Thoughts on Ferguson, MO.

Missouri Gov. Warns Against ‘Senseless Violence’ in Anticipation of Ferguson Grand Jury Verdict ... "The grand jury is expected to soon decide whether to indict Wilson, the officer whose shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown sparked massive riots last summer. And judging by the reaction of local and state officials, many appear to be expecting that Wilson will not be indicted." ...

Minister Who Called Out Black Community Following Ferguson Riots Has a Message for Al Sharpton  Aug. 15, 2014

Al Sharpton: 'To Become Violent in Michael Brown's Name, Is to Betray the Gentle Giant That He Was'
Police incident report

 

Drought Is Taking California Back to the Wild, Wild West

National Journal

 

... "Last fall Madden noticed something suspicious. The water filling the tanks outside her veterinary clinic in Los Gatos, Calif., was disappearing at an alarming rate. Madden checked for leaks but found none. Then she realized: Someone was stealing her water.

 

" 'I just couldn't believe it," she said. "You never imagine anyone would do something like that but there it was, vanishing right before our eyes."

"Madden decided to act. She installed security cameras. Then she put locks on the tanks. She even strung a chain across her driveway to keep out unwanted visitors. The theft stopped after the locks went on. But Madden never caught the thief, and she can't stop thinking about who did it." ...

California Drought: San Joaquin Valley sinking as farmers race to tap aquifer
"PIXLEY – So wet was the San Joaquin Valley of Steve Arthur's childhood that a single 240-foot-deep well could quench the thirst of an arid farm.

"Now his massive rig, bucking and belching, must drill 1,200 feet deep in search of ever-more-elusive water to sustain this wheat farm north of Bakersfield. As he drills, his phone rings with three new appeals for help.
 

" 'Everybody is starting to panic," said Arthur, whose Fresno-based well-drilling company just bought its ninth rig, off the Wyoming oil fields. "Without water, this valley can't survive."...

Below: Sierra snowfall on January 2013 and 1/ 2014

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