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Thursday, August 3, 2006
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PHP List
Here's an email list managed by PHP List from Clay Calhoun. Here's the link for the RSS feed We couldn't find working permalinks on Mr. Calhoun's weblog.
From the PHP List website, "phplist is an open-source newsletter manager. phplist is free to download, install and use, and is easy to integrate with any website. phplist is downloaded 7000 times per month. phplist is sponsored by tincan."
"denver 2006"
9:18:58 PM 
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Legal Marijuana for fall ballot?
SquareState.net: "SAFER has done what I thought would be the biggest hurdle in the campaign, and collected over 110,000 signatures to put decriminalization [of Marijuana] on the ballot. (So says a press release.) That is, 42,000 more than needed. That means the Secretary of State will have to find 42,000 invalid signatures for the initiative to not make the ballot.
"denver 2006"
7:23:53 PM
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Drought news
After the beautiful showers the last two days we feel we need to highlight the current drought situation. Colorado is not out of the woods yet. Things are improving. Fire bans are dropping. Happy Southwest Monsoon to y'all.
North and South Dakota are getting a Dust Bowl reminder, according to U.S. Water News Online. They write, "Fields of wheat, durum and barley in the Dakotas this dry summer will never end up as pasta, bread or beer. What is left of the stifled crops has been salvaged to feed livestock struggling on pastures where hot winds blow clouds of dirt from dried-out ponds. Some ranchers have been forced to sell their entire herds, and others are either moving their cattle to greener pastures or buying more already-costly feed. Hundreds of acres of grasslands have been blackened by fires sparked by lightning or farm equipment...
"More than 60 percent of the United States now has abnormally dry or drought conditions, stretching from Georgia to Arizona and across the north through the Dakotas, Minnesota, Montana and Wisconsin, said Mark Svoboda, a climatologist for the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. An area stretching from south central North Dakota to central South Dakota is the most drought-stricken region in the nation, Svoboda said."
"colorado water"
6:29:25 PM
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BlogHer 2006
Identity Woman: "I have lots to say about BlogHer - and will be sharing it over the next few weeks. It was quite an emotional event for me on a bunch of levels. With all the buzz about Microsoft is launching Windows Live Spaces tonight I thought I would chime in on that aspect of BlogHer.
"Basically I was completely turned off what ever they might be doing in there space by the 'BE JANE' skit at BlogHer."
5:56:58 PM
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Multiple sources of power
Andy Oram has a very long piece about identity and the recent Identity Mashup up on Onlamp.com. If you stick with it to the end you'll read, "I can't end this article without sharing some of the most pessimistic fears aired at the Mashup by some of its most well-informed participants, such as Stefan Brand. Brand admitted to feeling near despair sometimes, because we could easily move into a society where RFIDs are embedded in our bodies and every move is tracked. 'I'm afraid that, despite all our best efforts, our technical solutions may drive us into totalitarianism.' There were many responses that tried to assuage this fear, but no one could banish it.
"Perhaps our best hope was cited by Berkman Center fellow Mary Rundle, who said that we must maintain multiple sources of power that can constrain each other, so that 'power cannot be used to amass more power.'"
Thanks to Phil Windley for the link.
"2008 pres"
5:52:09 PM
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Legal Marijuana for fall ballot?
Colorado Confidential: "Colorado could be the first state to seriously decriminalize the recreational use of marijuana, paving the way for other state-based proposals nationally. That is, if the proposal can jump over its first hurdle: getting enough signatures to be put on the ballot. After gaining momentum from their Denver victory last year, the group Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) is working to give Colorado voters a choice about the criminalization of cannabis. 'If this initiative passes it will simply make procession of up to one ounce of marijuana legal for adults 21 and older, under Colorado State Law,' said SAFER campaign manager, Mason Tvert. According to Tvert, the campaign will be submitting signatures to the Secretary of State's office this Monday. They will need about 68,000 valid signatures to get the initiative on the ballot. If that happens, it will be up to the voters."
"denver 2006"
7:20:04 AM
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Welcome to America
Jay Leno (via NewMexiKen): "Police said today that they found a bottle of tequila in Mel's Lexus. So let's sum up what happened here: Mel Gibson, who grew up in Australia, was drinking alcohol from Mexico in his Japanese car while yelling about the Jews in Israel. You know where he was coming from? A Thai restaurant. Welcome to America."
7:16:59 AM
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Evolution back in school in Kansas
Kansas City Star: "Coming changes in the state school board mean Kansas is likely to return to evolution-friendly education standards - and remain mired in a fight over how the theory is taught in classrooms. Conservative Republicans lost control of the State Board of Education on Tuesday only nine months after they had enacted science standards expressing doubt about evolutionary theory. Critics saw the standards as an attack on evolution, and Kansas received international ridicule as a result. The conservative board majority was 6-4 going into this year's election, and moderate Republicans unseated one conservative incumbent and captured a seat held by a retiring conservative in Tuesday's primary elections. That left the balance of power at 6-4 in favor of moderates who believe the standards should reflect mainstream scientific views - and treat evolution as a well-established theory."
Thanks to TalkLeft for the link.
"2008 pres"
7:08:18 AM
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Gay marriage on fall ballot?
You may be asking how the gay marriage initiatives are doing with regard to getting on the fall ballot. The Denver Post has some of the answers.
From the article, "An initiative to ban gay marriage appears comfortably headed toward the November ballot while a second measure to prohibit domestic partnerships remains in doubt as Monday's deadline for signatures looms. Coloradans for Marriage, which seeks to define marriage as between one man and one woman, plans to deliver about 100,000 signatures to the secretary of state - well over the 68,000 needed to get on the ballot, said Jon Paul, the group's executive director. The organization relied largely on grassroots church support to gather its signatures, but used paid canvassers in its final push. A $100,000 contribution last week from Ed McVaney, former chair of the software company J.D. Edwards, nearly doubled the group's fundraising efforts...
"State Rep. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, said his Protecting Colorado Children group was 'within shooting distance' of its signature goal for a measure that would ban domestic partnerships. 'We're working hard,' said Lundberg, adding that the effort may come down to the wire on Monday. Lundberg's measure would counter a referendum already on the ballot that would grant certain rights and responsibilities to same-sex couples."
"denver 2006"
7:00:46 AM
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Term limits for judges?
Supporters of term limits for judges turned in their petitions yesterday with 108,000 signatures, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "The measure would term-limit Colorado Supreme Court justices and Colorado Court of Appeals judges to 10 years. Many of the current judges and justices have been on the bench from nine to 20 years. Former Senate President John Andrews, who is chairman of Limit the Judges, was elated that in seven weeks the group collected 40,000 more signatures than necessary to place the measure on the November ballot...
"Andrews expects a bruising battle with a coalition, Citizens to Protect Colorado Courts, that opposes term limits. 'We are prepared to make our case in a very strong campaign - TV and radio ads, mailings - a full campaign effort,' Andrews said. Citizens to Protect Colorado Courts immediately announced it would fight the measure with a broad coalition that includes Attorney General John Suthers, Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey, the League of Women Voters, the Colorado Judicial Institute and Common Cause...
"'It (term limits) is not wise, and it reflects Sen. Andrews' misunderstanding of the role of the judiciary,' said Denver lawyer Phil Cherner. 'He views the judiciary as an entity that should carry out the will of the people as if it was a popularity contest. The judiciary is there to prevent the oppression of the underprivileged and the minority and those with less political power. It does that by enforcing the laws, some of which shield those individuals and groups. They don't do it to be popular.'"
"denver 2006"
6:52:44 AM
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Referred Question 1A
The Denver Post editorial staff is urging Denver voters to pass Referred Question 1A on next week's primary ballot. They write, "The new agreement would restructure how the 3 percent franchise fee is applied. The current agreement exempts the first $12.50 of a customer's bill, a provision that has been removed from the new proposal. That change is expected to add an estimated $9 a year - 75 cents a month - to the average Xcel bill, and it will bring in about $2 million more in city revenue each year. Under the proposal, the increased revenue will be used to help low-income people heat and cool their homes. The poorest among us are the most vulnerable when the weather turns extreme, and we think this is a good use of the new franchise revenue. The new agreement also has the utility paying the cost of relocating gas pipes and electrical lines on construction projects that are at least 50 percent funded by government entities, such as FasTracks. This will benefit the city to the tune of about $60 million over the life of the agreement. And the agreement would have the utility contribute $200,000 to a solar power pilot project. Xcel also would buy up to 22 megawatts of hydroelectric power from Denver Water during the next 20 years. If voters were to reject the measure, the city would renegotiate and present voters with a new deal. Thus far, Measure 1A has garnered no discernable opposition. We see benefits for the city under the new Xcel agreement and hope it meets with voter support."
Category: August 8th Ballot
6:45:46 AM
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Beauprez for governor?
U.S. Representative Bob Beauprez is going to tour Colorado during the congressional recess. The candidate is hoping to build support for the fall election, especially amongst business groups, according to the Denver Post.
From the article, "With conservative opponent Marc Holtzman gone from the race, political observers say Beauprez now must try to mend fences with the more moderate wing of the party...
"Beauprez's dilemma is how to appeal to his anti-tax base while avoiding alienating business leaders - a longtime problem for Republican candidates, said Bob Loevy, a Colorado College political science professor."
"denver 2006"
6:40:10 AM
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Setting the precendent for a lot of other areas
Jackson Hole News: "[Dustin Child] represents a recent addition to the environmental movement. Ever since the Forest Service earmarked Child's hunting grounds for oil and gas development, the owner of Trophy Mountain Outfitters has joined a growing coalition of sportsmen working to preserve the wild lands where they work and play. Outfitter Gary Amerine, owner of Greys River Trophies, follows close behind, leading the rest of the group. Child teamed with Amerine in his quest to protect the Wyoming Range from oil and gas leases that could, they say, turn the Wyoming Range into another Jonah Field, one of the densest gas fields in the nation. For these outfitters, protecting this land isn't just a moral duty, it's a matter of survival. Many of the hunters who pay top dollar to hunt big game at Child's and Amerine's hunting camps said they wouldn't return if wells marred the landscape. 'No one in their right mind would pay to take a scenic pack trip through oil and gas wells,' says Amerine who, with his wife, Jenny, hosted the trip. 'The Wyoming Range is on the front burner right now. It's gonna set a precedent for a lot of other areas.'[...]
"About half an hour into the horseback ride, we pass hillsides and fields with sagebrush interspersed with wildflowers like Indian paintbrush and purple lupine. But up on the top of a meadow, the sage and flower landscape switches quickly to a uniform sea of grass. Off in the distance, we see a well that was capped roughly 30 years ago, nothing more than a large metal pipe fitted with a bolted collar. Cathy Purves of the conservation group Trout Unlimited explains that three decades after operators capped the well, the land still hasn't recovered. The exotic grass and weeds are entrenched. A few hundred feet up the hillside, another well, capped in 1971, looks even worse. Instead of grass, dandelions choke out the natural flora and we can easily make out linear patterns where earth moving equipment evened out the ground. 'If me or Dustin did that to our camp, we would lose our permit,' says Amerine."
"2008 pres"
6:24:31 AM
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Local government to regulate watersheds?
It looks like voters in Grand Junction will get a chance to pass an ordinance dealing with water quality issues in their watershed, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "A grass- roots political action group seeking to give this city the authority to protect its watershed from gas drilling has turned in more than twice the signatures needed to put their measure on the ballot. The proposed ordinance would give Grand Junction the authority to tightly regulate and monitor oil and gas drilling on Grand Mesa, where the city gets its drinking water. It would add another layer of protection for the city's water supply following the leasing by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management of about 13,000 acres within the watershed for gas drilling."
"colorado water"
6:14:10 AM
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Sustainable habitat for the humpback chub?
The humpback chub population in the Grand Canyon appears to be stabilizing, according to the USGS. From the article, "Recently collected data for endangered humpback chub (Gila cypha) in Grand Canyon suggest that the population of adult fish (age 4+) may be stabilizing after more than a decade of decline, according to biologists with the U.S. Geological Survey´s (USGS) Southwest Biological Science Center. Between 2001 and 2005, the number of adult fish appears to have stabilized at an estimated 5,000 fish. In 2005, scientists also detected more juvenile fish (age 1 to 4) and young-of-year fish, or fish hatched in 2005, than previous years...
"Catch-rate data also indicate an increased abundance of juvenile humpback chub between 2003 and 2005 near the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers, where spawning is known to occur. Increases in juvenile fish during the same period were also apparent for other native species found near the confluence, including bluehead sucker (Catostomus discobolus), flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis), and speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus). Catch rates for young-of-year humpback chub were higher in 2005 than previous years in middle and lower Marble Canyon. Higher than average catch rates at these locations were unexpected because they are up to 25 river miles above the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers where spawning was thought to be confined. These findings suggest that more favorable conditions for spawning and incubation existed in the Colorado River main channel during 2005."
"The primary factors thought to be contributing to the findings are as follows: Humpback chub may have benefited from the experimental removal of large numbers of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) from the area near the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers. Rainbow and brown trout are thought to compete with humpback chub for food and prey on young fish. Since 2003, the rainbow trout population in the Colorado River near the Little Colorado River has been reduced by more than 60%. The removal effort will continue through 2006; Native fishes, including humpback chub, are thought to have benefited from drought-induced warming beginning in 2003 and continuing through 2005. Until recently, water temperatures in the main channel of the Colorado River have been too cold for humpback chub to successfully reproduce except near the Little Colorado River. As the level of the Lake Powell has dropped, warmer water found closer to the surface of the reservoir has reached the release structures. In 2005, water temperatures in the mainstem Colorado River near the Little Colorado River exceeded 17_C (60.8_F), the warmest temperatures recorded in this section of the river since the reservoir filled in 1980 and approximately the minimum temperature needed by humpback chub to successfully reproduce; Humpback chub hatched in 1999 may have benefited from substantial in-stream warming as the result of the 2000 low summer steady flow experiment. The experiment held Glen Canyon Dam releases constant at 8,000 cubic feet per second from June through August 2000 and included two habitat maintenance flows (high, steady dam releases). As a result, peak water temperatures in lower sections of Grand Canyon exceeded 20_C (68.5_F) in the summer of 2000, compared with typical peak temperatures of 15-18_C (59-64_F)."
"colorado water"
6:00:38 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/14/09; 8:26:02 PM.
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