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Archive for June 21st, 2015
California Golf Trip Lands Obama in a Water-Use Debate
Posted by New York Times: Gardiner Harris on June 21st, 2015
New York Times: With four fund-raisers and an awkward reconciliation with the House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi, behind him, President Obama returned to a beloved golf oasis here for a weekend getaway with friends. This time, though, was different. A punishing drought has raised questions about whether such oases can survive, and about the president’s weekend here. The vast emerald green courses in the area are watered by a disappearing Colorado River and an underground aquifer that has fallen about 55 feet...
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Israel Bets On Recycled Water To Meet Its Growing Thirst
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 21st, 2015
National Public Radio: Recycling sewage water has helped free Israel, a desert country, from depending on rain. Treated sewage water provides close to a quarter of Israel's demand for water, right behind desalination, the other major process that has eased Israel's fear of drought. But making that water - from toilets, showers, and factories - clean enough to use is challenging. One of the first steps is removing garbage from the sewage system. At Israel's biggest wastewater treatment plant, called Shafdan, three-quarters...
Despite Protests, Construction Controversial Hawaii Telescope Will Resume
Posted by Associated Press: Dan Joling on June 21st, 2015
Associated Press: The construction of a $1.4 billion telescope on land considered sacred by some Native Hawaiians will resume Wednesday, according to the nonprofit company behind the project.
Henry Yang, chairman of the Thirty Meter Telescope Observatory Board, in a statement said the board decided to move forward after more than two months of consultations.
"Our period of inactivity has made us a better organization in the long run," Yang said. "We are now comfortable that we can be better stewards and better...
Construction on Thirty Meter Telescope atop Mauna Kea to resume Wednesday
Posted by Hawaii News: None Given on June 21st, 2015
Hawaii News: Construction on the controversial Thirty Meter Telescope project will resume on Wednesday, according to a statement released by the TMT International Observatory Board on Saturday.
“After more than two months of consultation, education, and dialogue with many stakeholders, we humbly announce that the TMT International Observatory Board has decided to move ahead to restart the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on the morning of Wednesday, June 24," said Henry Yang, Chair of the TMT International...
Thirty Meter Telescope construction on Mauna Kea to continue Wednesday
Posted by KHON: None Given on June 21st, 2015
KHON: The international board that oversees Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) gave the green-light to restart construction atop Mauna Kea on Wednesday, June 24.
“After more than two months of consultation, education, and dialogue with many stakeholders, we humbly announce that the TMT International Observatory Board has decided to move ahead to restart the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on the morning of Wednesday, June 24," said Henry Yang, Chair of the TMT International Observatory Board, in...
On Hawaii a big telescope stirs conflict
Posted by MarketPlace: Jeff Tyler on June 21st, 2015
MarketPlace: Spiritual and cultural values are clashing with scientific and economic considerations on the Big Island of Hawaii, where protesters want to stop development of a $1.4 billion observatory called the Thirty Meter Telescope.
The mountain of Mauna Kea rises almost 14,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean, making it popular with astronomers. But the mountain also has religious and cultural importance for native Hawaiians. For two months, protesters have camped out on the mountain to block construction...
Earth science: New estimates of deep carbon cycle
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 21st, 2015
ScienceDaily: Over billions of years, the total carbon content of the outer part of the Earth -- in its upper mantle, crust, oceans, and atmospheres -- has gradually increased, scientists reported this month in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Craig Manning, a professor of geology and geochemistry at UCLA, and Peter Kelemen, a geochemistry professor at Columbia University, present new analyses that represent an important advance in refining our understanding of Earth's deep carbon...