SNARK, QUIVER AND COUNTING

SNARKING THE BROS

     Just a brief word to add to the debate volumes.

     For a 90 minute exchange on foreign policy, they certainly spent a lot of time on the economy and they missed most of the world.  Sure, people vote on economics and social issues, but in a troubled world they ignored too much.  A deeper discussion might have surfaced some real differences in attitude, approach and application.

Photo Courtesy of CBS News

     What a tough time to moderate!  Bob Schieffer, an old pro indeed, has been mugged by the insipid society of the snarky. Those who are guilty of such are probably the same crowd who suddenly have thrust the word "trajectory" into presidential politics. They are, most probably, people who spent more time tweeting, than actually listening, and who know in their hearts that all presidential politics really is about them, their twitter stream, face time and Facebook activity.  If you don't really have anything intelligent or important to say, then be snarky about the moderator.

       The last debate I moderated was the gubernatorial debate in Indiana 4 years ago. I escaped better than Lehrer, Raddatz, Crowley or Schieffer, though there were a couple of bloggers who went after me. One was experiencing their first governors race while being of voting age.  The other was a reporter whose work, I thought, always betrayed his lack of savvy, understanding of complexity and even more troubling his relative lack of intelligence.  So it is for those who practice snarky instead of real journalism.   

       

READING THE SNOW DEPTH

Photo Courtesy of cserc.org

     Autumn dried Californians wait for the snow season to

paint the Sierra Nevada range. An early storm is expected to leave 8-12 inches along the Sierra Crest and 4-8 inches below 7,000.

      At 700 sites in the Western US, where water supplies are dependent on snow melt, such as here at Mt Tallac, you will find SNOTEL technology.
    The U.S. Department of Agriculture operates Snow pack
Telemetry sites (SNOTEL) utilizing meteor burst technology.

     The USDA's National Resource Conservation Service set out precipitation collectors, snow pillows, depth sensors 

     and temperature gauges. They relay data that is used to calculate water levels from snow melt.
     Alpine ski altitude gets 300 to 500 inches a season. 125 fall on the lake at 6,400 feet.

    16 remote SNOTEL sites stand sentry in the Lake Tahoe basin alone.
     The image below is from a web cam frame grab Tuesday afternoon at Heavenly Dipp above South Lake Tahoe.

ARCHIVE PHOTOS

This is the kind of accumulation the SNOTEL stations will measure.

Photo Courtesy of weather.com

Photo Courtesy of kqed.org

    The next time you read about the snow fall or accumulated depth up in California's high country, you can picture one of the little SNOTEL sites, enduring the wind, cold and depth while transmitting data.

BEFORE YOU GO

A HALF MOMENT OF AUTUMN

Quaking Aspen

See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER

THE POWER OF A MESSAGE

   We passed about 15 horrible minutes today looking at the insipidly terrible trash video that whipped fundamental Muslims into riotous frenzy.  Though it is pathetically stupid and attempts to be offensive to Islam, it is also stupid that intelligent people would riot in response. Rotten is rotten so the best response is to ignore it.  Fundamentalists of any stripe seem to abandon reason though and so the protests continue, giving longer life to the very thing they abhor.  Duh!!

BACK TO THE POWER

   At coffee after tennis this morning David, an admired and respected man, widely traveled and in his 80's, spoke  of the extraordinary power of youtube and other internet videos.  "It's changed everything" he said, "there is no control over what people see or how they'll react."

    In his youth, radio and newspapers were the predominant 

carrier of attitude and information.  Those media, like television, represent structure, organization and a process that touches and shapes the information at least.  The internet of course gives all players equal access to your eyes, ears and brain.  It is without an inherent balance, establishment of significance or quality control. And it is pervasive.

     With that as a full disclosure disclaimer, allow me to put a piece of propaganda before you this weekend.  This is a short trailer about a growing issue and a likely problem across the land.  This is a one sided teaser-but it's about something we all need to think about.  Note my emphasis on think...something absent in all aspects of the first item posted today.

Our thought for the weekend then is just that;

Think about something.  Exercise those gray cells.

See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER :) CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT IT

THE BEST FUTURE BUSINESS?

      A few years ago I was at an international broadcast and communications trade show and forum when CNN founder Ted Turner said something that floored me.  He was asked if he was just getting started what would he invest in?  Television, computers, the Internet, wireless, telephony, or  what?

      Without a moment's hesitation he said "Water."

      I've seen "war game" strategies and table top drills where

wars are fought over water and where civil authorities train to maintain order when water supplies are sparse.  

     I told an inventor friend I wish I could develop a system that could produce water.  "Can't be done" he said.  That may be true, but what a boon for human kind.  

     In the meantime here is something absolutely beautiful,

calming and celebratory about water.  This is a stunning 

piece about some of the freshest water in the world, just about 3 1/2 hours from where I sit typing this.

     Take a few minutes this weekend to watch this.  It is majestic and ultimately, important.

See you down the trail.  

THE WEEKENDER :) FEELING GOOD

HELP APPRECIATED

     If you spend a few minutes with this video, your day will

be richer and you will feel better about, well, a lot.

     As a journalist I was repeatedly surprised by the inherent wisdom and or goodness of people.  Often these qualities emerged in the darkest or more challenging circumstances.

     As you will see here, there is nothing quite as uplifting as

a smile in expression of arigato, merci, obrigato, gracias, thanks.

ASKING THE PUZZLING QUESTIONS

       As the California coast enjoyed a good soaking, helping to alleviate what has been a sparseness of rain this year, I just had to ask....

Enjoy your weekend.

Think about water, and say thank you to someone.

See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER :) GROWING THINGS

WAYS TO FEED

 California historically has produced

food for the world.  Blessed by great climate

and making accommodations for water

growers here have been hugely successful.

But is it sustainable?  As we 

learn more about resources, especially the need

for water conservation, we are finding

more imaginative ways to raise food.

Here's a fascinating example-

One million pounds of food on three acres-

plus fish.

Keep this in mind as you consider where

your weekend meals originate.

Enjoy.

See you down the trail