[phaster]

[quote=The-Shoveler]Uncertain times to be sure.

IMO TPTB can’t seem to make up their minds, do they want to reduce inflation or increase it?

Now they want $22 hour min wage for fast food (45K/year for high school kids LOL not bad money to start).

Not sure maybe part of some plan I can’t figure it out or maybe TPTB can’t seem to stick to a theme LOL.[/quote]

TPTB (i.e. politicians and their partisan supporters, lobbyist, etc.) are basically people (i.e. “idiots”) who just want their “fair share” of the economic pie

truth is, times are not all that uncertain,…simple fact of the matter is global organized society is going to face a harsh population contraction because DEMANDS > SUPPLY (andl this fact is something people do not want to acknowledge)

FYI on the natural resources side there was a study started back in the 1970s which forecast “the limits to growth” (so I’d argue the strategic “big picture” trends were actually looked AND pretty well understood decades ago)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Limits_to_Growth

as far as rising interests rates, this uptick also is somewhat expected if one looks to demographics,… again this isn’t anything new because understanding what happens to a society can be roughly forecast by the demographic distribution (AND this concept is something I picked up as an undergrad)

FWIW Peter Zeihan is a geo-political analyst and he looks at the world and gives thought provoking presentations looking at issues from a demographic distribution POV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGvsHqvtJfA

PS a $22 min wage proposed by woke politicians for essentially talentless workers shouldn’t be all that surprising given the idea they are spending other people money in order to try and buy political good will (i.e. “votes”),… what I’m trying to point out is politicians on both sides of the political spectrum spend government money in an effort to buy support from the public at large, for example TRUMP and his CARES ACT letter/checks

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-stimulus-check-letter-130-million-americans/

[phaster]

[quote=flyer]
The airlines are definitely polluters, but, like most, we still fly, and hope to see the new supersonics around 2030, which “may” be carbon neutral. Used to fly on the Concorde, and, although not climate friendly, definitely fantastic experiences. American Airlines, from which I retired early in my 50’s a couple of years ago, offered great pilot retirement packages during the pandemic, and have now just ordered 20 supersonics this week.

Will new N.C.-made supersonic jets really be carbon-neutral? It depends, experts say

[/quote]

IMHO new supersonic transports around 2030 won’t happen AND the technical reason being before an airframe can be built, one needs a suitable power plant from a manufacturer such as GE, rolls-royce or pratt & whitney

long story short none of these companies is going to bet the farm on developing a suitable power plant for a supersonic transport so dreams of mach 1+ travel,… is just more wishful thinking

sure flying is fun but ever stop and realize that the majority of humanity has never traveled in an airplane???

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/how-much-worlds-population-has-flown-airplane-180957719/

actually started flying myself (as a pilot) while still in high school, and have always been interested in flying (starting off as a toddler) because basically one of my uncles had an aircraft charter service (and the family lived on an airfield)

then there is the fact my dad and his friends were aero space engineers,… so I grew up listening to stories of how the j58 was tested to destruction in a pratt & whitney test cell so “operational” data could be obtained

FYI the j58 was used on something people might have heard of,… the YF12 and its more famous relative the SR71 “blackbird”

anyway years ago had an epiphany that that my flying hobby is pretty environmentally destructive when I was in a yak 52 and just for shits and giggle did a quick chemical combustion calculation

basically the yak @ takeoff power settings burns 35 GPH,… so since burning one gal of gasoline releases about 20 lbs of CO2,… just flying round the pattern for touch & go’s releases large amounts of CO2 (that will stay in the atmosphere for upwards of a thousand years “trapping infrared” radiation)

bottom line,… because of humanity releasing thousands of gigatons of CO2 which traps “infrared” radiation,… this is causing,…

[quote=flyer]
Yes, nothing and no one lasts forever. We can also add this scenario to our possible apocalyptic future, but there is still some hope:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/12/weather/california-megaflood-study/index.html
[/quote]

as a pilot calculating fuel burn becomes second nature because if an aircraft runs out of gas, it no longer is able to stay aloft

same idea should be applied to “water”

in other words if we burn up our supply of water,… organized society “crashes”

https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/water-wars/arizona-farmers-struggle-to-find-solutions-after-unprecedented-colorado-river-water-cuts/75-d677a202-8687-480c-94b4-63784044002f

PS a megaflood (in california) due to atmospheric rivers causing all kinds of damage is just another example of people in general not considering (or preparing for) systemic failures,… said another way, as a pilot you have trained to deal w/ various emergencies,… point being people have not trained to deal w/ climatic emergencies so at some point “shit will hit the fan” and create an avoidable catastrophe

[phaster]

[quote=flyer]The federal government is now stepping in to regulate water cuts. For now, only AZ and NV are effected, but CA may also eventually be on the chopping block.

I know San Diego is in a better position than most areas of the state, so it will be interesting to see how it all plays out for us, locally.

https://calmatters.org/environment/2022/08/colorado-river-water-california/
[/quote]

actually what most do not realize is the global magnitude of the “drought” problem,…

CHINA

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-takes-action-alleviate-drought-record-heatwave-continues-2022-08-17/

https://apnews.com/article/china-asia-droughts-chongqing-a6b831a3e718f5fb5f46ee5f63cf331d

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-16/china-joins-europe-in-facing-threats-from-worsening-drought

INDIA

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/india-monsoon-rainfall-deficit-uttar-pradesh-jharkhand-bihar-farmers-drought-8087529/

https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/drought-hit-bihar-gets-free-seeds/cid/1880771

EUROPE

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2022/08/photos-europe-drought/671143/

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2333938-europes-extreme-drought-is-exacerbating-food-and-energy-crises/

LATINA AMERICA

Latin America and the Caribbean 2021: ‘mega-drought, extreme rainfall, heatwaves, glacier melt’

AFRICA

https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/environment/1660485429-africa-s-drought-sees-the-masai-way-of-life-evaporate

basically “drought” is happening on a global scale and sad fact of the matter is looking at the trends being reported in the “news” the odds are billions of people will feel the adverse knock on effects of water resource mismanagement

the question I wonder about is how long will the public at large remain blind to the scientific fact(s)

yeah I know there is the expression “ignorance is bliss,…” BUT as I see things, this only compounds the overall suffering

[phaster]

[quote=evolusd]Given the drop in water level at Lake Mead, started reading a bit and came across this:

https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/trend/archive/spring-2019/a-map-of-the-future-of-water

Wondering if it might be smart to buy some land in one of those blue areas with groundwater well potential to promote water security for my family if the current trend in So Cal continues to accelerate. The northwest has always been interesting to me as a mountain biker and lover of forests.[/quote]

real estate in the northwest could be an interesting play (if you are actually serious about moving there),… BUT as I read the tea leaves San Diego real estate “price appreciation” will still out perform many other global regions (including the USA market,… even given the thus far unresolved “political” drought issue in the SW USA)

https://www.piggington.com/east_county_sd_v_st_george_gzz’s_budget_mcmansion_lifestyle?page=1#comment-299601

the reason I think the SD area is going to be a safer long term “bet” even w/ $hit for brains political leadership like Gavin Newsom

[quote]
In his time at the California State Water Resources Control Board, Max Gomberg has witnessed the state grapple with two devastating droughts and the accelerating effects of climate change.

Now, after 10 years of recommending strategies for making California more water resilient, the board’s climate and conservation manager is calling it quits. The reason: He no longer believes Gov. Gavin Newsom and his administration are willing to pursue the sorts of transformational changes necessary in an age of growing aridification.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-28/california-drought-official-blasts-newsom-administration
[/quote]

…is because of the various “local” military bases that protect the US southern border (on the coast) along w/ the higher level education university schools (in particular UCSD)

Bottom line given climate change, the severe drought in the SW region AND high global debt levels

is going to all combine and result in de-globalization,… so interior SW cities in the USA like “lost wages” and phoenix are going to decline as time goes forward

https://www.piggington.com/california_real_estate_international_store_value

PS sadly one other environmental “water” issue is,…

[quote]
Rainwater everywhere on the planet is unsafe to drink due to levels of toxic chemicals known as PFAS that exceed the latest guidelines, according to a new study by Stockholm University scientists.

Commonly known as ‘forever chemicals’ because they disintegrate extremely slowly, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) were initially found in packaging, shampoo or makeup but have spread to our entire environment, including water and air.

“There is nowhere on Earth where the rain would be safe to drink, according to the measurements that we have taken,” Ian Cousins, a professor at the university and the lead author of the study published in Environmental Science and Technology

https://phys.org/news/2022-08-rainwater-unsafe-due-chemicals.html
[/quote]

[phaster]

[quote=barnaby33]

Back to water. My preference would be a combination of restrictions on usage, raising of prices and outright banning of growing certain crops. Almonds for export are the poster child, but in CA rice and cotton should never be grown either. Market forces by themselves will not stabilize or assure food availability or the survival of civilization in a desert.

Josh[/quote]

the unsustainable drought poster crop in California and the rest of the arid SW USA IMHO is alfalfa,… and the reason is because it is grown AND exported as feed for live stock in china

California Alfalfa Exports Take Hit from China Tariffs

AND saudia arabia

http://www.purewatergazette.net/blog/sending-california-water-to-saudia-arabia-in-the-form-of-alfalfa-march-10-2016/

…basically the reason the farmers in California (and other parts of the USA) are growing alfalfa is because people in other parts of the world want to to consume more animal protein

…AND FWIW data seems to indicate because of the Putin “Military Action” in Ukraine along w/ excess global debt that appears to be unserviceable odds are there is going to be a global famine (on a biblical scale)

PS FYI

[quote]
Everyone gets less water during a drought. But the breakdowns of the state and federal projects’ water allocations show some groups — particularly farmers who have longtime rights to divert water — faring better than others.

They also reflect the overwhelming thirst of Southern California towns and cities — some of the most arid, and populous, parts of the state. The Chronicle analyzed this year’s expected water allocations from the California State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project, and how they break down and compare to previous years.

Here are some of the biggest takeaways of who got more from where:

State Water Project

The State Water Project, which includes the 444-mile long California Aqueduct and the Oroville Dam, supplies water to some 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland, according to the state water department, its operator. It also generates power and provides for recreational areas in the state.

The project has 29 long-term contractors — smaller, regional water providers, including cities, towns and irrigation districts, that sell the water to customers. For the past two decades, about a third of State Water Project water was for agricultural use and two-thirds for municipal, industrial or residential uses, state officials said. For the second year in a row, the State Water Project is expected to deliver only 5% of the amount requested from contractors. The last time allocation was that low was in 2014 — the third year in that drought spell. “We’re not going to expect much additional precipitation on the horizon,” said Molly White, the project’s water operations manager. The 2022 cuts were deep across the board among the 29 contractors, but some cuts were less harsh than others. Most were approved for just 5% of their requested amounts, but the state awarded larger percentages to communities with critical health and safety needs. “Folks at the Department of Water Resources have been very clear that they’re not going to reduce allocation to 5% if that supplier’s going to have to turn off water to residences,” White said.

Napa and Solano counties’ water districts were approved for 15% of their requested amounts, compared with the 5% contractors in the Central Valley and Southern California received. But these Bay Area communities requested far smaller amounts to begin with. The allocation amounts are based on a variety of factors, including river flows, water storage conditions, environmental requirements and how much rain and snow there has been, the water operations manager said. In terms of the total amount of water, Southern California water agencies still take the bulk — nearly half — of State Water Project water, with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California expected to get the most, at almost 96,000 acre-feet. The Metropolitan Water District is a public regional wholesaler cooperative supplying water to roughly 19 million people in California through its numerous member agencies. This year, for the first time, it required significant cutbacks from its users, who must limit lawn-watering to one day a week. Small water suppliers, especially those who rely entirely on one source and don’t have alternatives to fall back on, tend to be much more vulnerable to water shortage, according to the water department. Most water suppliers don’t rely solely on one source of water, however. Many, like the East Bay Municipal Utility District, have several sources, including access to reservoirs, groundwater pumping and purchasing water from other providers. Annually, the State Water Project delivers 2 million to 4 million acre-feet of water. An acre-foot — about 326,000 gallons — generally provides enough water for one to two households for a year. By comparison, the Colorado River — another huge water source for the state, especially farmers in Southern California — is supposed to deliver 4.4 million acre-feet annually to California, though cutbacks are on the horizon due to the drought. Central Valley Project

California’s Central Valley Project, run by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, is much bigger than the State Water Project and is geared more toward agriculture. It counts more than 270 contractors, including the big irrigation districts in the San Joaquin Valley. It has historically supplied water for 3 million acres of farmland. The federal waterworks also serves communities in the Bay Area and wildlife refuges.

The project, which captures water from the southern Cascades to the southern Sierra Nevada, consists of 20 dams and reservoirs – including the state’s largest, Shasta Lake — and operates more than 500 miles of canals and pipelines to deliver water. It also operates 11 power plants. This year, because of the drought, federal water managers announced that no project water would be sent to many of its contractors, effectively a 0% allocation. Those who receive water are doing so because of contractual obligations that date back decades or because of health and safety issues. Faring best are senior water rights holders, typically farmers and irrigation districts.

This is not because the project allocates water based on water rights but because the federal government, in order to operate its project, committed to providing water to senior users who were drawing water from the Sacramento and San Joaquin river watersheds before the project began drawing water. Senior users are those with water rights dating back the longest. But even those users are falling far short of what they normally get: This year, because of low flows, federal water managers made a deal with senior users in the Sacramento River watershed to take less than what they’re due — just 18% of what they requested.

While the project’s municipal and industrial contractors were officially allocated no water, the federal government is providing these customers enough to meet minimum health and safety needs. The Contra Costa Water District in the East Bay, for example, is getting 34% of its requested allocation. Agricultural contractors who don’t have senior water rights in the Sacramento and San Joaquin river watersheds are not getting any project water. In the Friant (Fresno County) area, some contractors are receiving limited deliveries because the source of water there is different than in the rest of the project area, and federal managers say water is available. The Central Valley Project has historically delivered about 7 million acre feet of water annually. By comparison, the Colorado River is supposed to deliver 4.4 million acre-feet annually to California, though cutbacks are on the horizon due to the drought.

http://www.sfchronicle.com/climate/article/California-drought-17269648.php
[/quote]

[phaster]

[quote=sdrealtor]Wonder what’s going on in St George beyond 100 degree weather?[/quote]

[quote=XBoxBoy]Watched an interesting Netflix show, “Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey”, about the FLDS and their ties to St George Utah. Made me wonder if EconProf has any ties to them.[/quote]

anyone else wonder is the real estate boom in places like St George Utah and Lo$t Wages (for example) an upscale and temporally more successful version of California City?

https://laist.com/news/entertainment/california-city-podcast-dark-side-american-dream

PS the reason I specifically mentioned “temporally more successful version” is because of the drought in the SW region

https://www.piggington.com/megadrought_threatens_california_power_blackouts_summer

[phaster]

[quote=scaredyclassic]on the other hand, life probably sucked thousands of years ago too . But at least they left the planet inhabitable for us.[/quote]

thousands of years ago the bronze age collapse happened

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B965f8AcNbw

in South Western part of the USA and in Central America (about a thousand years ago) there were periods of severe drought that caused organized societies to collapse

http://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-antiquity/article/abs/cannibalism-warfare-and-drought-in-the-mesa-verde-region-during-the-twelfth-century-ad/D345F6ECE2D92C6085C5513F2084F701

http://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ancient-mesoamerica/article/drought-and-the-maya-collapse/B6B6AE2657A4635D65D520142D402DC1

thought I’d point out these historical events because there is an expression,… “Those Who Do Not Learn History Are Doomed To Repeat It”

FWIW WRT drought

Global Drought Could Impact More Than 75% of World Population by 2050: UN Report

basically the topic of climate-change AND drought has been on the radar screen of military strategists for a while (but because politicians and the public at large have essentially no backbone, the issue has not been addressed so that is why we are where we are)

Climate Change and National Security in the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review

said another way the drought issue isn’t going to magically fix itself AND from what I know have to say the drought (in the next decade) is going to make covid look like a walk in the park (given current trends)!

I mention my pessimism because one of my failed venture capital investments was in “waterfx” which was a group that tried to raise 10 million to build a pilot concentrated solar still on an industrial scale

California’s First Concentrated Solar Power Desalination Plant to Bring Freshwater to the Central Valley

http://www.wwdmag.com/san-francisco-agency-launches-crowdfunding-campaign-california-water-project

sadly I pitched in but there wasn’t enough interest in the market place so had my money returned to me

as I envisioned things, concentrated solar desal could be installed in local urban areas like existing salt evaporation ponds (like in san diego south bay or up in the bay area which could be a win win situation)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Bay_Salt_Works

http://www.cargill.com/page/sf/sf-bay-salt-ponds

…in other words if an up front investment was made in scaleable concentrated solar stills (years ago), over the long run production for “salt” would increase and provide a useful by-product “fresh water” that could be used locally

PS here is yet another example of political leadership in CA having their head where the sun don’t shine,…

[quote=CNBC]

Lithium industry executives say California officials are asking for a fixed payment of $800 to $1,200 for every ton of metal produced at the southern end of the Salton Sea, and argue that such a high tax would wipe out production before it starts.

“The state is talking about a flat-rate taxarray . . . with a ridiculous figure that wipes out the lithium industry in the United States,” said Rod Colwell, CEO of CT Resources, one of three corporations running the best pilot and scale systems. giant lithium mining projects from a giant underground reserve.

He said the proposed constant tonnage rates “make Chinese lithium much less expensive to import” than domestic compounds that would be produced in imperial county.

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2022/06/02/stellantis-buy-lithium-produced-salton-sea-controlled-thermal-resources/7483424001/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfZqpdt3Zy0
[/quote]

[phaster]

[quote=Coronita][quote=Escoguy][quote=Coronita]
I have to admit, escoguy….
It is so fvcking awesome you Uber drive…. Most of the people who you pick up don’t even know how well off you are.

I swear, you should consider doing a “Cash Cab” like game show.

Can I trade free DIY auto repair/service with free rides to the airport?? :)[/quote]

My wife thinks I’m crazy to Uber in a Model S, but passengers do get kicks out of it.
A dad took a selfie with his son in front of the car Sunday, they were so excited.
Another guy did a video call with his son in Cozumel to show the car.

One can learn a lot from passengers, they share so much about their lives and probably 95% are great. Occasionally, a few can be a touch pretentious.
I’d like to think it helps me refine my people skills and keeps me grounded.
Have to admit, after not being out there during the pandemic, it’s nice to be out driving again and seeing the vibe of San Diego, really so much to do here.

Oddly, I’ve managed to get to know a few neighbors this way, within half an hour had a family of Russian refugees coming from TJ, then a group coming from a wedding in Rancho Santa Fe. Kind of wakes you up to what is going on around us.

As far as money, no I don’t bring that up, if so in indirect terms about appreciating things in life. Some people need a little direction and really listen. It’s odd but one can have an impact in unexpected places.[/quote]

Awesome. What are my chances of Ubering in a Miata?

I can give a lot of directions in life too…

Late apex, trail braking, rev matching…

Oh wait, I can only take one passenger, 6’2″ or under, comfortably….

But wait a minute….

…”Honey, I need a 2+2 seat 911s for my Uber business…”

That might work…Can you select how many passengers you can take?[/quote]

seems a more practical porsche to über w/ is the,… “panamera-4-e-hybrid-sport-turismo,…” because it has four doors and is a hybrid (useful in urban stop and go driving)

http://www.porsche.com/usa/models/panamera/panamera-models/panamera-4-e-hybrid-sport-turismo/

[phaster]

[quote=vproman]Just moved from the Bay Area. I noticed that conservatives up there have their knives out for Boudin. Didn’t think much of him, until I saw this report about the SFPD refusing to help bust the ringleader of a car burglary syndicate.
https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/boudin-forced-to-rent-u-haul-because-sfpd-too-busy-to-help-with-bust/

Seems like the PD response to budget cuts is to just refuse to do their jobs. Makes me think of the Uvalde police hanging back while the shooter went in and killed all those kids. People who refuse to do their jobs should be fired, IMO.[/quote]

since you just moved from the Bay Area what’s your take on this “leading market indicator”

…Strippers say a recession is guaranteed because the strip clubs are suddenly empty

http://www.indy100.com/viral/stripper-recession-empty-clubs

I bring up this out of left field “leading market indicator” given,…

http://sfist.com/2020/11/04/rip-ofarrell-theatre-the-mitchell-brothers-infamous-tenderloin-strip-club/

http://loopnet.com/Listing/895-O’Farrell-St-San-Francisco-CA/22077896/

[phaster]

[quote=scaredyclassic]I see no technology that a problem can’t solve. Maybe Ted k. Was not entirely nuts. True, bombing people is bad, but the manifesto has aged pretty well, from it’s opening declaration onward…

“The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race. They have greatly increased the life-expectancy of those of us who live in “advanced” countries, but they have destabilized society, have made life unfulfilling, have subjected human beings to indignities, have led to widespread psychological suffering (in the Third World to physical suffering as well) and have inflicted severe damage on the natural world. The continued development of technology will worsen the situation.”[/quote]

being lucky enough to win the pussy lottery (i.e. be born a citizen of an “advanced” country) AND also been fortunate enough to have visited in “shit hole” countries (as TRUMP would say)

http://time.com/5100058/donald-trump-shithole-countries/

IMHO,… have to say KAZANSKI was targeting the wrong idea,… technology as I see things is just a tool that can be used for “good ” or “evil”

think of it this way a scapal (which is a piece of technology) in the hands of skilled surgeon can save a persons life if for example an appendix burst and needs to be removed,… OR consider a scapal in the hands of a young child, which is a disaster in the making,… capeesh?!

as I see things the root problem humanity faces AND a problem few actually think about is not being able to differentiate a “want” from a “need”

truth is from ancient times there have been not so subtle hints that “wants” are evil and deadly,… for example consider the story of king Midas (who wanted everything he touched, turn to gold)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midas

another example is the New Testament story of the rich man asking Jesus what he needed to do to gain entry to heaven

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+10%3A17-31&version=RSVCE

another example of “wants” are evil and deadly, is the tolstoy story how much land does a man need

http://www.online-literature.com/tolstoy/2738/

AND yet another another example of “wants” are evil and deadly (but actually turned into a false religious belief is “the prosperity gospel”

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/topics/p/prosperity-gospel/

actually should point out not being able to differentiate a “want” from a “need” even applies to BLM,… in other words,… “buy large mansions” which is a greedy self serving misguided cluster fuck that is political in nature

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/black-lives-matter-was-all-about-using-white-guilt-to-make-green/ar-AAVY6gT

http://www.foxnews.com/us/california-report-comprehensive-reparations

bottom line as I see things,… humanity is slowly but surely killing itself on spaceship earth because of consumerism AND greed,… in other words people in general cannot differentiate a “want” from a “need”

[quote]
There’s a general awareness today that China and its massive industrial sector generate more carbon emissions than any other country, which is one of the reasons that parts of the nation have to endure some serious issues with smog and airborne pollutants.

But according to a new study, if you want to know what’s really driving the impact on the planet, you need to look past the obvious primary factors taking a toll on the environment – like industry and agriculture – and instead realise whose needs those things are servicing.

From that perspective, researchers say household consumers are by far the biggest drain on the planet, which makes for a very different picture to purely nation-focused analyses of environmental impact. In other words, before we start blaming whole countries for the state of the planet, we should probably be looking at our own habits and demands.

http://www.sciencealert.com/consumers-have-a-bigger-impact-on-the-environment-than-anything-else-study-finds
[/quote]

PS FWIW given this is a real estate forum, if humanity is going to dodge extinction, this is how I think real estate “rental” housing is going to evolve in an era of diminished natural resources

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCGXVk-cBVk

[phaster]

[quote=an]we reap what we sow.[/quote]

yup,… we reap what we sow

people should realize, humanity currently is experiencing the knock on effects of living way beyond the Earth’s natural systems supply ability

said another way, people should not be too surprised at all the problems humanity is causing itself

let’s ponder the “self inflected” drought wound in the south western USA by specifically looking at (for example) what is happening in the imperial valley from a birds eye view

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Valley,_California

it should not take a genius to recognize that verdant green fields is unnatural,… AND the only reason there are wide swaths of unnatural green all over the south western USA region is because humans withdrew ground water from aquifers (which took eons to form)

basically using ground water from aquifers is akin to an irresponsible person having access to credit cards to live it up over the short run AND not having any means whatsoever of making enough money to pay back the “principal borrowed” along the “interest payment” charged by the bank

bottom line, the party is ending AND people have to wake up to the fact that ‘infinite economic growth on a finite planet is impossible’ because of depletion of natural resources

since most don’t have a multidisciplinary scientific understanding (or have the inclination to actually read the scientific texts to understand the graph),… here is the issue in a nutshell

[quote=an][quote=barnaby33]Pumping water is insanely expensive, so is desalination. Maybe with fusion the cost will drop enough that you can have your acre green lawn and 20 minute showers along with fresh fruit and veg from half a state away. I am terrible at predicting the future. I have however studied water somewhat, having grown up on a failed apple farm in Valley Center. [/quote]Again, your definition of expensive is different than mine.
[/quote]

sigh,… fusion

seems people have no clue about nuclear power plant technology (or knock on effects costs),… when I was in school fusion was 30 years away,… well 30 years has passed (and fusion is still 30 years away)

BTW ever wonder about the millions of pounds of spent fuel left on the beach at San Onofre (basically spent fuel is left on the beach simply because democratic politicians ignored the science)

long story short,… back in the 1980’s yucca mountain was designated to be the nations official designated site to contain spent fuel BUT what ended up happening is Democratic Party politics killed off funding for the project AND the unintended consequences of de-funding yucca mountain is there was no repository where to specifically store spent nuclear fuel assemblies,… so the spent fuel assemblies from the decommissioned San Onofre reactors were essentially abandoned right by the shoreline

anyway here is an interesting fact,… the spent fuel left on the beach at San Onofre can be an asset (if one thinks like a nuclear physicist),… this is because high level spent fuel can be used as nuclear kindling in a reactor designed to burn thorium

http://interestingengineering.com/video/thorium-reactors

India FYI has lots of thorium but very little uranium,… so for 70 years india had to first construct uranium reactors in order to build up a stockpile of ‘nuclear kindling’

just sayin for a brighter future w/ jobs and stable energy in the USA, the best long term investment (in the nuclear power plant space) Americans should seriously throw resources at,… is molten salt thorium reactors

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molten_salt_reactor

fusion (as I read the tea leaves) is just too far a technical leap

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_power

sadly stable nuclear power is viewed by scientifically illiterate ‘woke’ liberals (AND their political leadership) as something to be feared,… so FWIW here is a BBC podcast about nuclear power AND includes a segment about an environmental activist who started off protesting nuclear power, but eventually was awakened to the fact that nuclear power is a carbon free “base line” source of electrical energy

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct3khw

[phaster]

[quote=an]
BTW, I reject the premise of this thread. The premise of this thread doesn’t make sense as I look at the Pacific Ocean and the desalination plant in Carlsbad and the solar and wind farms popping up everywhere. Not to mention nuclear. So, no, we’re not running out of water, not now, not ever.[/quote]

sigh,… infrastructure to provide potable water can’t be ordered up like something from amazon and delivered the next day

the simple truth is infrastructure for potable water takes a very long time to build AND is subject to the whims of no talent ass clown politicians like Todd Gloria and the rest of the ‘woke’ city council (who seem more interested in social justice issues to appease their political base than building infrastructure),… for example

…yet again seems local politicians have their heads stuck up their ass (given the newspaper headline)

[quote]
East County’s $950M water recycling project could be in jeopardy as San Diego nixes pipeline deal

East County officials fear a $950 million sewage recycling project could get flushed down the drain because of a pipeline deal gone awry.

Leaders spearheading the endeavor blame San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria — who signed off on building an eight-mile “brine line” as recently as last year but has since reneged on that commitment.

The pipeline would prevent concentrated waste generated by the East County project’s reverse osmosis filtration system from entering into the city’s own $5 billion Pure Water sewage recycling project now under construction. Instead the byproduct would be routed into the city’s larger wastewater system.

San Diego still wants the pipeline to be built, but now it’s calling on the East County Advanced Water Purification Program to foot the roughly $35 million bill.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/environment/story/2022-05-17/east-county-water-recycling-jeopardy

[/quote]

for those interested about 1990,… when I was an undergrad @UCSD took a PoliSci seminar class where researchers from SIO and UCSD would give presentations on various topics they were working on

anyway one of the presentations was about water issues specifically about the waste treatment plant at Point Loma and the scientific/economic idiocy of secondary water treatment for water that was going to be dumped into the ocean

basically Revelle (the guy instrumental in founding UCSD) and some other researchers three decades ago mentioned if politicians were smart they would instead somehow build an upgraded water treatment plant AND pipe line to the San Vicente reservoir (so the water could be re-used and increase the supply)

http://www.sandiego.gov/reservoirs-lakes/san-vicente-reservoir

meanwhile (back to the present),… political leadership at the state level like local elected officials seem to also have their head where the sun does not shine (because),…

[quote]
Big Water Abusers Ignored as California Drought Persists

In response to the drought, Governor Newsom has largely ignored these large corporate water sources. Instead, he has taken small measures aimed at the most wasteful of urban water uses, asked for voluntary conservation

Big Water Abusers Ignored As California Drought Persists

[/quote]

FYI military troops (especially pilots) are trained to have ‘situational awareness’ because it is the difference between life or death

given what I know,… the end result of all this short-sighted obliviousness toward the drought in the region is an increased probability of a famine (of biblical proportions) or perhaps something worst (i.e. the extinction of homo-sapients)

[quote]
The school’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography published a paper that said there is a 5 percent chance of catastrophic change within roughly three decades, and a smaller chance that it would broadly wipe out human life.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/science/sd-me-scripps-climatechange-20170914-story.html
[/quote]

(as a reminder) the water levels that millions of people depend on are alarmingly dropping

http://mead.uslakes.info/Level/

(for Colorado River ‘situational awareness’ context)

PS FWIW found the following ‘woke’ online petition sorta a hopeful sign,…

[quote]
California is running out of water fast. While corporate interests guzzle up our precious, finite water resources, more than 1 million Californians lack access to safe drinking water.

Our elected leaders have failed to hold corporate interests accountable for their egregious water abuses. We need Governor Newsom to step up to the challenge and use his broad executive authority to rebalance California’s water allocation.

Add your name to tell Governor Newsom to put people over corporate profits and protect the human right to water NOW.

https://secure.foodandwaterwatch.org/act/defend-california-human-right-water?ms=fwws_np_05172022_big-water-abusers&oms=fwws_np_05172022_big-water-abusers
[/quote]

[phaster]

[quote=barnaby33]

It’s not a hard problem to solve, just require $.

It is exactly a hard problem to solve because it is expensive to do so. Water is the foundation of our society, cheap water that is. It must be transported in bulk and is heavy. We consume more of it than our ecology can produce (at least the non-salt version.) Most importantly, people are not smart. Nobody cares as long as the taps still function.
Josh[/quote]

yup 100% agree,… people are not smart. Nobody cares as long as the taps still function.

…infrastructure while necessary for survival, isn’t sexy or thought about by the masses till it no longer works

[phaster]

sigh,… given California has almost a 100 billion dollar budget surplus

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-13/california-governor-sees-record-97-5-billion-operating-surplus

…so just like TRUMP (spending other people’s money)

http://money.yahoo.com/coronavirus-stimulus-checks-trump-tweet-172756371.html

seems Newsom sees fit to hand out checks to voters?!?!

http://abc30.com/california-gas-rebate-checks-delayed-newsom-report/11828736/

…meanwhile there are water and power shortages

http://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-05-06/colorado-rivers-california-arizona-powell-mead-risks

http://www.wsj.com/articles/electricity-shortage-warnings-grow-across-u-s-11652002380

Just thinking out loud,… seems sending out checks is a calculated political move that does nothing to address the problem of insufficient water AND insufficient electrical power generating capacity in the South Western USA

Perhaps concerned citizens (and especially elected officials) should be made aware there is a wiser way to spend taxpayers money (such as) ‘Covering the 4,000 miles of California’s water canals could save billions of gallons of water and generate renewable power for the state every year, according to a new study.’

http://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2021/solar-panels-over-canals-can-save-money-energy-and-water-study-shows

[phaster]

[quote=an][quote=phaster]
WRT watering restrictions in LA vs SD,… if people were smart they would start conserving and look at water as a very precious resource which is a need for people to live (AND have a working economy)

said another way w/ out water an economy is not possible AND w/ out water a person is dead[/quote]

If people were smart, they would demand the cancellation of the $105B bullet train project and spend that $105B to build 105 desalination plants. We would stop talking about water right now and people would not die from lack of water. Afterall, we have virtually limitless water right next to us. If you want to go crazy, build 1000 desalination plants or build ways to collect water from the east and create water pipelines (like oil pipelines) to bring water to the West. It’s not a hard problem to solve, just require $.[/quote]

…about that ‘virtually limitless water right next to us’

spending $105B to build 105 desalination plants is simplistic thinking,… point being desalination plants and moving water requires lots of energy (so it might be a good idea to think about electrical generators)

things can get more complicated with other unaddressed ticking time bomb issues (for example),… ever wonder about the millions of pounds of spent fuel left on the beach at san onofre (basically spent fuel is left on the beach simply because democratic politicians ignored the science)

FYI in the meantime SoCal water departments are considering using physical water restrictors in affluent areas to prevent using water for outdoor landscaping

[Author]

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