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Homes proposed, opposed at Napa factory
From the San Francisco Chronicle
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
By John King
As is the case with too many things in today's world, high-quality design tends to gravitate toward wealth.
Renowned architects work their magic on museums, not strip malls. Developers spend more on their buildings when well-established cities like Palo Alto or Walnut Creek demand materials that will last.
That's why it's exciting to see uniquely qualified designers homing in on 152 acres along the Napa River - and why it's distressing that a citizens' initiative seeks to scuttle the potential for a fresh vision of Bay Area life that, in the process, could span the economic and cultural spectrum.
Read full articleAll of a sudden it isn't morning in America, it's dusk on planet Earth.
The World at 350
A Last Chance for Civilization
By Bill McKibben
Even for Americans, constitutionally convinced that there will always be a second act, and a third, and a do-over after that, and, if necessary, a little public repentance and forgiveness and a Brand New Start -- even for us, the world looks a little Terminal right now.
It's not just the economy. We've gone through swoons before. It's that gas at $4 a gallon means we're running out, at least of the cheap stuff that built our sprawling society. It's that when we try to turn corn into gas, it sends the price of a loaf of bread shooting upwards and starts food riots on three continents. It's that everything is so inextricably tied together. It's that, all of a sudden, those grim Club of Rome types who, way back in the 1970s, went on and on about the "limits to growth" suddenly seem… how best to put it, right.
All of a sudden it isn't morning in America, it's dusk on planet Earth.
Read full articleNew Rail Study Available for Herald Readers
 | | San Diego's "Sprinter" train |
Napa Transportation expert Mike Setty has written an excellent white paper on the potential of rail service for the Napa Valley, particularly from North Napa to the Vallejo Ferry.
If you'd like to read it, it's available in PDF form to Herald readers. You can download it by clicking here.
The Peak Oil Crisis: Transiting to Transit
[Recommended reading for NCTPA, county supervisors and city councils]
From the Falls Church News-Press
Written by Tom Whipple
Thursday, 08 May 2008
With crude oil now above $120 a barrel and threatening to go higher, it is clear that our preferred and convenient means of going places, our car, the airplane and the rental car soon are going to be parked because they will be too expensive to operate.
Like it or not, most of us are going to be riding some form of mass transit or multiple passenger vehicle – trains, buses, trolleys, car pools, van pools etc.- while waiting for our cars to be replaced with electric or higher mileage vehicles. As there are currently about 220 million cars and light trucks registered in the U.S. and 700 million or so elsewhere, the replacement process is going to be lengthy one.
In America, our accustomed daily transportation needs are so diverse that it is difficult to foresee how new transportation methods and patterns will come about. For some simply accepting the inconvenience of taking public transit to work or joining a car pool will save enough gasoline each week that much higher prices, shortages and ultimately rationing can be accommodated without undue hardship.
For others whose livelihood depends on a large vehicle that moves frequently throughout the work day there is more of a problem for mass transit as currently configured is unlikely to be of much use. At some point driving around at 10 mpg to mow lawns will no longer be economically viable for customers will no longer be willing to pay the fuel surcharges. Someday there probably will be satisfactory electric or ultra high mileage vehicles, but it is likely to be a while before they filter down from better off organizations such UPS, FedEx and the grocery stores to local maintenance contractors.
One day soon, it will simply be too expensive for electricians, plumbers and a myriad of other household service providers to drive 50 or 60 miles in large, inefficient vehicles to perform some relatively minor maintenance task. The very nature of such services will have to change, be localized, and planned so that travel is minimized. Someday, your electrician may arrive on a city bus pulling his tools and parts behind.
Read the full articleSecret Gatherings have been taking place in Napa
Secret Gatherings have been taking place in Napa. Would you like to join them?
There's a group that gathers twice a month for a glass of wine, a beer, a soda. Its members talk about whatever they wish, but discussions usually focus on such topics as progressive politics, local issues, the environment, sustainability and whatever else springs to mind at the time.
It's called Drinking Liberally Napa, and it's been happening since last summer. DL Napa is part of a nationwide movement with its headquarters in New York City and more than 200 chapters in cities and towns around the country. And, no, "liberally" doesn't refer to quantity, it refers to quality. And to those whose political and social viewpoints tend toward the left side of the valley.
[more]
21.APR.08 Napa WineWalk - a safe way to go winetasting
20.APR.08 New Gay Blog for the Napa Valley
15.MAY.08 Local Businesses (Deceased)
29.MAR.08 Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life
28.MAR.08 Job Market 2009
27.MAR.08 Walk the Napa WineWalk
14.MAR.08 Our Nomination for the Most Useful Column on Wine Ever Written
07.MAR.08 Park & Open Space Volunteer Weekend Event - May 17-18
23.FEB.08 The Fantasy of Biofuel
18.FEB.08 Crime in Napa? Shhhh.
29.JAN.08 Offset Your Cheating - We'll All Be Better For It
11.JAN.08 Logo Wanted for Napa Valley Herald
31.DEC.07 James Kunstler Forecast for 2008
31.DEC.07 Dinner for One
26.DEC.07 The Story of Stuff
20.DEC.07 Cynthia McKinney Announces Presidential Campaign
03.DEC.07 Fear of Chavez is Fear of Democracy
23.NOV.07 Consumer Group Encourages Americans to Take Back the Tap
17.NOV.07 Final Climate Change Report
30.OCT.07 UN once again calls for end to United States embargo against Cuba
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