tagged w/ Northern California
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Adam Yamaguchi is executive producer and correspondent for Vanguard.
Here in California, as we approach election day, chatter about marijuana legalization is reaching a fever pitch. Proposition 19 -- which would legalize individuals to grow small amounts of marijuana for personal consumption -- has fluctuated up and down in opinion polls, and is very much in play in Tuesday's vote.
When Vanguard first began exploring an episode on marijuana in California, our intention was not to highlight the legalization issue. Our focus instead was on the massive business of marijuana -- demanded by America, supplied by Mexico. Whenever I speak to people about our story, I’m peppered with questions about legalization and whether that would stop the violence in Mexico. And the answer is, no one knows.
But here’s what we do know.Adam Yamaguchi is executive producer and correspondent for Vanguard.
Here in... more
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Towing some bombs on the same day as Super Bowl 2000.
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A brief look into the Bay Area's new dance phenomenon, turf dancing.
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There's a hole in this possible earthquake pattern
The Mogi doughnut hypothesis, developed by a Japanese seismologist, holds that earthquakes occur in a circular pattern over decades, building up to one very large temblor in the doughnut hole.
A seismic hot spot
Photo: Signs in Parkfield, Calif., alert tourists that they are passing over the San Andreas fault. The area is so prone to earthquakes that scientists have wired it extensively to collect data. The San Andreas, along with the Elsinore and San Jacinto faults, would be enclosed in Southern California's so-called Mogi doughnut hole. Northern California’s doughnut hole includes the San Andreas and Hayward faults. (Spencer Weiner, Los Angeles Times / July 18, 2010)
PART ONE…
By Rong-Gong Lin II and Hector Becerra, Los Angeles Times
July 18, 2010
As UC Davis physicist and geologist John Rundle ponders the map of recent California earthquakes, he sees visions of a doughnut even Homer J. Simpson wouldn't like.
The doughnut is formed by pinpointing the recent quakes near Eureka, Mexicali and Palm Springs.
Seismologists call the possible pattern a Mogi doughnut. It's the outgrowth of a concept, developed in Japan, which holds that earthquakes sometimes occur in a circular pattern over decades —building up to one very large quake in the doughnut hole. Rundle and his colleagues believe that the recent quakes, combined with larger seismic events including the 1989 Loma Prieta and 1994 Northridge temblors, could be precursors to a far larger rupture.
They just don't know exactly when.
The idea of predicting earthquakes remains controversial and much debated among California's many seismologists. But as technology improves and the understanding of how earthquakes distribute energy grows, experts are gingerly offering improved "forecasts," some of which have been surprisingly prescient.
For example, Southern California was hit earlier this month by a 5.4 quake that struck in the mountains about 30 miles south of Palm Springs — several weeks after seismologists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and elsewhere warned that pressure was building in the San Jacinto fault zone, which is where the temblor occurred.
That forecast underscores new thinking by seismologists about how earthquakes occur.
In the past, experts paid less attention to how one fault was connected to another and how one earthquake could increase the chances of a quake on another fault. But now they believe that these connections are extremely important and that this year's temblors along the Mexican border and near Palm Springs seem to support the concept.
"Previously we would identify a fault, map it and name it," said Lisa Grant Ludwig, a UC Irvine earthquake expert. "What we've really got here is a network of faults. Maybe that's what we need to be thinking: more big-picture."
Seismologists made the forecast about the quake risk south of the Palm Springs area after seeing signs that the 7.2 Mexicali temblor in April had placed more pressure on the San Jacinto fault system, which extends from the border northwest 100 miles toward Riverside and San Bernardino. They were particularly concerned because the San Jacinto fault system connects to the massive 800-mile-long San Andreas fault, which last triggered the "Big One" in Southern California in 1857, leaving a trail of destruction from Central California to the Cajon Pass in the Inland Empire.
David Bowman, a geology professor at Cal State Fullerton, said his research indicates that the Mexicali quake — the largest to strike the region in nearly two decades — was actually triggered by a much smaller quake on a unnamed fault line. The small quake's energy "jumped on another fault and kept on going," causing the much larger Mexicali temblor that was felt all the way to Fresno.
"That fault the earthquake started on is so small, we don't even really know where it is. Yet that small earthquake — that would not have made the news at all — was able to jump onto another fault and become a magnitude 7.2 event," he said.
The big question is whether the Mexicali quake has made a destructive temblor in the L.A. area more likely. Experts see strong evidence that there is more pressure now on the San Jacinto and nearby Elsinore fault networks to the east of Los Angeles. The Elsinore fault zone is connected to the Whittier fault, which runs through densely populated sections of the L.A. area, including the San Gabriel Valley. As a result, there's a concern that a quake on the Whittier fault might be more likely.
The Mexicali quake has also turned into a treasure trove of data for earthquake experts. It comes at a time when quake technology has advanced in major ways. Sophisticated satellite images are being used to study creeping ground movement caused by tectonic pressure in advance of an earthquake.
New GPS ground monitoring equipment is tracking how far the ground has moved after a quake, allowing scientists to calculate locations of greater seismic stress. And research in the mountains west of Bakersfield, examining the tracks of earthquakes hundreds of years ago, is showing that catastrophic earthquakes — those as large as magnitude 8 — have occurred in Southern California more frequently than previously believed.
CONTINUED…There's a hole in this possible earthquake pattern
The Mogi doughnut hypothesis,... more
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A countdown of stories about off-beat homes and unusual ways of living. In Part 5 we'll meet a guy who's building an ecological dream home deep in the woods of Northern California.A countdown of stories about off-beat homes and unusual ways of living. In Part 5... more
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A dangerous blend of extreme sports, adventure and goofiness that can be hazardous to a competitor's health or self-esteem. Part 2 features an ancient sport from South Asia called "kabaddi." Watch some young Punjabi-Americans throwing down in a Northern California kabaddi league.A dangerous blend of extreme sports, adventure and goofiness that can be hazardous to... more
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That is the recipe to bring boating, camping and fishing to life this spring in Northern California.
Nature has been stirring the pot with a procession of warm, wet storms: 42 inches of rain in the Santa Cruz Mountains, 33 inches at Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, and in the north state, 45 inches at Shasta Dam.
Lakes in the Bay Area and beyond are starting to fill quickly, giving rise to hopes of a great recreation season for boating, camping and fishing.
In Alameda County, Del Valle Reservoir is 95 percent full and expected to fill this month. Beautiful Loch Lomond in the Santa Cruz Mountains is 100 percent full and set to open for the season March 1. In the Santa Clara foothills, Stevens Creek is at 92 percent. Marin's Lagunitas, Bon Tempe and Alpine topped off at 100 percent two weeks ago. Many others are rising quickly.
Prettiest lakes: Rawley Douglas asks: "What are the most picturesque drive-to lakes?" My top 10: 1. Lake Tahoe at Emerald Bay. 2. Donnells Reservoir. 3. Tenaya Lake. 4. Sardine Lake. 5. Lake Sabrina. 6. Donner Lake. 7. Convict Lake. 8. Independence Lake. 9. Salmon Lake. 10. Lake Siskiyou.That is the recipe to bring boating, camping and fishing to life this spring in... more
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SAN FRANCISCO – A 70-foot, female blue whale that officials believe was struck by a ship has washed ashore on the Northern California coast in what scientists are calling a rare occurrence.
The whale was first spotted on shore near Fort Bragg in Mendocino County on Monday night, hours after an ocean survey vessel reported hitting a whale a few miles away, said Joe Cordaro, a wildlife biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's marine fisheries service.
Blue whales are the world's largest mammals.
more in the link...SAN FRANCISCO – A 70-foot, female blue whale that officials believe was struck... more
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Since the late 1990s, sound artist Walter Kitundu has been creating his own musical instruments, all of which are built around one central element -- the phonographic turntable. Kitundu disassembles and reconfigures his turntables to integrate elements from traditional instruments, alternative and unstable power sources, and other technologies, including effect pedals and MIDI equipment.
http://www.kitundu.com/
http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.4537271/k.9BF4/Walter_Kitundu.htmSince the late 1990s, sound artist Walter Kitundu has been creating his own musical... more
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On Thursday, January 29, 2009, PG&E caught a major renewable energy wave as the California Public Utilities Commission approved $4.8 million in funding their centerpiece wave energy project, WaveConnect. The program also received an additional $1.2 million in matching funds from the Department of Energy. PG&E’s WaveConnect, a project already two years in the making, launches with a $6M kitty.
The CPUC and the DOE are betting on this opportunity as in this funding scenario engineered by PG&E, the CPUC awards $4.2M in ratepayer funds while the DOE $1.2M is a matching grant.On Thursday, January 29, 2009, PG&E caught a major renewable energy wave as the... more
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Click on the "MMS Announces Milestones in Energy Development" AT LINK,
or here: http://www.mms.gov/ooc/press/2009/press0116.htm to find out.
Here's a hint: OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING!
If you're inspired to give your input, the info is below, or at the MMS site.
The public may submit comments on the Draft Proposed Program during the next 60 days by using the online commenting system here: http://www.regulations.gov/
or by mail to:
Minerals Management Service
Attention: Leasing Division (LD)
381 Elden Street, MS-4010
Herndon, VA 20170-4817
The public may submit comments on the scope of the Programmatic EIS, significant issues that should be addressed, alternatives that should be considered, scenario development, and the types of G&G activities and geographical areas of interest on the Atlantic OCS. Comments may be submitted electronically here: GGEIS@mms.gov
or in written form enclosed in an envelope labeled “Comments on the PEIS Scope” and mailed (or hand carried) to:
Regional Supervisor
Leasing and Environment (MS 5410)
Minerals Management Service
Gulf of Mexico OCS Region
1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard
New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394Click on the "MMS Announces Milestones in Energy Development" AT LINK,
or... more
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You might not know it from the textbooks, but California's gold rush was also a mercury rush. Quicksilver mines near San Jose provided gold miners with the mercury they needed to separate gold from ore. 150 years later, we're still facing the consequences of gold-rush era mercury, much of which is lodged in the Bay's mud and in its fish.You might not know it from the textbooks, but California's gold rush was also a... more
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Since 1995, astronomers have identified more than 200 new planets, but these planets aren't in our solar system. Known as exoplanets, they're the planets orbiting other suns and Bay Area scientists are leading the search. QUEST reports on some of the latest efforts to find new planets-- and maybe even life-- in outer space.
KQED QUEST Radio ReportSince 1995, astronomers have identified more than 200 new planets, but these planets... more
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Sea otters, the fuzzy mascots of the California coast, have fought back for 75 years from near-extinction, but now their population has mysteriously stalled. Pollution from land-- perhaps even a parasite in cat litter-- may be the culprit.Sea otters, the fuzzy mascots of the California coast, have fought back for 75 years... more
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Northern California has a storied, 500-year history of sailing. But despite this rich heritage, scientists and boat designers continue to learn more each day about what makes a sail boat move. Contrary to what you might expect, the physics of sailing still present some mysteries to modern sailors.Northern California has a storied, 500-year history of sailing. But despite this rich... more
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A Ukiah man known for his conspicuous pot-growing operations has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit claiming Mendocino County law enforcement officers ignored his request for an attorney while conducting a search of his home in February.
Amy Goodman on marijuana arrests:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P9BLxo_GKYA Ukiah man known for his conspicuous pot-growing operations has filed a federal civil... more
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This needs to be on current tv because this is a real issue still relivant in the Richmond community. This contains some in depth information about the city of Richmond's violence and street culture. Alot of footage shown even news cameras couldn't get. Please support the stopping of violence in Richmond California.
This short has been screened at the San Francisco Black Film Festival & the Oakland International Film Festival 2007.
This needs to be on current tv because this is a real issue still relivant in the... more
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The Infrastructure is the third group album by Bullys Wit Fullys released in 2006. Messy Marv and Guce make up this year's installment of the group, with the first two albums by Killa Tay and Guce. The album features production from prominent Bay Area producers E-A-Ski and Sean T, as well as Toure, and Toy Shop. Features include Clyde Carson, Mistah F.A.B., Keak Da Sneak, Yukmouth, Killa Keise, and other Bay Area artists. The street anthem "So Hood" produced by E-A-Ski and featuring Clyde Carson was the first single released for the album, in which a video was also shot for and was in heavy rotation on MTV Jams.
The Infrastructure is the third group album by Bullys Wit Fullys released in 2006.... more
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