photos by Gary D. Brune copyright (c) 2008
Woke up this morning to the strangest pall I've seen in Paradise. With my nightlight still on at 9am, there was a lot of smoke up from the Concow fire.
At Wagstaff and Clark in Paradise, there was an unusual spectrum to the car headlights cutting through the smoke.
This cyclist forded through the smoky traffic on Clark and Wagstaff in Paradise this morning
Representative Wally Herger speaks to concerned Paradise residents at the C&MA church last Saturday soon after noon
Paradise Town Manager Chuck Rough is one of the most authoritative and concerned officials to speak
The Red Cross is using the C&MA facilities to help area residents during the last two weeks of fire emergencies. This is one of 12 such vehicles that the Red Cross uses nationwide.
The communications equipment that the Red Cross uses for emergencies stands ready to help the people of Paradise.
Butte County Supervisor Kim Yamaguchi discusses the emergency with a concerned citizen while Wally Herger stands ready to further assist.
photos by Gary D. Brune copyright (c) 2008
In the beginning, when the sky was just winter white, the only way one could see the sun was as a reflection
Unlike the gray quality of fog, the ghostly white nature of the smoke these lightning fires produce shrouds traffic with mystery. vibility is less than 1,000 feet and the air carries an ominous odor.
Wednesday afternoon was the first time the smoke allowed the sun to make an appearance, though shrouded with a bronze hue.
Shooting at Skyway was difficult because of the smoke, wrapping the path in a ethereal blanket.
photos by Gary D. Brune copyright (c) 2008
posted at the downtown Chico Chevron station
This is a new entry in the economy vehicle sweepstakes. According to Sandi Winthrow of Winthrow's Motorsports here in Chico, this 1,000cc vehicle can conservatively maintain a 35 mpg mileage rating. Priced at under $17,000, the Can-Am Spyder comes in at about the same price as the Smart Car pictured below. It is listed as a roadster, and as such can be driven with a standard driver's license.
photos by Gary D. Brune copyright (c) 2008
Not yet for sale in this region, the Smart Car is available through the Smart Center of Sacrament. Drivers report a mileage of about 37 mpg. The 71 mpg diesel version is available in Canada and Mexico, but not in the United States yet.
I filed the story below on August 17, 2007, I heard the CEO of PiaggioUSA interviewed last weekend, and he said that at the end of next year they plan to introduce a hybrid version of this three wheel vehicle. He expected the mileage to come in at 140 miles per gallon
New motor scooter; Piaggio MP3
I don't believe what I just saw on YouTube. Piaggio, the company that brought us the Vespa scooter, which I owned a long time ago, has just come out with a three wheel scooter. Called the MP3, it has two steering wheels in the front and it's drive wheel astern.
Piaggio says the MP3 is available in two sizes, 125cc and 250cc (and now 400 and 500cc models). The video sells this concept extremely well in that even in a steep lean, all three wheels stay on the ground. The most unique saddled motor vehicle I've ever seen, this thing claims to be much more stable than its two wheel cousins. Yet it is small enough to be registered as a two-wheel scooter.
Tomorrow, ah well we can dream, right?
Shot from Tuscan Ridge Golf Course and on Skyway. The Butte County Firestorm burnt up a good part of the vegetation on the Skyway but people still play golf..
photos by Gary D. Brune copyright (c) 2008
Several times this last weekend, after my adrenalin levels returned to normal levels as a result of the Butte County Firestorm/Humboldt Fire, I kept answering the question of “How are you?” with “Lucky”. Everybody understood for the moment. I am also lucky because as Adjutant for American Legion Post 259 of Paradise CA, I have a commander who warned his membership about what happened.
Thor Sparre is also the security advisor for the post. He expressed concern about the fire danger in Butte County a couple months ago, but some of the events that occurred, such as the blockage of access to Paradise, the running out of gasoline supplies, and the shortage of some foodstuffs in the grocery stores, were items he has tried to hammer home to the membership for a few years.
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright (c) 2008
We in Central Paradise were on our own during the fire's height because of the blockage of all the usual access points into our town. Sparre had predicted that we would face such. The picture with this essay, $4.79 a gallon gasoline, was the former Shell station at Wagstaff and Skyway, apparently one of the gas stations that had run out of gas during the major evacuation. It dropped its price 18 cents by mid-afternoon Saturday.
As evacuee and Butte County Supervisor Kim Yamaguchi saw first hand, the Ridge has a problem concerning disasters. Because we still do not have a passable escape route above the Ridge, the roads out of this area were jammed. I was on one of the last B-Line buses coming into Paradise Thursday, and as we inched along the detour route, the radio crackled with evacuation news for the entire community. There was much confusion as our bus, a normal 40 minute ride up Skyway, took the back way in just before the access points were closed.
Again I was lucky, being able to get home on a ride that took over two hours. The one time our humble community made the national news was for one of the most disturbing events we've seen in a long time, which will reshape the Ridge for a long time to come.
I thank the almost 4,000 firefighters who came in from such as Orange County, Newcastle, Santee, and Copperopolis to make this a bearable experience for us. Yes I am lucky as is this town that became the subject on statewide and national concern.
Caught one of the last B-Line buses leaving Chico Thursday afternoon. A normal 40 minute ride turned into a two+ hour detour as the evacuation orders came over the bus radio.
Photos by Gary D. Brune copyright (c) 2008
photos by Gary D. Brune copyright (c) 2008
Skyway was opened this morning for traffic after a fire scorched the Honey Run canyon yesterday and forced the closure of the primary route to Paradise. The Soundslides presentation below depicts the detour shot from a B-Line 40 route bus.
Even though only one lane was open this morning was open on much of Skyway, there was little obstruction for traffic descending to Chico and the 10am bus I took these shots from
theme "Emergency" by Nelson Riddle
Right now Chico and Chicago have one thing in common; both have $4 gallon gasoline. There are experts predicting that it will reach $5 by summer. If it keeps going up, the Republicans won't have to worry about the White House or Congress, because there will be such a groundswell of resentment about this that most people will strike out against who they see as causing this mess.
ohotos by Gary D. Brune copuright (c) 2008
California has historical precedent for such a reaction. Starting in the late 1800s, Collis Huntington, Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker and Mark Hopkins, four men who became known in California as the Big Four, set up the Southern Pacific Railroad, the first major thoroughfare to run the length of our state. They took advantage of this effective monopoly to control business, charging whatever the traffic would bare to anyone who wanted to ship goods across the state.
If the farmer or businessman could not pay the confiscatory shipping costs, their goods rotted in the field or gathered dust in their facilities. These egregious practices led directly to the 1910 reform movement in California, whereby regulation demanded by the people stopped the strangulation by the Big Four and lead to California's golden age.
While Stanford University and the Mark Hopkins Hotel still remain as reminders of this time, what is more important is what this portends for the future. The people of the United States will not take the egregious gasoline prices forever and will demand reform. They will have no choice.
When it costs more than $40 to fill the 8.7 gallon tank of a Smart Car, we will see the amount of traffic Director John ford illustrated in The Grapes of Wrath. As it is, poor people like me cannot afford to buy the vehicles currently available. But when more well to do people can't afford to fuel up their cars to go to work, then all hell will break out.
It was nearly 100 years ago that the reform movement broke out in California and across the country. Some people never learn, do they?
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright (c) 2008
Bob Barret from New Hampshire just asked; " I heard recently that this honor to the flag has been approved. Can someone confirm or deny that fact? I think it is a special honor to the flag and ever Vet I have mentioned it to agrees as well. I am Navy Vietnam Era Vet."
After researching this issue in the House of Representatives wbsite, I found that it was sent to the House Judiciary, Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties on September 10. GovTracks.us showed no further action for H.R.3380/S.1170l at the moment.
Both bills have identical text under the title; SECTION 1. CONDUCT BY MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AND VETERANS OUT OF UNIFORM DURING HOISTING, LOWERING, OR PASSING OF FLAG.
The bill itself is simple; ?Section 9 of title 4, United States Code, is amended by striking `all persons present' and all that follows through the end and inserting `those present in uniform should render the military salute. Members of the Armed Forces and veterans who are present but not in uniform may render the military salute. All other persons present should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, or if applicable, remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Citizens of other countries should stand at attention. All such conduct toward the flag in a moving column should be rendered at the moment the flag passes.'."
This is a 40 member committee chaired by Representative John Conyers, Zoa Lofgren and Daniel Lungren are the only Northern California Representatives. I will try to contact Lungrne to see tne current status of this bill, and will report the results.
Photo by Gary D. Brune copyright (c) 2008
While avoiding afternoon traffic, this was shot from one of the venerable B-Line buses that ply the Ridge every day, with gasoline approaching $4 a gallon, next week will be good for free rides. It is Spare The Air week, and everyone who rides B-Line buses will ride without having to pay
Photos by Gary D. Brune copyright (c) 2008
presentation by Soundslides
theme "Supercar" (1961) by Barry Gray
In light of the most recent rising gas prices in Chico and on the Ridge and our fascination with the automobile, this theme song seemed most ironic
Photos by Gary D. Brune copyright (c) 2008
presentation by Soundslides
theme Falcon Crest by Bill Conti
This is one of four Soundslides presentations on my new website. That url is complicated; http://myweb.csuchico.edu/~gbrune/gdb/sonofabuilder.html
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright (c) 2008
While riding the B-Line 40 bus down the Skyway this morning with a full two-bike bicycle rack, we couldn't pick up two passengers because they had bicycles with them. With gasolene les than a quarter from $4 a gallon on the ridge, we expect this will happen more frequently.
Is this an unmet transit need? With the annual Clean Air celebration for the B-Line coming up April 28 to May 2 where all bus rides will be free, this might indeed be a more common problem
photos by Gary D. Brune copyright 2008
These are the latest gasoline and diesel fuel prices on Fair Street in Chico as of 11 am today.
This is one of a few Smart Cars running in Butte County. Starting at about $12,000 this European sub-compact gets an estimated 47 miles per gallon. The driver of this car said it takes $20 to fill the gas tank.
Is this where we have to go to cope with escalating prices?
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2008
In light of yesterday's work action by independent truck drivers over the high cost of diesel fuel, I shot these rates at the Money Saver on Fair Street in Chico. These rates save nobody money, especially the truck drivers that haul what we need to live.
Photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2008
The day before yesterday a report came over the wires that petroleum closed at $100 a barrel. The meta file on this photo indicates I snapped this shot yesterday at 10:05 am. When my bus passed this station in Paradise nine hours later, the cost of regular had gone up to $3.06 a gallon.
Photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2008
Having trouble finding parking in the snow of the K-Mart parking lot in Paradise, this truck rested on a snowpile. The owner took it home a half hour later.
Photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2008
After twelve hours of snow in my neighborhood this afternoon, I found this shot before the main storm of the day kicked in.
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2008
After putting on my galoshes and going out for my morning walk to check out the aftermath of Thursday's major snowfall I found this shot outside of Kragen in Paradise. I have other photographs of the recent storms filed at http://yourphotos.chicoer.com/mycapture/photos/Album.aspx?CollectionID=51 Enjoy the work.
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2008
Dude is a four year old golden retriever- pit bull mix, accompanied his owner, a bulldozer driver tasked with clearing the K-Mart parking lot on Clark road in Paradise. He loves to play in the snow and is digging for a snowball his owner through into this snowpile
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2008
I got on the 10 AM bus as today's major snow storm began to fall over Paradise
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2008
After getting off the bus tonight on Clark in Paradise, the noontime snowfall came down more than ankle deep.
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2008
The snow snuck in our neighborhood yesterday morning, before the biggest snow here in this decade today around noon.
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2008
I took this shot from my B-Line 40 route bus two days ago during a driving rain on Skyway
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2008
This is what I find outside my home this morning.
photo bt Gary D. Brune 2007 courtesy of The NFL Network, NBC and KHSL Channel 24.
Is Super Bowl 42 the redux of the game from which I took this televised picture? One thing for sure, it is the Red, White and Blue Super Bowl between the New York Giants and the 18-0 New England Patriots.. Oh, the hype.and on an election year too.
photograph by Gary D. Brune copyright 2008
This afternoon a snow flurry hit Paradise, and this snowplow buzzes up Clark Road trying to keep up with the snow.
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2008
A Pacific Gas & Electric employee watches over a tree that fell onto Wagstaff in Paradise that took out power lines on the way down during yesterday's mega-storm.
PG&E restored power after several hour, but Paradise Radio 1500 AM reported that at it.s most potent, the storm knocked out electricity to over 15,000 residents on the Ridge.
photo bt Gary D. Brune courtesy of The NFL Network, NBC and KHSL Channel 24.
I took this photograph off the television screen. This is the last scrimmage of the Red, White, and Blue game, which turned out to bring the New England Patriots to a 38-35 victory over the New York Giants and a perfect 16-0 regular season record. Since NBC showed this game from the NFL feed, it is the closest to America's Game.
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2007
The first snow of Winter 2007-08 started in my part of the world at about 10 pm, as shown by this bush.
I've been privy to an interesting debate over the last couple days in light of the Tiger incident on Christmas Night in San Francisco. The major proponent of this debate argues that all zoos, circuses and rodeos should be closed out of respect for the safety and respect of animals we keep imprisoned therein.
Furthermore, so this argument goes, the only way we should be able to learn about our natural world is through the intrepid explorers who dared to commit that world to video. If we want to know about a Siberian tiger, then we should pop a dvd into our player and watch the animal on our television.
The consequence of that particular philosophy is that the common man would only be able to directly interact with the natural world incidentally and accidentally as they travel about through their day. The birds would fly by, squirrels would scold one as they hide in trees, and a rare dear, lizard, or raccoon would flash by as their paths cross ours.
I published this letter on February 6, 2004 in the Chico News & Review in part to honor my late wife, Vicki Lee Brune, and in part to help launch the Think Red campaign of the American Heart Association. This will come up again in February
The first week of this month has come and gone, and very few people took notice of the "Think Red" campaign from the American Heart Association. I pray that next year more people will notice it and pay attention to the women's cardio health issues raised through this effort by the AHA.
Like the "Think Pink" campaign for breast cancer research, this initiative is designed to focus attention on another women's health issue--heart disease, which is one of the major but little known killers of women each year. I've been told that there hasn't been as much attention focused on this as this as men's cardiovascular problems. But on Feb. 6, I wore red and something special to my wife.
Even though she was prone to strokes, not one of the doctors she saw regularly shared the signs of this problem with her or me or specifically brought up the possibility of heart attack. So when a sharp pain shot across her back, we thought it was a muscle cramp and I tried to massage it away, the way I had with tight muscles before. That was on Tuesday.
Thursday night, it hit. She had a lot of sudden pain, and as she eventually rose from her chair, she had the grip of three men. Neither she nor I had any idea of what was going on. She was an insulin-dependent diabetic, so we thought it related to her blood sugar.
When insulin didn't work, I called the paramedics and got her to the hospital. Only much later did I learn that she had suffered a massive heart attack. Vicki Brune succumbed to it five days later.
As her husband and caretaker, the initial event caught me completely by surprise. I had no information to prepare me for the signs of trouble. She was my best friend, and if I had known what to look for, I might not be writing this today.
Information is the key here. From what I've heard, too many women ignore the signs of pending heart problems because nobody tells what to pay attention to. How many husbands or significant others feel helpless for just these same reasons? I miss my friend, but maybe the American Heart Association can get this knowledge out to women and make Feb. 6 a day to draw attention to this issue. And may there be no more widowers because the information isn't out there. Maybe if we all could think red for life, women and men could live to see a better tomorrow.
This article was printed from the Columns morrow. section of the Chico News & Review.
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2007
Taken from the B-Line 40 bus detoured to Bille Road, Paradise at Noon today because of road construction on its normal route. The intersection of Skyway and Wagstaff had been tied up today because of construction so the Butte County buses had to take an alternative route which added about 15 minutes to their normal run.,
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2007
Shot from a B-Line bus Friday which had a flier posted about this Chico Transit Center dated May 14, 2007 that announced this project, this is the scene from Second and Normal. We will be changing our clocks next weekend, and this project is still not done
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2007
The strange thing about October 31, 2007 is that it will be an ironic holiday. Halloween is a time when we celebrate ghosts and ghouls and things that go bump in the night, but in reality, this year is represented more by Casper, the friendly ghost than by any representation of the grim reaper. And that is just how society in Chico wants it.
As I walked through the Chico Mall today, I found myself behind some youngsters who had adorned themselves with obvious wigs. The girls wore unusual colors reminiscent of Mrs. Slocum from Are You Being Served?, while the boys sported Afros and fake long hair.
I had to muse on this exercise in fantasy because when I was their age, the long hair was real, the rebellion was serious, and for us guys, there was real jeopardy. In high school, I carried a draft card mandated by the government, and weekly in homeroom we would look at the newspaper to see where our draft number came up in the lottery. Mine was never very high, but the possibility still existed that Uncle Sam would draw my number and send me a letter that would send me to Vietnam.
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2007
In the upcoming Butte County Association of Governments meeting for discussion of Unmet Transit Needs at the Chico City Hall Thursday, 9 am, among the items for discussion is the prospective purchase of seven Orion model VII buses similar to the bus pictured above. Orion is a subsidiary of Daimler North America
According to Ivan Garcia, the new 40 foot compressed natural gas powered buses will replace the final diesel buses that the B-Line presently has in service, including the venerable 714 that has worked the ridge for Butte County Transit for many years and the remaining holdovers from Chico Area Transit Service (CATS).
BCAG is also looking into the possibility of using software developed through Google Maps in order to run an operation called Google Buses. The program will help B-Line keep track of their fleet, make the routes more efficient, and assist in operations.
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2007
Kristy Bonnifet and Ivan Garcia meet with bus users Friday at the Paradise Unmet Transit Needs meeting for Butte County Association of Governments. They present BCAG's future plans for transit and take testimony from the people who come to the meeting.
The next main meeting will be at the Chico City Hall at 9 am on October 25. This will be the monthly meeting for BCAG
I would like to thank all the people who, so far, have taken the time to post comments to An Internet Globetrotter. Here are a few posts:
On October 5, Ben Doney said, "Thanks for the post, Ubuntu is a great O/S and everyone should at least check out the LiveCD version to see what the hype is about.
"I would also add the visual effects in Gutsy are fantastic, and built-in with this version. In Feisty(7.04) you had to download Compiz and/or Beryl to configure special effects like Desktop Cube, Water, FlipSwitch and Ring Switch. With the latest version this is built in.
"Another big improvement is that Broadcom wireless drivers (like Dell laptops use) are available by default. I could never get my Dell d800 to work under 7.04, but this works great in Gutsy."
Continue reading "Many thanks to those who have commented here so far" »
According to the Paradise Post article written by Elizabeth Stevens and published Thursday, if Greg Wright receives the maximum sentence for the eight felony charges filed against him by Butte county District Attorney Mike Ramsey, he will spend from 40 years to life in prison for the actions he took last week at Las Plumas High School.
Wright is all of 17 years old, and as Stevens pointed out twice; “is facing an attempted murder charge for his reported intent to hunt down and kill his romantic rival.” While it is perfectly fine for country singers like Garth Brooks to record ballads about adults doing this same thing and make millions of dollars, Ramsey's action is following along my exact prediction.
Ramsey is using Wright as an object lesson. In general, there are now three immutable laws; death, taxes, and no member of the opposite gender is worth life in prison.
Putting this simply, no woman is ever worth screwing up the rest of one's life for. Wright is now gone forever because of an immature decision he made without the guidance of good parents. I hope everybody else is happy, especially the couple that triggered this in the first place.
Just read the latest piece about the downtown Chico Transit Center in last week's Chico News and Review. The intransigence of Capital Project Services and the city of Chico is frustrating. After reading Monica Unhold's characterization of this problem in which she said “That's not good enough for Brune. "I just don't want to get rained on come winter," he said”, I can see that the voice of the individual is generally useless.
When I first saw the illustration on Second Street, I feared that what I looked at was a problem for this Winter. As I exchanged silicon with the bureaucrats responsible for this mess, what I thought I saw manifested itself during construction.
As I tried to get this straightened out it became apparent that this was going to be a sword fight with one side using a cotton candy rapier up against an opponent with a dried pasta broadsword. We know what needs to be done, but because the plans are etched in stone, the only thing I can hope for is natural erosion from a colossal series of storms which will render this costume jewelry into the dust of history.
Just like most of the students at Chico State, the city fathers are acting like spoiled brats. There may be an Ewokian chance for us to change this. Butte County Area Governments (BCAG) has announced its series of Unmet Transit Needs meetings for the year. There will be two meetings at Chico City Hall, first at October 2 from 4 to 6 pm, and then on October 25 at 9 am.
There will also be an Oroville meeting on October 3 from 4 to 6 pm at the Oroville Council Chambers. I will attend the Paradise meeting on October 12, also from 4 to 6 pm, at the Paradise Senior Center. The people at BCAG seem at least willing to listen, and if we can get enough bus riders to these meetings, maybe like the Ewoks against the Empire, we can get these city fathers to see the error of their ways.
It is true. I do not want to get rained on at the Transit Center this winter.
With all the controversy that besets our republic today, it might be good to have a look at the words of one of our founding fathers, a man whose image is on our currency even though he never was a president of the United States. An imaginative, intense, and intellectual man, he is one of the best known and loved American icons.
Back in the day, when I was a student at Hayward High School, I read The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin as one of the many books I checked out of the school library, a modern variation of one of his conceptions, the public library. I sucked down his words as a mental vacuum cleaner and his notions became a subconscious template for how I lived through my adulthood.
Looking at the book today, I can look at it from a baby boomer's eyes and experience. Franklin etched his feather pen to parchment. and wrote a treatise which is an excellent study in human nature.
In checking this morning's China Daily, there is a story about a US-China summit on consumer product safety. "China promises lead-free toy export to US Updated: 2007-09-12 10:44" One of their primary agenda items concerns lead paint in toys. The official news agencies report;
'The absence of such an understanding allowed paint suppliers to provide lead paint to companies making toys sold by Mattel Inc and other companies, said Wei Chuanzhong, vice minister of China's General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ). Lead paint has been banned on toys made in the US since 1978.
'"That's why we decided we should intensify the exchanges between importers and exporters in the field of standards," Wei said.
Continue reading "China Daily; report on lead paint summit" »
In this morning's dispatches was one from Chico Capital Projects, which is supervising construction of the new transit center on Second Street between Salem and Normal. According to Jeff Jukkola, the professional engineer who overlooks the project, the county buses that park on these side streets will be afforded no protection for their passengers.
Jukkola pointed out that this project has been in the works for eight years, well before Chico Area Transit Service was unified with Butte County Transit. At that time the county buses parked by the park on First Street. It was only after all the bus services were unified by Butte County Area Governments that the county buses that go to Oroville and Paradise were moved to their present parking slots on Salem and Normal.
As of last Wednesday, plans were changed so that benches would be set up for county passengers. To do more will require a major commitment of money and resources from the city of Chico. Jukkola estimates that the two satellite buildings would require absorbing seven more parking spaces, and an estimated cost of $135,000. The satellite structures would take another month to build.
Not only have the plans been changed for benches, but in the original blueprints there was a ticket office where passengers could paper tickets. That became obsolete on August 27 when B-Line put electronic fare boxes in all their buses. The current structure will have solar panels on the roof which will provide electricity for the lights of the center and the parking lot.
As of now there is no indication from the city of how they feel about this oversight. There will be more posted here when they respond.