THE LEADER DISCONNECT

WRENCHING IN SHORT SIGHTEDNESS

      Far more lucid, expert and impassioned analysts and players have critiqued the failure of American government and the political process that feeds it.  But for my two cents worth it appears most political animals lack imagination and creativity, or they certainly don't evince it.

      Energy policy is case in point.  I've heard every President back to Nixon proclaim that we need a new energy policy that leads to independence.  How much older are you since then?

      California doesn't hold the patent on original, and there are plenty of old school political issues here as well, but activists have begun building a fresh approach to a new energy future.  I like the idea because it is simpatico to something I've advocated.  I'd like to see neighbors form small energy cooperatives, and jointly fund the placement of solar and or wind energy technology in the neighborhood to feed our individual needs and then to dial excess energy back into the grid, for which the neighbors association would get cash, credit or some compensation.  

      SLO Clean Energy, which you can learn more about at this site proposes to work on a similar model, using communities in an aggregation. Of course this moves on the power of the current power companies-Big Business and Big Political Contributors-two of the greatest evils in our political life.  

      Eliminate big money influence and you are on the way to making giant strides of improvement in government and politics.  In this case of "power to the people," that is exactly what could happen.  

      Radical?  Not really. It is simply a method to put leveraging influence or control to those of us who pay taxes and live without the perks and influence of those whom we elect and the fat cats who lather up politics, legislation and government with money for favors.  

     I'm hopeful emerging generations will find imaginative and creative solutions to old problems that even the once idealistic boomers have failed to fix. Neighborhood or community energy alliances could be a start.  They are doable.

THE YOUNG SAVAGES

     New, fresh and cutting edge in California art is front and center in Paso Robles.

      Through the end of March the YOUNG SAVAGES show will hang at the Studios on the Park on the square in Paso Robles.

     Full disclosure here, YOUNG SAVAGES is curated by my daughter's friend, Neal Breton. I think Neal has done a great job in building an energetic and exciting show. Here's how it was reported in the San Luis Obispo Tribune.

 Studios in the park is a great art space to begin with. The

work of the Savages adds even more life and spirit.

   Several art patrons have made it a good show for a few of the Young Savages.  Skulk, the piece below, done by Neal,

is one of the pieces that has been purchased thus far.

A LITTLE FRESH COLOR

This is for those of you where spring comes later than it does here on the west coast.  This is what will come your way, eventually.

    See you down the trail.

HELLO, TECH SUPPORT

THE INDIAN PARADIGM

     You've probably seen those pictures making their way around the cyber world-street scenes of cities in India where power and phone lines criss-cross, snake and weave their way in a rats nest, while the captions read as to how this is where we call for "tech support."

      No one is laughing today, as 600 million are without power.  The frightening and economically damaging outage is also a "poster child" for a world where technology leap frogs into new patterns without forethought.  How does a rapidly expanding economy, like India but also think China, manage to continue its growth and yet do so in ways that do not over reach? At least over reach until there are significant break downs, both in services and expectations.

      Money is not so much the problem.  There is plenty of money in expanding quarters of the Indian economy.  The difficulty is in planning-orderly planning and phased growth-as well as government and/or service management.  

     Less serious, but from the same root, is the topic I posted yesterday-old fashioned Network mindsets in a Twitter and social media world.  There is even more fuel on that fire today as NBC is taking more shots for their numb skull promotion cycle, just in advance of their own intent to build drama into a Missy Franklin race. And there is the flap about pulling Twitter rights. Guess we can't have the most rapid media beat the old systems, and on and on and on.

     Planning ahead? Thinking it through?  Making arrangements?  Accommodating new technologies?

     Old systems in conflict with new patterns.  India-though a hot economy, unable to manage into the future.  

      I'm miffed and slightly amused when I see miles and miles of telephone and/or power lines strung along the same route captured in historic photographs.  We can send messages to Mars rovers, satellites and other even more distant space explorers, but we still hang those lines like we did a hundred years ago, or longer.  Yea, OK, I know electricity needs a path, but there are other ways to pipeline it, and there are alternative energy sources. 

      No one believes future technology advances, especially in communications and information sharing, will get less complex or infrastructure dependent, but where do we see evidence of nations, or even hemispheres planning for what is to come?  No one believes we will use less energy, unless of course, the system goes down, like it did in Tech Support Land.

      

     OK, it's time to chill.  Here's something for your blood pressure.

DAY FILE

JUST WATCHING THE WAVES

See you down the trail.

THE CALIFORNIA WAY

A FUTURE BLOOMS

         Once again California blazes a path forward. Governor Jerry Brown has signed legislation mandating that California utilities get one third of their energy from renewable source by 2020. This is the most aggressive alternative energy mandate in the United States.
         Supporters say this will encourage and reassure investors to keep the money flowing. As the computing and software advances coming from California demonstrate, where capital and new ideas mix, advances are made.  This mandate should generate increased technological advances.

         

AN OPENING IN THE NUKE HAZE

         It is a bit like an open patch of sky, between the layers of clouds, fogs and marine haze.

           In a good example of bipartisanship, Central Coast representatives have urged PG&E and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to go slow on the renewal process of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear plant.  Democratic Congresswoman Lois Capps and Republican State Assemblyman Gary Blakeslee have urged the go slow process until new seismic studies are concluded.  Diablo Canyon sits near several faults, including a recently discovered ocean fault.  The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors has also asked PG&E to slow the renewal process until the advanced studies are complete.  This is a great example of how responsible public servants can put party issues aside to attend to the public's good and best interests. 

DAY BOOK

RANDOM SHOTS

BIRDS AND BENCHES

 This time we catch the heron in flight.

Bench 1.0
Tumbling down.

Bench 2.0
See you down the trail.