Wednesday tidbits

Calling for an end to voter suppression and insecure elections.

Unearthing the atrocities of the Holocaust without disturbing the ground.

Unearthing the dirt on Trump.

Wind turbines without blades.

Incoming water wars.

Thar's gold in them thar hills!  Or cell phones....

Thanks, Bill Nye.

Thursday blues

Water shortages and drought worse than predicted.

Facts about the Zika virus... and did Monsanto have a hand in it?  (Apparently, no.)  But it will cost a lot to fight. And what about sex changes for mosquitoes?

Obama saves more land in California.

4 Commonly Prescribed Drugs That May Not Be Safe

Income inequality and how to fix it.

New California National Monuments.  Thanks, Obama!  Really.  Thank you!

Warnings to all federal employees and law enforcement because of backlash over the Malheur arrests.

Now you know where your missing socks go.

Being colorblind is not the point.

Tuesday Night News Dump

Warning signs of a mass shooting

Tom Tomorrow critiques 2015.   Good guy with a gun or bad guy?

Robot water cleaner

Windy enough for ya?

Now we are back to self-induced abortions and desperate women.  Guess the GOP wants back alley abortions and women bleeding to death all over again.

We're using up a non-renewable resource in ground water.

The oldest pants in the world.

Europe rejects GMO eco-farming.

Dealing with Isis means dealing with deep rooted causes.

Extinct squash plant's seeds grow again.

The California rich waste water because they can.

Morse code and Macbeth

Morse code

So now that we've poisoned enough people, we can finally admit that oil dispersants are bad for us?

What young people need to know about porn.

The 1% are becoming aware the peasants are getting restless.

Women's right to choose.

The water wars of the near future.

Ian McKellen does Macbeth's soliloquy .

Dry and getting drier...

And warm.  I used the air conditioner in the car a few days ago because it was over 85 degrees F.  The governor declared a drought emergency.  (Although apparently the oil companies can still use tons of water to frack.)  And it looks like we're settling in for the long term.

The Water Wars are here.

Plastics, pensions and another attempt at censoring the internet

Ignoring our plastic garbage doesn't make it disappear, it kills things.

10 urban legends debunked.... I won't tell you which of these I've believed....

Insight into the workings of Ted Cruz.

Incoming water wars.   Maybe we should move to Mars.

Maybe algae will save us?

Building a Better American Male.  And the American female.

Fat cats can't leave anyone's savings alone, can they?

An American fuck-up at Fukushima.

Another attempt to censor the internet.

Sunday Funnies..

Be ye not afraid.  Australian legislator discusses gay marriage.

Nestlé CEO Says Water Is Food That Should Be Privatized – Not A Human Right

Protesting CISPA

Fighting the fear of terrorism.

From markets to math

Watch this graph to watch financial market insanity:

This astonishing GIF comes from Nanex, and shows the amount of high-frequency trading in the stock market from January 2007 to January 2012. (Which means that the Knightmare craziness of last week is not included.)

I bet this school cut back on sex education as well, what do you think? Get Tested Or Get Out: School Forces Pregnancy Tests on Girls, Kicks out Students Who Refuse or are Pregnant

Protecting your identity online and more.

Merika the Beautiful.

Water Wars.

Finding lost pyramids with Google Earth?

Romney's Mormon sense of entitlement includes lying.



The gun.

If you don't have a facebook account you are a terrorist!... or just weird.

A creationist science text book.  And their distrust of set theory.

The French discovered how to do this

Wind turbine creates water from thin air

The company aims to start rolling out the giant products for sale later in 2012, initially focusing on remote communities in arid countries where water resources are scarce. 

"This technology could enable rural areas to become self-sufficient in terms of water supply," says Thibault Janin, director of marketing at Eole Water. 

"As the design and capabilities develop, the next step will be to create turbines that can provide water for small cities or areas with denser populations," he adds. 

Eole Water is currently displaying a working prototype of the 24 meter tall WMS1000 in the desert near Abu Dhabi that has been able to produce 62 liters of water an hour, says Janin.

We may owe the French a great deal for preventing world wide water wars in the future because of this....

Morals, censorship, stupidity.

Explaining Wall Street ethics, cheating, intuition. Dan Ariely on our buggy moral code.

Censored Doonesbury about Palin not reading. And then there is the party of stupid. And Republicanism as religion. (Last one is scary.)

Surprise! (And thank god.) There are still intelligent people out there:

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked enforcement of a first-in-the-nation law that restricted what Florida physicians can say about guns to their patients, ruling the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s free speech guarantees and does not trample gun rights.

Some reasons why we actually need a government. You know... the kind Republicans deny exists. A government that works for the people. Or as the Republicans would have it... only some of the people.

Oops. FBI Raids Home Of CBS Correspondent By Mistake

Wars over water are just over the horizon.

Just imagine all those plastic dinosaurs we played with were really just terribly bald. Dinosaurs had colorful feathers.

Just a reminder:

Pat Robertson wants you to know if you get Alzheimer's.... your spouse can dump you.

Blog sprinkles

A reminder why the Gulf of Mexico will not be the same for decades and decades. And BP's happy story about oil eating bacteria? Gulf bacteria digests gas, not oil.

Monkeyfister notes that a Florida man's blood was tested and was off the charts with the chemicals that BP uses: Florida man gets tested: Six of nine VOCs in blood — Hexane “off the charts”

The tree of crazy and why we need a chainsaw.

Californians better watch who's doing what to our water supply.

And speaking of water.... it can be turned into a blade and defuse bombs!

A watery blade is saving the lives of American soldiers in Afghanistan. Known as the Stingray, the device uses conventional military explosives to craft a blade of water sharp enough to slice through a metal bomb and scramble its innards.

Developed by the Sandia National Laboratories, thousands of units of this technology have already been shipped to Afghanistan to help diffuse the improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, that are so deadly to U.S. soldiers.

High fructose corn syrup producers want to change its name but not its potency.... basically hiding the ingredient in the product. Be careful what you eat.

The Art of Drew Struzan

Digby quoting Michael O'Hare about those super rich whining about the ending of the Bush tax cuts:

"A truly amazing pasticcio of mendacity, ignorance, and small-minded cupidity"

Why riding a motorcycle can be effing dangerous.

The glory of an egret in flight.

Phila of Bouphonia is back with another Friday Hope blog!

Don't waste water!

Besides knocking off waterboarding, here are some ideas:

...there are plenty of behavioral changes that can be made to reduce your family's water footprint.

* Turn off the water when you're washing dishes by hand, brushing your teeth or shaving.
* Only run the clothes washer or the dishwasher when you've got a full load.
* Avoid baths and take shorter showers.
* Plant drought-resistant lawns, shrubs and plants in your yard, and put down mulch wherever you can to help water from evaporating too quickly.
* If you must water your lawn, be sure to place your sprinklers in such a way that no water will fall on sidewalks or driveways, and only water in the early morning or evening, when the weather is cooler.
* Use a broom, and not a hose to clean your driveway and sidewalks.
* Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. Dispose of tissues, insects and other such waste in the trash rather than the toilet.
* Use the garbage disposal less and the garbage more (or better yet compost!) and you could save 50 to 150 gallons a month.

And yes, just because we've had some glorious rain in California does NOT mean we're out of the drought season. In fact, I doubt in the foreseeable future we will ever return to extravagant water usage. Drought mentality is here to stay.

The water profiteers grab for California water

State bond lets firms profit from water:

Private companies could own, operate and profit from reservoirs and other water-storage projects built with billions in taxpayer dollars under a little-noticed provision of the $11.1 billion water bond that was approved by the Legislature and goes before California voters next year.

Lawmakers barely discussed the provision while considering the bond, and water experts who were asked about it by The Chronicle said they knew little about it or why it was a necessary part of the plan to overhaul the state's water system.

The bond bill's author, state Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, and other backers of the proposal said the provision provides the state with flexibility for how water storage projects can be financed.

Critics, however, said it opens the door to the privatization of the state's most precious resource as California's population grows and water becomes more scarce. California historically has retained control of publicly financed water projects. Privatization could allow companies to profit by selling back to the public a resource that is essentially the lifeblood of the state economy, or using it for their own profit-making interests like agriculture.

When climate change affects the weather patterns

People die. We're going to see lots of articles like these as the water wars start, the oceans' rising temperatures make fish die off or stop breeding....:

"No one will call us for work and the children will have to go hungry. We won't have anything to eat."

Devi is among roughly 600 million people in India who make a living off the land. That is about 60 percent of India's population of 1.1 billion.

Most of the country is suffering from a rain deficit. The Monsoon has been delayed in some parts of the country. Usually the season begins around the first of June.

In developed countries, irrigation is common and electricity readily available, but both are a luxury for most Indian farmers.

Rainwater is key to crop survival and the livelihoods of those who work the farms.

Devinder Sharma is a food and trade policy analyst. He says "65 percent of farmers in India rely on rainwater."

Fish will become harder and harder to find:

French fishermen hit back at stars' bid to save bluefin tuna

[snip]

It has been a long few weeks for captain Jean-Louis Donnarel and the crew of the Provence-Côte d'Azur II. Long, rough and not very profitable. After sailing a total of 6,600 nautical miles - first to Cyprus, then the length of the Egyptian coast, to Malta, around the Balearics and then home - the Provence-Côte d'Azur II returned with 84 tonnes of bluefin tuna, a catch that will barely cover the costs of the voyage.

"We found fish on the last day," Donnarel said last week. "Without that, we would have been finished. Someone has to take a decision. Do they want us to fish or not? If not, they should put us out of our misery."

Donnarel and his crew are at the sharp end of an increasingly bitter row: one that links globally known restaurants, top celebrities, huge international conglomerates, sushi shops and supermarkets across half the world to the livelihoods of a few thousand fishermen.

At stake is the survival of the bluefin tuna, a single specimen of which can be sold for tens of thousands of dollars - a price that has seen stocks decline in some areas by up to 90%.

It apparently hasn't dawned on the fishermen that if there are no more fish, there WILL BE no more jobs....

Update:

A severe heatwave has claimed the lives of nearly 100 people across India, reports say.

The eastern Indian state of Orissa appears to be the worst affected with 58 people dying from heat stroke, according to local officials.

Unofficial figures in the Orissa media put the number of dead closer to 200.

Yeah.... just why DO we have lawns in California?

Especially when front yards themselves are usually for show, rarely used, and high maintenance. OrangeClouds at Calitics, a really good site for California politics:

Over at Change.org Natasha Chart asks if a recovery is even possible on a planet headed for environmental collapse? That's an answer I wish I knew. Natasha's been covering the water story regularly with a post about Colorado's fights between Big Oil and Big Water, a post about agribusiness and water use, and a post I highly recommend reading (even though it scares the shit out of me) called "We don't have to choose a dustbowl"

My own environmentalist hippie foodie answers to the water problem begin as follows:

1. Why is it still legal to have lawns in California? Seriously. Somebody should outlaw watering your lawn. If we weren't in such a budget crisis I'd add that the city should provide native drought resistant plants to residents who want to make their yard beautiful and able to survive without water.
2. California growers need to go organic ASAP. It's not a fix that will help them this year, and it will reduce their productivity in the next few years but in the long run, it will make all of their crops more drought resistant because the soil will store more water.
3. We've gotta do something about animal agriculture. It uses a TON of water. If factory farms are something we have to have, then they shouldn't be located in California. Period.
4. We need to expand fruit, nut, and vegetable (so-called "specialty crop") production in the other 49 states to plan for decreased production in California and to reduce energy needs for shipping food across the country. Right now there are actually laws preventing farmers who grow commodities to switching over to grow specialty crops instead. You can't even buy land from a farmer who used to grow commodities there and grow specialty crops on that land! The USDA is dabbling in changing that policy but only in a very small pilot program.

These things are expensive - either for the farmers or for the state that mandates it and compensates the farmers (or offers financial incentives to make it happen without mandating it). But we bailed out the banks even after they screwed up and got us into this mess. Why can't we bail out our farmers? After all, we need to eat.

I've noticed several houseowners in our tract ripping out their grass and planting native groundcover through a heavy mulch. I've even noticed a few houses in town that have very realistic-looking fake grass. You need to get right up on top of it to see it's plastic. But as water becomes more important, and the wars between farmer and suburbia, state and state, nation and nation become more pronounced and anxious, could we please address the feckless and heedless building of the Southern California sprawl right up into the mountains?


Click to get a larger view.

Where the hell are we going to get the water for these new homes? The gasoline to run food to the stores and to support the lengthy commutes these bedroom communities assume? Where will the garbage go? We are literally running out of space in the 'valley' and are flowing up and over the mountains into the deserts where the need for air conditioning becomes a life or death issue and the commutes for everything and everyone is hours longer. Meanwhile the death rot of neglect in the inner cities leaves empty warehouses and hard used apartment buildings and no services. Why can't we rebuild in these areas?

And lastly, when, not if, gasoline goes to 5, 8, 10 dollars a gallon, Southern California sprawl is going to die unless we get the HSR (high speed rail) in place.

Robert in Monterey at Calitics:

One of my lingering concerns about the Obama Administration has been that they might be tempted to claim victory with the $8 billion in HSR funding added to the stimulus and not follow up on that money, which as we know merely pays for some initial costs. But Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood made clear last week that in fact, the $8 billion in HSR stimulus really is intended as a signal to America that Obama is truly serious about building HSR:

LaHood said that for Obama building high-speed rail networks is, "if not his No. 1 priority, certainly at the top of his list. What the president is saying with the $8 billion is this is the start to help begin high-speed rail projects." He added that the administration "is committed to finding the dollars to not only get them started but to finishing them in at least five parts of the country," although he declined to elaborate on where these projects might ultimately be built.

And don't worry about the right-wing freakout over the Vegas HSR project - California is in better position than any other HSR project in America to use that stimulus funding. We can begin construction in late 2010 or early 2011; no other project is anywhere close to that point.

Plant those gardens and turn your fricking hose off!

No food for you

No water for California:

SAN FRANCISCO - Some of the nation's largest farms plan to cut back on planting this spring over concerns that federal water supplies will dry up as officials deal with the drought plaguing California.

Farmers in the Central Valley said Thursday they would forego planting thousands of acres of water-thirsty canning tomatoes and already have started slashing acreage for lettuce and melons.

[snip]

Farmers' decisions to fallow thousands of acres during last year's drought cost $260 million in crop losses statewide, as well as hundreds of jobs. In the tiny farm community of Mendota, in the heart of Westlands farming country, the unemployment rate is nearly 40 percent, city officials report.

Elissa Lynn, a senior meteorologist with the state water agency, said the forecast so far suggests conditions will not improve this spring.

"It's pretty clear we're heading into the third dry year in a row," Lynn said. "We've only gotten one-third of the rainfall we desperately need, and we're already halfway through the winter."

Imagine a world where the sea level is rising

And glaciers are disappearing. No drinking water for millions. Welcome to 2035.

Last year the UN environment programme and the WGMS jointly published data for 1,800 glaciers on all seven continents, which warned losses had been accelerating globally since the mid-1980s, so that the annual average decline for 1996-2005 was double that of the previous decade, and four times that of the decade before. Last week China Dialogue, a London-based organisation dedicated to debate on China's environment issues, launched a campaign to highlight the same trends in melting in the Himalayas and on the Tibetan plateau.

Those glaciers feed all the main river systems in Asia, depended on by the estimated 40% of the world's population that lives in northern India, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, said Isabel Hilton, China Dialogue's editor.

"In a region that is already fractured and unstable, the melting of the 'third pole' glaciers is one of the most important challenges facing humanity in the 21st century," she said.

In December the US Geological Survey also warned that sea-level rise could be even worse than feared, as much as 1.5 metres by the end of this century, partly due to increased melting of the volume of water stored in glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland.

The Water Wars are upon us.

When the federal government is run by morons

You turn to the states to make good:

Los Angeles, CA (AHN) - Seven U.S. western states and four Canadian provinces unveiled Tuesday a regional climate initiative that will cut greenhouse gas pollutants through an emission trading system.

Under the so-called Western Climate Initiative, Arizona, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington as well as the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec will issue industries permits to pollute but with a cap. The permits could then be traded by the industries among themselves to cheaply cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The initiative also allows participating states and province to offset emissions by planting trees or capturing landfill emissions, which are considered cheaper alternatives than installing expensive equipment to cut fossil fuel burning or switching to cleaner power.

The Western Climate Initiative.

The Los Angeles Times:

"We're sending a strong message to our federal governments that states and provinces are moving forward in the absence of federal action," said California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, adding that the effort would spur renewable energy development and create "green jobs."

California, which passed a landmark global warming law in 2006, is well on its way to curbing emissions. But other states and provinces will have to overcome opposition in legislatures and from influential businesses. And several states have yet to sign on, including Nevada, Idaho, Colorado and Wyoming. Nevada has the fastest-growing population in the nation, and Colorado and Wyoming are booming energy states.

The plan also relies on a complex trading system in which businesses can buy and barter their way out of trimming emissions. Europe has instituted a carbon market, but not without some controversy. And many economists say that a tax on carbon would be a more efficient way to reduce global warming.

The initiative comes as studies suggest that climate change is taking a toll on the Western region of the U.S. and Canada. Scientists say that without dramatic cuts in the global burning of fossil fuels, Western states will suffer disproportionately from water shortages, severe wildfires, coastal flooding and species die-offs.

The Western plan covers about 20% of the U.S. economy and more than 70% of the Canadian economy, affecting power plants, industrial facilities and transportation, among other economic sectors. The seven states are Arizona, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The Canadian provinces are British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.

Gee. Even our local politicians recognize that before their state begins to look like this...



...people are expecting them to do something. NOW. As in immediately.

Thank you, Governor Gropenator, sir.

Put down that hose!

And turn off those taps! The days of wasting water are gone forever:

SACRAMENTO -- -- Saying California's water reserves are all but gone, state officials on Thursday announced the revival of a dormant 17-year-old program to buy water from Sacramento Valley farmers and sell it to the thirstiest Southern California agencies in case this winter brings a third year of skimpy precipitation.

"We're hoping for the best, that we're going to have a good storm season and be able to meet the needs of California," said state Department of Water Resources Director Lester Snow. "However, we would be negligent if we didn't prepare for the worst."

The bounty of the state's biggest reservoirs, which supplied the state through the last two dry years with Sierra and Cascade mountain snowmelt, is disappearing. Major reservoirs, including Shasta Lake and Lake Oroville, are now at half of what is typical for this time of year.

"There are a number of scenarios where we do not regain our snow pack," Snow said, "and because our storage is low, we're really in a lot of trouble."

State officials said long-range climate predictions indicate that this winter may bring average precipitation or less.

"We do have time as we go through the season to make up for the last two years," said state water resources meteorologist Elissa Lynn, "but it would take a wetter-than-average year. None of the climate models that we have right now suggests a very wet start to the season."

Here comes the future. Global warming; droughts; water wars between neighbors, states, and countries.

Turn off your taps!

Finally! The California Gropenator has declared a drought. You know... not enough snow pack, no rain, no water:

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.)—Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a statewide drought after two years of below-average rainfall, low snowmelt runoff and a court-ordered restriction on water transfers.

Schwarzenegger warned that residents and water managers must immediately cut their water use or face the possibility of rationing next year if there is another dry winter.

"We must recognize the severity of the crisis that we face," the Republican governor said Wednesday at a news conference.

He signed an executive order directing the state's response to unusually dry conditions that are damaging crops, harming water quality and causing extreme fire danger across California. Many communities already require water conservation or rationing.

The statewide drought declaration is the first since 1991, when Gov. Pete Wilson acted in the fifth year of a drought that lasted into 1992.

[snip]

Snow measurements last month found that the Sierra held just 69 percent of an average winter. Runoff into California rivers was at 55 percent of a normal year. The state's major reservoirs are at 50 percent to 63 percent of their capacity at a time when they ideally would be full.

Conditions could be even worse next year if there is another dry winter, Water Resources Director Lester Snow said.

"We need at least above normal in terms of our snowpack, and then we're still going to be tight," Snow said. "The idea is to put programs in place now to soften the impact in 2008 and to prepare for a potential third year of drought in 2009."

California's population has mushroomed since the last drought, while the water supply has dwindled, he said.

An eight-year drought in the Southwest means California can't depend on Colorado River water to help supply Southern California. And a federal judge's order last year requires that more Northern California water be left in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to aid declining fish populations.

"We're suffering the perfect storm, if you will," said Timothy Quinn, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies. "The purpose of the governor's declaration is to send a wake-up call."

California has never resorted to statewide rationing during droughts, Quinn said.

Worst-hit so far is the San Joaquin Valley, which could soon merit an emergency declaration because of crop damage, Snow said.

What people can do immediately:

# For indoor conservation High-Efficiency Toilets: EBMUD customers can receive rebates for purchasing qualifying WaterSmart High-Efficiency Toilets, which use less water and remove waste effectively. For toilets using 3.5 gallons per flush or more, devices such as displacement bags, toilet dams, or adjustable flappers save water and are a less expensive alternative to replacing your toilet.

# Shower head: Install a water-efficient shower head that uses no more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute. A standard shower head uses 5 to 10 gallons per minute.

# Energy Efficient Washing Machines: A high-efficiency machine uses 30 percent less water and 40 percent to 70 percent less energy. EBMUD customers can get rebates for purchasing and installing approved high-efficiency washing machines from a list of qualifying washers.

# Install Aerators: Low-flow aerators can limit flow rates of 2.2 gallons per minute for kitchen faucets and 1.5 gallons per minute for bathroom faucets. EBMUD provides its customers with free devices.

# Replace worn washers on faucets and look for hidden leaks. Check the reading on your water meter. Don't use any water for 30 minutes, then read the meter. If it shows water used, then you have a hidden leak that needs repair.

For outdoor conservation

# Water yards less frequently but more deeply. Watering to the root depth of your plants creates a healthier and more efficient garden. This means applying a half-inch of water to moisten the soil to a depth of 6 inches.

# Routinely check your irrigation system for leaks. Drip irrigation systems apply water more accurately and at a much lower rate than overhead spray. EBMUD offers rebates to customers who install drip irrigation systems.

# Adjust your irrigation controller according to the seasons. Add days to your watering schedule for the summer season and reduce the number of days as fall approaches.

Source: East Bay Municipal Utility District

Recalling the last time we went through a drought, I can add some simple suggestions:

# Don't automatically serve water at restaurants, make the customers ask for a glass.

# Turn off your faucet while you brush your teeth.

# Shorter showers or use the Navy Shower technique:

A navy shower (or "sea shower") is a method of showering that allows for significant conservation of water and energy. The steps in a basic navy shower are:

1. turn on the water
2. immediately wet the body
3. turn off the water
4. soap up and scrub
5. turn the water back on and rinse off the soap

The total time for the water being on is typically under two minutes.

[snip]

A ten-minute shower takes as much as 230 L (60 U.S. gallons) of water, while a navy shower usually takes as little as 11 L (3 U.S. gallons); one person can save 56,000 L (15,000 U.S. gallons) per year.^[1]

# Do only full laundry loads, full dishwasher loads.

# Skip washing your car, and when you must, invest in a spray control for your hose or use buckets. Park your car on your lawn and use biodegradable soap.

# In more severe droughts, fine people for running water down gutters or late night extravagant watering. Let your lawn die. Better yet, pull up the grass and put in drought resistant plants. Start taking rinse water out to your garden. Make new housing complexes have some sort of gray water reuse system and restrict the building of pools.

This is the new reality, guys, not Bush's reality. We can do it, we just need to be wise. There's lots of ideas out there that will help us cut back our usage.

Because water wars are coming and we should be ready.

crossposted at American Street.