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Extreme Weather Watch: October 2015 – South Carolina, Texas Inundated by Torrential Rains

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In early October torrential rain flooded almost the entire state of South Carolina. At least 17 people died. The cost of the flooding could top $1 billion, Senator Lindsey Graham said. Interstate 95 was closed for 70 miles. At least 11 dams failed. Another 35 dams were at risk. The rain event set records all over the state, flooding entire towns. For some locations, this historic rainfall qualifies as a 1,000-year rain event, meaning in a given year there is a 1 in 1,000 chance of observing rainfall totals of this magnitude.

They would like to think that floods of this magnitude won’t happen again for another 1000 years. However, the truth is that with global warming and climate change floods like these are becoming a much more common occurrence, not unprecedented and historical as some have described them.   [Read more…]

With ‘Off-Planet’ Mining Bill, US Congress Seeks to Privatize Outer Space

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Extraterrestrial ‘Finders Keepers’ law allows US citizens and companies to legally claim ‘abiotic’ natural resources including water and minerals

By Deidre Fulton / CommonDreams

In a bipartisan bid to encourage commercial exploitation of outer space, the U.S. Senate this week unanimously passed the Space Act of 2015, which grants U.S. citizens or corporations the right to legally claim non-living natural resources—including water and minerals—mined in the final frontier.

The legislation—described by IGN’s Jenna Pitcher as “a celestial ‘Finders Keepers’ law”—could be a direct affront to an international treaty that bars nations from owning property in space. The bill will now be sent back to the House of Representatives, which is expected to approve the changes, and then on to President Barack Obama for his anticipated signature.   [Read more…]

The Rise of the Little People

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A Carlsbad Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, in the land of pink-tiled roofs, the clueless King Hallmat of the Village-by-the-Sea was troubled as he sat on his throne. The Little People were at the castle gates, carrying torches and pitchforks, chanting, “Down with the king! Down with the king!” His subjects were angry because he brought to the village the slippery Sir Caresnot, the black knight of Tinsel Gridloc, the largest kingdom in the land, 1,000 furlongs to the north.

A stonemason by trade, the black knight was known for despoiling one-of-a-kind villages with identical temple squares honoring Plutus, the god of wealth. His grandest, The Grovel at Tinsel Gridloc, brought streams of carriage traffic from beyond what the eye could see.   [Read more…]

Fighting for Climate Justice Means Looking After Our Neighbors

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Indigenous communities that oppose extractive and fossil fuel corporations are being met with repression and plunder across the globe. The Lumad people need our support.

By Fr. Edwin Gariguez / CommonDreams

As I write this, more than 700 people from the Philippines’ Lumad indigenous communities in Mindanao reache the city of Manila to make their plight known.

The 1,500-kilometer Lumad caravan culminated October 26, as they arrived in Manila to protest the rise in violent attacks over indigenous communities in the last 4 months. They demand respect for their right to life, land, and justice from the government led by President Benigno Aquino III.

The Philippines’ Department of Energy (DOE) is encouraging investors to submit applications for the exploration and viability assessment of coal reserves in the island of Mindanao. Through violence, paramilitary groups want to make sure that communities consent to the operation of the mining corporations which will profit from the conversion of forests into plantations, and the encroachment of mineral and coal extraction across Lumad ancestral domains.   [Read more…]

Just Say No to Highways in SANDAG’s Sales Tax Increase Proposal

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The board of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), the county’s regional planning agency, is putting together a proposal for a one-half cent sales tax increase for voter consideration in November 2016. The proposed name for this package is “Keep San Diego Moving Forward,” but it’s also been referred to as the quality of life measure.

Two things need to happen for this sort of scheme to reach the two-thirds voter approval threshold; large numbers of endorsements from governments and groups in the region, and a wish list of projects to draw in voters who would then feel they’re getting some benefit from the additional taxes.

Since SANDAG essentially failed (they agreed to look at it again in the future) to modify its long-term regional planning away from prioritizing auto-centric projects, the subject of more immediate funding for transit and alternative transportation will likely play a significant role in selling this idea.   [Read more…]

Can BikeSD Make a Dent in Income Inequality through Advocacy and Embracing Equity?

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By Sam Ollinger / BikeSD

Last year, Councilmember David Alvarez appointed me to represent his council district, District 8, at the city’s Bicycle Advisory Committee. It was an incredible honor and a challenge, because I live in Council District 9, not 8. In an attempt to understand the district, the needs of the community, and the challenges I would be dealing with, I met with one of Alvarez’s staffers for coffee one morning.

At the meeting, the staffer told me, in no uncertain terms, that bike infrastructure was not necessarily a priority for the district. I was a bit blindsided and it has taken me almost an entire year to understand what she meant when she gave me the low-down on District 8. This post is an attempt to explain that understanding.   [Read more…]

SeaWorld to End Orca Shows—But Not Captivity of ‘Incredible Creatures’

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Animal rights activists say move is motivated by mounting protests as well as tanking profits

By Deirdre Fulton / Common Dreams

Facing mounting protests and plummeting profits, SeaWorld intends to phase out its infamous killer whale show at its San Diego park next year.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, which broke the news after seeing a SeaWorld document posted online in advance of a corporate webcast, the decision is “part of a comprehensive strategy unveiled Monday to re-position the embattled company amid persistent criticisms of how it treats its orcas.”

The Union-Tribune further reports that in the show’s place will be a new orca “experience” debuting in 2017, described as “informative” and designed to take place in a more natural setting that would carry a “conservation message inspiring people to act.”   [Read more…]

Public Prayer Challenges Carlsbad Council’s Credibility

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Carlsbad Leaders Hear from Referendum Winners

“Okay, ladies and gentlemen, we’re off to a good start,” said Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall, after Councilmember Mark Packard’s opening prayer spurred murmurs from the audience, one member declaring, “Separation of church and state, Dr. Packard!” That led to Dr. Packard’s stern reproach from the dais, “Do not take offense when none is intended.”

The closing words of Packard’s prayer, “We pray for these things in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” were what stoked up the crowd. Mayor Hall, realizing his rosy greeting was premature, wisely called for a ten-minute break.

Twenty Carlsbad residents lined up to speak about the city council’s receipt of the report by the San Diego County Registrar of Voters of a sufficient number of signatures on the referendum to overturn the Carlsbad city council’s August 25 approval of the 85/15 Agua Hedionda South Shore Specific Plan for 85% Open Space and 15% Retail Initiative.   [Read more…]

San Diego County Spends $36 Million for Free Employee Parking

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The San Diego County Board of Supervisors recently cut the ribbon to officially open a new $36,000,000 parking garage at Cedar and Kettner in Little Italy.  The garage has 640 spaces, built at a cost of $56,250 per space.  The garage will primarily be used for free parking for county employees and will also be available for paid public parking use on nights and weekends.

Supervisor Diane Jacobs noted “this truly is the best looking parking garage in the entire region and the most needed parking garage”.  The “stalls are a little wider than you’ll find in most commercial parking structures”.   [Read more…]

The End of the Keystone XL Pipeline (We Hope)

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A major defeat for proponents of dirty energy is in the works, as news reports indicate the Obama administration is set to block the permits needed for the Keystone XL pipeline. Construction of the project has been a political hot potato, with supporters using big-money lobbying and opponents focused on a grass-roots activist campaign.

In 2008 the Canadian company TransCanada applied for approval of a transnational pipeline designed to carry 830,000 barrels of petroleum per day from the tar sands of Alberta province to oil refineries and ports on the Gulf Coast.

Proponents point to estimates of a $3.4 billion dollar contribution to the economy and say it will create jobs. Environmental groups have opposed the project because it would provide a conduit for marketing petroleum extracted from tar sands using methods requiring far more energy and water than conventional drilling.   [Read more…]

Don’t Let Them Blind You With Their Science

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By  / OtherWords

When I first began researching agriculture, I had no idea how organic farming worked. I saw it as a somewhat backward yet non-toxic and desirable way to grow food.

Organic farmers didn’t use fertilizer, I figured, so maybe the plants would be smaller. And they didn’t use pesticides, so I’d have to settle for some damage to my food — and I’d pay more for the privilege.

As for the people who thought organic agriculture produced better, healthier food than conventional farming, I figured they were nuts. That sounded like magical thinking to me. Did organic farmers grow food using fairies and rainbows?   [Read more…]

The Fall of the Haggen Grocery Chain: A 21st Century Morality Story

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The collapse of the Haggen grocery store chain just over month ago was a sad moment for neighborhoods and thousands of employees throughout California. More than two dozen stores in the San Diego region will soon be (or already are) closing, leaving some vacant properties behind and about a thousand employees wondering about paychecks as the holidays approach.

Now, thanks to reporting by the Seattle Times, we know the inside scoop on how this deal came down, and it ain’t pretty. Private equity investors flipped the real estate for cash, handed operations to an overwhelmed management team and will see their risks marginalized by the bankruptcy courts.

It’s all legal; another example of greed run amok. They win, we lose. And we’re supposed to accept this as the “natural order” of things in a market economy.   [Read more…]

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