CALIFORNIA BURNING

CALIFORNIA BURNING

TIME (2007) 11/5

WALSH (33-43)

If you saw the movie CHINATOWN years ago, you may remember that a part of the plot was the secret capture of water going  to California. In an age of  water wars, the Colorado River is gold. Much of it goes to desert land called Los Angeles and surrounding environs. The McMansions burning last week were built on fire lanes in the forest. Forests or related when they don’t get water become living timber to burn. So homeowners buy beautiful homes, but part of the cycle of nature is drought. Further, more and more people need more water and thus drought is complicated and increased by more people and industries. It may be that fire insurance will be become so expensive or not offered that building will stop. Local governments are too set on growth and can be overwhelmed, so let the market take its turn. You can build, but you can’t insure. Bailouts by government continue to complicate matters.

Incidentally, all this applies to flooding. If you live on a flood plain, build a house very high off the ground or don’t build.

THE WEEK (2007) 11/2

24) HEALTH AND SCIENCE SECTION/

There are new engineered plants that eat poison/ candy can have bacteria in it too/ mussels under certain criteria can save humanity/ the more sex a couple has the more sperm is created/ rumors and labeling are powerful suggests a new study/ a new super bacteria is making its rounds in hospitals, schools, business, anywhere where crowds or people gather and remain together. It sickened 90,000 and killed 19,000. My mother died of it in 2001.

20) We may be heading to war with Iran. Our intelligence indicates that it will be 8 years before Iran has nukes. Our troops are exhausted. However, if there is a model, it is Israel

destroying a nuclear facility in Syria. However, it can only make things worse, if we don’t consult our allies we alienate others. War should be entered cautiously. A rush to war is a rush to trouble.

THE ECONOMIST (2007) 10/27

42/ Governor Spitzer of New York  is planning on having 3 drivers’ licenses, one for illegal aliens. However, over 70% of New Yorkers oppose that position. Gray Davis lost his job as Governor of California over this and a few other items... On the Democratic debate, Tuesday night. both Edwards and Obama support illegals having driver’s licenses Clinton was foggy on the issue, but issued a statement the following day indicating that she admired some 20 states where the Governors have legalized driver’s licenses. It still gives her room to change after the primaries or further down toward the election, if she is nominated. Dodd also opposed the driver’s license. What is maddening about this, is that the populace can understand this and the Dems must change to win the election. Even

legal Hispanics support this.

33/ The western world needs more smart weapons and smart soldiers who can do a myriad of actions in asymmetrical wars. What most militaries know is that winning means also winning the hearts and minds of those in the field and the populace who lives are disrupted. Allies are crucial. Winning the press is another.

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT (2007) 11/5

46-53/ U. S. News reviews the energy or power revolution. Here are some of the following:

*renewables must be supported, but all the energies sources like this only make up less than 5% of the total.

*solar’s cost are coming down and those built with mirrors are more effective and cost reliable.

*solar thermal may be a viable opportunity so that solar panels can boil water to turn the turbines that generate electricity.

*deep geothermal in certain areas are very cost effective , but overall is expensive. This word means that steam is generated from oil drilling 3 miles under the ground. If the fluid production rate is cut, the energy in America becomes energy independent.

* High pressure ethanol is a transition fuel, we need the innovation to make fuel from garbage, wild grass and related.

*Bigger blades on wind power cut costs on off shore systems. However, land windmills are much cheaper to build and operate.

*Google is putting money into CAFÉ standards, so that a car or certain cars are cheaper to buy, attractive to the consumer, and reliable. They want 100 miles per gallon and a car that is gorgeous and affordable.

At the moment, coal is 23% of total energy, petroleum is 40%, nuclear 8%, and natural gas is

22%, others including renewables are 7%.

BUSINESS WEEK (2007) 11/5

HAMM 52-58/

Old media is getting hammered. They continue to lose to cable and the web. They must create a print product/electronic tie so that the 2 merge. Old media needs new graphics that do not alienate older readers and yet gains with younger readers. Can a message be said quickly, clearly, and attractively? Are there enough tie-ins that a consumer needs the newspaper as much as the web?

A quick clear story that is attractive and has blogs and other information to go to seems to be the formula now. Can it get better? How? That is the big question for old media. Graphics appear to be an inexpensive way to get to the reader and yet not become a tabloid.