In an alternate universe in a black hole far, far away...there exists a Town of Carmel Valley nestled between two mountain ranges. The valley is about twelve miles long with a river in the middle which exits into the ocean. The Town of Carmel Valley (to be precise: "Town of Carmel Valley Between-the-Mountain-Ranges) has a mayor and the mayor has an Assistant to the Media Public Relations Director, Johnny Nightrain:
Here is Johnny at work:
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News Thursday, August 20, 2009 Press Release:
The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley is pleased to announce a major Carmel Valley Road reconstruction project. The Mayor: "A fiber optic cable the thickness of a pencil and capable of handling simultaneous communications for 1.6 million people will be placed down the Valley for use by the citizens. The placement of the cable will be down the middle of the road and be underground to a depth of six feet. The length of the cable will be eleven miles stretching from Highway 1 to the intersection of Laureles Grade and Carmel Valley Road. Carmel Valley Village residents past the cutoff point will be able to hook up to the fiber optic system via satellite.
In addition to the cable placement, it was also decided that since Carmel Valley is a rural environment the very smooth Carmel Valley road must be roughed up to fit in with the typical rural dirt roads. Therefore, the road surface will be dug up on both sides of the pencil sized trench and then filled back in with undulating patches of soft asphalt. After a few months of wear the road shall be pockmarked with holes and dips giving that rural dirt road feel that is consistent with the General Plan and so adored by tourists and locals. The rough road will slow down traffic and thus avoid high speed overturning accidents. It's a win/win situation.
The engineering requires that both lanes be closed 24 hours a day for no more than six months, depending on the rains, according to promises by the engineering team. In order to facilitate the project and to lessen any inconvenience to the citizens and tourists visiting the Town of Carmel Valley, alternate routes have been approved. The main route will be from the Monterey Peninsula or Salinas to Highway 68 to Laureles Grade to Carmel Valley Road. Citizens living between Laureles Grade intersection and Highway One, a distance of eleven miles, will be issued kayaks and jet skis for the commute upon the Carmel River. The total closing of Carmel Valley road will mean that long waits for one way traffic will be avoided.
The project has been approved as it means at least fifteen jobs for the local community as well as improved communications. It's a win/win situation."
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News: Friday, August 21, 2009 Press Release:
The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley is pleased to announce the transfer of the Garland Ranch Park to the Town of Carmel Valley. The Mayor: "I am pleased to announce the sale of Garland Ranch Park to the Eselen Nation Native American tribe for an undisclosed amount which will reduce the projected annual budget deficit of the Town and provide badly needed recreation for its citizens. It's a win/win situation. The mountainous part of the property will be used for off road all terrain vehicle sport riding events which will allow more citizens to use the land instead of the few who now use it in mainly unproductive uses such as walking and hiking. Since Native Americans now own the land it is therefore sovereign and eligible for commercial development.
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News: Saturday, August 22, 2009 Press Release:
The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley is pleased to announce that construction will begin immediately on a 1900 room hotel/casino theme park on the level part of the property adjacent to Carmel Valley Road at the old Garland Ranch Park. The Mayor: "The efficient use of the previously underutilized property will increase revenue via property and sales taxes as well as add several jobs for white people, it is hoped. The name and theme of the new megacasino shall be, “Cowboys and Indians.” I would also like to take this opportunity to announce I have accepted an offered voluntary seat on the Casino Board as I am approximately one hundred twenty eighth part Choctaw Indian. My ancestors are now being exhumed with confirming DNA tests pending."
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News The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley wishes to make a clarification regarding a reference in a previous news release about the building of the 'Cowboy and Indians Casino": The Mayor: The misspoken misunderstood sentence was: "The efficient use of the previously underutilized property will increase revenue via property and sales taxes as well as add several jobs for white people, it is hoped." Responding to numerous complaints about the use of the term, "white people", the Mayor replies, "I understand that the word,' white', the word 'people', and the phrase 'people white' are innocent and do not offend, and yet, the phrase, "white people' does offend. I now agree after long discussions with several groups dedicated to anti-defaming a race of people that to describe a race of people by color is wrong. The people in question are not 'white', they are Anglo Saxons of European Stock. The correct sentence should have read, "... add several jobs for Anglo Saxons of European Stock, it is hoped." I regret the inappropriate use of color to describe a group of people. Thank you.
I wish to make another correction at this time: It was stated earlier in regard of my becoming a Casino board member that I was one hundred twenty eighth part Choctaw Indian with pending DNA tests. The exhumations are complete and the corrected DNA results are in: I am in fact part Choctaw Indian and thus now consider myself a full fledged member of the red people. Thank you."
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News: Sunday, August 23, 2009 Press Release:
The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley is pleased to respond to recent outrage about racially charged speech: The Mayor: “It has been brought to my attention that referring to white people as ‘Anglo Saxons of European Stock’ is defaming current generations of Americans. It is inappropriate to refer to a group of people by their geographical background of generations past. Calling a group of people a name based upon country of origin when they have spent hundreds of years in America is impugning the current generation. Some dark toned Americans may have come from Barbados but you don’t hear them calling themselves “Barbados Americans.”
The correct discriminating factor for groups of people is economic. People of all stock and color are either piss poor, poor, some place in the middle, rich, or stinking rich. “Rich’ is defined as anyone who drives a newer model car than you do. "Poor" is someone who can’t afford the gas to drive to Las Vegas and “Piss Poor’ is defined as someone who can't afford the gas to drive to San Francisco.
As the Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley and a soon to be rich Red Indian sitting on the Cowboy and Indians Casino Board, I am in sympathy with those that believe that names are as real as rocks and therefore can be thrown and inflict pain. We must be very careful when we stereotype groups of people with labels. Thank you, wonderful beautiful fellow voting citizens.”
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News Sunday, August 23, 2009 Press Release:
The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley is pleased to announce the location of two new automobile dealerships in the center of the Town of Carmel Valley. The Mayor: "The congestion of huge car inventories and shopping traffic that the twenty five auto dealerships in the City of Seaside, the City of Monterey, and the City of Sand City caused will be lessened without the addition of two more. The two new dealers in the Town of Carmel Valley will handle vehicles made by a Republic of China manufacturer offering two models, the “Mao”, and the “Dung.” Because of low labor costs, asking prices for the all new four door luxury sedans with five liter V-8, all leather, 150000 mile 15 year warranty, AC, choice of color, runs great, will be for $9,900 or best offer, tax and license included. A large inventory will be on hand for immediate delivery. The dealers will be situated opposite each other on Carmel Valley Road, just past the Petting Zoo. Come on down, and bring your checkbook."
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News Sunday, August 23, 2009 Press Release;
The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley would like to respond to the many citizen complaints about an event that took place last Saturday afternoon in the parking lot of the Carmel Valley Market in which a Town police deputy shot and killed a cat which was lying on the warm hood of his 1999 Ford F-150 yellow pickup truck which had just been washed and now has six bullet holes in it.
The Mayor: “As you know we are conducting an internal review of the incident so we are not at liberty to go into details at this time; however, we can mention that feral cats are very vicious and due caution is advised when dealing with those ferocious animals. Sometimes feral cats are taken in as pets by well meaning citizens and the assertion by Ms. Emerald Lopez that Tabby was hers since she was a little kitten twelve years ago is being investigated. Nothing is being ruled out. The Deputy has been placed on administrative leave with pay and will undergo psychological trauma counseling.”
FYI: Wiki:
Unlike novelty pets which are often discarded upon reaching adulthood, most feral cats are discarded as kittens. This is because cats breed rapidly and have large litters, and often their owners do not have the capacity or desire to care for a large number of cats.
Feral cats live in horrible conditions, living short, dangerous, unhealthy, desperate lives. Like any uninoculated mammal species, there is a risk they will develop rabies and pose a threat to human health.
Because of the dangers to humans, other species, and the cats themselves, and out of compassion toward the animals, many people, including celebrities such as Bob Barker, campaign to encourage people to spay and neuter their pets and support the humane control of feral cats.
Most feral kittens have little chance of surviving more than a few months and are vulnerable to starvation, predators, disease and even flea-induced anemia.
A feral cat is a cat which has been separated from domestication, whether through abandonment, loss, or running away, and become wild. The term also refers to descendants of such cats, but not to Wild Cats, whose ancestors were never domesticated. Feral cats usually cannot be re-socialized. Feral kittens, however, can be socialized to live with humans if they are taken from a feral colony before they are about twelve weeks old.
Feral cats may live alone, but are usually found in large groups called feral colonies with communal nurseries, depending on resource availability. Many abandoned pet cats join these colonies out of desperation; these cats can usually be readopted into a new home. The average lifespan of a feral cat that survives beyond kittenhood is usually less than two years while a domestic housecat lives an average of sixteen years or more.
In the United States
Townscapes and North America are not native environments for the cat; the domestic cat comes from temperate or hot, often dry, climates and was distributed throughout the world by humans. Although cats are somewhat adaptable, feral felines are unable to survive in extreme cold and heat, and with a need for a diet of 90% protein, few cats find adequate nutrition on their own. In addition, they have no defense against or understanding of such predators as dogs, coyotes and even automobiles. The current population of twenty to forty million feral felines in the United States is due, initially, to human interference by environmental introduction and later, by simple human irresponsibility and neglect.
In the United States "trap, spay or neuter, and release" programs, one of the more humane ways to deal with feral cat populations, are facilitated by many volunteers and organizations. In addition to sterilization, inoculation against rabies and the feline leukemia virus as well as the application of long-lasting flea treatments before release are common. Frequently, attending veterinarians nip the tip off one ear to mark the feral as spayed/neutered and inoculated, as these cats will more than likely find themselves trapped again. Volunteers often continue to feed and give care to these cats throughout their lives. Many would like to do more, but most fully feral cats are unadoptable.
The "trap, spay/neuter, release" program is considered the most humane, yet still efficient way to deal with the problem for several reasons. From the perspective of the cat, better quality and more food is provided by humans, competition for natural resources is reduced, and they are protected from the most debilitating diseases. From the human perspective, the feral cat problem is gradually eliminated because the cats do not reproduce. Behavior and nuisance problems due to competition for food and mating activities post-release are immediately reduced. Over time, these feral colonies becomes smaller and generally disappear; new cats will rarely join a colony of sterile animals. More and more animal shelters throughout the United States are becoming "no kill shelters", and are gradually implementing more humane, yet definitive animal population control methods. Some states such as California and many countries around the world have had tremendous success with humane methods to control feral cat populations.
As is their nature, there is no doubt feral cats will hunt other small species. While control of rats, mice, and other rodents is a cat activity humans support, feral cats kill songbirds and other birds. Some estimate the bird loss at over two hundred million a year. These figures may be questionable, however, with some of the damage due to the resurgence of other small predators such as the gray fox (urocyon cinereoargenteus), fisher or pekan (martes pennanti), coyote (canis latrans), and puma (puma concolor). It has been suggested by individuals without environmental science backgrounds that feral cats should simply be hunted to immediately reduce the feral cat problem. Radical specicide, especially when more animals are abandoned each day, is never a prudent long-term answer to any animal-human problem; the solution is more responsible husbandry of the domestic cat by the species that initially started the problem.
[1] (http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=31029&ntpid=3)
October 16 is National Feral Cat Day in the United States.
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In Australia
Feral cats have been present in Australia since European settlement, and may have arrived with Dutch shipwrecks in the 17th century. Intentional releases were made in the late 19th century in the hope that cats would control mice, rabbits and rats.
The feral cat has been an ecological disaster in Australia, inhabiting most ecosystems except dense rainforest, and being implicated in the extinction of several marsupial and placental mammal species. (Cats are not believed to have been a factor in the extinction of the only mainland bird species to be lost since European settlement, the Paradise Parrot; their role in the loss of rare species on Australasian islands, however, has been significant.)
Control programs are difficult to devise due to the nocturnal and solitary nature of the cat, broad distribution in the landscape and continuous additions to the population from abandoned domestic cats. Due to the danger posed to human handling the animal, captured feral cats are almost always terminated. No program for spaying and neutering, akin to that in the United States exists in Australia.
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In Rome
Rome, Italy is perhaps the place with most feral cats, the total number being estimated between 250,000 and 350,000, organized in about 2,000 colonies, some of them living in famous ancient places such as the Colosseum.
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Feral cats and island restoration
Feral cats introduced to islands with ecologically naive fauna (that is, species that have not evolved or have lost predator responses for dealing with cats) have had a devastating impact on these islands' biodiversity. They have been implicated in the extinction of several species and local extinctions, such as the huitas from the Caribbean and the Guadalupe Storm-petrel from Pacific Mexico. Moors and Atkinson wrote, in 1984, "No other alien predator has had such a universally damaging effect." Given the damage they do, many conservationists working in the field of island restoration (literally restoring damaged islands through removal of introduced species and replanting and reintroducing native species) have worked to remove feral cats. As of 2004, 48 islands have had their feral cat populations removed, including New Zealand's network of offshore island bird reserves (Nogales et al, 2004). Larger projects are also being planned, including their removal from Ascension Island.
Feral cats, along with rabbits and some sea birds, are the entire animal population of the remote Kerguelen Islands in the southern Indian Ocean.
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News Tuesday, August 25, 2009 Press Release
The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley, AKA 'The Green Mayor', is pleased to announce the start of construction of an electrical generating device at the mouth of The Town of Carmel Valley to supplement the already existing windmill. The Mayor: "Thousands of coal burning or nuclear fission generated watts will not now be needed as the Generator© is pollution free. The all metal wheel will be three hundred feet tall and have variable vanes to catch the wind as it comes in and out of the valley. The afternoon breezes generated by the marine cooling layer of air from the ocean meeting the warmer ground air of the valley will generate the high velocity needed to drive the Generator © into productive capacity. In addition, revenue can be generated by citizens and tourists riding on the seats between the vanes of the Generator©. As a third benefit, the Generator© is visually appealing with the flashing neon lights which will light up the adjacent area and will draw tourists from miles around. It's a win/win/win situation. The Generator© will also produce much needed revenue to reduce the projected budget deficit and provide at least five new badly needed jobs for the economically depressed area.
Nets will be placed around the vanes to prevent most birds, insects, and bats from being sucked in, cut up, and spit out. I also promise the lights will go out at midnight and the whistling noise from the air pushing against the vanes will not exceed that of automatic car wash drying blowers which already exist near the Generator© construction location. Insurance will be taken out should, God forbid, the brakes on the Generator© fail and riders flung out every which way as the machine runs amok and centrifugal forces increase exponentially. Electrocution by frayed wires carrying the 50000 volts will also be covered and policies paid off quickly with a minimum of paperwork or fuss, the insurance company representative personally assures me."
Wiki: “Wind power could generate enough electricity to support the world's energy needs several times over, according to a new map of global wind speeds that scientists say is the first of its kind.
The map, compiled by researchers at Stanford University, shows wind speeds at more than 8,000 sites around the world. The researchers found that at least 13 percent of those sites experience winds fast enough to power a modern wind turbine. If turbines were set up in all these regions, they would generate 72 terawatts of electricity, according to the researchers.
That's more than five times the world's energy needs, which was roughly 14 terawatts in 2002, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
The researchers readily admit that existing buildings, land rights and other obstacles would make it impossible to set up turbines in every single one of the identified regions. But they point out that even 20 percent of those sites could satisfy world energy consumption as it stands today.
More importantly, the study shows that wind can be a feasible alternative to fossil fuels, said study co-author Cristina Archer.
"There is really a lot of wind out there that can be utilized for electricity generation," said Archer. "The 72-terawatt finding quantifies how much wind power is available.... It's like when people say how much oil is available on a global scale. It doesn't mean all of it will be extracted."
If anything, the 72-terawatt figure is likely to be on the low side. Most of the 8,199 wind-monitoring stations that contributed data to the map are concentrated in highly developed nations. So the researchers had to make broad and often conservative estimates for countries in Africa and Asia, and for other regions.
"They are probably significantly underestimating the total potential," said Christopher Flavin, CEO of the Worldwatch Institute, an environmental research firm.
For instance, Flavin pointed to China, which several environmental organizations have identified as having great potential for wind power. In contrast, the Stanford map shows only a few locations as having the wind speeds necessary to power a wind turbine.
Of the regions that are well-marked by the map, North America and parts of Northern Europe both have a high number of ideal spots for setting up wind turbines. To date, Northern Europe -- and Denmark in particular -- has made the best use of that potential. Approximately 20 percent of Denmark's energy consumption is fulfilled by wind power, according to the Danish Wind Industry Association.
The United States, on the other hand, generates less than 1 percent of its electricity with wind power.
Archer said it was "ironic and sad" that the United States wasn't doing more, given the resources available.
"But it's not too late," she said. "We can still do it and I really hope we do."
The authors' study is scheduled to appear in the Journal of Geophysical Research -- Atmospheres later this month.”
News Tuesday, August 25, 2009 Press Release:
The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley is pleased to announce the establishment of a Class A low level nuclear waste storage facility behind the silted up San Clemente Dam. The Mayor: "The NRC states that “Low-level waste includes items that have become contaminated with radioactive material or have become radioactive through exposure to neutron radiation. This waste typically consists of contaminated protective shoe covers and clothing, wiping rags, mops, filters, reactor water treatment residues, equipments and tools, luminous dials, medical tubes, swabs, injection needles, syringes, and laboratory animal carcasses and tissues. The danger of exposure to radiation in low-level radioactive waste varies widely according to the types and concentration of radioactive material contained in the waste. Low-level waste containing some radioactive materials used in medical research, for example, is not particularly hazardous unless inhaled or consumed, and a person can stand near it without shielding. Low-level waste from processing water at a reactor, on the other hand, may be quite hazardous. For example, low-level waste could cause exposures that could lead to death or an increased risk of cancer.”
The damp and silted up San Clemente Dam is a perfect repository for the nuclear waste as it is wet, has a large concrete barrier between the waste and the citizens living and traveling nearby, and has easy access for the trucks hauling the waste to dump it.
I assure the citizens of the Town of Carmel Valley that the waste is low level and probably just above background levels found in nature and therefore perfectly safe. The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985 will be fully complied with. I have been assured by the trucking company that the low level waste will only come from medical research and not from nuclear reactors.
The income from the fees charged for the storage, about $120000, will offset the predicted annual budget deficit. The establishment of the facility will also include the creation of at least six jobs thus enhancing the local economy. It's a win/win situation.
I will regretfully miss the ribbon cutting ceremony for the arrival of the first truck load of low level waste at the Dam due to prior commitments. The public is invited to attend."
http://www.nrc.gov/
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part170/part170-0031.html
“Radioactive Waste: An Introduction
Radioactive wastes are the leftovers from the use of nuclear materials for the production of electricity, diagnosis and treatment of disease, and other purposes.
The materials are either naturally occurring or man-made. Certain kinds of radioactive materials, and the wastes produced from using these materials, are subject to regulatory control by the federal government or the states.
The Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for radioactive waste related to nuclear weapons production and certain research activities. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and some states regulate commercial radioactive waste that results from the production of electricity and other non-military uses of nuclear material.
Various other federal agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Health and Human Services, also have a role in the regulation of radioactive material.
The NRC regulates the management, storage and disposal of radioactive waste produced as a result of NRC-licensed activities. The agency has entered into agreements with 32 states, called Agreement States, to allow these states to regulate the management, storage and disposal of certain nuclear waste.
The commercial radioactive waste that is regulated by the NRC or the Agreement States and that is the subject of this brochure is of three basic types: high-level waste, mill tailings, and low-level waste.
High-level radioactive waste consists of “irradiated” or used nuclear reactor fuel (i.e., fuel that has been used in a reactor to produce electricity). The used reactor fuel is in a solid form consisting of small fuel pellets in long metal tubes.
Mill tailings wastes are the residues remaining after the processing of natural ore to extract uranium and thorium.
Commercial radioactive wastes that are not high-level wastes or uranium and thorium milling wastes are classified as low-level radioactive waste. The low-level wastes can include radioactively contaminated protective clothing, tools, filters, rags, medical tubes, and many other items.
NRC licensees are encouraged to manage their activities so as to limit the amount of radioactive waste they produce. Techniques include avoiding the spread of radioactive contamination, surveying items to ensure that they are radioactive before placing them in a radioactive waste container, using care to avoid mixing contaminated waste with other trash, using radioactive materials whose radioactivity diminishes quickly and limiting radioactive material usage to the minimum necessary to establish the objective.
Licensees take steps to reduce the volume of radioactive waste after it has been produced. Common means are compaction and incineration. Approximately 59 NRC licensees are authorized to incinerate certain low-level wastes, although most incineration is performed by a small number of commercial incinerators.
The radioactivity of nuclear waste decreases with the passage of time, through a process called radioactive decay. (“Radioactivity” refers to the spontaneous disintegration of an unstable atomic nucleus, usually accompanied by the emission of ionizing radiation.) The amount of time necessary to decrease the radioactivity of radioactive material to one-half the original amount is called the radioactive half-life of the radioactive material. Radioactive waste with a short half-life is often stored temporarily before disposal in order to reduce potential radiation doses to workers who handle and transport the waste, as well as to reduce the radiation levels at disposal sites.
In addition, NRC authorizes some licensees to store short-half-lived material until the radioactivity is indistinguishable from ambient radiation levels, and then dispose of the material as non-radioactive waste.
Currently, there are no permanent disposal facilities in the United States for high-level nuclear waste; therefore commercial high-level waste (spent fuel) is in temporary storage, mainly at nuclear power plants.
Most uranium mill tailings are disposed of in place or near the mill, after constructing a barrier of a material such as clay on top of the pile to prevent radon from escaping into the atmosphere and covering the mill tailings pile with soil, rocks or other materials to prevent erosion.
For low-level waste, three commercial land disposal facilities are available, but they accept waste only from certain states or accept only limited types of low-level wastes. The remainder of the low-level waste is stored primarily at the site where it was produced, such as at hospitals, research facilities, clinics and nuclear power plants.”
Wet Storage
Currently most spent nuclear fuel is safely stored in specially designed pools at individual reactor sites around the country. The water-pool option involves storing spent fuel in rods under at least 20 feet of water, which provides adequate shielding from the radiation for anyone near the pool. The rods are moved into the water pools from the reactor along the bottom of water canals, so that the spent fuel always is shielded to protect workers.
A typical spent fuel rod is about 12 feet long and 3/4 inch in diameter. The rods are arranged in somewhat square arrays, known as fuel assemblies, that range in size from an array of 6 rods by 6 rods to an array of 17 rods by 17 rods. The fuel pools vary in size from a capacity of 216 to 8,083 fuel assemblies.
Most pools were originally designed to store several years worth of spent fuel. Due to delays in developing disposal facilities for the spent fuel, licensees have redesigned and rebuilt equipment in the pools over the years to allow a greater number of spent fuel rods to be stored. However, this storage option is limited by the size of the spent fuel pool and the need to keep individual fuel rods from getting too close to other rods and initiating a criticality or nuclear reaction.
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News Thursday, August 27, 2009 Press Release;
The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley is pleased to announce the establishment of the Town of Carmel Valley Petting and Fishing Zoo©. The Mayor: "The location is just after the Cowboy and Indians Casino on Carmel Valley Road. Admission is ten dollars for adults and fifteen dollars for children under 21. There will be two animals available to pet or hook, the endangered red legged native frog and the endangered Carmel River Striped Trout. Both species are expected to become extinct within a few years because of encroachment on their native habitat in Oregon. A breeding program at the Petting and Fishing Zoo© is expected to become active as soon as funds are made available and suitable mates can be found. Visitors are encouraged to bring food for the animals. They will eat just about anything."
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News Thursday, August 27, 2009 Press Release:
The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley is pleased to announce the establishment of the latest branch of the Church of California. The Mayor: "The CofC has four hundred branches throughout the United States and it is indeed an honor to have the Church choose our humble Town to spread the Word; in this case, that we are all sinners and destined to swim in a burning lake of lava forever unless we repent...at the Church of California branch 401 now being established by the remodel of the old Tularcitos Pre School buildings. God Bless and Amen."
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News Thursday, August 27, 2009 Press Release:
The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley would like to respond to the events of the past weekend in which mass demonstrations were held in front of Town Hall to protest the high cost of housing, food, and transportation. Fortunately no one was injured when the Fire Department turned on the hoses and sprayed the overheated demonstrators down into calmness. The Fire Chief assures those soaked that the foam is a biodegradable fire retardant only dyed green to blend in with the local landscapes and will wear off eventually as the outer layer of skin peels off naturally.
Regarding the protesters’ concern about the high cost of transportation and demand for affordable Porsches: The Mayor: "Yes, it is a social crime that a new Carrera costs over 100,000 dollars. Transportation in a well maintained and newish car is a human right. The Town of Carmel Valley is in the process of establishing a transportation trust fund for those badly needed landscapers and brush cleaners who can not get into the Town to work. We understand the reluctance of those workers to buy and drive old clunkers such as 1989 Honda Civics and Toyota Tercels.
Regarding the protesters’ concern about the high cost of food and demand for affordable prime rib: Yes, it is a social crime that a pint of caviar costs over 200 dollars. Clean and good tasting food is a human right. The Town of Carmel Valley is in the process of establishing a food trust fund for those badly needed hard working employees of local businesses who need nutritious food to do a hard days work for a decent wage. We understand the reluctance of those workers to buy and eat white bread and peanut butter instead.
Regarding the protesters' concern about the high cost of housing and demand for an affordable single unit three bedroom, two bathroom detached houses with garage and view: Yes, it is a social crime that a single unit house with garage and view costs over 500,000 dollars. Housing in a safe well maintained comfortable spacious dwelling is a human right. The Town of Carmel Valley is in the process of establishing a housing trust fund for those workers who keep the economy going and want to live in an area of safety, clean air, water, and gorgeous views. We understand the reluctance of those workers to rent a two bedroom, one bath house with no garage or view.
I feel the pain of the protesters and I'm doing what I can to ease it. There is a budget crunch right now as the projected budget deficit appears to be huge, even unmanageable; therefore, everyone is going to have to tighten their belts and make sacrifices but as soon as the money becomes available, the three trust funds will be established and eligibility requirements will be determined as well as the priority of those applying. Proof of residency, citizenship, credit record, driver's license, medical checkup report, and education degrees will be required of course."
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News Thursday, August 27, 2009 Press Release:
The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley is pleased to announce that the meandering Carmel River will be straightened out. The Mayor: "The jet ski boats are smashing up on the opposite shore, scaring off the tourists and wiping out the boats. The boats and the tourists will become extinct should the situation be allowed to remain. Bulldozers will complete the straightening task soon and there will be a nice straight long stretch allowing the boats to reach the high speeds the tourists demand. The endangered red legged native frog and the endangered Carmel River Striped Trout may be viewed at the soon to open Town of Carmel Valley Petting Zoo©."
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News Thursday, August 27, 2009 Press Release:
The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley is pleased to announce the completion of the Carmel Valley Trans Valley Cable Gondola System (pat.pend.) The Mayor: "The system transports tourists from the top of Snively Ridge, across the scenic valley, to the other side near September Ranch. Access to the entry points is via rented all terrain vehicles (ATV) through Garland Ranch Preserve Park/Casino. Fees have yet to be established. Each cable car is diesel powered and will hold up to twenty five visitors with the trip taking about five minutes. The venture will bring in needed revenue to offset the projected budget deficit and will add about six jobs, it is hoped.
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News Thursday, August 27, 2009 Press Release:
The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley is pleased to announce the purchase by the Town of the Dusseldorf Heavy Water Production Facility in Dusseldorf, Republic of Germany, for an undisclosed amount. The Mayor: "The purchase of the heavy water facility will help alleviate the chronic water shortages the Town of Carmel Valley faces every year during the dry season. Since the water is heavy, more water can be acquired for the same amount of money when it is shipped by tanker across the Atlantic Ocean, through the Panama Canal and up the Pacific Ocean."
The Dusseldorf Heavy Water Production Facility was created after WW II and the unfortunate events near Rjukan in the Telemark region.
Heavy water is dideuterium oxide, or D2O or 2H2O. It is chemically the same as normal water, H2O, but the hydrogen atoms are of the heavy isotope deuterium, in which the nucleus contains a neutron in addition to the proton found in the nucleus of any hydrogen atom. Gilbert Newton Lewis isolated the first sample of pure heavy water in 1933.
Semiheavy water, HDO, also exists, although not in pure form: a sample of water of average composition HDO actually contains 50 percent HDO and 25 percent each H2O and D2O.
In 1934, Norsk Hydro built the first commercial heavy water plant with a capacity of 12 tonnes per year at Vemork. During World War II, the allies decided to destroy the plant and its heavy water in order to inhibit the German development of nuclear weapons. In late 1942, a raid by British paratroopers failed when the gliders crashed. All the raiders were killed in the crash or shot by the Germans. In February 1943, a group of 12 Norwegian infiltrators, trained in Britain by the Special Operations Executive and dropped by parachute into Norway, managed to disrupt production for two months by dynamiting the facilities. On November 16, 1943, the allied air forces dropped over 400 bombs on the site.
The allied air raid prompted the German government to move all available heavy water to Germany for safekeeping. However, on February 20 1944, a Norwegian partisan was able to sink the ferry carrying the heavy water across Lake Tinnsjoe at the cost of 14 Norwegian civilians.
The story was used for a 1965 Hollywood movie, The Heroes of Telemark, starring Kirk Douglas.
n World War II, Nazi Germany investigated the possibility of building an atomic bomb. As with all nuclear weapon development, the main problem was securing enough "weapons grade" material, particular isotopes of either uranium or plutonium. In order to produce these materials, found only in tiny quantities in nature, one must either extract the uranium from natural ore, or "breed" plutonium in a nuclear reactor. The German scientists decided to use plutonium, as the critical mass was smaller, and the bomb itself theoretically much easier to construct.
Unable to perfect a graphite-moderated reactor for plutonium production, they instead explored a heavy water based design (dideuterium oxide). This could have been used to do bomb research, and, ultimately, to breed plutonium from which a bomb could be constructed. At the time, Europe's major supply of heavy water came from the Norwegian Vemork hydroelectric plant, run by Norsk Hydro, near Rjukan in the Telemark region.
Between 1942 and 1944 a sequence of sabotage actions by the Norwegian resistance movement, as well as Allied bombing, ensured the destruction of the plant and the loss of the heavy water produced. These operations—codenamed Freshman, Grouse and Gunnerside—finally managed to knock the plant out of production in early 1943, basically ending the German research.
Operations Freshman and Grouse
The first attempt to destroy the plant was mounted by the Combined Operations command in November 1942. The plan consisted of two operations, the first would drop a number of Norwegian locals into the area as an advance force, and once in place a party of British engineers would be landed by glider to attack the plant itself.
On 19 October 1942, a four man team of Special Operations Executive (SOE) trained Norwegian partisans were parachuted into Norway. From their drop point in the wilderness they had to ski a long distance to the plant, so considerable time was given to complete this part of the mission, known as Operation Grouse.
On 19 November, Operation Freshman followed with the gliderborne landing onto a frozen lake near the plant. However the thirty-four Royal Engineers of the 1st British Airborne Division, together with the crews of two gliders and one bomber, died when their aircraft crashed into mountains during poor visibility. The Norwegians were unable to reach the crash site in time, and the survivors were executed by the Germans under Hitler’s Commando Order.
The Norwegian Grouse team thereafter had a long arduous wait in their mountain hideaway, subsisting virtually on moss and lichen during the winter until a reindeer was eventually found and shot just before Christmas.
Operation Gunnerside
British command was aware of the "success" of the Grouse team, and decided to build another operation in concert with them. In February 1943, an additional six Norwegian partisans were dropped into Norway in Operation Gunnerside. By this time the original Grouse team were being referred to as Swallow. They too were successful in landing, and found the Swallow team after a few days of searching. The combined team then made final preparations for their assault on the night of 27 February.
Following the Freshman attempt, mines, floodlights and additional guards were set around the plant. Whilst the mines and lights remained in place, security of the actual plant had slacked somewhat over the winter months. However, the single 75 metre bridge spanning the deep ravine which led to the plant, 200 metres above the River Maan, was well guarded.
The force elected to descend into the ravine, ford the river and climb the far side. The winter river level was very low and on the far side, where the ground levelled, they followed a single railway track straight into the plant without encountering any guards. Even before Grouse landed in Norway, SOE had a Norwegian agent within the plant who supplied detailed plans and schedule information. The demolition party used this information to enter the main basement by a cable tunnel and through a window. Other than keeping the night-watchman quiet, (and finding his glasses for him), no one interfered with their mission or immediate escape following what they described as a "dull thud". A British machine gun was purposely left to indicate this was a British raid and not local resistance, to try to prevent reprisals.
All ten made good their escape whereafter six skied 400 kilometres to Sweden while four remained in Norway for further work with the resistance. The plant was restored by April and SOE concluded a repeat raid would be extremely hard as German security was thereafter very considerable. In November the plant was attacked by a massed daylight bombing raid of 143 B-17 bombers dropping 711 bombs; the reason for the original ground assault a year earlier was that the available alternative of night bombing was considered unrealistic at that time.
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News Thursday, August 27, 2009 Press Release:
The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley, always considerate, wishes to directly explain his repeated refusals to reveal the salaries of Town employees, including himself, to the citizens he represents. The Mayor: "I don't want to upset you."
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News Thursday, August 27, 2009 Press Release:
The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley explains that the request for an ice cream cart in the Town of Carmel Valley has been denied once again. The Mayor: "Ice cream is a food and since there are already two grocery supermarkets in the Town, another food store would be unfair to the existing stores."
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News Thursday, August 27, 2009 Press Release:
The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley reveals the new Parking Plan (TM) is in effect. The Mayor: "All parking spaces in the Town of Carmel Valley are now designated Handicapped Parking spaces. The required Blue Handicapped Placards are currently on sale in the Town tax office. The fees generated by the sale of the placards will be used to offset the projected budget deficit and pay the salary of the newly hired parking enforcement officer. It's a win/win situation. In addition, plans are afoot to make Carmel Valley Road entirely a diamond lane requiring car pooling or motorcycles. We are proposing a new driving ban for certain types of vehicles on Carmel Valley Road and the local roads of the Town of Carmel Valley because of the extraordinary danger they represent to driving citizens and pedestrians. Because of the silence from the absence of engine noise and exhaust there is a danger of collision to unsuspecting citizens; therefore, all Prius, Insight and other all electric or hybrid vehicles are banned from the Town of Carmel Valley and Carmel Valley Road until add-on kits of fender mounted speakers are available to make those quiet and thus dangerous cars noticeable again. I am still adamently opposed to speed bumps along the road to keep speeds under 25 MPH."
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News Thursday, August 27, 2009 Press Release:
The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley states that discussions are currently underway to make the Town of Carmel Valley a gated Town based upon the success of the several local gated communities. The Mayor: "The current idea is to make the Town into a theme park to justify the high entry fees. The theme most favored is that of a castle with the entry points as drawbridges with guards dressed as medieval soldiers. Each drawbridge would be raised every night at 10 PM and lowered at 6 AM. Citizens would have a reduced bulk entry fee rate. The fees generated by the fees for entry would be used to offset the projected budget deficit as well as pay the salaries of the newly hired guards. It's a win/win situation."
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News Thursday, August 27, 2009 Press Release:
The Mayor of the Town of Carmel Valley wishes to reply to the many complaints about debris littering the streets and roads of the Town when the trash blows off the sanitation trucks owned and operated by the Waste Dispersal Management company: The Mayor: "Look, picking up a 32 gallon trash can and emptying it into the back of a truck for a lousy five bucks is hard work. Would you like to be handling plastic cans holding snotty tissues, empty wine bottles, and dead rats every morning of the week for a measly 75K a year? No, I didn't think so. Trash happens and I know Sammy and his boys at WDM are doing the best they can and we should appreciate that and help them out. In that regard, I have asked the nearby City of Carmel by-the-Sea School District elementary and middle schools to delay the start of classes every Wednesday until noon to allow the volunteer civic minded students to walk the roads and streets of our fair Town picking up the litter. We must all do our part to keep our Town clean and healthy, so watch out while driving every Wednesday mornings for stopped sanitation trucks parked on blind curves and for students picking up the trash."
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