Desalination future in California

Here's the big, bad, expensive but effective
desalination plant being built

San Jose Mercury News/Science and Environment/Paul Rogers, 5/29/14.  "Nation's largest ocean desalination plant goes up near San Diego; future of the California coast?"

"CARLSBAD -- On sunny afternoons, this stretch of beach 35 miles north of San Diego offers a classic Southern California backdrop: joggers, palm trees and surfers, flanked by waves rolling in and pelicans soaring overhead.  But just across the road, another scene, unlike any other in the state's history, is playing out: More than 300 construction workers are digging trenches and assembling a vast network of pipes, tanks and high-tech equipment as three massive yellow cranes labor nearby. The crews are building what boosters say represents California's best hope for a drought-proof water supply: the largest ocean desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere. The $1 billion project will provide 50 million gallons of drinking water a day for San Diego County when it opens in 2016.

Since the 1970s, California has dipped its toe into ocean desalination --talking, planning, debating. But for a variety of reasons -- mainly cost and environmental concerns-- the state has never taken the plunge. Until now. Fifteen desalination projects are proposed along the coast from Los Angeles to San Francisco Bay. Desalination technology is becoming more efficient. And the state is mired in its third year of drought. So critics and backers alike are wondering whether this project in a town better known as the home of Legoland and skateboard icon Tony Hawk is ushering in a new era."  Read article. 

Reference -  Carlsbad Desalination Plant project.  Note:  photograph from this project overview. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

New Google car, cuter than a bug

Cuter than a bug

Bigger than a golf cart

CNN/On the Move/Ivana Kottasova, 5/28/14. "Google's new car:  No driver, and no steering wheel." 

"Google has revealed a prototype of its latest driverless car -- and this one doesn't even have a steering wheel. The car will only have a stop and go button. No steering wheel. No pedals.

Unlike Google's previous self-driving vehicles, which have been based on conventional cars adapted to navigate around without a driver, this model has been designed from scratch. "They won't have a steering wheel, accelerator pedal, or brake pedal... because they don't need them," Google said in a statement.   Read article.  The article includes 11 slides, a descriptive video, 3:44 minutes. And an interview with an Intel futurist (cities with cars similar to these), 2:51 minutes.

Wonder where they got the design?

Related article  - CNN/Ideas Series/Brandon Griggs, 5/28/14.  "Google's new self-driving car has no steering wheel or break." ....  Google has been demonstrating its driverless technology for several years by retrofitting Toyotas, Lexuses and other cars with cameras and sensors. But now, for the first time, the company has unveiled a prototype of its own: a cute little car that looks like a cross between a VW Beetle and a golf cart.  

Related video - Google self-driving car test:  Steve Mahan (95% of his vision is gone), Mt. View/Santa Clara, CA, 3/28/12. You tube, 3:01 minutes. "We announced our self-driving car project in 2010 to make driving safer, more enjoyable, and more efficient. Having safely completed over 200,000 miles of computer-led driving, we wanted to share one of our favorite moments. Here's Steve, who joined us for a special drive on a carefully programmed route to experience being behind the wheel in a whole new way. We organized this test as a technical experiment, but we think it's also a promising look at what autonomous technology may one day deliver if rigorous technology and safety standards can be met."

Note photographs:  Auto bug entering or leaving van from Fashion Times, trending news. Auto bug looking for or leaving parking from Yahoo news.  Lady bug from Really cute pets and animals blog.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Solar Panels Drain the Sun’s Energy, Experts Say

This week, a scientific research facility in Wyoming made a startling discovery that is certain to change the way millions of Americans look at the environmentalism movement, after they found conclusive evidence that solar panels not only convert the sun’s energy into usable energy, but that they are also draining the sun of its own energy, possibly with catastrophic consequences far worse than global warming.

Scientists at the Wyoming Institute of Technology, a privately-owned think tank located in Cheyenne, Wyoming, discovered that energy radiated from the sun isn’t merely captured in solar panels, but that energy is directly physically drawn from the sun by those panels, in a process they refer to as “forced photovoltaic drainage.”

“Put into laymen’s terms, the solar panels capture the sun’s energy, but pull on the sun over time, forcing more energy to be released than the sun is actually producing,” WIT claims in a scientific white paper published on Wednesday.  “Imagine a waterfall, dumping water.  But you aren’t catching the water in buckets, but rather sucking it in with a vacuum cleaner.  Eventually, you’re going to suck in so much water that you drain the river above that waterfall completely.”

WIT is adamant that there’s no immediate danger, however.  “Currently, solar panels are an energy niche, and do not pose a serious risk to the sun.  But if we converted our grids to solar energy in a big way, with panels on domestic homes and commercial businesses, and paving our parking lots with panels, we’d start seeing very serious problems over time.  If every home in the world had solar panels on their roofs, global temperatures would drop by as much as thirty degrees over twenty years, and the sun could die out within three hundred to four hundred years.”

The study was commissioned in August 2011 by the Halliburton corporation, who wanted to learn if the energy giant should start manufacturing and selling solar panels domestically and internationally.

Halliburton’s executives wanted to know more about the sustainability of solar energy and how photovoltaic technology might evolve over the next ten years.  But based on the findings of WIT’s research in the field, Halliburton revealed on Friday that they will not be entering the solar energy market.

“Solar panels destroying the sun could potentially be the worst man-made climate disaster in the history of the world, and Halliburton will not be taking part in that,” the company stated in a press release issued Friday morning.  “It’s obvious, based on the findings of this neutral scientific research group, that humans needs to become more dependent on fossil fuels like oil and coal, not less. 

Because these so-called `green technologies’ are far more dangerous to the Earth than any hydrofracking operation or deep-water drilling station.  What good is clean air when our very sun is no longer functional?”

- See more at: http://nationalreport.net/solar-panels-drain-suns-energy-experts-say/#sthash.EvAjVXYr.dpuf

And more here...

Submitted by Professor Jim Wagner

Where in the world is John Maybury?

Moving requires bravery but John is not here. You may wish to try Linda Mar. Pacifica Tribune, "Wandering and Wondering"/John Maybury, 5/27/14.  "Moving Madness". Help find reporter John Maybury "As a veteran of many moves in my misspent youth, I broke the pattern when I moved to Pacifica some 20 years ago. I began to slow down and stay put for longer periods of time. I have moved only twice since I got here in the early '90s (from Sharp Park to Park Pacifica to Linda Mar). So it was a shock to my system recently when Leslie and I had to pack up and move to a new house. I had forgotten how to deal with the chaos of moving: address changes, purging possessions, packing boxes, hiring movers, kicking dust bunnies around the house, losing sleep, getting bruises and scratches on every extremity, trying to remember where everything is (a futile exercise despite careful organization and labeling of boxes), schlepping last-minute carloads of odds and ends that somehow did not get packed in time for moving day. Okay moving is somewhat chaotic, John. ....  Ian Butler and his helper Joe (Bay Area Arborist Co-op) trimmed, pruned, and groomed a stand of pittosporum trees that line our new backyard, taking away three truckloads of greenwaste. We plan to have Dave Martinez of Dig It landscaping "kill" our scraggly, water-hogging lawn and replace it with drought-resistant native plants. Dan Underhill took care of some plumbing issues around the new house, and Rich Shafer of Granite Electric is scheduled to fix some of our wiring and lighting. We always say, "Shop locally." But after this move, now we really believe it. Local works."  Read more. Reference John's blog - Pacifica Riptide. Note photographs:  John Maybury from Linkedin.  Malala Yousafzai, from Mingora, Pakistan. Malala is known as "The bravest girl in the world", interviewed by Christine Amanpour/CNN.  The young adult Barack Obama is from Sweetness & Light.  Posted by Kathy Meeh

Linda Mar Beach parking, a complaint

Linda Mar Beach parking,
a city revenue source

Pacifica Tribune, Letters to the Editor, 5/27/14.  "Bring back free beach parking" by Ronald and Patricia Reiley"

"Editor:  Regarding the increase in fees for Pacifica State Beach at Linda Mar, this is a state beach, taken over for administration by the City of Pacifica. It is important to note that Pacifica now intends to charge $65 to park in one of three locations for that one beach.  An annual state day use parking pass, valid at almost all state beaches and parks, is $75 and discounted for seniors.

Enforcement by the city "rangers" ranges from lax to non-existent. They do empty the trash cans, sweep up around the restrooms and write parking tickets. In addition, they also service the Sharp Park pier and picnic area, where there is no parking fee. So, funds are being diverted from Linda Mar parking fees for routine city maintenance at other locations. Clearly bait and switch from what was promised as a rationale to impose these fees in the first place.  Half Moon Bay state beach has real rangers and vigorously enforces their rules. No dogs on the beach and only on leash elsewhere. No alcohol. They patrol and cite. Citizens of Pacifica would be better served if the beach was returned to the State of California and fee parking discontinued."

Note:  photograph by Mitchell Scuba from Scuba San Mateo, "Linda Mar Beach dive site information."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Highway 1 car accident south of HMB closes road both directions almost 2 hours

San Mateo Daily Journal/Bay City News Service, 5/27/14.  "Three hospitalized after Highway 1 crash."

"Three people were hospitalized after a rollover crash on state Highway 1 in unincorporated San Mateo County south of Half Moon Bay, a California Highway Patrol officer said. The solo-vehicle crash was reported around 1 p.m. Monday on Highway 1 near Verde Road.  A car overturned and at least one person inside had to be extricated by emergency crews, CHP Officer Ron Simmons said. Simmons said three people who were inside the car were taken to a hospital. He did not have information on the victims’ condition. The crash caused the closure of Highway 1 in both directions until shortly after 2:50 p.m., when the road reopened, Simmons said."

Related location - Google map.  Puriissima, CA (Verde Road near the junction of Highway 1, see Wikipedia).

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Reminder City Council meeting, Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Attend in person, 2212 Beach Boulevard, 2nd floor.  Or, view on local television or try live feed Pacificcoast.TV, (formerly pct26.com).  The meeting begins at 7 p.m., or shortly there following.  City council updates and archives are available on the City website. 

City Council Agenda, 5/17/14.   Agenda Packet, 126 pages (pdf).        Fix Pacifica city council meeting article.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Half Moon Bay Surfer's Beach at Highway 1 receives funding to secure shoreline

The Examiner/Peninsula/Christa Bigue, 5/27/14.  Half Moon Bay, San Mateo County partner up to protect Surfer's Beach bluffs."

Low tide

High tide

"San Mateo County and the city of Half Moon Bay announced a partnership this month that will provide funds to shore up the seaside bluffs and create a safer passage from state Highway 1 down to the beach known for being a popular surf spot for locals and visitors alike.

After a City Council meeting May 6, Half Moon Bay officials agreed to contribute $100,000 for the project, which calls for the construction of a retaining wall to protect the Pacific Coast Highway embankment and a stairway to connect the paved coastal trail to Surfer's Beach. County officials will match that amount in addition to a $200,000 allocation from the 2007 Cosco Busan oil spill settlement, Supervisor Don Horsley said. The total cost of the design and preliminary engineering work is about $400,000. "We have an agreement that the county will contribute $300,000 to the project and Half Moon Bay will contribute $100,000 for the environmental review and design," Horsley said.

Caltrans will pay for and oversee the design work, and the California Coastal Commission will also contribute $15,000 to make improvements to the nearby coastal trail, Horsley added. The potential project is a "revetment," said Horsley, a 400-foot-long segment of the coastline that will be supported with sloped sheet pilings anchored with riprap, rock used to armor shorelines against erosion and to absorb the force of incoming water."    Read more. 

Related -  Midcoast Community Council.  "Highway protection at Surfers' Beach San Mateo County, Caltrans, and Half Moon Bay are collaborating on the design and preliminary engineering for a project which would include the following components: --150-ft-long retaining wall to support the existing embankment. --Rock slope protection along the ocean side of the wall to provide energy dissipation and protection from undermining. --Reconstruction of the paved coastal trail adjacent to the wall. --Staircase to connect the coastal trail to the beach.  Supervisor Horsley asked Caltrans to take emergency action to protect the highway in fall 2013. Caltrans reply."

Related Fix Pacifica reprint -  Half Moon Bay Review/Mark Noack, 9/27/13,"Erosion danger spurs call to protect highway."

Note photographs, low tide from Midcoast Community Council; high tide by Matt Hansen from Peninsula Press, 2/20/14.

Posted by Kathy Meeh