The week that was, April 10-16, 2016

Posted on | April 17, 2016 | No Comments

Interstellar rain.

Interstellar rain. Source: NYT/Bill Saxton, National Science Foundation, Associated Universities, Inc, National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Nestle has been extracting millions of gallons annually [in the San Bernardino National Forest’s Strawberry Creek] to supply its Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water brand on a permit that expired 28 years ago. — Open house draws about 100 to learn about Nestle water study, San Bernardino Sun, 4/16/2016 

“… your average kid isn’t going to put down his Fanta for a kale shake, that’s why we saw PERKii as a great opportunity to bridge the gap between taste and health.” — Former Coca Cola executive Randy Milne, Queensland drink PERKii takes on $50bn global probiotics market, Courier-Mail, 4/13/16 

… the same liquid we drink and that fills the oceans may be millions of years older than the solar system itself. — The water in your glass might be older than the sun, The New York Times, 4/15/16 

After CalFed collapsed under the weight of its own wishfulness, Gov. Schwarzenegger deputized former Sacramento mayor and state assemblyman Phil Isenberg to get a workable plan for the Delta out of stakeholders. Its recommendations formed the bones of the 2009 Delta Reform Act. The act's much mocked "co-equal" goals for Delta welfare and interests of water exporters marked an end to the ingrained expectation that Delta water exports would never be cut.

Phil Isenberg’s recommendations were central to California’s 2009 Delta Reform Act. The act’s much mocked “co-equal” goals for Delta welfare and interests of water exporters marked an end to the ingrained expectation that Delta water exports would never be cut. Photo: Emily Green

“The rest of the water world is, eh, largely indifferent to the co-equal goals.” — Phil Isenberg, parting remarks upon his retirement from the Delta Stewardship Councill about  balancing the health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta with interests of water exporters, posted 4/15/16

Threat: outdated water management. — American Rivers’ ranking of the San Joaquin in Central California as the second most endangered river in the US for 2016, 4/11/16

“All those wars we’ve had with France, Germany — all the rest of them since God knows when, since Jesus was a lad — we’re never going to get on with them, are we?” — UK fisherman Michael Sharp on merits of “Brexit,” Reclaiming territorial waters, New York Times, 4/15/16 

Around here, the existing order of things is to shit on the poor. — I am more impressed with Ms. Jagannath’s work every time I see it, On the Public Record, 4/14/16

“Metropolitan is simply buying property, and we don’t believe that constitutes a project under CEQA.” — Cathy Stites, lawyer for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Striking back on Delta land buy, Stockton Record, 4/14/16

… the chance of La Niña increases during the late summer or early fall. — NOAA Climate Prediction Center, 4/14/16

“In order to go to the Olympics, you intentionally lost a game?” — Water polo team smells rat in pool; FINA investigating accusations that France tanked against Canada, Calgary Herald, 4/15/16 

If it was a weather report, I’d call it stormy and overcast, with a few dazzling bursts of sun. — Tom Pelton, Pesticide and Climate Bills Pass in Maryland Legislature, Poultry Manure Act Fails, WYPR, 4/13/16

According to the EPA, only about 30 percent of Pennsylvania’s 40,000 farms in the Chesapeake Bay watershed comply with existing regulations to limit runoff of animal manure and manure fertilizer into streams and rivers. — Report gives poor marks to Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 3/23/16*

Inky. Source: National Aquarium of New ZealandA slime covering Inky’s skin would have prevented it from drying out as he oozed from his tank to the drain that led to his freedom. — Inky the octopus escapes New Zealand aquarium, makes it to ocean, USA Today, 4/14/16

. ..ExxonMobil has been testing about 80 wells … about 30 contain MTBE, with six exceeding the state safe drinking water standard of 70 parts per billion..–  Charlton seals $30 million water deal, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, 4/13/16

“You tell people to conserve and their rates go up.” — Coon Rapids, Minnesota Council Member Steve Wells, Twin Cities suburbs using less water and paying more for it, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 4/14/16

“We’re mimicking regulations you typically don’t see outside of Nevada, Arizona and California, because we have to,” — Toby Dougherty, city manager, Hays, Kansas, Salina has water to grow, not to take for grantedThe Hutchinson News, 4/14/16

“We are the new amenity for real estate projects.” — Florida real estate developer Greg Singleton, Need a lagoon? Just add water, Tampa Bay Times, 4/13/16

At least 239 billion gallons of water have been used in fracking since 2005, an average of 3 million gallons per well. — Press release, Report Quantifies Harm to Water, Land and Climate From Decade of Dirty Drilling, Environment New York, 4/14/16 

Twiggy Tweet Greater Waco Chamber“There’s nothing unnatural about what she’s doing.” — Animal trainer Lou Ann Best on a squirrel named Twiggy, Meet Twiggy, the water-skiing squirrelWashington Post, 4/11/16

“It will provide a proper place for the breeding of the millions of fingerlings produced by the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Marine Research Centre.” — 150 artificial caves placed off Ajman waters, The [United Arab Emirates] National, 4/13/16

“Why does the suit ride up so high our asses?” — From the lifeguard dialogue, Raunchy Baywatch movie earns its R rating,  USA Today, 4/12/16

The Cadiz project already attempted to evade environmental review once by using a railroad right of way to build a pipeline, an egregious misuse of federal policy. —  Sen Dianne Feinstein, The Cadiz project is the wrong answer, letter to the editor, Wall Street Journal, 4/15/16

George Stoll

George Stoll sculpture of a backwards toilet roll on show at the Frankel Gallery in San Francisco.

I also particularly love that the roll is hung “backwards” — a first-order faux pas only within the most bourgeois of social codes — Art critic Charles Desmarais, John Waters-curated show shines light on the humdrum,  San Francisco Chronicle, 4/14/16 

The owners of the house in Toulouse discovered the painting, which had been partially damaged by water, when they went to the attic to fix a leak. — Possible lost Caravaggio painting found in attic in France, Associated Press, 4/12/16

I am sorry but it’s all too good to be true. — The so-called Caravaggio in the attic looks like a fake to me, Jonathan Jones, The Guardian, 4/13/16

 

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