Coyote Gulch

Tuesday, July 6, 2004

A picture named monkeywrench.jpg Colorado Water
Here's a story from the Denver Post about how volunteers are trained to observe and track rainfall [July 6, 20004, "Tracking precious moisture Program enlists citizen observers to tally rain, snow"]. Here's the link if you want to volunteer.
Lake Powell has been saving Colorado by delivering enough water to satisfy downriver calls from Utah, Nevada, California, and Arizona. The reservoir may go dry by 2009 and it's already low enough to effect the delivery of hydroelectric power, according to the Denver Post [July 5, 2004, "Drought draining power"]. From the article, "If Glen Canyon Dam's output is cut completely, '(our) power could be priced out of the market,' warned WAPA's Brad Warren. And still Lake Powell continues to fall. Last winter's meager snows were expected to yield only half the average runoff to the Colorado River, continuing a trend that started with the onset of drought in 2000. Powell is so low that federal hydrologists estimate there is a 20 percent chance that drought could eliminate hydropower within five years. A repeat of the disastrous 2002 drought year - or even two more marginally better years like 2004 - could interrupt electric generation even sooner...Some environmental groups, such as Living Rivers of Salt Lake City, believe a more cost- effective way to recover the four endangered fish is to decommission the Glen Canyon Dam once drought drains the lake behind it. They believe the region has entered a drier climate regime that was much more common in the past. Owen Lammers, the group's executive director, chafes at the description of dam's hydropower as clean, cheap energy. 'That ignores the tremendous impact the dam has had on Grand Canyon and Glen Canyon,' Lammers said. Lammers said it is likely that Lake Powell will take many years to refill - if it refills at all. That will reduce electric revenues in perpetuity and put pressure on federal officials to divert money from projects meant to repair the damage caused by plugging up the river."
Anyone for a float through Glen Canyon in 2010? Hite will rise again!
Groundwater is also an issue here in Colorado. Here's an article from the Cortez Journal about a recent EPA decision on frac'ing wells that produce methane gas.
Aurora is looking to double it's water supply by novel means. Under Colorado water law, water transferred from one basin of origin to another, can be used to extinction, according to the Rocky Mountain News [July 5, 2004, "Aurora to double water supply"].
6:05:03 PM

Blogging
Check out the great graphic at Howling At A Waning Moon. It perfectly describes my views of blogging.
5:58:17 PM

War
Escapable Logic: "That is why combat veterans don't talk much about their experiences. Only distant observers like me, witnessing the action from on high or the results lying in the cargo bay, can even broach the horror. We're silent not because we're strong but because we cannot comprehend how stupidly the inexperienced bulk of society speaks of war as a rational option that we're entitled to use on people the way a company might launch a hostile takeover: Boys with tin soldiers, attempting to seem grown up."
5:32:21 PM

Denver November 2004 Election
Monday, July 12, is the last day to register to vote in the August 10th primary. If you don't register you can't help choose the candidates for November and you'll be leaving it up to people that are dazed and confused about elections.
Attorney General, Ken Salazar, has a campaign weblog.
Update: There was a debate amongst the four main candidates for Ben Nighthorse Campbell's U.S. Senate seat last Thursday. The 'Ol Coyote was somewhere near Rabbit Ears Pass communing with nature, but MakesMeRalph was keeping track of our favorite campaigners.
Update: Here's an article on the Denver District Attorney race from the Rocky Mountain News [July 5, 2004, "Lawns serve as signs of the times for DA hopefuls"]. From the article, "If signs are any indication, the hot race in Denver right now is for district attorney. Democrats Beth McCann, Mitch Morrissey and John Walsh have been walking neighborhoods, knocking on doors and planting signs in willing lawns. There are no Republican candidates."
Update: FasTracks is on the fall ballot, according to the Rocky Mountain News [July 2, 2004, "FasTracks plan receives green light for fall ballot"].
Update: The New York times reports, "In a campaign season of polarization, when Republicans and Democrats seem far apart on issues like Iraq, the economy and leadership style, it is perhaps not surprising that the parties find themselves on different sides in the politics of software as well. The Web sites of Senator John Kerry and the Democratic National Committee run mainly on the technology of the computing counterculture: open-source software that is distributed free, and improved and debugged by far-flung networks of programmers. In the other corner, the Web sites of President Bush and the Republican National Committee run on software supplied by the corporate embodiment of big business - Microsoft. The two sides are defined largely by their approach to intellectual property. Fans of open-source computing regard its software as a model for the future of business, saying that its underlying principle of collaboration will eventually be used in pharmaceuticals, entertainment and other industries whose products are tightly protected by patents or copyrights." Thanks to beSpacific for the link.
7:37:35 AM

2004 Presidential Election
Senator John Kerry has named Senator John Edwards as his running mate for November's election. Very interesting. Kerry was said to not like Edwards personally and to be worried about chemistry. Kerry clearly wants to reach out to workers in the Rust Belt, the (New) South, and midwest. He obviously feels that Edwards can help him there. Kerry announced his choice via e-mail a few minutes before his speech in Pittsburgh. Another first in Internet politics.
Taegan Goddard: "Here are the latest state polls: California - Kerry 52%, Bush 38% (Rasmussen); Michigan - Bush 44%, Kerry 43%, Nader 5% (Detroit News); Michigan - Kerry 51%, Bush 41% (Survey USA)."
Update: A new Gallup poll looks at hispanic support for President Bush against John Kerry. According to Gallup, "The poll was conducted June 9-30, and the sample includes approximately 800 non-Hispanic whites, 800 blacks, and 500 Hispanics. Both the two-way hypothetical contest between Bush and Kerry, and the three-way contest that includes independent Ralph Nader, show a virtual tie overall, with Bush having a one-point lead in each case among registered voters. In the two-way contest, Bush enjoys a 12-point lead over Kerry among whites, 53% to 41%. But among blacks, Kerry wins overwhelmingly (81% to 12%), and among Hispanics he enjoys a 19-point lead (57% to 38%)."
Update: Taegan Goddard: "President Bush and Sen. John Kerry 'remain in a statistical tie among Americans registered to vote,' according to a new American Research Group poll. Nationally - Two-Way Race, Kerry 49%, Bush 45%; Three-Way Race, Kerry 47%, Bush 44%, Nader 3%. Here are the latest state polls: North Carolina - Bush 49%, Kerry 42% (Rasmussen); California - Kerry 52%, Bush 38% (Rasmussen)."
Update: Congratulations to TalkLeft being named a credentialed blogger at the Democratic National Convention.
7:35:29 AM

e-mail John: