Unlawfull act of Sedition by U.S. Congress

Dear Colorado  American Citizens,

              I often write about political issues dealing with environmental disasters and human rights violations.  This week's blog will be no different, what is different is that normally I write about some police state, genocidal war, totalitarian regime on foreign soil.  Instead, this time I write about the very real treasonous actions of the 112th United States Congress. 

              The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2012  Section 1031 allows for the indefinite detention of U.S. Citizens.  For no other reason than the United States Government deems it prudent.  If you want to Read Section 1031 of the NDAA 2012 you can find it here  (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h112-1540 ).

              Section 1031 is unlawful, immoral, unjust and unconstitutional.  I am lucky to live in Colorado where Mark Udall Exposed section 1031. Here is what was reported about what Mark Udall had to say about the bill.  

“I would also point out that these provisions raise serious questions as
to who we are as a society and what our Constitution seeks to protect,”
Colorado Senator Mark Udall said in a speech last week. One section of
these provisions, section 1031, would be interpreted as allowing the
military to capture and indefinitely detain American citizens on U.S.
soil. Section 1031 essentially repeals the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 by
authorizing the U.S. military to perform law enforcement functions on
American soil. That alone should alarm my colleagues on both sides of the
aisle, but there are other problems with these provisions that must be
resolved.”

              Furthermore, Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, Criticizes the NDAA 1031 in the following video.  Criticizing that our governments executive administration asked the language that protects citizens to be removed. You read that right.  Our government, our executive branch, our president, requested and our senate yielded to him. That, the provisions to protect U.S. Citizens should be removed.  93 of 100 Senators did not only heed our president's request that "We the People" should be detained without trial, they allowed it to be written, then they voted to pass it.  

              http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLiKvSz_wX8&feature=colike

              This will not do!  The NDAA cannot be allowed to pass into law.  The NDAA 1031 passed by the Congress with 93 votes for and 7 votes against.  But there is still a  slim chance we can stop this vile act before it becomes law.  To petition NDAA 1031 follow this link before December 13th 2011. Sorry I did not get the link out on this blog sooner.  Here is the link:

http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-ndaa-section-1031-citizen-imprisonment-law-before-dec-13#


The seven decent Senators who voted against this fascist monstrosity of a bill, which would effectively repeal the Bill of Rights and the Posse Comitatus Act, are Rand Paul(R-KY), Mike Lee(R-UT), Tom Coburn(R-OK), Bernie Sanders(I-VT), Tom Harkin(D-IA), Jeff Merkley(D-OR), and Ron Wyden(D-OR).

Baculite Mesa

Recently I was invited out to Baculite Mesa, CO, to go play around in the clays and sandstones with my alma mater and the new class of budding geoscientist. The location was on private property but thanks to the college professor arrangements to dig on the property were easily arranged. 

As a side note:  A lot of the fossils we found can be located 2miles or so East of  I-25 in Pueblo but there is a lot of farm and private property so pay attention to no trespassing signs.

For the dig site we were at you can use your hands to dig in the regolith and soils.  Gloves are needed, but a spade(shovel) or a small rock pick are a nice advantage.  Having been to the location before I knew I wanted a pic to break up some of the larger conglomerates.

My new rock pick is actually a 22 inch concrete buster found at my local hardware store for a little under $30.

 What we were looking for is what the mesa is famous for, Baculites.  Known as walking stick rocks, or those funny little elongated ovals found in dirt to amazed kids playing in mud.  Bacluites are actually ammonites with nearly straight shells.  They are similar to oval cones if your ever lucky to find one whole.  They are in the Molusk

The two I was happy to keep.

Baculites are found in the Mesozoic Era, specifically  the Late Cretaceous period.  The earth was warm and tropical.

This Baculite is just over 3 inches in length. The pattern on the right of the Baculite is called sutures.

 In the above picture you can see sutures on the rock.  Sutures are the walls of the different chambers of the baculite.  Different sections of its segmented body. In the picture below you can see the telltale signs of the baculite, the oval shape of its bodies width.

Width just over 1 1/8 inch.

 Sometimes when finding baculites you will be lucky to find one with the nacre still attached.  The nacre is the baculites shell.  In the pictures below there is a yellowish/white surface chipped and broken along the fossil.  This is the nacre.  As you can see this fossil is very simular to the one above.  They are both baculites the following just has portions of its shell.  It is also a little smaller in measurements.  But a great find none-the-less because it has a portion of its nacre.

That is not all you can find in the Mesozoic.  I was lucky enough to find numerous bivalves and brachipods.  So yeah there are seashells in geology in the plains of Colorado. The difference between a bivalve and a brachiopod is very slight.  Brachiopods have had valves (shells) on the uper and lower surfaces, unlike the left and right arrangements in bivalves.  This is often differentiated
only by a toothed hinge.

This is a petri dish I use them to collect samples of similar fossils/rocks.  Any hard clear plastic case could work, like bottles or jars.  But avoid using glass.  As it will break. 

I liked this one the most.

Can you figure out if I am holding a bivalve or a brachiopod?


In the above picture is a Bivalve stuck in stone.  This thumbnail sized snack thrived in the marines of the ancient world (similar to species that thrive today in modern oceans and seas).  This one avoided being eaten only to be fossilized.

So why are fossils like this important to the world of science?
Well there are plenty of reasons, one you can produce a number of various chemicals out of their remains.  Calcium, Hydrogen, Carbons. You can date the strata (the layer of rock) you are digging in.
You can tell what the climate and environment was like in the region at the comparative date.

Why would any of that be important?
Well knowing what layer of rock your digging in will increase chances of knowing what can be discovered.  If I was looking for Dinosaurs this location would be the right peroid of geological time, BUT, Its aquatic, marine.   So its not likely to find land dwelling dinosaurs in a watery grave. 

Yet this does not mean I am not close. Often from sampling many areas that are marine you will often find shale or conglomerates.  These can indicate in which direction I would need to move to find solid dry land.  In this case, If I wanted a dino from this period of time, the evidence points that the land mass I want is in Utah.

Industrially however, there are other key implications the strata of this region can give away.  One is there is shale in the region.  Shale is a common component of paint, plastic, roofing materials, clays and bricks.  So manufactures of those supplies will be interested in the region.

Shale also helps make natural aquifers.  Aquifers are underground sources of water.  Often used in agriculture and housing developments.

One final note to touch on is, ancient marine regions are a great source of oils and natural gas. 

So to sum it up.  Knowing the strata of a region, by the fossil record and rock type can tell scientist what can be found in the region.  Shales to build from, oils and gas to power machines, water to drink, chemicals to use in modern industry, and the reason I like geo science, and probably the best reason, is I get to play in the dirt all day looking at fossils.

What little boy doesn't grow up wanting to do that. 

Error of the Economy of a Shrinking Middle Class

The rise and fall of America according to everyone else:

Ever notice everyone says the sky is falling?  Companies are out sourcing, jobs are declining, healthcare is a dead horse, Protest are occupying the streets, and you don't have a yacht.  From the top down and bottom up everyone is asking for bailouts, handouts, and hands-up. 

The fall According to me:

Why do people think the sky is falling?

The world economy has been described by economist as a pizza with 10 slices.  In the 80's-90's the United States held 9 pieces of pizza and the rest of the world shared 1 piece. In 2010 the pizza slices changed hands and the United States holds only 8 pieces and the rest of the world now has 2 slices to share.  However, when looking at the United States by itself; The Rich hold 90% of our pizza and the poor have 10%. 

How this happened  you might ask?

Simple the United States had an inflated portion of the pizza after World War II when we had the majority of manufacturing jobs because the rest of the civilized world was in ruin.  We (the USA) benefitted from free trade with our allies and conquered nations of Germany and Japan.  We also Benefitted by Allying with Saudi Arabia over oil issues.  We had an inflated disproportionate stake in the World Economy, a stake our countries businesses exploited like it was going to be sustainable and ever growing.

When did this all fall apart?

After WWII the United States out sourced jobs and money to prop up allied nations and insurgent groups during the Cold War.  As a way to struggle with 'Communist Nations' over political ideals.  Outsourced Jobs declined US tax revenue and built s dependency on foreign goods.  Like automobiles, fuel, computer parts, clothes, toys and food.   Let's look at some countries that supply these goods to your local stores.

The Markets:

The Auto Market: The Auto market is dominated by Japanese, and Korean and German auto manufactures.  Let's face it I can't afford Italian and British made cars, and if you're reading this neither can you.  The United State Blocks India's Tata Motors so it's not a factor (for now).

The Computer Market: Your computer is made in part in Taiwan, Singapore, China, Korea, and so on.  Long dead is the American computer parts manufacturer.

Clothes and toys:  They're made in sweat shops.... I mean sewing shops in 3rd world countries.   Most commonly Asian pacific nations.  Most of what comes from Wal-mart and Target is  Chinese goods.  This keeps the prices down so you can afford the commerce.

Food: Agriculture has moved away from the family farm.  To being the industrial-subsidized-corporate-farm.  Some that even genetically alter their crops and then copyright the gene-pattern.  But the majority of farm goods are coming from Mexico and South America.  Why?  Because it's cheaper than hiring farm hands or buying tractors in the USA.

Are economy is taking a nose dive because there are no middle class manufacturing jobs.  They got out sourced to cheaper markets.

Why didn't the government do anything to stop this?

Simple, Ignorance of the data.  Few  grew up being told that American Ingenuity was built on the back of a isolationist country coming into the world market after the world market took a hits from the Great Depression and 2 World Wars.  Instead we were told was the Greatest Generation ever took on poverty and Adolf Hitler to make America strong.  The truth was we had untouched manufacturing facilities while the Europe's manufacturing was reduced to carpet bombed rubble. In the vacuum of goods America boomed in its excess as it helped rebuild the world infrastructure of global commerce. 

While the Greatest generation prospered under grants, loans, war bonds and pensions the country grew strong with inventive and innovative products (demilitarized technologies like radio, tv, remote control, computers, the space program, and Medicine).  My Grandparents generation prospered under government subsidies, manufacturing boom, infrastructure jobs, social security nets and Hollywood films.  While other nations rebuilt homes and streets, Hollywood and the USA sold the American Dream.

Opportunity was rip and propaganda about an unbeatable America was strong. The reality is we the people bought our own government  propaganda.  That America would remain at the top.  Propaganda the United states still holds to even while in decline.

Why doesn't anyone do anything about it?

Well people protest.  But the simple fact is money does more talking then picket signs. People strive where the money is.  Are motivated where money is.  And bring about change where the money is.  The USA influence comes from its money.  Our political base comes from money.

So As long as Teachers, enlisted military,  Police, Firemen, Infrastructure maintenance and burger flippers are low paying jobs they have no influence.  So unions will pay lobbyists to swing combined union dues to grease the pockets of politicians.

Lawyers, doctors, union actors, label musicians, professional/college athletes and celebrities have unions and lobbyists too.  But these lobbyists have bigger budgets and more influence do to it.  Thus they garnish better wages.

Laws help Occupations that hold onto cash flow. Because larger cash flow greases more pockets. 

How is this sustainable?

In truth it isn't.  However, while the rich need not fix the problems because the law protects the wealth.  The military, police and fire departments are all paid to protect the rich land owners not the broke citizens.  The law is paid for by large cash flows.  Those with money get treated better by the law then those without.  Eventually the poor become disenfranchised and protest.  If protest is successful the middle class grows.  If the protest is unsuccessful people are jailed. There is a point in which the wealthy cannot pay people to protect their assets.  At some point the tide against the rich and indulgent is to great. Historically we call these events revolutions.

This Trend in Figure 5 cannot be allowed to continue!

Do I think America is ready for Revolution? No. People are still talking and people are still peacefully demonstrating (mostly).  Furthermore revolution depends on a common enemy and our personal agendas as Americans are fractured and split.  Thus no common ground. Without common ground you get civil war not revolutions. 

What is needed to fix the America?

I always hate it when people rant and don't offer a solution.  So here is the solution to America's problems.  Simply, A large middle class.

To provide this nation with a compedative working middle class in a global market we need the following:

1.  Better Education paid for by the people for the people.  Public education reinforced with community colleges and trade schools, free to the students.  Students need to have trades taught to them in high school.  Students need, auto, carpentry, backing, geography, health, history, sewing, social studies courses to round out 'Reading, Writing and Arithmetic'.

2.  Private Education facilities to foster academic goals of individual and groups.  That competes with public education in providing a better education product.  AKA Trade schools, colleges, Universities, Pay-for-education Private schools.  Private schools should raise the academic bar and public schools should follow suit.

3. A middle class that holds 80% of the population that works to maintain infrastructure, commerce, manufacturing, agriculture, medical, police, military and safety regulations paid for by the corporations and the Government.  With balanced wages and benefits for all employees.

4. Insurance overhaul.  So that Insurance does not hike up the costs of medical treatments.  Insurance needs to be practical, enforced, to pay out or not used at all.

5. A medical overhaul, where cures not treatments are valued.  So that companies who find a cure for an ailment prosper over pharmaceutical companies that sale anesthetic to numb the pain.  

6. State run medical support with private market option.  Clinics run by interns for minor ailments and military hospitals with increased budgets for civilian health care are two ideas that would help the public.

7. A citizen-only-welfare-system that requires volunteer work at public facilities to warrant payment.  An Example:  If you collect a welfare check for $800 you are required to read to the deaf and blind at the public library 20 hours a week.  Or pick up trash on the side of the highway.  Or work at state run second hand stores.

8.  Enforced Immigration laws and regulations. Allow immigration but enforce the laws.

9. Government Accountability

10. Personal Accountability

How will all of this be paid for?

With tax revenue from a population increase of a growing middle class!  A population of 80% middle class  with a tax revenue of 20% will pay for it all government programs.  As long as the Middle class makes near 100k a year.

Why this won't happen:

Simply the middle class is shrinking.  The wealthy 10% of this nation have outsourced the agricultural, manufacturing and tech support jobs. You can't get loans for small business and if you do, large corporations move in, and shut you down.  Bank's are profiting not holding profit and this is why you need to join a credit union (Fed, Ent, Navy Federal are all great choices). Commerce is strangling  the United States for various reasons, most which can be attributed to wealth, licensing, collateral, insurance, and poor market structures. 

For a Healthy American Economy the United States needs a large middle class population.  This will not happen with wealth gaps growing between the poor and the rich.  

To be continued:

Colorado Weather, Hazards and Saftey in Extreme conditions.

The weather in Colorado is one of the factors that make the State thrive.  Tourism depends on nice weather and snow for the ski lifts.  Its "mostly sunny with a few clouds" almost 300 days of the year. It's the 65 days of the year that you have to worry about. 

Yesterday was 80-90 degrees and today it is raining.  The snow will be coming.  So let me welcome you to Colorado.  Where the Natives will tell you "If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes". 

Colorado Weather is no Joke.  In Single day it can go from 70 degree weather to blizzards to tornado's and thunderstorms.  It has happened more than once that  5 tornadoes touched down in Denver Metro area at the same time (http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/19683459/detail.html).  The weather is fickle and dangerous.

·       So today I will suggest a Emergency road kit for your automobile, give you some safety tips for tornadoes and teach you about driving in the snow.

Emergency Road Kit:

I include this listen in all kits I build.  So first thing first.  Basic  survival is all about; water, food, shelter, warmth and signals.  The first 5 things on any emergency kit should be to facilitate these needs.

1.    Bottled water (to rehydrate)
2.     Granola or energy bars (to eat)
3.    A Tarp (To stay dry outside a vehicle)
4.     Blankets (to stay warm) 
5.      a working flashlights (to signal other cars or see what you are doing)

Some of the basic items include and emergency kit are:

• ·       12-foot jumper cables
• ·       Four 15-minute roadside flares (signals) 
• ·       Two quarts of oil

• ·       Gallon of antifreeze
• ·       First aid kit (including an assortment of bandages, gauze, adhesive tape, antiseptic cream, instant ice and heat compresses, scissors and aspirin)
• ·       Extra fuses
• ·       TOOLS: Flat head screwdrivers, Phillips head screwdrivers, Pliers, Vise Grips, Adjustable wrench
• ·       Tire inflator (such as a Fix-A-Flat)
• ·       Tire pressure gauge

It is also a very good idea to Bring along the following:

• ·       Rags
• ·       Roll of paper towels
• ·       Roll of duct tape
• ·       Spray bottle with washer fluid
• ·       Pocketknife
• ·       Ice scraper
• ·       Pen and paper
• ·       Help sign
• ·       and heavy-duty nylon bag to carry it all in.

Tornadoes:  The Tornado Project does a great job on informing people about tornado saftey http://www.tornadoproject.com/safety/safety.htm

But a  few quick notes:  You car is not heavy enough to stop a tornado from lifting and throwing it. 

"In a car or truck: Vehicles are extremely dangerous in a tornado. If the tornado is visible, far away, and the traffic is light, you may be able to drive out of its path by moving at right angles to the tornado. Otherwise, park the car as quickly and safely as possible -- out of the traffic lanes. [It is safer to get the car out of mud later if necessary than to cause a crash.] Get out and seek shelter in a sturdy building. If in the open country, run to low ground away from any cars (which may roll over on you). Lie flat and face-down, protecting the back of your head with your arms. Avoid seeking shelter under bridges, which can create deadly traffic hazards while offering little protection against flying debris." Roger Edwards,  Storm Prediction Center, Norman, Oklahoma

One thing I would like to add is small drainage ditches are dangerous do to flash flooding don't take shelter in them from a tornado. 

Just stick to sturdy buildings and low lands in the valley between hills.

Driving in the Snow: 

Note Front will drive and 4 will drive will not make you a safer driver.   Only diligent attention to detail and cautious driving will help prevent snow accidents.  Watch all these Colorado Drivers try to surmount a small hill during a light blizzard. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJFMywIKzSI

They all thought their car was able to make it, front wheel drive, 4wheel, light, heavy none of these cars where equipped for snow driving.  No Snow chains where used, the roads where not salted.  Each and every driver said to themselves "I can make it, these other idiots just don't know how to drive in the snow."  and each and every one of them made the same mistake.  They did observe what was going on, and they didn't know how to drive.

So tips for drivers in any car in the snow:

·       Observe: Pay attention to the driving and others around you.  Don't play with the radio, heater, cell phone while the car is moving.

·       If you see someone lose traction avoid repeating their mistakes.  If going uphill they tapped their breaks and then slid off.  Don't tap your breaks OR better yet plan a route with a lower grade hill.

1. ·       If your rear end slides, Turn into the skid
2. ·       If your front end slides, take your foot off the gas and go to neutral, don't break.
3. ·       Move slowly with purpose.  Speed only accelerates the chance of accidents. More gas does nothing to stop your lack of control and only complicates things when you regain traction.
4. ·       The Brake only stops tires not tires sliding on ice.
5. ·       4wheel, AWD, only help you keep moving and only then when they have traction.
6. ·       Front wheel drive, gives great forward traction and steering but avoid fishtailing the car.
7. ·       Rear wheel drive:  DON"T DRIVE!  Your car is not built for control or traction, its built for speed.  It is not going to have any control because your front tires are now ice skates and your rear tires are going to spin at different speeds. So you have very little control.  Get a ride, wait for the storm to settle, get a taxi.  Avoid driving Rear wheel drive cars in the snow. 

The writers at Syracuse.com suggest the following.

"Despite a popular misconception, the best approach to recovering from a skid is the   same   for front and rear-wheel drive vehicles. If your  rear wheels  start to skid:

·       Turn the steering wheel in the direction you want the front wheels to go. If your rear wheels are sliding left, steer left. If they're sliding right, steer right.

·       If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover, ease the steering wheel toward that side. You might have to steer left and right a few times to get your vehicle completely under control.

·       If your car has an anti-lock braking system (ABS), keep your foot on the pedal. If not, pump the pedal gently, pumping more rapidly as your car slows down. Braking hard with non-anti-lock brakes will make the skid worse.

  If your   front wheels   skid:

·       Take your foot off the gas and shift to neutral, but   don't   try to steer immediately.

·       As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in "drive" or release the clutch, and accelerate gently. " 

Two more great sites for driving in the snow info:

Edmunds.com and these 2 articles:

            http://www.edmunds.com/car-safety/driving-on-snow-and-ice-10-safety-tips.html

            http://www.edmunds.com/how-to/how-to-drive-in-the-snow.html

Syracuse.com Article :

http://www.syracuse.com/weather/snow/stories/driving.html

I hope this helps you have a safer driving experience in Colorado.  Enjoy your stay.  Drive like you know what you are doing, slow and purposeful. 

Dragon Boat Festival Teaser

It is one week until Colorado's Dragon Boat Festival. This year the Consul-General of Japan will be there. I was invited to take part in a cosplay event (cosplay is costuming to themes of literature, tv, cinema, and manga art).

For those readers new to my blogs I run 2 blogs one on Geography and one on Costuming. For the next 2 weeks I have the boon to discuss both together. So both blogs will be sharing about Colorado's Dragon Boat Festival. For those interested in costumes I will be showing off my favorites of the event and a little bit about the participants. For those interested in Geography I will be discussing the influence of Asian Cultures in the Pikes Peak Region. So after this initial post each blog will have a different topic, Visit my other blog here http://eyesoncolorado.blogspot.com

To start off the week:

The rich diversity of cultures in the Colorado region allows Americans and tourist to take part in many cultural events. One such event on July 30th is the Dragon Boat Festival held at Sloan Lake Park in Denver Colorado. For information about the event and directions for parking please follow this link http://www.cdbf.org/
The Dragon Boat Festival (or Duanwu festival) is a holiday originating in China and is associated with a number of Asian cultures today. It is held the 5th day of the 5th month (June 6th in the US traditionally), Denver Colorado Celebrates it on July 30th this 2011.

" The best-known traditional story holds that the festival commemorates the death of poet Qu Yuan (Chinese: 屈原) (c. 340 BCE – 278 BCE) of the ancient state of Chu, in the Warring States Period of the Zhou Dynasty. A descendant of the Chu royal house, Qu served in high offices. However, when the king decided to ally with the increasingly powerful state of Qin, Qu was banished for opposing the alliance. Qu Yuan was accused of treason. During his exile, Qu Yuan wrote a great deal of poetry, for which he is now remembered. Twenty-eight years later, Qin conquered the capital of Chu. In despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

It is said that the local people, who admired him, threw lumps of rice into the river to feed the fish so that they would not eat Qu Yuan's body. This is said to be the origin of zongzi. The local people were also said to have paddled out on boats, either to scare the fish away or to retrieve his body. This is said to be the origin of dragon boat racing." ~Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duanwu_Festival

Well I don't want to spoil to much today so I will post more soon.
Hope you can join us next Saturday July 30th at Sloan Park, Denver Colorado.

Water water everywhere but not a drop to drink

Mark Twain once said, "Whisky is for drinking, water is for fighting over".

Ever ponder water and wonder why its so hard for people to get it around the world when it falls from the sky, seeps from the ground, and flows across the land, and when 70% of the world is water?

The simple answer is fresh water is rare and salt water is the majority. It doesn't rain everywhere, some people can not access ground water, damns stop historical rivers and people fight wars over water. Wars over water? Can you imagine having to result in armed conflict to get drinking water or crops irrigated?

For many people in the world this is the case. Water is a big issue world wide. Even people on river and lake systems have conflicts protecting the resources. Here are 4 examples in just 2010 where people died in conflicts over water.

ONE: Fighting in Pakistan over irrigation water

Date: 2010
Parties: Pakistani tribes
Basis: Development dispute; Military tool
Violent: Yes

More than 100 are dead and scores injured following two weeks of tribal fighting in Parachinar in the Kurram region of Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border. The conflict over irrigation water began as the Shalozan Tangi tribe cut off supplies to the Shalozan tribe. Some report that the terrorist group al-Qaida may be involved; others claim sectarian violence is to blame as one group is Sunni Muslim and the other Shiite.

TWO: Bomb in water truck kills 3 in Afghanistan

Date: 2010
Parties: Afghanistan
Basis: Terrorism
Violent: Yes

A remote-controlled bomb hidden in a water truck killed three people, including two children, in eastern Afghan province of Khost, which borders Pakistan.

THREE:Pakistan irrigation dispute kills 116

Date: 2010
Parties: Mangal and Tori tribes, Pakistan
Basis: Development dispute
Violent: Yes

A water dispute in Pakistan
FOUR:Violent water protest in India

Date: 2010
Parties: India
Basis: Development dispute
Violent: Yes

A protest about water shortages leads to violence. Erratic water supply, and eventually a complete cutoff of water in the Kondli area of Mayur Vihar in east Delhi causes a violent protest and several injuries.


Its a historical strategy in warfaer.
Hezekiah stops springs in advance of Assyrian Invasion

Date: 701 BC
Parties: Israel (Judah), Assyria
Basis: Military tool; Military maneuvers
Violent: Yes

When King Hezekiah of Judah sees that Sennacherib of Assyria is coming in war, he has the water from the springs and brook outside Jerusalem stopped to keep the water from the Assyrians.


Furthermore the water conflicts are not that far from home. Even the united states has had water conflicts over riporian water laws and who has rights to use river water. And many times in United States history did enemies of the state target water supplies to disrupt water flow. Luckily most blown damns or blocked rivers are a thing of US past but terrorist foreign and domestic still threaten water supplies.
For example:
Colorado eco-terrorists threaten water supply

Date: 2002
Parties: United States
Basis: Terrorism
Violent: No: Threat

The Earth Liberation Front threatens the water supply for the town of Winter Park. Previously, this group claimed responsibility for the destruction of a ski lodge in Vail, Colorado that threatened lynx habitat.

Thanks to World Water.org I found a nifty map showing the worlds water conflicts where you can interact with it to find out more data.
http://www.worldwater.org/conflict/map/
Their webiste is a handy tool to geographers dealing with water conflicts. By all means it is not a begin all end all resource but its a good start.

If I can impose on anyone who finds this article: Look into local water issues, donate to water conservation efforts or digging wells for the impoverished. Their are many nonprofits that handle this issue. Help where you can even if its telling a friend.

Anyway I will have more on this topic for the next few weeks. For now have a good time and enjoy a cool glass of water while you have it.

What is geography, It's magic!

Often I find myself answering the question "What does a geographer do?" with the witty come back "Everything" to the dismay of friends and family. In the professional sense I tell employers I gather data, where I look for trends in data about location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and regions and how interact with each other, and that I can show these trends on everything from a map to a bar-graph. Where this is the most specific singular sentence I can use to describe geography, I think Judy Martz said it best as, "Everything has to do with geography."

The modern Geographer needs to know just about everything. This should be evident to the nature of its goals but I will elaborate. Every geographer will have to have at minimum knowledge of, Earth Science, mathematics/statistics, rhetoric, cultural diversity, cartography and navigation. Which gives them the ability to understand and elaborate on data. Modern geographers also should know many tools (computers, compass maps, software, Global Information Systems, geological hammers, microscopes just to name a few). The goal of geography is to make information about the world accessible or useable. This means a geographer is not only using math to prove a fact but also dictating a train of thought about the philosophical argument. Geographers will use law, science, behavior psychology, math, literature, and philosophy to establish concrete data on a subject. This is due to the broad spectrum of data a geographer will use.

For example: A geographer is collecting data about a region to build a new damn in a flooded valley. They will survey, measure and map the selected valley, locate and identify human/animal populations that may need relocating, identify geographic substrata to determine if an area has enough impermeable surface to retain said dam water, they will need compose data to be usable by planning committees and engineers. All the while looking at how changes to a region will impact future development, economy and environmental impact. Although this data maybe collected by a number of specialized geographers, the amount of overlap in work and administration of the project requires a geographer to know a broad skill set. Let alone a broader knowledge base makes for a more marketable geographer.
So consider this:

There are two major fields of study of Geography, subdivided into Physical and Human geography which include at least the following:
• Physical geography: including geomorphology, hydrology, glaciology, biogeography, climatology, pedology, oceanography, geodesy, and environmental geography.
• Human geography: including urban geography, cultural geography, economic geography, political geography, historical geography, marketing geography, health geography, and social geography.

Every geographer I personally know constantly studies each of these fields because the overlapping data is always useful. Example: A Hydrologist needs to understand the physical geo-sciences of geomorphology, glaciology, climatology, and environmental geography just because how they add data to how water moves on/in landmass. Hydrologist will have a vast knowledge about how water will impact human geography, including concepts of culture, economics, politics, health and social/historical conflicts.

Every geographer I know is at least an amateur geologist and a skilled cartographer.
Most are computer savants, and skilled mathematicians.
The best geographers I know can program a computer or write programs.
Simply put geographers are the most experienced and skilled people. Which is evident since no one can tell what we are doing.

It brings to mind three "laws" of prediction formulated by the British writer and scientist Arthur C. Clarke. Clarke's Three Laws are:

1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

So the next time someone asks me "What does a geographer do?" And I give them an honest answer and receive a blank look. I am going to tell them it's Magic. Geography is just magic.

Johannes Vermeer, The Geographer 1668-69 oil on canvas; 53×47 cm. Steadelsches Kunstinstitut Frankfurt, Germany

Garden of the Gods

Garden of the Gods Colorado Springs CO

Garden of the Gods is one of my favorite places to drive in Colorado. The first picture of the set is my car with Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak in the back ground.

as a side note you can see the kissing camels on the rock to the upper right hand side. (will get to that later).

I live not far from Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. It's a beautiful region with sedimentary beds of colored sandstones, conglomerates and limestone. They were deposited horizontally, that is no longer the case as they reach into the sky vertically.

Evidence of past aions; ancient seas, eroded ruminants of ancestral mountain ranges, alluvial fans, sandy beaches and great sand dune fields can be read in the rocks. But I just like it because it makes the rocks look like BACON!

I kid.

Here is a cross section of the park I drew for a college course. It shows how the different layers of rock bend towards the sky under Colorado Springs and form Garden of the Gods.

A spectacular shear fault can be observed where the Tower of Babel in the Lyons Sandstone where it contacts the Fountain Formation. Hmm Picture is missing I will go retake it and add it later.

The hogbacks, so named because they resemble the backs and spines of a pig, are ridges of sandstone whose layers are tilted. Instead of lying horizontally, some layers are even vertically oriented as mentioned above.

The Hogback says Oink Oink

Some hogbacks are several hundred feet long, and the tallest (North Gateway Rock) rises to a height of 320 feet. A notable rock feature on this hogback is Kissing Camels, it appears to be two very large camels sitting face to face with their lips touching it is also one of the most popular rock climbing spots in the city.

There are many fossils to be seen: marine forms, plant fossils, and some dinosaur fossils. But there is no such thing as Obsidian in Garden of the Gods:

On one occasion during the nineteenth century, Dr. George Frederick Kunz, vice-president of and "gem expert" of Tiffany & Co., wrote about a “specimen of obsidian” he was shown from the Garden of the Gods in Colorado. “A friend recently made a trip through parts of Colorado, and knowing our desire to obtain materials suitable for cutting into gems, he purchased at a pavilion, near the gateway of the Garden of the Gods, a specimen of what the dealer called “obsidian.” It was carefully packed and carried thousands of miles, and was handed to us with the ceremony befitting an elegant gift. We received it with much delight, and after removing yards of tissue paper, held it before a lamp light, and saw a transparent mass of about 4x4" of pure bottle green- glass.”
-Kunz, George Frederick. The Mineral Collector. Volume II, number 6, August 1895, page 97.
This does not mean you might not find obsidian shards or objects int he park. It is possible from an anthropological point of view that you may find man made objects transported into the park. Particularly but Native Americans. I would just be wary of buying any Colorado obsidian on the internet found in Garden of the Gods.

Trivia:
The name Colorado is said to come from the color of the red sandstone.
The name of the park dates back to August 1859 when two surveyors helping to set up nearby Colorado City were exploring the nearby areas. Upon discovering the site, one of the surveyors, M. S. Beach, suggested that it would be a "capital place for a beer garden." His companion, the young Rufus Cable, awestruck by the impressive rock formations, exclaimed, "Beer Garden! Why it is a fit place for the gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods." The beer garden never materialized, but the name stuck.

In 2006 a dinosaur species discovered there, was named after the park: Theiophytalia kerri.

- Garden Of The Gods | Education | Park History http://www.gardenofgods.com/education/index_175.cfm

All Pictures Copyrighted Mehner Photo Illustrations and are the expressed property of Fred Mehner III

Next time you go to Garden of the Gods or visit it from out of state have a beer and remember you can learn a lot about the world while enjoying a cold brew.

Welcome to The Colorado Geographer

As this blog was started late last night I have been debating what topic to cover first to start a theme. Rather than just reply to topics I find on the internet I figured I would kick of this blog with some photos of my home. So please enjoy these photos from around my home in Colorado. In the next few days I will talk about the region where I live and issues geography & geology could solve in my region.

This was taken one nice day after a very long trip surveying the plant communities of Colorado back in 2009.

This was taken by me Mothers day 2011 just south of Garden of the Gods at Red Rock Canyon Trail.

Taken April 12 2010. A picture of Pikes Peak.

Well I hope you enjoyed. I'll Come back and talk to you soon about how each of these structures formed and how they effect the Colorado Springs Region.

A reply to Sue L

This is a reply to Sue L's "Is America in 2011 comparable to Rome in 200AD – an advanced state of decadence? pcspeed.net The US has some serious serious problems. House prices have fallen by 33% and Unemployment remains high. 1 in 6 depend on food stamps to ensure they..."

Dear Sue L,

It is not likely America is facing the decline that Rome did. The USA may have bad spots when it deals with infrastructure but the majority is in working order. Our economic model and domestic trends maybe in flux, but the country could survive many disasters natural or manmade with hardship but it will not face a total collapse. The Idea that a society may fail do to Economy is highly over rated. Most advances in technology, social structure, and population growth happen after economic strife (and oddly times of war) and most nations fall from military conflict on their home turf. So I'll address the issues you mentioned rather than a lofty ideological commentary.

Housing prices falling 33% is not a sign of devalued homes, it is a sigh of price gauging coming to a decline. The value of a home should not be dictated by the housing authority or government agency, but by the consumers demand. A 33% decline is a reflection of consumers dissatisfaction with housing monopolies.

Food stamps and Unemployment are related so please consider this: 1 in 6 households have food stamps because food is being produced inefficiently. In Colorado (an arid plain/desert) water is wasting growing Cotton (a more profitable commodity then food) and food is shipped from Mexico to CO. This is a highly inefficient way to run agriculture, water and oil/coal resources. Furthermore, minimum wage is not a living wage. The higher the cost of food the higher cost of living and thus the higher cost of all products in industry. Agriculture needs to become a staple of American life, rather being the small farm, the community garden, or the super science hydroponic genetically grown. One way to supply more jobs in the economy is better use of resources and increase in food production jobs. However Unemployment remains high bouncing between 8 and 10% because CEO's take a disproportionate pieces of company wealth ( don't take my word for it http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/28/news/economy/ceo_pay_workers/index.htm). There is a shrinking middle class in America do highly to a "1 2 punch" :

The First Punch: Companies are allowing themselves to be fleeced by CEO's/Unions/And trust funds while not reinvesting in strong middle management growth and valuable employment. I submit to you the following link. It is a Map that will show that the lowest unemployment rates are in agricultural areas (3-4%) and oil rich areas at (5%) While areas subject to urban sprawl (or service based fields) are reaching 10-26% highs. ( the Maps link http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/03/03/us/20090303_LEONHARDT.html )

The Second Punch: American's as a whole feel entitled to lifestyles of the rich & famous without means. I am not saying I don't want a sports car that runs on magic, or a plasma TV the size of my wall, or even a dirigible in my front yard. I do! But Let's be realistic. These are not commodities' that I am entitled too. If I want them, I can work for them, buy them, or build them. But it is not entitled to me because I see Smith down the street has it. Some peoples priorities need to be put in check. 400 channels of Cable TV is not worth giving up food on my table. Just because someone has something doesn't mean I have to have it too. "The Keeping up with the Smiths (or Kardashian) lifestyle"(or Celebrititis as I like to call it) needs a serious kick to the curb. The American family/individual like corporations needs to reinvest in its growth and development and not get side tracked by the latest bell and whistle.

I digress, while these are a sign of a decadent society it is not a culture ending trend. The trends can be reversed by strong company's remolding their corporate structure, a serious investment into agriculture and energy markets, and a treatment for celebrititis. You might see new states, or fewer states in the American future. But the culture will endure. I mean After all Rome is still there it just changed. I look forward to your thoughts.