Water security

[kladner]

Originally Posted by only_human

If/when the almond crops end, someone needs to think of the bees:
Bees need allies beyond Big Almond

I find it hard to really expect that the poison makers will stop pushing their plant and animal killers. It seems unlikely that enough industrial-scale operations will give up their Roundup Ready®, Systemic insecticide-producing whatevers to make enough of a difference.

Human Population/Societal Collapse may be the only cure for bee colony collapse. I hope enough bees survive to rebuild natural populations.

[Uncwilly]

Originally Posted by only_human

There is some concern about Los Angeles' flood control infrastructure:
With 'Godzilla El Niño' expected, focus shifts to Pasadena dam that could overflow

Several years ago, when a different 'big El Niño' was predicted, I heard about a project that cleared out sediment in a channel. It seems that the guberment heard about it and did something. Sounded like it worked. I have googled the area in the article. It seems like the Feds would want to keep JPL from flooding. Many years ago I went to a World Cup game at the Rose Bowl. Had a chance to look around the area. That dam seems like it as a natural choke point and the the area has steep sides and flat bottom of a large wash or arroyo. The whole Los Angeles seems to be a land of large dams, with little to no water behind them.

[ewmayer]

On the 'continuing drought' front, last 3 days in CA were brutally hot and dusty/smoggy - no A/C in my place (groundfloor, so maybe 10 days/year in a hot year where you'd really want the A/C, not worth it), and I am ragged from lack of sleep. Finally cooling off now, but - in opposition to most folks out East and in the Midwest, I expect - very much looking forward to the shorter Fall days and hoping the wet winter that seems to be brewing out in the Pacific materializes.

[kladner]

Michigan has finally declared a state of emergency over the city’s lead poisoning, but there are questions about why it’s taken so long to respond.

In Flint, Michigan, a scandal over lead-tainted water keeps getting darker.

On Tuesday, Governor Rick Snyder declared a state of emergency due to lead in the water supply. The same day, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it is investigating what went wrong in the city. Several top officials have resigned, and

Snyder apologized. But that’s only so comforting for residents. They’re drinking donated water supplies—though those donations are reportedly running dry—or using filters. Public schools have been ordered to shut off taps. Residents, and particularly children, are being poisoned by lead, which can cause irreversible brain damage and affect physical health. It could cost $1.5 billion to fix the problem, a staggering sum for any city, much less one already struggling as badly as Flint is.

The story is horrifying, on a visceral, “this isn’t supposed to happen here” level. While attention has been slow to focus on Flint, the more that emerges, the worse the story seems. The latest question is when Snyder knew about the problem.

[only_human]

Originally Posted by kladner

Michigan has finally declared a state of emergency over the city’s lead poisoning, but there are questions about why it’s taken so long to respond.

And this is the already financially devastated Flint, Michigan so prominently displayed in Michael Moore's Roger and me. It seems he could have just sayed in Flint to complete his other works such as Sicko.

[kladner]

Originally Posted by only_human

And this is the already financially devastated Flint, Michigan so prominently displayed in Michael Moore's Roger and me. It seems he could have just sayed in Flint to complete his other works such as Sicko.

Coming soon to a town near you! Get used to it, peons! Clean water is for those with "The Right Stuff" aka Muy Mucho Dinero.

[Nick]

Originally Posted by kladner

Clean water is for those with "The Right Stuff" aka Muy Mucho Dinero.

Time to resurrect our water security thread:
http://www.mersenneforum.org/showthread.php?t=19695

(This post originally stood in the capitalism thread and has been moved.)

[only_human]

Yesterday I read: Inside Southern California's Long Year Of Water Wars.

High level hijinks and bureaucratic bungling with water annoy me because it is reckless stewardship of community health and critical infrastructure. Money shenanigans always seem to be a big part too.

More will follow when I read up enough to highlight and summarize.

[kladner]

Originally Posted by Nick

Time to resurrect our water security thread:
http://www.mersenneforum.org/showthread.php?t=19695

(This post originally stood in the capitalism thread and has been moved.)

You had me quite confused, there. I have actually been searching to see if I had posted another piece on this story, this one, aptly enough, by Michael Moore. If the following is a repeat, my apologies. I do note that this story would fit easily in the capitalism thread, as well.

Dear Gov. Snyder: You Have to Go to Jail

Dear Governor Snyder: Thanks to you, sir, and the premeditated actions of your administrators, you have effectively poisoned, not just some, but apparently ALL of the children in my hometown of Flint, Michigan.
And for that, you have to go to jail.
To poison all the children in an historic American city is no small feat. Even international terrorist organizations haven't figured out yet how to do something on a magnitude like this.

[only_human]

Originally Posted by kladner

You had me quite confused, there. I have actually been searching to see if I had posted another piece on this story, this one, aptly enough, by Michael Moore. If the following is a repeat, my apologies. I do note that this story would fit easily in the capitalism thread, as well.

It's not a repeat as far as I know. I haven't read the article yet but am onboard with the outrage.

Sorry about the post movements.

[kladner]

A broader view of the issues in Oregon

The dry prairies of Southeast Oregon have been the backdrop for land disputes for centuries — long before armed men decided to set up shop in Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, demanding land sovereignty and snacks.

Anti-government militiamen have occupied the refuge’s headquarters since last week in response to sentences leveled against two local ranchers, Dwight and Steven Hammond, for intentionally setting fires on federal land. Led by the sons of Cliven Bundy, a Nevada rancher with a history of federal standoffs, the group occupying the refuge is also calling for a broader federal surrender of land they believe belongs to ranchers.

But the dramatic move, which claims to protect ranchers’ livelihoods, actually threatens the fragile ecosystem of a community that has been working to carefully balance the competing interests in the land. And the people of Harney County have grown weary of the fighting.