need sleep, I need food, I need exercise. I need fresh air. I can't do this — I can't sit in a room for 18 hours on end, and not eat and not sleep and listen to these arguments and go at it,' " Reifsnyder recalls. "And I thought, 'Well it's a good thing you've figured that out in three days. I haven't figured it out yet.' "

Neither has Djoghlaf, apparently. Asked if he likes this life, he smiles and says, "To be frank with you — no. No."

Timeline of Events:

1979: The first World Climate Conference is held. It's one of the first major international meetings on climate change.
1988: United Nations establishes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a scientific advisory group.
1992: U.N. holds the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Countries attending negotiate the main international treaty on climate change — the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
1995: Nations agree to the "Berlin Mandate" which, essentially, gets all developing countries off the hook for taking action.
1997: Kyoto Protocol is negotiated. It's the first detailed agreement to control greenhouse gas emissions. All developing countries get a free pass.
2007: A major assessment from the IPCC makes headlines with its conclusion that global warming is "unequivocal," with most of it "very likely" due to human activities.
2008: The first five-year commitment period to reduce emissions to target-levels agreed to in Kyoto starts.
2009: After hopes are raised for a more ambitious agreement to cut emissions once the Kyoto commitment period lapses in 2012, talks in Copenhagen end in disappointment.
2010: Governments agree that emissions should be reduced so that global warming is limited to 2 degrees Celsius.
2011: A breakthrough U.N. climate meeting in Durban calls for a universal legal agreement on climate change no later than 2015.
2013: Key decisions made during U.N. talks include creation of the Green Climate Fund, a way to take money from the industrialized world and give it to the developing world to help the latter nations adapt to and mitigate climate change.
2015: U.N. Climate Change Conference to be held in Paris from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11.

He'd actually had been planning to retire, which pleased his wife, who had grown weary of his constant travel. But instead, he took on this huge responsibility.

"When she heard about it she was mad," says Djoghlaf, "and she told me, 'You cannot live without these processes — you are addicted!'"

Actually, what drives them is a sense of mission. "We only have one planet, you know," says Reifsnyder. "We have to protect it."

These guys can't remember exactly when they first met — they say it must have been during some of the very first climate negotiations, about 25 years ago. Other negotiators describe them as seasoned professionals.

"I don't think they can, on their own, bring a conclusion. But they need to use whatever tools they can, to prepare the ground so that when lead negotiators and their ministers arrive in Paris, they've got something to work with," says Jo Tyndall, the climate change ambassador for New Zealand.

Tyndall says the co-chairs "do have to show leadership at times, because otherwise I think the process would grind to an absolute halt." On the other hand, she says, they can't push their authority too far because that might risk setting the negotiation process back.

What's more, Tyndall says, they have to keep a finger on the pulse of the negotiation, and know what's happening even in rooms where they're not present, so that "they can get a feel for how they can guide things towards a sensible middle ground."

Djoghlaf describes his partner as a walking encyclopedia of climate change. "I am relying entirely on him on the substance — on the knowledge of the issues," says Djoghlaf, "and the issues are extremely complicated."

In return, Reifsnyder says that Djoghlaf is "the quintessential diplomat. He is extremely gifted and smooth with people."

"This is what Dan thinks, but this is not true," says Djoghlaf, laughing. He insists that really, he has a bit of a temper and it's Reifsnyder who has the superior skills — which is pretty much what you'd expect a good diplomat to say.

Still, all the diplomacy in the world won't stop the planet from getting warmer. Most experts predict that, when talks conclude in Paris, nations won't have promised enough action to meet a goal set years ago — limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

But it would be a big deal to get consensus on a reasonably ambitious and robust plan for moving forward. That would repair some damage done in 2009, when the last major climate talks fell apart in Copenhagen. "In 2009, it was a failure," says Djoghlaf. "You can call it whatever you want, but it was a failure of the multilateral cooperation to have an agreement. No one can afford to have another failure."

That's why he and Reifsnyder will spend months listening to representatives from countries big and small. They'll wrangle with long, unwieldy documents, and will agonize over every detail of negotiation sessions — right down to the seating arrangements.

"People talk about how you spend years negotiating the shape of the table," says Reifsnyder. "Well, the shape of the table can be very important."

That's something that his co-chair understands. And later this year, in Paris, these two men will find out if they got the shape of the table right.





"Here's a job that sounds perfect for either a superhero or a glutton for punishment: Get nearly 200 countries to finally agree to take serious action on climate change. Two men have willingly — willingly! — taken on this challenge. They're leading some international negotiations that will wrap up later this year in Paris at a major United Nations conference on climate change. …. The reason it takes two people to chair these talks, instead of just one person, is that the industrialized world and the developing world don't trust each other. In general, rich nations have wanted to curb emissions, while poor nations have worried about restrictions that might limit economic growth. So to ensure fairness in this process, there's one chair from the U.S. and one from Algeria — countries that usually are in opposing groups. …. "We only have one planet, you know," says Reifsnyder. "We have to protect it." …. Djoghlaf describes his partner as a walking encyclopedia of climate change. "I am relying entirely on him on the substance — on the knowledge of the issues," says Djoghlaf, "and the issues are extremely complicated." In return, Reifsnyder says that Djoghlaf is "the quintessential diplomat. He is extremely gifted and smooth with people." …. But it would be a big deal to get consensus on a reasonably ambitious and robust plan for moving forward. That would repair some damage done in 2009, when the last major climate talks fell apart in Copenhagen. "In 2009, it was a failure," says Djoghlaf. "You can call it whatever you want, but it was a failure of the multilateral cooperation to have an agreement. No one can afford to have another failure."

If 200 nations can agree to contribute to the process, rather than holding back because Big Business wants to keep making billions of dollars, maybe the CO2 levels will diminish. The article doesn't say whether the 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit is a fixed goal above some point in the past – that's probably what it is. Perhaps it refers to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution? One statement in this article is pretty embarrassing, that the Industrialized nations want to push their emissions down while the developing nations don't want to risk holding back their economic improvement;the last I heard it is the US which doesn't want to cut back or curb its emissions. It's the coal and oil industries and those who burn carbon – the Koch brothers and General Electric.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/los-angeles-prepares-cell-phone-towers-for-massive-quake/

LA takes steps to protect cell phone towers from quakes
CBS NEWS
May 9, 2015

Scientists agree "the big one" will strike Los Angeles in the next 30 years. Many of the city's retrofitted buildings will survive a big quake, but what about cell phone towers? Omar Villafranca reports from Los Angeles on how the city is the first in the nation to take steps to protect the vital infrastructure.

Cell phone towers in Los Angeles are almost as common as palm trees, and sometimes they're even disguised to look like palm trees. They keep cell phones connected, but LA City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield wants to make sure mobile phones still work in LA when the next massive earthquake hits.

"It's super important because we know that it's not a question of if, it's a question of when," Blumenfield said. "And we know that communications is essential for recovery and for resiliency."

When a 9.0 earthquake shook Japan in 2011, people were left without a way to effectively communicate recovery efforts. That same year, a 5.8 earthquake shook Washington, D.C., and overwhelmed its mobile networks. That is why Blumenfield pitched an ordinance that requires new cell phone towers to not only survive a massive quake, but to keep functioning.

"Back in '94, when we had the Northridge earthquake, cell phones were just beginning," Blumenfield said. "Now, a lot of people have cut their landlines loose, and their only means of communication is cell phones."

Public buildings like City Hall in LA are already retrofitted to withstand a big jolt. Blumenfield wants to make sure first responders can still communicate and coordinate with each other in the aftermath of a massive quake.

"The cell towers are going to be different in the sense that they're going to be fortified," Blumenfield said. "They're going to have a stronger foundation. They're going to be better connected to the ground."

The ordinance could be enacted as soon as this month, without much pushback from cellular providers. The cost of a new tower might be a little more, but city leaders say it's a small price for public safety.




“Omar Villafranca reports from Los Angeles on how the city is the first in the nation to take steps to protect the vital infrastructure. …. "It's super important because we know that it's not a question of if, it's a question of when," Blumenfield said. "And we know that communications is essential for recovery and for resiliency." When a 9.0 earthquake shook Japan in 2011, people were left without a way to effectively communicate recovery efforts. That same year, a 5.8 earthquake shook Washington, D.C., and overwhelmed its mobile networks. That is why Blumenfield pitched an ordinance that requires new cell phone towers to not only survive a massive quake, but to keep functioning. …. "The cell towers are going to be different in the sense that they're going to be fortified," Blumenfield said. "They're going to have a stronger foundation. They're going to be better connected to the ground." The ordinance could be enacted as soon as this month, without much pushback from cellular providers. The cost of a new tower might be a little more, but city leaders say it's a small price for public safety.”

It's good to know that LA is doing something to preserve the cell phone towers. I had never thought of that, and it is true that so many people have totally given up their land lines – not me – that communications could be cut off entirely in the next disaster. Some of you readers will be old enough to remember the prediction within in the Counter Culture community of the 1970s that California was going to “fall off into the ocean.” Well, that's not really possible I don't think, but the San Andreas Fault and several others too have caused serious cracks in the ground. I had forgotten that Washington, DC had a quake, but one there in 2011 was gauged at 5.8-magnitude and the Washington Monument had to be repaired where it cracked. People were no longer allowed to walk up in it until it was fixed.

A very good documentary on the subject of California's earthquake history was on TV which showed a large and scary crack in the ground, and of course the Northridge quake was shown on news footage where an elevated highway simply fell flatly down on top of another roadbed below it. A baseball game at Candlestick Park caught that one on film in which it was possible to see the shaking occur. A number of cars were crushed and at least one woman did survive. That wasn't as bad as the San Francisco quake in 1906, of course. News film of that one is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7KaWkdIlY0. The film runs almost ten minutes.





http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/05/09/405506717/planetary-society-set-to-launch-solar-sail-experiment

Planetary Society Set To Launch Solar Sail Experiment
Scott Neuman
MAY 09, 2015

Video – LightSail

The Planetary Society is preparing to launch a tiny satellite into orbit later this month as the first phase in testing a solar sail as a means of spacecraft propulsion — an idea that has been kicking around in the science (and science-fiction) literature for at least a century.

The satellite, LightSail, no larger than a loaf of bread, is contained within the somewhat larger Prox-1 satellite developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology. It is scheduled to liftoff aboard an Atlas V rocket on May 20.

The concept states that if a large enough, kite-like "sail" can be deployed in space, the pressure exerted by particles streaming from the the Sun (known as the "solar wind") could be used to push a spacecraft along, much the same way that a sailing vessel is propelled when heading downwind.

The first LightSail won't reach a high enough orbit to try out the sail in the solar wind, but it should be able to test the mechanism for deploying the 345-square foot tissue-thin Mylar sail. A mission set for next year should put a second LightSail in a high enough orbit to fully test the concept.

A decade ago, the Planetary Society, the non-profit founded by the late Carl Sagan and now headed by Bill Nye ("The Science Guy"), made its first attempt to launch a solar sail, but the satellite was lost when the Russian launch vehicle it was on failed to reach orbit.

LightSail won't be the first spacecraft to test the solar sail idea. Both NASA and the Japanese space agency have experimented. Japan's Ikaros, launched in 2010, was the first to demonstrate the concept. While each particle "is small and only generates a small push, over time the accumulated energy from each one of the strikes pushes the solar sail (and anything attached to it) forward," according toSpace.com.

ExtremeTech adds: "Solar sails fall into the same category as ion engine technology in that they are very low thrust, but highly efficient. In the case of solar sails, you don't need to bring any fuel at all, so it's really infinitely efficient if you don't mind the long acceleration times. LightSail won't be the first spacecraft to test the solar sail idea. Both NASA and the Japanese space agency have experimented. Japan's Ikaros, launched in 2010, was the first to demonstrate the concept. While each particle "is small and only generates a small push, over time the accumulated energy from each one of the strikes pushes the solar sail (and anything attached to it) forward," according toSpace.com.



http://www.sciencefriday.com/guests/bill-nye.html – Science Friday is one of my favorite NPR programs, up there with Diane Rehm and Fresh Air. I am pleased to see that he is one of the founders of the Planetary Society along with Carl Sagan. Sagan was one of those science writers who could explain clearly the subjects which he discussed on his weekly show Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, which was first shown in 1980.




“The concept states that if a large enough, kite-like "sail" can be deployed in space, the pressure exerted by particles streaming from the the Sun (known as the "solar wind") could be used to push a spacecraft along, much the same way that a sailing vessel is propelled when heading downwind. The first LightSail won't reach a high enough orbit to try out the sail in the solar wind, but it should be able to test the mechanism for deploying the 345-square foot tissue-thin Mylar sail. A mission set for next year should put a second LightSail in a high enough orbit to fully test the concept. .... LightSail won't be the first spacecraft to test the solar sail idea. Both NASA and the Japanese space agency have experimented. Japan's Ikaros, launched in 2010, was the first to demonstrate the concept. While each particle "is small and only generates a small push, over time the accumulated energy from each one of the strikes pushes the solar sail (and anything attached to it) forward," according toSpace.com. …. LightSail won't be the first spacecraft to test the solar sail idea. Both NASA and the Japanese space agency have experimented. Japan's Ikaros, launched in 2010, was the first to demonstrate the concept. While each particle "is small and only generates a small push, over time the accumulated energy from each one of the strikes pushes the solar sail (and anything attached to it) forward," according to Space.com.”

No fuel at all is needed, just a huge mylar sail. While I was still in school at UNC, but married, my husband placed a small square of clear plastic in my hand and said it was a newly created form of plastic called mylar. He had received it in the mail, I think from Scientific American, and said that it may be used for many things in the future. I see they have found a use for it here. It is very thin and smooth, but strong, perfect for catching tiny particles of “solar wind.” The Google definition for that is – “The solar wind is a stream of energized, charged particles, primarily electrons and protons, flowing outward from the Sun, through the solar system at speeds as high as 900 km/s and at a temperature of 1 million degrees (Celsius). It is made of plasma.” It's hard to see how anything that small could have enough impetus to push a satellite along, even a small one. This really is an interesting article, and it gives me hope in the future of our civilization. If we're smart enough to do that, maybe we can succeed in dropping the dreaded CO2 level to the desired goal.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/prince-harry-at-crossroads-would-love-to-have-kids-right-now/

Prince Harry would "love to have kids right now"
By TUCKER REALS CBS NEWS
May 11, 2015

26 Photographs – Prince Harry walks to church on Stewart Island, May 10, 2015, in Oban, New Zealand.  CHRIS JACKSON, GETTY IMAGES

LONDON -- This is to be a year of change, not just for the growing family of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, but also for Prince William's red-haired little brother Harry.

In the middle of an official week-long tour of New Zealand, Prince Harry discussed the end of his military career -- looming just weeks away -- and what could be next on his agenda in an exclusive interview with CBS partner network Sky News.

Speaking to Sky correspondent Rhiannon Mills, the still-single prince uttered words Monday that will likely set hearts aflutter around the world.

The 30-year-old highly-eligible bachelor said he's looking for love, and made it clear he wants to settle down and start a family as soon as the right woman finds her way into his life.

Mills asked Harry if he was feeling any paternal instinct well-up inside after seeing his brother and Kate round-out their nuclear family with the birth of Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana on May 2.

"You know, there come times where you think, 'now's the time to settle down, or now's not,' whatever the way it is, but I don't think you can force these things, it'll happen when it's going to happen," said Harry.

But in a rare personal insight, the prince then seemed to admit a certain level of envy of his brother.

"Of course, I'd love to have kids right now, but there's a process that one has to go through," said Harry. "Tours like this are great fun. Hopefully I'm doing alright by myself, but it'd be great to have someone else next to me to share the pressure. But, you know, time will come. Whatever happens, happens, I guess."

The young royal didn't come across as being in any rush, however, to find the right lady. He has enough on his plate this year, with a dramatic change in his professional life as he leaves the British military after a decade of service that brought him to the front line of the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan.

In June, Prince Harry will retire and immerse himself more in engagements as a high-ranking member of the British royal family.

"It is a crossroads, I'm in the same position now as most people in my year group or my rank would be in, because I'm a non grad I'm a bit behind everyone else and most of the guys that I joined with at the time have already left for numerous reasons. But it is a case of, if you move on (in the military) more responsibilities come, and I suppose with wanting to take on slightly more of this (gestures outward referencing royal) role, I don't feel as though I'd be in the right position to take on the careers of more soldiers and take on the responsibility of continuing to fly for instance," Harry told Mills.

But he also made it clear he won't be content just smiling for cameras and shaking hands. So what will he do after leaving his job as an Army helicopter pilot?

The prince said he has some things on the "short list," but didn't want to stir the rumor mill, so he kept those secrets to himself.

"Hopefully it will be something where I can still give something back, I suppose. This part of the role is fantastic but I, and William, both of us, we feel as if we need to have a wage as well, to work with normal people to keep us sane, to keep us ticking along," said the prince.

"From our point of view, in the future, if you want to make a big contribution or a valid contribution and be taken seriously, then we need to work alongside other people."

Prince Harry said he would try hard to find "something that will have an even balance," and make the British people proud of him.

Whatever his next career move, the world's glossy magazines and tabloid newspapers will almost certainly be more interested in who he eventually decides to share those life adventures with, on a more personal level.




“This is to be a year of change, not just for the growing family of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, but also for Prince William's red-haired little brother Harry. In the middle of an official week-long tour of New Zealand, Prince Harry discussed the end of his military career -- looming just weeks away -- and what could be next on his agenda in an exclusive interview with CBS partner network Sky News. …. "You know, there come times where you think, 'now's the time to settle down, or now's not,' whatever the way it is, but I don't think you can force these things, it'll happen when it's going to happen," said Harry. But in a rare personal insight, the prince then seemed to admit a certain level of envy of his brother. "Of course, I'd love to have kids right now, but there's a process that one has to go through," said Harry. "Tours like this are great fun. Hopefully I'm doing alright by myself, but it'd be great to have someone else next to me to share the pressure. But, you know, time will come. Whatever happens, happens, I guess." …. In June, Prince Harry will retire and immerse himself more in engagements as a high-ranking member of the British royal family. …. "Hopefully it will be something where I can still give something back, I suppose. This part of the role is fantastic but I, and William, both of us, we feel as if we need to have a wage as well, to work with normal people to keep us sane, to keep us ticking along," said the prince. "From our point of view, in the future, if you want to make a big contribution or a valid contribution and be taken seriously, then we need to work alongside other people."

“ … to work with normal people to keep us sane” – even royal princes need to be useful, it seems, and bound by reasonable rules. In the old days (the 1800's for instance) many of them just ate caviar all day long and had affairs. A book I'm reading right now on QEII mentions a period in the 1940s when there was a political push in England toward a socialistic democracy rather than a monarchy as they have today, with extreme differences between the economic classes. That was Elizabeth's young years before her father died, and she was a very serious young woman. She pledged herself solemnly to give to her country rather than simply taking. She has brought up her children to do the same, though some have done better with that than others. Charles took it seriously and his sons are trying to do the same. I'm glad to see Harry maturing as he seems to be now, because he was thought to be a bit “wild” when he was young – dressing up in the Nazi uniform and getting photographed nude at a wild party. He's done fine in the last several years, though. Maybe he will find someone to love and marry. He's a very nice looking young man, in spite of the red hair and freckles. He also looks happy, which I'm glad to see. I was sorry for Diana much of the time. Charles didn't treat her well, and didn't seem to care much about her after she had the two boys. Of course, she was hardly the “docile” woman that many men want, either. Personally I like for a woman to be strong enough to change her situation, as Diana did, if she finds herself in a bad marriage. I don't believe in martyrdom.