Beijing China awarded the Winter Olympic Games in 2022?!

Yuk. My comment to article in Washington Post below: G Colby Venice

8:42 AM PDT

Ok, worries about natural snow, pollution in Beijing... so the IOC gives the games to them knowing mountains are a '2-hour car ride' away. How many vehicle trips is that? How much more pollution to heat the planet and decrease more of the world's snowpack? This is making me sick. Those high-speed trains better be electric, and their electric grid fueled by solar panels and not coal. At least that would be some modernization. And what of the nod given to China, still known to be horrible abusers of human rights, jailing people for free speech, denying women's and environmental rights, denying freedom of religion, like trying to exterminate the Tibetan Buddhist culture, etc. etc. IOC PLAYING THE HAND OF GREED ALL THE WAY DOWN THE NUMBER LINE. Shameful. This bid should be retracted and go back to the drawing board, with IOC/international support for a more fitting venue to host what are still in many ways a beautiful Games, one of the better things humanity does every couple of years.

Coffee and Alzheimer's: One Cup a Day Now the Best Policy

Here The effects of coffee and cognition are not yet fully understood. Doctors and studies used to suggest its use was bad; recently they've found a number of health benefits. Now a study fairly strongly suggests one cup a day is better than not drinking coffee or increasing over that number in terms of developing mild cognitive impairment.
Anyway, see article. Speaks of moderation. I like a cup of coffee, with 7 grain (or similar non-dairy)  milk. My preferred sweetener has gone from sugar, to turbinado (unrefined, not bleached) sugar, to agave (chemically processed is a bummer) to now chocolate protein powder (which is artificially sweetened, although some is sweetened with natural stevia though thid tastes artificial to me) or honey. The ratio of honey is hard to get right, too little doesn't help much and too much colors the flavor too much. That's TMI but there you go. Good luck with your intake and health as well.

Hillary Clinton Pledges to Install 500 Millions Solar Panels if She Becomes President - Time

Here Nice hope so.

10 Feet of Sea Level Rise within 50 Years Not Only Likely But Apparently Unavoidable -- Study by James Hansen, ex-NASA Top Scientist

Here One of a number of 'holy shit' moments for those conscious and aware.

Saving Water In California

So I've gotten water usage down at my mom's house. It was just over 90 for the June 14, 2014 billing cycle. It is now just under 60 for the June 19, 2015billing cycle.

I went under the counter and turned down the supply valves in each bathroom and in the kitchen, http://colbyallerton.blogspot.com/2015/04/save-water-turn-down-supply-valves.html Easy.

I've turned off the sprinklers on her grass lawn areas.

Low-flow shower heads were installed. The toilets are already pretty low-flow.

So that's a 35% cut in water use. Governor Brown mandated a cut of 25% I believe.

It will be interesting after I replace the dying grass with drought tolerant plants when conditions are right (that will need some water, particularly during start-up and a little during winter and maybe summer).

Iran Anti-Nuclear Weaponizing Deal with Six Major Nations Complete

Here There are good concessions, like less centrifuges (20,000 to less than 6000). And no production of highly-enriched uranium and weapons-grade plutonium is good. But a 24-day arbitrated review period for site Iran thinks are sensitive? That's not too good. Prohibiting the production of highly-enriched uranium and weapons-grade plutonium is good.
This NY Times piece linked covers some of the notable aspects of the deal.
John Kerry says Israel will be safer.
I hope the negotiators did what they had to do to ensure enough oversight.
Iran getting sanctions relieved is a huge economic boost for them.
Per my previous comments on this site, Iran could/should/must have been made to capitulate most severely toward unlimited transparency to have sanctions relieved. I hope this is the case.

President Obama's lengthy remarks in Time magazine are here
Very much worth reading.

He adds more details that are not in the NY Times article linked.
He said, "Inspectors will have 24/7 access to Iran’s key nuclear facilities.Inspectors will have access to Iran’s entire nuclear supply chain — its uranium mines and mills, its conversion facility, and its centrifuge manufacturing and storage facilities. This ensures that Iran will not be able to divert materials from known facilities to covert ones. Some of these transparency measures will be in place for 25 years."

And a sobering report on Iran still active in seeking weaponizing materials. I surely hope world powers are not this soft and gullible http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/iran-made-illegal-purchases-nuclear-weapons-technology-last-month_988067.html 

And these Democrats bring up good points, which will need to be addressed in the review period here

Join the Guardian's climate change campaign | Environment | The Guardian

Join the Guardian's climate change campaign | Environment | The Guardian 



Sign to demand that they 'MOVE THEIR MONEY OUT OF FOSSIL FUELS' --  To Bill and Melinda Gates, founders of the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation; Jeremy Farrar and Sir William Castell, director and
chair of the Wellcome Trust

Tell Jerry Brown: Fracking and Clean Water Don't Mix

Here Among other bad things. The science is not in favor of this fracking nonsense.

No more crude by rail in LA

Here

Send an email to Jose Huizar's office as below:

Ask specifically to "That the LA City Council help deny the proposed Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery Rail Spur Extension Project."

here :  Paul.Habib@lacity.org
here : Martin.Schlageter@lacity.org

No expansion of oil bomb trains going through our LA neighborhoods!!