The week that wasn’t
For those of you who missed the sign-off last Sunday, The week that was has gone the way of the TV show that inspired its name. Launched in June 2009, The week that was lasted nearly as long as the BBC comedy, with pay that would have been low by 1960s public television standards had there been pay. Producing a page that regularly featured both Wen Jiabao and Pat Mulroy was a labor of love, and of profound interest. The reward came in the kind of knowledge that can shut down a dinner party faster than putting Smithsonian Institute Blues on the stereo. When NPR broadcast a capable story about chlorine, chloramine and the way they interact with different plumbing media last week, TWTW had already roto-rootered that material in these pages every week since June 2009 and spent hours producing fiddly links for your clicking pleasure. An abiding interest …
The week that was, 12/26/2010-1/1/2011
Tropical Storm Tasha caused flooding that affected an estimated 200,000 people in Queensland, Australia. Image: NASA. Click on the image to be taken to the Earth Observatory.
“This is without a doubt a tragedy on an unprecedented scale.” — Queensland Premier Anna Bligh on Australian floods covering an area larger than France and Germany combined, Floods in northeast Australia strand 200,000, AP / Los Angeles Times, December 31, 2010
… parts of the South had their first white Christmas since records have been kept. — East Coast blizzard strands travelers, frustrates drivers, Los Angeles Times, December 27, 2010
Around 32,000 properties are still without water in Belfast and surrounding towns after pipes burst during the freezing weather and subsequent thaw before Christmas, Water torture: Tankers on standby with supplies for Ulster as families tell of misery, Daily Mail, December 31, 2010…
The week that was, 12/19-25/2010
Detail of fishing net tapestry "Kalama 1" by Mary Babcock, part of "Hydrophilia" at Hawaii Pacific University. Click on the image to be taken to the university website.
“I think it’s seasonal. The nets seem to wash up during the winter.” — Artist Mary Babcock, maker of tapestries from old fishing nets, Ocean Meditations, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, December 19, 2010
Mexico will leave part of its Colorado River allocation in Lake Mead for the next three years, slowing the decline of the drought-stricken reservoir and possibly delaying the onset of water rationing in Arizona and Nevada. — Colorado River deal aids US and Mexico, Arizona Republic, December 21, 2010
Enough water poured from Los Angeles streets to supply well over 130,000 homes for a year. — In a region that imports water, much goes to waste, Los Angeles Times, December 24, 2010
… with our watersheds nicely saturated …
The week that was, 12/12-18/2010
Pineapple Express rains hit Southern California. Map: National Weather Service. Click on the image for your forecast.
“I call La Niña the diva of drought for Southern California. But the rainfall looks like El Niño.” — Jet Propulsion Laboratory oceanographer Bill Patzert, Rainstorms to keep drenching Southern California, Los Angeles Times, December 19, 2010
The Pineapple Express’ arrival not only signals the start of [Southern California’s] annual rainy season, but also threatens to unleash huge low-elevation downpours, which by Christmas Eve (next Friday) could amount to 8 to 12 inches adjacent to southern California’s mountains outside Los Angeles and San Diego–enough rain to provoke flooding and mudslides, particularly along westward facing slopes. — Pineapple Express to bring flooding rains, Chicago Weather Center, December 17, 2010
As rain fell outside City Hall on Friday morning, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved the proposed Low Impact Development ordinance. …
The week that was, 12/5-11/2010
Both the Gatun and Alajuela lakes have reached the highest water levels ever recorded… — Panama Canal closed due to rain, Panama Digest, December 8, 2010
“… these rules are dangerous because, on the surface, it looks like the DRBC is doing something when they’re not.” — New Jersey chapter Sierra Club director Jeff Tittel, Delaware River Basin Commission posts proposed Marcellus Shale rules, The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 10, 2010. (For an overview of the water quality debate about gas exploration in the Marcellus Shale, click here.)…
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