AltWeeklies Wire
How to Harvest Rainwater for the Futurenew
In many developing nations, the need for water and the lack of public supplies has forced the population to capture rainwater and save it for use throughout the year, both for irrigating and for drinking. Incredibly, some states in America prohibit such resourcefulness.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Alastair Bland |
09-15-2008 |
Environment
Thinking Twice About the Big Green Revolutionnew
The same corporate mindset that brought us Big Oil, Big Agriculture, Big Auto, and Big Water and Power is now at work to bring us "Big Green." The problem with "big" is that living large is what got us into this mess.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Patrick Veesart |
08-25-2008 |
Environment
Are Sharks Really the Eating Machines We've Made Them Out to Be?new
For people like Dr. Chris Lowe and biologist Terry Lilley, the media's obsession with sharks -- specifically shark attacks -- and pop culture's general view of sharks as human-eating machines, is a grossly misinformed state of affairs.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Ethan Stewart |
08-18-2008 |
Animal Issues
Medical Marijuana Dealer Convicted on Federal Trafficking Chargesnew
Charles Lynch was found guilty in federal court on five charges related to growing and distributing marijuana, despite California law that authorized his business, and testimony by local officials who welcomed the dispensary.
San Luis Obispo New Times |
Kylie Mendonca |
08-11-2008 |
Drugs
A Safe Space for Gay Meth Addicts in Santa Ana Struggles to Get Goingnew
If you visit Metheds.org, all you'll see is a white page, black text and a brief explanation: "Metheds. A place about recovery and community. Opening soon in Santa Ana. For more information, contact Ed McKie." But that's all Metheds is right now: an idea, some wishful thinking and a name.
Burned by the Gap: Not Everyone Escaped Goleta Blaze Unscathednew
Much of the community breathed a sigh of relief when the Gap Fire entered its final days, having only claimed a few outbuildings and some lemon and avocado orchards. Not everybody was fortunate, however, as residents of the county's wilderness-adjacent communities can attest.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Ben Preston and Kathleen Zaratzian |
08-05-2008 |
Disasters
Monterey Bay Wildlife Has Come Back This Year, but Will the Resurgence Last?new
Cooling currents have sparked a huge comeback for life in the Bay this year. But scientists say global warming could put an end to the extraordinary conditions that breathe new life into local waters.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Steve Hahn |
07-24-2008 |
Animal Issues
Out-of-State Same-Sex Couples May Soon Wed in Mass.new
Massachusetts moved one step closer to parity for same-sex couples last Tuesday, when the state Senate unanimously passed a bill repealing a 1913 law prohibiting out-of-state gay couples from marrying here.
Dig Boston |
Scott Sayare |
07-24-2008 |
LGBT
A Sunken Tanker Off the California Coast Will Someday Leak Oil if Nothing is Donenew
There are growing concerns that the Montebello could offer up a second adventure/disaster story, this one of an ecological nature. Researchers are confident that the tanker still entombs its cargo, more than 3 million gallons of Santa Maria crude loaded from the Union Oil facility in Avila Beach.
San Luis Obispo New Times |
Patrick Howe |
07-21-2008 |
Environment
Summer Blazes Reveal the Real Cost of California's Money Problemsnew
As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger explained how he's get a handle on the fires, a man-made disaster erupted, as the annual financial crisis that paralyzes the state every budget season reeled out of control.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Eric Johnson |
07-17-2008 |
Disasters
A Look at the Ecological Impacts of the Big Sur Wildfiresnew
Big Sur enthusiasts may be horrified to see the wildfires turn postcard-quality forests into black moonscapes. But scientists remind us that fire is a critical ingredient in Big Sur's fire-adapted beauty, and the ecological challenges arise less from the flames than from human meddling. As long as the wildfires are burning, their precise ecological impacts will be shrouded in smoke -- but experts do have a sense of how the flames will affect non-human life in Big Sur.
Monterey County Weekly |
Kera Abraham |
07-11-2008 |
Disasters
Saving Birds from Burning in Big Surnew
As the wildfire in Big Sur carpeted more and more of the region's steep coastal mountains, the biologists of Ventana Wildlife Society's condor rehabilitation project realized the uncontrolled blaze could prove deadly for eight condors contained in a large aviary directly within the fire's predicted path.
Monterey County Weekly |
Stuart Thornton |
07-11-2008 |
Disasters
What if Courageous California Pols Had Put a $2/Gallon Tax on Gas Five Years Ago?new
The SUVs and Hummers would be long gone. Public transit would be booming. And with 1.5 billion gallons of gas sold per year in the state, there would be $3 billion more each year in new revenue. Enough to fund huge improvements in urban transportation systems. The high-speed rail line to Los Angeles would be well underway. Traffic (and pollution, and global warming) would have dropped dramatically.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Tim Redmond |
07-10-2008 |
Transportation
Big Oil in Little Richmondnew
Back in 2004, the Chevron Corporation proposed a billion dollar "Energy and Hydrogen Renewal Project" at its 2,900-acre Richmond, Calif., refinery. Critics worry that the renovations will end up fouling the air in the already-blighted Richmond neighborhoods downwind of the refinery, and have taken up arms to halt the project's progress.
East Bay Express |
Anna McCarthy |
07-10-2008 |
Business & Labor
Gay Couples from South Carolina Hear Wedding Bells in the Golden Statenew
When California began issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples after the state's Supreme Court invalidated the prohibition against same-sex weddings, it opening up marriage licenses to folks from any state. South Carolina's gay and lesbian couples are taking advantage of the opportunity.
Charleston City Paper |
Greg Hambrick |
07-09-2008 |
LGBT
