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Thursday, April 19, 2007
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? for Denver City Council District 5
Colorado Confidential: "Colorado Confidential continues our series of video interviews with candidates for Denver city offices. Next up is an interview with Marcia Johnson, incumbent City Councilmember representing District 5, who is running for reelection."
"denver 2007"
6:33:53 PM 
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Iraq
Wash Park Prophet: "The conservative military website Strategy Page is making some strong assertions about what is going on in Iraq right now. The more political it gets, the less accurate it tends to become, but it is worth getting this version of the story out there to discuss. It argues that ethnic cleansing of Sunni Arabs has proceeded at a scale much greater than press accounts have previously suggested, and is essentially a fait accompli in Baghdad itself...
"If 30% of Sunni Arabs have become external refugees (dropping their share of the nation's population from about 20% to about 14%), and another 20% are internal refugees (from 'mixed areas' to predominantly Sunni areas), and a large share of all Sunni Arabs who aren't refugees lived in predominantly Sunni Arab places in the first place, this has immense implications for a political solution.
"The impact on Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, already awash in Palestinian refugees, could be particularly intense. And, with many internally displaced Sunnis pouring into strongholds in Western Iraq and leaving behind mostly Shiites in the Southeast and central part of the country, the prospects of a Syrian annexation of West Iraq and Iranian annexation of East Iraq, with the North becoming an independent Kurdistan doesn't seem as out of the question as it did when the conflict began and the population was much more ethnically mixed."
Juan Cole: "Nearly 300 persons were killed or found dead in Iraq on Wednesday and hundreds were wounded. Al-Hayat writes in Arabic that the smell of blood and gunpowder wafted through Baghdad on Wednesday In the capital alone, Sunni Arab guerrillas carried out five horrific bombings in Shiite neighborhoods that, with some mortar attacks and shootings, killed around 200 persons and wounded many more."
"2008 pres"
6:31:14 PM
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? for President?
Talking Points Memo: "Howard Dean guru Joe Trippi signs up with the Edwards campaign."
Captain's Quarters: "The latest Washington Post/ABC News poll shows that Rudy Giuliani has started coming back to the pack after a surprisingly successful first quarter. John McCain has managed to hold his ground, and Fred Thompson appears to be the beneficiary of Rudy's retreat. Meanwhile, Hillary has widened the gap between herself and #2 Barack Obama, but because Obama lost a little ground since the previous poll in February."
"2008 pres"
6:22:25 PM
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Corruption
Josh Marshall: "Statement from Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino ... President Bush was pleased with the Attorney General's testimony today. After hours of testimony in which he answered all of the Senators' questions and provided thousands of pages of documents, he again showed that nothing improper occurred. He admitted the matter could have been handled much better, and he apologized for the disruption to the lives of the U.S. Attorneys involved, as well as for the lack of clarity in his initial responses. The Attorney General has the full confidence of the President, and he appreciates the work he is doing at the Department of Justice to help keep our citizens safe from terrorists, our children safe from predators, our government safe from corruption, and our streets free from gang violence."
"2008 pres"
6:15:46 PM
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? for Clerk and Recorder?
Here's a look at the race for Clerk and Recorder from the Rocky Mountain News. They write, "Big challenges and bigger expectations await Denver's first elected clerk and recorder. Four months after the winner is sworn in, another citywide election will be held, giving the new clerk and recorder a chance to start to restore voter confidence - or perhaps make it worse. But the Nov. 6 school board election isn't the only pressing item. Among the tasks the clerk and recorder will face: wading through a backlog of hundreds of foreclosure packets that are weeks past due; finding a new elections director; and planning for the 2008 presidential election. Both candidates - Stephanie O'Malley and Jacob Werther - say they're up for the challenge."
Read the whole article for more detail.
Here's the link to the Rocky's election page. For the most detailed coverage look to Denver Politics.
"denver 2007"
7:00:12 AM
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CRWCD directors meeting
Here's an update on Tuesday's meeting of the Colorado River Water Conservation District from the Summit Daily News "reg". From the article, "On Tuesday, directors of the district met in Glenwood Springs and considered substantive changes to some of its key policies. The river district, formed in 1937 and headquartered in Glenwood Springs, is charged with protecting water as well as holding and developing water rights for western Colorado. The policy revisions will be adopted at the district's quarterly meeting in July.
Among the policies considered by the board were for water quality and recreational water uses. While the river district supports minimal water quality regulation, it opposes regulations that put an undue burden on ranchers and farmers...
"Specifically, the policy opposes nonpoint source water pollution regulations for ranchers and farmers. Nonpoint source pollution comes from more than a single source. 'The concern has been that agriculture (could be) blanketed with requirements to meet water quality standards ... to the same extent as wastewater treatment plants,' [Chris] Treese said.
"The board of directors also wrestled with new language for its recreational water use policy. Recreational in-channel diversions (RICDs) for such uses as whitewater kayaking parks, were a hot topic in the 2006 legislative session. Senate Bill 37 defined RICDs and passed because of compromise among people on both sides of the issue. It sets a standard for and limits the size of water appropriations for that use. Directors said they wanted to be clear in the language of the policy that while they don't encourage anyone to come forward with an application for an RICD water right, they do encourage such applications to be balanced."
"colorado water"
6:31:37 AM
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Immigration
PRNewswire.com: "Tom Tancredo, the Colorado Congressman who has fought for tougher enforcement of laws against illegal immigration, will attend a fund-raising event on an Arizona border ranch in the middle of a major smuggling route. The Republican candidate for President, who surprised many by raising more than one million dollars in the first quarter of this year, will bring his campaign to the Mexican border Friday, May 4, for a cookout and demonstration on how the border can be controlled. When he speaks to his supporters, Tancredo will be looking out over miles of wide-open border with nothing to stop illegal aliens and terrorists but a flimsy barbed-wire fence. There will be no evidence of the Secure Fence Act of 2006, legislation to strengthen the border signed by President Bush last year."
"2008 pres"
6:21:50 AM
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Fry-Ark space for Aurora?
From the Pueblo Chieftain, "The Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District board voted 7-0 Wednesday to look at all legal avenues to challenge the Bureau of Reclamation's proposed contract with Aurora, but won't file a suit unless a contract is actually issued...
"Simpson noted there are only about 7,500 acre-feet in Aurora's Turquoise and Twin Lakes accounts, which would not be enough to take the entire 10,000 acre-feet provided for in the contract. He explained Aurora could not use its Homestake Project space in Turquoise to store Arkansas Valley water...
"Simpson said Aurora would likely use physical exchanges associated with those water rights whenever practical, and would use the contract exchanges with Reclamation in blocks throughout the year."
"colorado water"
6:11:17 AM
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Water supply outlook
Officials around the state are cautiously optimistic that the drought is over, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "Colorado's drought is over, but still...Water officials gathered at a monthly state water supply meeting Wednesday were loathe to actually say those words, even as they conceded a key drought index shows - for the first time since 2002 - that it's true.Instead, water watchers spent much of the meeting urging caution despite a bright outlook for Front Range supplies...
"Even so, compared with most recent years, some things do look good:
"- Snowpack began to slip away fast during a warm March, but the melt-off has slowed dramatically during a cool, stormy April. And forecasters predict the rest of April and part of May will bring more storms, reducing water demand from homeowners and farmers.
"- Reservoirs across the state are in good shape. An official with Denver Water, serving 1.2 million residents in the metro area, said the utility expects all its reservoirs to fill this spring. Statewide, reservoir levels are at 103 percent of their average level.
"- While high streamflows in March had some worried, state climatologist Nolan Doesken noted that it beats the alternative: snow evaporating or getting sucked into parched soils. The bulging streams mean soil moisture is good and reservoirs can catch the runoff, he said...
"Despite all the good news, experts at the meeting raised numerous warning flags, including predictions that the fast-fading snowpack in the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado could quickly reintroduce drought conditions there. The region benefited from a bounty of snow early in the 'water year' that begins in October, but the moisture has plummeted since then...
"Not all the news is good on the Front Range either. Aurora, struggling with water supplies since the 2002 drought, has reservoirs at a combined level of 66 percent of average, low enough to likely trigger watering restrictions this summer."
Here's another article from the Denver Business Journal. They write, "Denver Water's summer watering program begins May 1 and runs through Aug. 30. While this year's rules aren't as strict as the drought restrictions of 2002 through 2004, they are mandatory, and failure to comply can result in fines, the agency said. As in 2006, the 2007 water use rules are: Lawn watering is limited to three days per week, selected at customer's discretion, and only as much as the landscape needs; No watering from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Applying more water than is reasonably necessary to establish and maintain a healthy landscape is not allowed; No watering landscaped areas during rain or high wind; Applying water intended for irrigation to an impervious surface, such as a street, parking lot, alley, sidewalk or driveway is prohibited; Allowing water to pool or flow across the ground or into any drainage way, such as gutters, streets, alleys or storm drains, is prohibited; Customers are required to repair leaking or damaged irrigation components within 10 days after notice."
"colorado water"
6:04:26 AM
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Regional Watershed Supply Project
Aaron Million is still on tour explaining his proposed pipeline project -- the Regional Watershed Supply Project. The latest stop was in Glenwood Springs according to the Post Independent "reg". From the article, "A man with a big plan met with the directors of the Colorado River Water Conservation District Wednesday to promote his idea for a 400-mile pipeline to carry water from Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Wyoming and Utah to eastern Colorado...
"Million said once the pipeline is completed, operation would be turned over to a public water conservancy group. He also said permitting is expected to take three years and construction two years. Flaming Gorge and the Green River are an ideal source for such a project because the Green has water that is not spoken for, Million said. 'We looked at the Green River Basin as a region with water supply opportunities,' he told river district directors Wednesday. 'The Green River Basin is a large, under-utilized system.' Million said the project would take the pressure off the Colorado River Basin, which already provides hundreds of thousands of acre feet of water to the thirsty Front Range and downstream states. 'We think (the project) will increase supply to the main stem of the Colorado,' he said. Further, if the project doesn't happen, Million said, there will be a move 'to buy Shoshone water rights and other senior rights on the West Slope.' The Shoshone water right, held by Xcel Energy, is one of the oldest rights on the Colorado River and is used to operate the Glenwood Canyon Hydroelectric Plant...
"Million's claims met with decided skepticism Wednesday. The directors were concerned that the project could exhaust what water the state of Colorado is entitled to under the 1922 and 1948 Colorado River interstate compacts. The compacts require the upper Colorado River Basin states of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico to supply a fixed amount of water annually to the lower basin states of California, Nevada and Arizona. 'Our main concern is that 165,000 acre feet, is it available under the 1922 and 1948 compacts?' said river district general manager Eric Kuhn. The Colorado Water Conservation Board is currently trying to determine just how much water Colorado is using and what remains available after compact obligations are met. 'It will put existing water users at risk if we run into a couple of dry years,' said river district attorney Peter Fleming. 'We don't know how much water the Colorado River has left to develop.'"
"colorado water"
5:47:30 AM
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PACDEX
From the Kansas City Infozine, "Scientists using one of the nation's newest and most capable research aircraft are launching a far-reaching field project this month to study plumes of airborne dust and pollutants that originate in Asia and journey to North America. The plumes are among the largest such events on Earth, so great in scope that scientists believe they might affect clouds and weather across thousands of miles while interacting with the Sun's radiation and playing a role in global climate.
"Known as PACDEX (Pacific Dust Experiment), the project will be led by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. NCAR's main sponsor, the National Science Foundation (NSF), will provide most of the funding. The first mission will be launched in late April, depending on weather patterns in Asia. It will continue for two months...
"To study the changes in the plumes as they move through the atmosphere from Japan to the western United States, the PACDEX team will deploy the NSF HIAPER, a modified Gulfstream-V aircraft, which is operated and maintained by NCAR. This newly configured plane has a range of about 6,000 miles and can cruise from just a few hundred feet above Earth's surface to over 50,000 feet. These features enable scientists to study the plumes across thousands of miles and at different levels of the atmosphere...
"While many particles in the plumes, such as sulfates, cool the planet by blocking solar radiation from reaching Earth, some particles such as black carbon absorb sunlight as well and therefore may amplify the effects of global warming. PACDEX will help scientists refine computer models of greenhouse gas emissions and improve forecasts of future climate change, both for the entire globe and for specific regions that are especially affected by dust and pollutants. 'PACDEX will open a window into what happens to the atmosphere as these massive plumes cross the Pacific Ocean and affect clouds, precipitation, and the amount of sunlight that reaches Earth,' explains NCAR scientist Jeff Stith, a principal investigator on the project. 'We want to determine how the various particles of dust and pollutants influence clouds and climate, and how far downwind those effects occur.'[...]
"The plumes can alter global temperatures by interacting with large-scale, mid-latitude cloud systems over the Pacific that reflect enormous amounts of sunlight and help regulate global climate. The plumes also may affect regional precipitation patterns because water vapor molecules adhere to microscopic particles of dust and pollutants to form water droplets or ice particles that eventually grow and fall out of the clouds as rain or snow. In addition, the dust and pollutants reduce the amount of light reaching Earth, contributing to a phenomenon known as global dimming that can affect both temperatures and precipitation...
"U.S. organizations include NCAR, Scripps, NASA, NOAA, Arizona State University, Colorado State University, Naval Research Laboratory, Oregon State University, University of Alaska, University of Colorado, and the University of Iowa. Asian organizations include the Japanese National Institute for Environmental Studies, Lanzhou University and Peking University in China, and Seoul National University in Korea."
"colorado water"
5:34:02 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/14/09; 9:11:37 PM.
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