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Locres Épizéphyre ( Lokroi Epizephyrioi en grec ancien, Locri Epizephyrii en latin, Locri Epizefiri en italien) est une polis de la Grande Grèce, fondée sur le littoral de la mer Ionienne au  : elle se trouve actuellement en partie sur le territoire des communes de Portigliola et de Locri, dans la Province de Reggio de Calabre, en Calabre.

Histoire

Fondation
Les sources relatives à la fondation de Locres Épizéphyre divergent. Selon Strabon, elle a été fondée par des Locriens originaire du Golfe de Crisa, en Grèce, et guidés par un oïkiste du nom d'Euanthès peu de temps après la fondation de Crotone et de Syracuse. Le général grec Polybe affirme qu'elle aurait été fondée par des colons grecs originaires de la Locride orientale, en face de l'île d'Eubée. Cette hypothèse est soutenue par l'orateur et historien grec Éphore de Cumes ainsi que par le poète latin Virgile qui nomme les fondateurs de Locres Épizéphyre les Narici.

Selon Polybe et Pausanias le Périégète, la fondation de Locres Épizéphyre concorde avec la Première Guerre de Messénie, donc bien avant la création des autres cités grecques de la Grande Grèce sur le littoral de la mer Ionienne. Eusèbe de Césarée, quant à lui, place la fondation de la cité en 673 av. J.-C.. Jérôme de Stridon (347-420) situe la création à 679 av. J.-C., et selon Strabon, elle suit de peu la fondation de Syracuse (en 733 av. J.-C.) et de Crotone (en 710 av. J.-C.) et elle daterait donc de la fin du . Aristote soutient que les fondateurs de la ville auraient été des esclaves alliés de Sparte durant la Première Guerre de Messénie qui auraient fui avec les femmes de leurs maîtres. Cette hypothèse, bien que réfutée par Timée de Locres, est affirmée par Polybe qui dit avoir recueilli les témoignages des descendants de ces esclaves.

Le premier habitat grec est construit à l'endroit indiqué par l'Oracle de Delphes, c'est-à-dire aux environs du Cap Zéphyrion, dont la ville de Locres Épizéphyre tient d'ailleurs le nom, sur le territoire de l'actuelle commune de Bruzzano Zeffirio. Cependant, après quelques années d'occupation des lieux, les colons se déplacent  plus au nord, dans la zone comprise entre la mer Ionienne, la rivière Gérace et la rivière Portigliola, sur le territoire des actuelles communes de Locri et de Portigliola. Locres Épizéphyre est connue depuis l'antiquité pour avoir été la patrie du législateur Zaleucos qui rédigea, aux alentours du , les premières lois écrites du continent européen à l'usage de sa cité natale, lois qui restèrent en vigueur pendant plus de deux cents ans.

À la fin du , entre 650 av. J.-C. et 600 av. J.-C., Locres Épizéphyre fonde deux colonies : Hipponion (actuelle ville de Vibo Valentia, chef-lieu de la province du même nom) et Medma (actuelle ville de Rosarno) pour faire face à la cité rivale de Crotone et à sa politique expansionniste.

L'alliance avec Rhêgion

Entre 560 av. J.-C. et 550 av. J.-C., la cité de Locri Epizefiri s'allie à celle de Rhêgion pour stopper l'avancée et l'expansion de la cité de Kroton vers le sud. Ensemble, elles gagnent la bataille de la Sagra, au bord de la rivière Sagra (actuel Turbolo) à proximité de la cité de Kaulon.

Selon la légende, les armées des Locriens et des Reggiani ne comptaient que  au total contre les  de Kroton, mais les premiers remportèrent quand même la bataille grâce au soutien du dieu Zeus et à l'intervention mythique des Dioscures qui seraient apparus à cheval. À la suite de cette victoire, le culte des Dioscures commence à être pratiqué par les cités de Locri et Rhêgion et des temples en leur honneur y sont construits ; leurs vestiges sont aujourd'hui conservées au Musée national de la Grande-Grèce.

L'alliance avec Syracuse

Le  voit les liens entre Locri Epizefiri et les tyrans de la cité de Syracuse, en Sicile, se resserrer. Le savant grec Hérodote rapporte qu'en 493 , un groupe de migrants originaire de l'île de Samos, au large de la Turquie, vient s'établir à Locri.

En 477 , le tyran de Rhêgion, Anaxilas II, décide d'envahir la cité de Locri et ses habitants font alors appel à l'aide du tyran de Syracuse, Hiéron , pour les protéger. Ensuite, quand la cité d'Athènes, alliée de Rhêgion, organise une expédition en Sicile, Locri Epizefiri vient en aide à Syracuse.

L'alliance entre Locri et Syracuse est définitivement scellée quand le nouveau tyran de la cité sicilienne, Denys l'Ancien, épouse Doris, une aristocrate locrienne. En 389 , le tyran syracusain bat la Ligue italiote, alliance politico-militaire de nombreuses cités du nord de la Grande Grèce, et donne à Locri les terres de Kaulon et de Scolacium qui délimitaient la frontière nord avec la cité ennemie de Kroton, tandis qu'au sud, la frontière avec Rhêgion est le fleuve Halex, sur le territoire de l'actuelle commune de Palizzi. Le  est pour la cité de Locri Epizefiri une période de splendeur artistique, économique et culturelle. Pendant la période de l'influence du tyran Denys l'Ancien sur la ville est créée l'École pythagoricienne de Locri par la poétesse Nossis, les philosophes Timée de Locres et Échécrate ainsi que par le poète et musicien Arion de Méthymne. Selon Cicéron, cette école accueillit même le philosophe Platon.

Après la mort de Denys l'Ancien en 367 , son fils le tyran Denys le Jeune lui succède à la tête de Syracuse. Dix ans plus tard, en 357 , Denys est banni de Syracuse après un coup d'état de son oncle et il s'exile à Locri dont il devient le tyran en mettant fin au gouvernement démocratique. Sa politique contre les aristocrates locaux visaient à mieux asseoir son pouvoir et à préparer un possible retour dans sa patrie natale, mais après qu'il a vidé les caisses de la cité en 347 , le peuple locrien s'insurge contre lui et le chasse de la ville après avoir tué sa famille. Locri Epizefiri redevient alors démocratique.

Conquête romaine

En 280 , Locri s'allie avec le roi des Molosses Pyrrhus , un cousin d'Alexandre le Grand, entrant ainsi dans la guerre entre Romains et Samnites, ce qui lui permet de conclure une alliance stable avec la cité de Tarente, dans les Pouilles. Cependant, après quelques années de conflit, les Locriens changent de camp pour s'allier avec les Romains, ce qui cause le saccage de la ville par Pyrrhus .

Entre 216 et 215 , pendant la Deuxième guerre punique, Locri se rallia aux Carthaginois et fut occupée par Hannibal Barca. En 206 , Scipion parvint à la soumettre. La ville est alors occupée par les Romains, dirigés par le légat Pléminius. Sous son commandement, les militaires romains accumulent les exactions (viols, pillages, etc.). Ils se partagent même les trésors sacrés, dont celui de Proserpine, qui était une déesse majeure des Locriens. Des tribuns militaires romains s'opposent à Pléminius, ce qui entraîne des bagarres entre les militaires soumis à Pléminius et ceux qui suivent les tribuns. Scipion revient de Messine et condamne les tribuns. Pléminius agit à sa guise, au point que des Locriens se rendent à Rome pour se plaindre auprès des sénateurs du sort qu'ils subissent. Cette plainte est entendue et le Sénat envoie des légats pour juger de la situation. Ceux-ci s'emparent de Pléminius et rétablissent l'ordre. L'argent du trésor de Proserpine est rendu et le sénat romain en ajoute pour effacer le crime des armées romaines contre cette déesse. Locri sera donc, à partir de 215 , considérée définitivement comme l'alliée de Rome.

Ceux-ci en font un municipe. Progressivement et à cause des incursions arabes, les locriens se déplacent vers la ville de Gerace, située sur les hauteurs, jusqu'à ce que la cité disparaisse aux alentours du .

Archéologie

Histoire de la recherche
Dès le Moyen-âge, les vestiges de la cité antique ont attiré l'attention des habitants de la région : ceux-ci servent avant tout de carrière de pierre (des blocs sont visibles dans la cathédrale de Gerace). À partir du XVIe siècle, les érudits calabrais tentent de retracer l'histoire prestigieuse des cités antiques de la région, Locres est alors mise en rapport avec la ville médiévale de Gerace, dans l'arrière pays. Des auteurs du XVIIIe siècle comme l'Abbé de Saint-Non ou Swinburne se rendent sur place et décrivent, plus ou moins précisément, les lieux. Leurs récits montrent qu'en 1777, deux colonnes sont encore debout sur le site antique, probablement à Casa Marafioti, et des vestiges de l'enceinte romaine en briques sont visibles. La construction de la demeure du Prince Carafa della Roccella (aujourd'hui le Casino Macri, à Centocamere) englobe une partie de ces vestiges. Au cours de cette période, l'intérêt se concentre principalement sur les inscriptions, transportées à Gerace entre le XVIe et le XIXe siècle.

La venue du Duc de Luynes marque l'historiographie de la cité : le français explore le site et propose un premier plan en 1830. À la suite de ses fouilles, une grande partie des blocs du temple de Casia Marafioti sont emportés par les habitants de la zone. En 1849, l'érudit Antonio Capialbi publie une traduction des recherches de Luynes accompagnée de l'étude de plusieurs inscriptions latines de Locres. En 1856, Pasquale Scaglione, habitant de Gerace, publie une « Storia di Locri e di Gerace », destinée à l'aristocratie calabraise. Dans le même temps, la construction du nouveau centre de Gerace accelère la destruction des vestiges antiques. En 1879, François Lenormant attire l'attention sur la situation et fait stopper les destructions. Dix ans plus tard, une première campagne archéologique est menée par une équipe italo-allemande, dirgiée par Eugen von Petersen et Paolo Orsi. Les résultats sont publiés dans la revue « Notizie degli Scavi » en 1889 et 1890. Paolo Orsi étend rapidement les recherches à l'ensemble de la cité et s'intéresse aux objets découverts et conservés par divers collectionneurs de la région.

En 1902, Paolo Orsi est rappelé sur le site où il constate des destructions et l'amplification des pillages. Ses recherches le conduisent à travailler sur les nécropoles préhelléniques et sur le dépôt votif de Mannella dont sont issus les fameux pinakes de Locres. Sous son impulsion, le Ministère fait l'acquisition de la collection Candida, conclue en 1907 par le directeur du musée de Tarente où le matériel est emporté et en partie publié (il revient en Calabre en 1985). Avec l'organisation de la tutelle archéologique italienne, la Calabre se dote de sa propre surintendance archéologique dirigée par Paolo Orsi, qui poursuit ses travaux à Locres jusqu'en 1915 (Mannella, nécropoles indigènes, Casa Marfioti, nécropole de Luficero…). C'est ensuite  le surintendant Paolo Enrico Arias qui reprend les fouilles en 1940 en travaillant sur le théâtre et à Grotta Caruso (sanctuaire des nymphes).

Après guerre, le gouvernement envoie Gaspare Oliverio avec pour mission d'ouvrir un vaste chantier pour former les jeunes étudiants de la Scuola Nazionale di Archeologia di Roma. En 1950, près de la côte, la fouille du quartier de Centocamere débute. Oliverio pensait découvrir le temple de Perséphone, mais ce sont des quartiers d'habitation, des ateliers de potier, une partie des murs et la Stoà a U qui sont mis au jour. Ces fouilles permettent pour la première fois d'étudier l'habitat et d'aborder la vie quotidienne, mais elles cessent avec la disparition du directeur en 1956 et ne sont pas publiés. Le surintendant Alfonso de Franciscis reprend les travaux archéologiques la même année au sanctuaire de Marasà et au théâtre. En 1959, une fouille clandestine met au jour le coffre en pierre de contrada Pirettina, près du théâtre : une partie de son contenu est déjà revendue quand Ugo Serafini fait arrêter le pillage. Les archives du temple de Zeus découvertes dans le coffre sont publiées par de Franciscis, qui travaille également sur les tours de Castellace et Marzano, ainsi que sur la nécropole de Lucifero. En 1969, la surintendance collabore avec l'Istituto di Archeologia dell'Università di Torino et relance les fouilles à Centocamere, sous la direction de Giorgio Gullini et Marcella Barra Bagnasco. En 1979, un nouveau secteur de la nécropole est exploré à Parapezza. En 1984, les fouilles se déplacent vers le secteur sud de Marasà. Les murailles et le théâtre font l'objet de sondages entre 1976 et 1988). Entre 1981 et 1982, le grand complexe tardo-antique (Palatium et édifice thermal) est exploré. En 1982, le fameux Trône Ludovisi est relié par la communauté scientifique au temple de Marasà.

La collaboration avec l'Université de Turin se poursuit, sous la direction à présent de Diego Elia, avec la fouille du secteur environnant Casino Macri.

Implantation urbaine

Le territoire de la cité de Locri était occupé bien avant la colonisation grecque. En effet, on a retrouvé des tombes sous la forme de petites grottes creusées dans la roche aux lieux-dits de Canale, Janchina et Patariti. Celles-ci dateraient du .

La partie résidentielle de Locri prend la forme d'un tissu de rues parallèles construit selon le principe de l'urbanisme grec, c'est-à-dire en plan hippodamien avec des voies de  de largeur. Elle descendait des monts vers la vallée et le littoral pour permettre à l'eau de mieux s'écouler. Outre les petites rues, d'autres grandes rues (dont l'actuelle Via Dromo, artère principale de Locri, est surement un vestige), mesurant  de largeur menaient à des lieux importants de la vie citadine, comme l'agora.

La seule zone d'implantation urbaine où ont lieu les fouilles depuis la première campagne archéologique menée par Paolo Orsi en 1908 est appelée Centrocamere. Ce lieu était à l'époque de la Grande Grèce un des principaux quartiers de la cité. On y a retrouvé les vestiges de la Maison des Lions, datant du début du , nommée ainsi en raison des bas-reliefs représentant des lions que l'on peut y voir. Aujourd'hui la plus grande habitation découverte sur le site archéologique avec ses , elle comprend un grand portail fait en marbre coloré, un andrôn et une salle de bain privée avec une baignoire en terre cuite et des latrines, chose assez insolite pour l'époque. La zone de Centrocamere fut abandonnée à la fin du  puis remplacée par une nécropole pendant la période romaine.

Mur d'enceinte

La cité de Locri Epizefiri était entourée d'un mur d'enceinte de  de long. Sa construction débuta vers 550 av. J.-C., mais la partie encore visible de nos jours, située au lieu-dit Parapazza-Marasà, a été bâtie au . L'enceinte était de forme rectangulaire, allongée le long du littoral de la mer Ionienne et comprenait aussi des hameaux placés sur les hauteurs comme Castellace, Abbadessa et Mantella. Elle se composait de pans de murailles et de tours à base circulaire.

Temples et sanctuaires

 Temple ionique
Le Temple ionique se trouve au lieu-dit Marasà, à proximité de l'Antiquarium de Locri et des vestiges du mur d'enceinte. Il était le lieu de culte le plus important des habitants de la cité de Locri Epizefiri. Construit à la fin du , il se composait à l'origine d'une simple cellule rectangulaire à laquelle sera ajoutée des colonnades au . En 480 , l'édifice original est détruit pour être remplacé par un nouveau temple ionique aux dimensions bien plus grande avec 17 colonnes sur les côtés longs et 7 colonnes sur les côtés courts. Le fronton et l'avant du temple ont été décorés au  avec deux statues de Dioscures qui se trouvent aujourd'hui au Musée national de la Grande-Grèce.

 Sanctuaire d'Aphrodite
Le sanctuaire d'Aphrodite, construit à la fin du , se trouve dans la zone de Centocamere en dehors des murs d'enceinte. Anciennement connu sous le nom de Stoà ad U, il est agrandi à partir de 550 av. J.-C.. Il se composait de plusieurs petites salles de tailles égales placées autour d'une cour où ont été retrouvés 371 puits sacrés contenant des restes d'animaux et des objets religieux. Ce lieu a servi pour la prostitution sacrée.

Le  célèbre Trône Ludovisi, découvert à Rome en 1887, a été solidement relié au sanctuaire de Marasà. Le panneau sculpté au centre est habituellement identifié à Aphrodite sortant de la mer, cette scène représenterait en effet Vénus anadyomène.

 Sanctuaire de Perséphone
Le sanctuaire de Perséphone se trouve au lieu-dit Mannella, à l'extérieur de la cité grecque et entre les monts de Mannella et Abbadessa. Construit dans la deuxième moitié du , il s'appelait précédemment le Persephoneinon. Il a été redécouvert en 1910 par l'archéologue Paolo Orsi qui y a effectué des fouilles et retrouvé dans le voisinage une des plus importantes collections d'offrandes votives de la Grande Grèce, aujourd'hui conservée au Musée national de la Grande-Grèce.

 Temple de la Maison Marafioti
Ce temple, dédié à Zeus, a été identifié dès 1781 à proximité de la Maison Marafioti. Il daterait d'entre 540 av. J.-C. et 520 av. J.-C.. Des fouilles y ont été effectuées à partir de 1830 par le duc Honoré Théodoric d'Albert de Luynes, puis en 1910 par Paolo Orsi qui y a retrouvé une statue des Dioscures, les fils de Zeus.

Théâtre gréco-romain

Le Théâtre de Locri, au lieu-dit Pirettina, a été bâti par les Grecs au , puis modifié de manière importante par les Romains pour pouvoir accueillir . Pendant la période de la Grande Grèce, il a également été utilisé pour servir d'assemblée politique. Il a été construit en se servant du relief naturel d'une colline orientée vers la mer. Ses vestiges ont été découverts en 1940 par Paolo Enrico Arias (1907-1998), puis les fouilles ont été complétées par Alfonso De Franciscis.

Nécropole

Il existe trois nécropoles grecques différentes à Locri Epizefiri, toutes en dehors du mur d'enceinte : la première est la nécropole Parapezza au lieu-dit du même nom, la seconde est celle de Monaci et la troisième est celle de Lucifero. Cette dernière est la plus connue avec ses  datant du  au  et découverte entre 1910 et 1915 par Paolo Orsi. Il existe aussi plusieurs nécropoles romaines qui se trouvent à l'intérieur des murs de la cité, comme au lieu-dit Saletta où a été retrouvé le sarcophage d'Ottaviano Crescente datant de l'an 200.

Antiquarium de Locri

Le musée archéologique national de Locri Epizefiri se trouve aux abords du site archéologique de Marasà, au km 95 de la route SS106. Réalisé selon un projet de l'architecte G. De Franciscis en 1971, il est dénommé "Antiquarium di Locri". Il réunit les collections de l'ancien Musée Civique, aujourd'hui fermé, et des pièces archéologiques provenant de l'ancienne cité et qui appartenaient auparavant à la Surintendance des Biens Archéologiques de Calabre et à l'Université de Turin (chargée d'une partie de la fouille, dans le secteur du Casino Macri).

Il s'étend sur deux étages avec au premier des collections des sarcophages de la nécropole Lucifero datant du  au , des tables de bronze trouvées près du théâtre, des offrandes votives du sanctuaire de Perséphone ainsi que des objets grecs provenant de la collection privée, rassemblée à partir de 1928, de l'avocat Domenico Scaglione. Des blocs architectoniques sont visibles à l'extérieur du bâtiment.

Personnalités liées
 Nossis, poétesse du  originaire de Locri et écrivant des épigrammes.
 Timée de Locres, philosophe pythagoricien né à Locri ayant vécu au
 Mélinno, poétesse grecque du , originaire de Locri,
 Xénocrite (en ) le plus ancien poète connu en Occident (2e moi. VIIe s.), inventeur du péan, créateur de l'harmonie locrienne, un des 9 maîtres de la poésie lyrique grecque.
 Zaleucos, législateur mythique grec des Locriens Epizéphyriens au .

Références

Voir aussi

Bibliographie
Sources antiques
 .
 .
Monographies et articles scientifiques

 (it) L. Costamagna, « Paolo Orsi a Locri : la necropoli », dans Rivista Storica Calabrese, 6, 1985, p. 73-82.
 (it) M. Rubinich, V. Origlia, « Le arule a Locri Epizefiri », in M. Barra Bagnasco (éd.) Locri III, 1989, p. 41-184.
 (it) L. Costamagna & C. Sabbione, Una città in Magna Grecia. Locri Epizefiri. Guida archeologica, Reggio Calabria, 1990.
 (it) F. Costabile, Polis ed Olympieion a Lcri Epizefiri. Costituzione, economia e finanze di una città della Magna Grecia. Editio, altera e traduzione delle tabelle locresi, Catanzaro, 1992.
 (it) M. Barra Bagnasco, « Fortificazioni e città a Locri Epizefiri, alla luce delle più recenti scoperte », in RM 103, 1996, p. 237-274.
 .
 (it) E. Lissi Caronna, Cl. Sabbione et L. Vlad Borreli, I pinakes di Locri Epizefiri. Musei di Reggio Calabria e Locri, Rome, 1999.
 (it) V. Meirano, « Vegetali ed alimenti sui pinakes locresi. Note interpretative », dans Orizzonti IV, 2003, p. 155-167.
 (it) D. Elia, Locri Epizefiri VI. Nelle case di Ade. La necropoli in contrada Lucifero. Nuovi documenti, Alessandria, 2010.
 (it) E. Grillo, « Le terrecotte architettoniche », dans R. Agostino et M. Milanesio Macrì, Il thesmophorion di Locri Epizefiri, Reggio de Calabre, 2014.

Articles connexes
 Grande-Grèce
 Locri
 Zaleucos
Trône Ludovisi
 Nossis
 Timée de Locres
 Nomothète

Cité de Grande-Grèce
Histoire de la Calabre
Site archéologique en Italie
Province de Reggio de Calabre
Locri

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Senate Bill 2015: Reforming Capital Metro
In 1997, Capital Metro was a disgrace to our community. Numerous actions were taken to address the corruption and bad management of the agency. But it's time to take a fresh look at the needs of our community.
Among other things, the Board lost its balance of equitable representation when numerous jurisdictions pulled out some years ago. This should be addressed with flexibility to reflect and facilitate the regional focus our community so strongly wants from Capital Metro.
The participation of elected officials on the Board is still important and should be maintained. However, the community would benefit greatly from the active engagement of individuals with large-organization financial and management experience – experience that some elected officials could bring, but that can also be engaged through the appointment of community leaders.
Section 3 of SB 2015 reconstitutes the Capital Metro board, maintaining the current seven-member size, with an increase of two when 35 percent of the service population lives outside the principal city. Board members will serve three-year staggered terms.
CAMPO's two current appointments would be required to have at least 10 years financial and management experience respectively. Additionally, CAMPO will appoint one elected official to the board. The City of Austin will directly appoint one board member and two others through joint appointments with Travis County and Williamson County respectively. The final appointment will be a joint appointment by the non-principal city jurisdictions.
Setting the Fare
Currently, any fare adjustments must be approved by a group of elected officials whose jurisdiction is served by Capital Metro, VIA and Corpus Christi RTA. When implemented last year by Capital Metro, it was a logistical challenge and frustrating exercise to bring together elected officials with busy schedules and who are not necessarily engaged regularly in regional transportation planning and financing discussions.
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Planning Organization meets regularly, is also composed primarily of locally elected officials and primary responsibility is to plan for the regions transportation needs within the context of available funding.
Section 1 and 2 of SB 2015 remove Capital Metro from Section 451.061 of the Transportation code, the current section requiring Local Government Approval Committees, and gives that responsibility to the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO).
CAMPO would have 60 days following action by the Capital Metro board to take action stopping a change to the fare.
Rail Referendum
In 1997, the legislature required Capital Metro to obtain voter approval for any activity related to passenger rail. As a former chair used to say, Capital Metro can move dead bodies, but not live ones.
Capital Metro is the only authority in the nation required to hold a referendum on rail activities even if they need no bonds or new taxes to build, operate or maintain a rail facility or service. This has created some interesting quandaries with the current line and peculiar scenarios for potential expansions. In addition, the last referendum cost upwards of $800,000.
Should another entity, say the City of Austin or the City of Round Rock, want to contract with Capital Metro to build, operate or maintain passenger rail service, this would also require a referendum for Capital Metro's participation, even if it made money for Capital Metro.
Section 3 maintains voter input on any rail system Capital Metro might consider building with their revenue or if an increase in Capital Metro's bonds or taxes must be increased to build, operate or maintain a passenger rail facility or service.
However, if another entity held a referendum to build a rail system, that would be considered sufficient voter approval for Capital Metro to participate, so long as Capital Metro did not need new bonds or an increase in the tax to fund their participation.
Additionally, if another entity choose to contract with Capital Metro to build, operate or maintain a passenger rail facility or service, a referendum would not be required.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Amen re the Press
Michael Tobis
Michael Tobis, editor-in-chief of Planet3.0 and site cofounder, has always been interested in the interface between science and public policy. He holds a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences where he developed a 3-D ocean model on a custom computing platform. He has been involved in sustainability conversations on the internet since 1992, has been a web software developer since 2000, and has been posting sustainability articles on the web since 2007.
Sorry I've been incommunicado for the last couple of weeks. A family matter I'd rather not discuss here has occupied most of my attention and I've had very limited internet access as well.
To try to get the conversation going again, I'd like to quote Frank Bi's comment from a recent thread:
John Fleck:
"And there's good research suggesting that, in such situations, a very large fraction of a naive audience […] remembers the bunk rather than the debunking."
Frank Bi:
I'm calling bunk on this latest blanket assertion until I see for my own eyes what the "good research" actually says in detail — I'd guess the solution isn't to discard the story, but simply to devote less attention to the bunk itself (it's bunk after all) and more attention to the debunking.
And in any case, in between yourself and Kloor throwing out all sorts of excuses for not changing the way you do things, aren't you missing a really big picture?
The public has a need — indeed, a right — to be aware that
(a) there's a climate inactivist noise campaign out there;
(b) it's very well-funded, very calculated, and very deliberate;
(c) it uses morally (and sometimes legally) dubious tactics; and
(d) we have evidence to show for it.
It's not just about debunking random pieces of bunk. It's about shining the light on the entire noise campaign, and calling it as it is. I don't see what purpose is served by not talking about it.
History will record the climate bunk as one of the principal characteristics of our time. Why won't the press touch it? That's one of the biggest questions around.
This article was posted in Uncategorized.
bi -- International Journal of Inactivism says:
keith:OK, let me say again: There exists a well-organized, deliberate, and morally dubious noise campaign aimed at spreading climate inactivism. There is more than ample evidence of this — Tom Harris's exhortations for "coordinated local activism"; the Policy Communications Inc. network of astroturfers; you name it. Much — perhaps most — of this campaign is still uncovered by the mainstream press.What will you say is the big reason that (say) you cannot/will not cover this?– bi
Michael Tobis says:
I hate to not let a comment from a valued regular reader, but I have to draw the line once in a while and I just did.All, please refrain from pointless bickering.It's clear we have a disagreement. I may be fruitful to try to understand it. It's not especially useful to just reassert it in increasingly hostile tones.
bi-Yeah, like I said, constructive. Also, different thread. John Fleck's larger points about all this so-called "bunk" being bunk remains unchallenged (and ignored) by the readers here and Michael Tobis.
Aaron may or may not be of interest, but I thought the question was interesting.
Aaron simply spots for keywords and spews talking points that are irrelevant to the original topic. Let's ignore him.* * *keith:"As for where this thread left off, I believe (no surprise) that John Fleck made some points in his comments here and two posts on inkstain that have gone unchallenged by you"You asked for constructive suggestions on how to improve climate journalism. We offered some (dig up the background of groups like the Heartland Institute instead of just saying they're a 'conservative think-tank'; stop contacting Roger Pielke Jr. for 'contrarian' opinions; don't worry about time scales for the wrong reasons).What did you do? After asking for construtive suggestions, and getting them, you simply ignored all of them and threw out stuff to "challenge" us.– bi
Anna Haynes says:
> "…recent court decisions may help."Interesting."the second circuit said this is just another tort-type case. It's a big one, of course, and it's loaded with complicated science questions, and cause-and-effect questions, but at bottom it is a tort case."I wonder if this would explain some of the Limbaugh faction's desire for tort "reform".
Anna, according to this story, recent court decisions may help.
> "History will record the climate bunk as one of the principal characteristics of our time. Why won't the press touch it? That's one of the biggest questions around."There does seem to be a pattern to the backgrounds of those members of the press who've been most instrumental, Wurlitzer-wise, in fomenting inactivism; and that pattern, along with a pattern to the background of some now allied with the fossil-fuel-energy industry, could shed light on the answer to your question.But how anyone could present proof without risking imprisonment, I haven't yet figured out.
http://scienceblogs.com/stoat/2009/09/cassandras_of_climate.php#comment-1984987What the IPCC authors thought after they were done, some excerpts and link
James Annan says:
Not sea ice, but (land) ice sheet loss. But otherwise, yeah, that's the excuse, but if the risk of land ice sheet loss is really significant then they should have dealt with it more explicitly rather than just basically ignoring it. Rumour has it they are aiming to give it more emphasis this time round.
That should be "ice sheet" dynamics, not "sea ice."
gravityloss says:
IIRC it went like this:"sea ice dynamics" change the sea level numbers substantially (make them worse) but they are hard to predict.So IPCC put the numbers of sea level rise in the summary with no sea ice dynamics effects. And people made huge headlines that the IPCC predicts lower sea level rise than in the past reports…And blah and gah lots of stupidity ensued. Which would have been obvious to the people doing the report. (I think there was a mention of the difference in the report but many didn't read it and of course many intentionally ignored it.)Next time better? This is all IIRC and AFAIK.
"Whena guy keeps changing their story, do you believe them? Would you buy a used car from that guy?"They are different guys. IMO it would be a big mistake (in general) for advocates to pin their arguments on the latest hot-off-the-press (and probably disputed) research rather than the IPCC assessments, for a number of reasons. OTOH the IPCC did chicken out of addressing the sea level rise question in a rather spineless manner.
I look at the numbers on sea level rise (2m@2100) being passed out over the last few days in the context of the numbers published as recently as 2007 (26 to 59 cm). That is ~ 5X change in 2 years! When the numbers are changing that fast, I do not see how the press or anybody can consider them as "useful". How can you expect the press and the public to accept the model projections when they keep changing? Whena guy keeps changing their story, do you believe them? Would you buy a used car from that guy?
Michael,I echo King of the Road's sentiment.As for where this thread left off, I believe (no surprise) that John Fleck made some points in his comments here and two posts on inkstain that have gone unchallenged by you: notably this from his latest(http://www.inkstain.net/fleck/?p=4006):"But Michael's analysis of the media-public piece of this issue is increasingly unhitched from the data.
Michael -Hope all's well, I second KOR's comment that it's nice to have you back.I've penned a more detailed response over on Inkstain.
King of the Road says:
Michael, I'm glad to see that you're back. I was actually getting a bit worried. Without treading into personal areas, I sincerely hope that all is well.Rob
Climate bunk is just a subset of the problem. It's about to be decided by the Supreme Court, who were in a real hurry to get their stamp on this by a 5-4 vote before another moderate gets appointed.http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/249055/september-15-2009/the-word—let-freedom-ka-chinghttp://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/249057/september-15-2009/citizens-united-v–federal-election-commission—jeffrey-toobinhttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB125314088285517643.htmlThis is why the media are quiet — because the big question about to be decided is whether money is speech, so freedom to buy media time is freedom of speech.Guess who can buy media time?


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I'd love the Heavenly Host to be tippling there for all eternity.
I'd love the men of Heaven to live with me, to dance and sing.
If they wanted, I'd put at their disposal, vats of suffering.
I'd make the men contented for their own sake. I'd like Jesus to love me too.
We'd be drinking good health forever and every drop would be a prayer.


When Eric Raffin took on the role of CIO at San Mateo County Health System in 2013, he knew it would be a challenge, and not just because he'd be the first to hold the positon. The organization needed someone who could help create a sense of unification — not an easy task in a best-of-breed environment where there was little communication between departments. But nearly two decades with the Department of Veterans Affairs helped prepare Raffin to take on the challenge, and four years later, SMCHS is making great strides.
In this interview, he talks about his approach to being the new CIO (which involved "a lot of listening" and learning), how he worked to incorporate change management strategies into the IT governance framework, and the question his team asks to help prioritize projects. Raffin also discusses how they're laying the groundwork to facilitate data sharing and improve outcomes, why his EHR 2.0 strategy involves much more than just the EHR, and what it's really like to work in a public health setting.
We're really trying to simplify what we do with the information, both in the hands of our providers at the point of service, and also how we use it to improve our programs and decision-making.
We've had folks both on my team as well as across all the other divisions that have been willing to come to the table to have meaningful debate, rational discourse, and produce something better in a workflow or a business process.
There are a lot of companies that say, 'we have this nailed; we've figured it all out.' And I'm thinking, I don't know how that is, because most healthcare delivery organizations don't really deal with social determinants of health — not because they don't want to, but because the framework hasn't existed.
It's about how do we transform this data so that other people who might derive great benefit from having it at their fingertips, are able to consume it.
It sounds really small, but at the end of the day it's not, because the way we look at it, every single one of these interactions is very important. We're excited about making some headway in this area.
Raffin: And at the end of the day, this new health information exchange is like a proxy. It's a read-only proxy for a unified electronic health record, which means I can use that for contingency planning, because it's not hosted here. It's hosted in a very secure data center. So when we deploy it, we'll have a web-based way for folks to be able to get to a contingency EHR platform, and I get a normalized clinical data repository in the background.
Going back to the question about information, now we have a fresh data environment that's clean and unified. We already have our behavioral health information juxtaposed with clinical information — we have all of that mapped, indexed out, and ready to be analyzed. We're really trying to simplify what we do with the information, both in the hands of our providers at the point of service, and also how we use it to improve our programs and decision-making by creating a new enterprise data warehouse environment where we have normalized information. So, there's a lot going on for a small public health system.
Gamble: Definitely. What you're doing with the Master Person Index seems like a logical first step or a foundation in getting things going for where you want to be. And you're working with NextGate on the EMPI, correct?
Gamble: Okay. Now, in terms of governance, were there challenges along the way with setting that up? You talked about the spaghetti, and it seems like there was much that needed to be addressed. Was it a challenge to figure out where to go first? Or is that something where this made most sense?
Raffin: It's interesting. The organization didn't have a health system-level CIO role. I'm very lucky to be the first incumbent in that role. At one point, the leadership in the organization turned to me and said, 'here are some of our issues. You need to go out and figure out what's happening and how we can best support all of our different providers in all of our different settings.' Even at the very outset, the directors of all these different divisions — our medical center, behavioral health, correctional health, environmental health, etc. — weren't really aware of what activities were going on in the health IT space around them. There weren't a lot of synapses firing between the different divisions; for example, a decision that gets made that might impact another division, or a decision that gets made where another group might actually want to contribute and also use that solution. My goal has been to try and foster a little bit more sense of 'systemness'; that's what I saw as a goal having come previously from the Department of Veterans Affairs, where there was a lot of systemness. I lived in an environment where there was a lot of awareness about what was going on. Here, it wasn't because people were deliberately not trying to do it, it's just that no one had asked the group to come together to talk about things.
For example, recently our information governance function — which is a committee that we sponsor and is led by a nurse informaticist, along with the medical center's CMIO — we realized that when clients first came to see us, we were presenting them with numerous types of consents for treatment, as well as numerous notices of privacy practices and different releases of information forms. And it was a byproduct of preparing for health information exchange and getting ready to roll this out, which is going to be happening in the next few months. This is a health system; our HIPAA entity is San Mateo County, it's not a specific division of the health system. And it struck us that this is a great opportunity to come together and agree on one standard for how we want to seek consent for treatment, and how we want to publish our NPPs (Notice of Privacy Practices). And the organization was very engaged. All these groups who before may never have come together to talk about this topic have basically agreed on getting down to what is essentially language for one consent for treatment, one notice of privacy practices, and just a couple of release of information documents which differ because of legal requirements. And it wasn't that hard to do.
A lot of people will say this has nothing to do with technology. My answer is, of course it doesn't, because it's how we manage information from the point of getting permission to gather it in the first place, which is part of the consent for treatment. The treatment is obviously documented, and all of that information can be made available, but you have to be able to first get the client to sign the piece of paper that says it's okay if we take care of you and share your information.
I'm just really glad that the organization has gotten engaged around these nontraditional health IT areas. A lot of this is things that IT people see, because we touch many layers of the organization, and I'm glad we've had folks both on my team as well as across all the other divisions that have been willing to come to the table to have meaningful debate, rational discourse, and actually produce something better in a workflow or a business process. We're really very happy about that.
Gamble: Right. Another area I wanted to talk about is social determinants and getting involved in using these other criteria to determine how care is delivered. Where do you stand on that right now? Is it something that San Mateo is doing at this point?
Raffin: I'd say we've started our journey. A lot of the challenges lie in the fact that social determinants information is collected in non-EHR environments. The good news is, at the end of the day, it's just data, and we can get to it, and we can transform it into the type of messaging that can feed the EHR space. And we can do the reverse. We can take the clinical information, as appropriate, and feed that back into the social services space where so many of the social determinants are observed by social workers, public health nurses, and community workers every day.
There are a lot of companies that say, 'we have this nailed; we've figured it all out.' And I'm thinking, I don't know how that is, because most healthcare delivery organizations don't really deal with social determinants of health — not because they don't want to, but because the framework hasn't existed to do it. We're going to dive into this by trying to take advantage of information that everyone has already agreed is right on the surface and is easy to do. One thing that's easy to do is to understand if any of our clients are conserved, right? We run that program for the county so we know everyone who's conserved. We know every senior that's in some sort of board and care home. We know a lot more about where people are living and how decisions are being made about folks who can't speak for themselves effectively. And so, right out of the chute, we want to make sure that piece of information, which is not always known, becomes part of our record. That's a really simple example.
A more complicated example is our health policy and planning folks. They do studies to identify streets that don't have sidewalks. That's a big deal for anyone who's facing the challenge of living with a physical disability and may not be able to get to their primary care appointment because they can't maneuver their wheelchair onto a bus or get into somebody else's car. Sometimes it's as simple as understanding there's no street light, there's no sidewalk, or there's no transit.
We have parts of the health system in other parts of the county that know all of that information. It's about layering it and pulling it together, which is why things like our new enterprise data warehouse framework that we're beginning to build holds great promise, because then we can start bringing all that information together. And it's not just IT people making these decisions; it's about what other information do the providers want to know that we may know in another system. Sometimes that's as easy as understanding that a child was seen and immunized by a public health nurse. And that information isn't in our medical center clinic function, but it can be made available in the EHR world so that when the pediatrician is looking at the record, they'd be able to say, 'I see you've already had this,' or something even simpler. When our public health nurses from family health services are out in their home visiting program — which is the largest program they operate — it would be important for them to know that if a child who's on their caseload was in our emergency department, they're going to have that information. It's relevant to the service they're providing.
This is how we're starting down that road. Our folks who deal with the social determinants of health every day are not informed about the clinical stuff going on; we're trying to get that information to them. And then ultimately start understanding everything on a social determinant list, from educational attainment to the quality of the drinking water. These are all things that we have in repositories of information. All counties have the same information; we just aren't using it maximally. So for me, it's about how do we transform this data so that other people who might derive great benefit from having it at their fingertips, are able to consume it.
Gamble: It's interesting because obviously in some ways you're still a ways away, but because of the makeup of the organization, you have a foundation because you're closer to some of the social services than other health systems might be.
Raffin: Right. They're front and center for us. The other thing is that as we join our health information to this big collective of thousands of entities that are now participating — for example, Carequality or Commonwell — we'll be able to query this information from literally thousands of providers and facilities around the country, we're going to start having other things to offer that are not just clinical in nature. And I think that benefits anyone who happens to be providing a service to one of our clients. It's about what we need for our own providers, but it's also what people will benefit from, especially in cases of emergencies where people may show up and present unconscious. But to be able to go into a completely different EHR, do a query, and see that there's information available, and then learn that the patient is conserved and here's the conservator's phone number — these are important parts of the network that you want to have when somebody is unable to speak for themselves. It sounds really small, but at the end of the day it's not, because the way we look at it, every single one of these interactions is very important. We're excited about making some headway in this area.


The government plans to take over 10 of the country's academic hospitals in a bid to improve healthcare.
To understand why healthcare in South Africa is such a mess in some places you have to appreciate a little history.
In 1994 the country was divided into nine provinces. The Cape was split into three - the Northern, Eastern and Western Cape provinces. But most of the infrastructure and experienced clinicians were in and around Cape Town, and so, were absorbed into the Western Cape.
That left the Eastern Cape in particular with the scraps of a healthcare system it also had to mash together with the remnants of a former homeland administration (a very poorly resourced black territory). It was not a great start.
Things have definitely improved Nelson Mandela built hundreds of clinics in the rural areas and introduced an emergency service. Authorities have made great inroads in addressing cholera and HIV in particular but there are many challenges on many different levels.
At the grass roots level medical professionals I spoke to said there were frequent drug shortages, including of antiretroviral drugs which are used to treat HIV patients. They complained of feeling powerless.
One said she'd been submitting a budget for years that was completely ignored and described having to buy basic supplies like towels and strapping tape. Another said their clinic needed to get a business to donate a computer and printer.
They all said there was a complete lack of accountability - no one yelled down the phone when things went wrong. Their managers simply shrugged their shoulders.
It's inevitable that leads to burn-out and a high staff turnover. While the government is now sending trainees to Cuba for medical studies, and offering bursaries for students who must then work in rural areas, the staff shortage is, quite frankly, staggering.
The province has about half the nurses and doctors it needs - what's worrying is that it isn't in the worst shape of all the provinces. According to the Institute of Race Relations, in data gleaned from the Department of Health, Limpopo has a doctor vacancy rate of 86 percent and the highest nurse vacancy rate at 68 percent.
Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi hopes that by taking over 10 of the country's academic hospitals, it will be able to standardise training and speed up the hiring process. That may work in some of the poorly run hospitals where the minister says the provincial governments reassign money meant for healthcare to other services (like water and housing) but in a province like the Western Cape it's another matter.
That province's head of health says the government doesn't have the skills or capacity to run its facilities Groote Schuur Hospital and Tygerberg Hospital. Both are very well-run already. Head of health professor Craig Househam has been speaking out this week against the plan which he describes as a mistake.
The impact of the takeover will be varied and that's to be expected in a country where governance, access to healthcare and the quality of that healthcare vary immensely. But no one can argue with the central tenet of the health minister's argument, that better quality healthcare has to be delivered to more South Africans, more of the time.


I could live in this video, the color the candies and that bike! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.
Adore this ad...just what I imagine a summer to be like in Paris...I have posted it on my blog with a link back to you...enjoy Sydney!


Most often, the result of poor sanitation and/or water chemistry.
Pool Rash, Irritation or Odor Avoidance Suggestions.
Rashes, irritations and odors can result, when the water chemistry is out of balance. The likelihood of algae, microbial growth and sanitizer-resistant strains increases. A ColorQ, All-Digital Water Tester can perform all of the common pool water tests and eliminates the color-matching and guesswork. There is a model, for every pool testing need. Reliable water testing will help solve and avoid problems. Better Circulation helps make everything work more effectively. The Circulator is a return jet replacement fitting, that improves filtration, eliminates the dead zones that promote algae and microbial growth, while improving sanitizer distribution. Phosphates and Nitrates can increase the growth of algae and make sanitation more difficult, as both are vital plant nutrients. Nitrate removal is not practical, but phosphate removal is easy enough to do. Adding Pool Refresh Total Trap will allow you to vacuum and filter out phosphates and should make algae control more effective.
Rashes, irritations and odors can become a problem, when algae and microbial growth are a frequent occurrence and is the result of inadequate sanitation. as well as other factors. Maintaining proper sanitation and eliminating underwater slimes, is a must. Adding some backup sanitizing is important, as chlorine level rise and fall, based on pool usage and the chemicals being added. Most pools use some sort of chlorine. A Salt Chlorine Generator is definitely a better way to do chlorine. Salt chlorine generators are highly automated and give you better control. The salt level is about that found in human tears. In-Line and no-installation-required models are available. Adding a Solar-Powered Pool Mineralizer introduces copper and zinc ions, that provide algae control and additional backup sanitizing. This reduces the amount of chlorine required, to maintain an optimum level. A Solar UV Sanitizer creates "free radicals" which help destroy algae and other microbes and provides some sanitizing backup. It doesn't completely replace chlorine, but will provide better results and reduces chlorine usage.
How to avoid common causes of rashes, irritations and odors?
Problems with a pool rash, irritation or unpleasant odors fall into several categories. Some are bacterial infections caused by inadequate pool water sanitizing, water trapped in the ear or remaining in a damp bathing suit for prolonged periods of time. Some chlorine byproducts such as chloramines are irritating and odorous and can lead to problems. The difference between the Total Chlorine and Free Chlorine reading is combined chlorine or chloramines. Levels over 0.3 PPM are associated with the onset of odors, irritation, red-eye and water clarity problems. Some individuals are highly sensitive to certain chemicals or materials and can experience problems, even though the pool is being properly maintained. When the water chemistry and/or sanitizer level is grossly out of balance, a chemical dermatitis can be the result. All instances of a rash or irritation should be evaluated by a medical doctor. Individuals, sensitive to even normal levels of common sanitizers, may be helped by a switch to an alternative sanitizer or combination of sanitizing methods, such as: Salt Chlorine Generators, Solar-Powered Pool Mineralizers and Ultraviolet Pool Sterilizers. If problems arise, refer to the Pool Problems Page, as a source of problem-solving information, broken down into various categories. Scroll down the page and click on the linked keywords, catch phrases or images, in the archived answers below, to access additional information, on that topic or product.
► Something Is Not Right?
I go to a gym with a full size indoor salt water pool. Several people including myself have gotten rashes and our bathing suits get discolored and stretchy. I wore a brand new one last week (shocking pink) and got out of the pool with a purple suit. Any idea what is wrong? I also feel like my face is picky and hot.
It sounds like the chlorine level is very high. That could account for the discomfort and the color change. A low pH would make it even worse. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) actually recommends that commercial pool users, such as yourself, do some of their own water testing. They suggested test strips, because of ease of use. A LaMotte Insta-Test 5 or Insta-Test 6 Test Strip should tell the whole story, in just a dip of a strip. If things are not right, you should complain and ask that conditions be rectified, as soon as possible. If nothing is done, there is always the department of health. I hope that this will be helpful. If this website was helpful, in solving your problem, please consider joining our E-Letter Mailing List. You'll receive E-Letters, with helpful information, new product updates, suggestions and sale announcements. I hope that I have provided the solution.
Why does my pool water have an unpleasant odor, sometimes? I can add lots of shock to solve the problem, but why does it happen? Thank you.
Odors are usually directly associated with inadequate sanitation. In chlorine pools, it is the formation of chloramines, an odorous, irritating and ineffective form of combined chlorine, that leads to odor and irritation problems. The difference between the total and free chlorine reading is combined chlorine and it is recommended that the level be less than 0.3 PPM. About 10 PPM of free chlorine must be added to destroy 1 PPM of combined chlorine. That is why shocking the pool corrects the problem, at least until the next case of a combined chlorine buildup. Organic wastes and urine, in particular, are the common causes of the problem. Not maintaining proper level of sanitizer only add to the likelihood of odors, as well increasing the likelihood of rashes and irritations. A salt chlorine generator is an ideal way to sanitize and eliminate chloramines, because they are destroyed, as water passes through the salt cell. Solar UV Sanitizers and Ultraviolet Sterilizers can also play an important role in preventing odors, irritations and maintaining an optimum level of sanitizer. In addition, maintaining proper pool water chemistry is important, as it can directly affect the effectiveness of chlorine sanitizers.
► Musty Smelling Hair And Bathing Suits?
What would cause our hair and suits to smell musty after being in the pool?
Test the Total and Free Chlorine levels. The difference is combined chlorine. Ideally, the combined chlorine should be less than 0.3 PPM. Combined chlorine irritating and odorous and could easily explain the problem, that you are describing. To reduce the combined chlorine level, it is necessary to shock the pool. Each PPM of combined chlorine will require 10 PPM of free chlorine, in order to reduce the level. Adding a salt chlorine generator, ultraviolet sterilizer or Solar UV Sanitizer are all very good ways to improve pool sanitation, while eliminating combined chlorine. I hope that this information is helpful.
► Are Foam Noodles The Problem?
This is not a question so much as a possible solution. I've been surfing for answers on a topic I found on your site: pool rashes. I notice several people have written regarding pool rashes-especially in "children and teens" while the adults swam with no effects. Any rash that persists more than 48 hours should be seen by a physician, but I've been battling the same thing in my kids: rash on the inner thighs down to the knees, sometimes up to the groin area, always stops at the bathing suit line on my daughter (girls' bathing suits have elastic legs). I think the answer is simple--especially if the adults have no rash but the children do. Pool noodles. The kids ride them. They drag them up between their thighs and swim around with them. My teenaged nephew visited and swam with a noodle under his armpits and came up with a rash under his armpits. While there's a good possibility that the chlorine levels in the pool are too high, this should only cause dry skin and hair. Chlorine levels would have to be extremely high to get a chemical burn. If you think about how many gallons of water there are, then a bit too high is really nothing. But not only do the noodles come into direct contact with their skin, but there is a good possibility of abrasion, especially if the noodles are older and have begun deteriorating. PLEASE make a note of this on your site. I know people won't go and buy a bunch of test kits and new chemicals as a result of reading it, but I really hate to see $20,000 dollars worth of pool repairs when it's possible it's the pool toys to blame! Always look into what comes into direct contact with skin (other than just the water), before panicking! Thanks!
Your reasoning is sound and I agree that you may have found a cause or at least a starting point. Abrade skin and a rash is likely to follow. These noodles are very popular and this is the first that I have heard of such a problem. However, many products, made in Asia, seem subject to faster and cheaper is best and that has lead to antifreeze in toothpaste and melamine in milk products. Fiberglass fibers, in deteriorated pool ladder rungs were found to cause thigh rashes, as bathers exited. This letter has been posted and that ladder product has been removed, from the marketplace. I have gotten many letters about exposed fiberglass fibers in pool refinishing compounds, that contain fiberglass. I issue a warning about all such inquiries and it is the only response letter, in which I use, bold red type to highlight the potential problems. I will add your letter, to the website. Perhaps, you are not alone.
► What Causes Red Eyes?
We have a small, 15 foot round above-ground pool. My two kids have gotten "red eyes" several times. Is there is a specific cause of this problem? Thank you.
Red eyes or stinging eyes are most likely an irritation problem, caused by high levels of chloramines: an irritating, odorous and ineffective form of combined chlorine. Be certain to use a Free Chlorine Test Kit and keep the Free Chlorine level at 1-3 PPM, as much of the time as possible. Try and keep the Total Chlorine level, no more than 0.3 PPM, above the Free Chlorine. This will keep the amount of chloramines to a minimum. Small above ground pools are especially vulnerable, because it can be quickly depleted of all of the chlorine. Kids can spend a lot of time in and under the water. Because there are small children involved, I suggest that you test the Free Chlorine level, before the pool is used. In addition, test at the first signs of loss of water quality and periodically throughout the day, depending upon the pool usage. The use of a non-chlorine shock can help to reduce the chloramines present in the water. Use it as needed. All medical problems should be evaluated by a medical doctor. I hope that I have been helpful.
► Salt Water Pools and No Red Eyes?
Is there a way you can explain in layman's terms to me why with a salt system pool there is no red eye. I have been told that it due to no chloramines, which man made chlorine contains. But, when I research it seems as though chloramines are caused by nitrogen, which I don't see on the labels of man made chlorine. Can you help explain? Thanks.
You're close, but all of the ducks are not in a row. Chloramines are irritating forms of combined chlorine, that are formed by the reaction of chlorine with nitrogenous wastes. All chlorine is man-made and all chlorine can form chloramines. Chloramine is not something that will appear on any labels. What makes salt chlorinating systems different, is that 100% of the chloramines are destroyed, as the water passes through the energized cell. This is not true of any other means of adding chlorine. Inasmuch as chloramines are the principal cause of "red eyes" this claim is justifiable. Salt chlorine generators help produce quality water with a minimal chemical presence. That typical pool chlorine odor is actually chloramines and will be virtually eliminated with a properly maintained salt chlorinated pool. I hope that this information will prove helpful. Enjoy the holidays.
How to reduce rashes and irritation, with better sanitation.
Use a salt Chlorine Generator for better control and reduce irritating byproducts.
Add a second layer of back-up sanitation, for better sanitizing performance.
Ultraviolet Sterilizers kill resistant microbes and reduce chemical usage.
The Pool Circulator makes sanitizers work more effectively, reducing many common problems.
Better chemistry promotes sanitizer effectiveness and increases bather comfort.
Mineralizer, uses copper and zinc ions. for all types of pools. Ultraviolet Sterilizers kill even the most resistant, pathogenic microorganisms Better circulation improves the action of sanitizers and improves water quality and clarity. ColorQ All-Digital Testers are easy to use, to help optimize water conditions.
Can you please tell me what we are doing wrong in two areas? For one my ladder keeps floating up it has never really seemed to be installed right and now two years later can't find the instructions. It doesn't seem heavy enough to stay down in the water. The other problem is with chemicals. I didn't have this problem last year and don't know why. I do this year but I'm not showing "any" chlorine in the pool according to my own tests and the ones I take to the pool place. So I add more shock and my kids come out with blood shot eyes and say its too much. HELP, PLEASE!
So far as the ladder is concerned, there is nothing that I can offer. Contact the manufacturer or discuss the problem with a local dealer. The red eye conditions that you are describing are consistent with high levels of chloramines. Chloramines will not show up on a Free Chlorine test. You should test for Free and Total Chlorine: the difference between these readings can be attributed to chloramines. If the Total Chlorine reading is more than 1 PPM above the Free Chlorine reading, it could be indicative of a problem. A major cause of chloramine formation is urine in the pool. The method for destroying chlorines is shock treatment. However, after shock treatment the pool should not be used until the chlorine level drop back into the optimum range of 1-3 PPM of Free Chlorine. Ultimately, bather comfort is dependent upon the maintaining of proper pool water chemistry and sanitizer levels. With water testing so important, I suggest the use of the all-digital, ColorQ Water Analyzers. There is a model for every pool. It eliminates all color-matching and guesswork. I hope that I have been of assistance.
My pool has a terrible chlorine odor, although the total Chlorine reading is not high. We are new pool owners and are not sure what need to be done. Thank you for your help.
Most likely, you are not actually smelling chlorine, but are detecting the irritating odor of chloramines. Chloramines are formed by the reaction of chlorine with nitrogen containing wastes, such as urine or sweat. Combined chlorine is the difference between the Total and Free Chlorine readings and is comprised mostly of chloramines. They are irritating, odorous and ineffective as sanitizers. You can detect chloramines at levels of as little as 0.1 PPM, while it takes 30 PPM of chlorine to detect its odor. To reduce chloramines to under the recommended 0.3 PPM, it is necessary to shock the pool. Maintaining a consistent, free chlorine level will help with this problem. Adding a salt chlorine generator, Solar UV Sanitizer or ultraviolet sterilizer will help avoid chloramine formation and enable you to maintain better quality. I hope that this is helpful.
► Rashes: An International Story?
Dear Alan, we are having a problem with a skin irritation from our pool water and hope that you may have heard of this problem before. The skin rash is usually located on the legs of the swimmers, looks like small red dots and in some cases the skin sparkles like glitter and feels like tiny prickles. The rash is only noticed once the swimmer has dried themselves and usually lasts about 24 hours, but is very tender to touch. Is this a typical chloramine rash? Most of the people affected by rashes are children and teenagers and the problem is not just with our family members. Although I have had it myself once, my husband has not. Last summer we were careful about balancing our water and find it hard to accept that it could have been chloramines or an imbalance of chemicals. So we decided to have a water test at a laboratory. It was confirmed that fine fibres were found, consistent with fibreglass fragments, about 0.1mm or so long. From this conclusion, we decided to re-fibreglass our pool this summer, (as well as solving other problems - the bottom of our pool was progressively becoming lumpier and we had a black spot problem). We have since discovered the original job was sprayed too thin and an isothelic resin may have been used, where a vinyl resin would have been more suitable in a heated pool.
However, after re-fibreglassing, filling the pool with fresh tap water, balancing and heating the water, the children had their first swim and came out with yet another rash. The pool builder balanced the water for us and did not seem to add anything out of the ordinary - salt, bicarbonate of soda, hydrochloric acid, and a small amount of liquid chlorine. He did not that the water in the filter and pipes was very green and flushed this out, however, he said he was unable to flush out the old water in the pipes returning to the pool. Could this have been so contaminated?
a new fibreglass pool interior using a vinyl ester resin )perhaps some fibres were left in the pool? However the DE filter is meant to filter out up to 3-5 microns).
salt chlorinator (Could there be a problem with the electrolytic saline chlorination system?).
DE Filter (Filter not too small, it can handle up to 120,000L - we have only 77,000L and it is running for 10 hours a day in summer).
gas heat pump (We heat the pool to a delicious 28 - 30 C. Could increasing the temperature affect chemical reactions on the skin?).
solar pool blanket (Is stored outside and may be contaminated from the sanding and re-fibreglassing chemicals or UV deterioration).
concrete pavers surrounding the pool.
lots of organic matter blown into the pool esp. from an oak tree.
Most of the equipment is around 9 years old now, with the exception of the newly installed controller pH and Chlorine.
We will be sending more water to be analysed by a chemist but we are not sure what to ask him to test for. We have tried to think outside the square with all the variables but as I am not a scientist I am struggling to come up with a solution. We hope that you may have some ideas. Regards.
That was quite a letter! The first thing that I would advise is for those people with a pool rash to seek a medical opinion. Fiberglass fibers can certainly be part of the cause of the problem. I am not familiar with the resin products and, therefore, I will be unable to offer any definitive information concerning their use. It is extremely unlikely, bordering on the remote, that chloramines are the cause of this rash. If chloramines were the cause, you would have mentioned that some or all of the bathers had "red eyes." There was no such mention. Secondly, the fact that you have a salt chlorinator means that all of the water passing through the cell is free of chloramines: that is if the equipment is working properly. Rashes can be caused by bacteria, due to improperly sanitized water. However, I doubt that this is the case. Bacterial rashes would affect the folds of the bodies and the areas covered by bathing suits. Again, nothing in your letter suggests that this is the case. You had your water tested and professionally balanced, so there is no reason to suspect a water chemistry gone awry. The heating to 30ºC is not part of the problem. Where I live that is the normal summertime water temperature. The debris from the oak tree might cause staining, but it will be destroyed by the chlorine. The dust from the pavers will be neutralized by the overall water chemistry. All this brings us back to those fibers! The D.E. filter should help remove them over time. You might use an automatic pool vacuum in the morning before the pool has been used. This will help speed up the removal. What you are describing is not common. At least not from my vantage point. Nothing points to a cause other than the fibers. If the new surface is not contributing additional fibers, you should see improvement over time. You might want to seek out a source with more experience with fiberglass products. I hope that I have been helpful. Good luck and let me know how things turn out.
Dear Alan, thanks for your speedy reply. By pure chance yesterday I was talking to a pool valet man who said he'd heard of a case years ago in South Africa where there was a problem with the pool ladder. I hadn't even considered our pool ladder! It is stainless steel with white plastic-like rungs. I very quickly used myself as a guinea pig and rubbed my skin against the rungs of the ladder and sure enough I got the rash!! Our pool builder said he thought the rungs of the ladder were fibreglass rather than plastic. It also make sense that as the children stand on the ladder, the skin on their legs possibly touch the rungs of the ladder. Our next step is to contact the manufacturer of the ladder and confirm what the material is, get the water tested for that material, replace the rungs and get an expensive but hopefully happy ending. I came across your website by looking up "Pool problems" under Google and couldn't believe there was someone independent I could discuss this with. We live in Auckland, New Zealand and the swimming pool industry is a small market dominated by monopolies with not much choice for help, independent advise and alternative products. So I thank you again. All the best.
You are making me a believer. I would have thought that the rungs were stainless or a high impact plastic. But, I guess fiberglass is a possibility. It's a big world out there. Based upon your self-sacrificing experiment, it does seem that you have narrowed the possibilities. Let me know, how it all turns out. I'll post this in the archives, so that, perhaps, others can benefit from your detective work. Good luck with the solution.
Re: Our on-going problem with skin irritations in our pool. The Australian manufacturers of the pool ladders have admitted that they had a problem with the "plastic" rungs and are replacing them at no charge. I'm not sure if it is going to get me anywhere to find out if this product actually is plastic or not. It has taken me 4 1/2 years of searching for an answer and $20,000 - maybe someone else may be able to learn from this. Regards.
► A Pool Rash Solution, From Half A World Away - Again?
grateful for your informative, bank-saving, sanity-saving website. Thank you!
If I still had her email address, I would send her a copy. Unfortunately, I do not. It was a bad product, whose time has come and gone. I don't think you have to worry about a modern ladder. They do make all stainless steel ones.
Someone thousands of miles away solved her problem and now it has solved another, half a world away, from her. Who would believe this?
I hope know that the information provided was helpful.
► What Causes Swimmer's Ears?
What is the cause of swimmer's ears? My kids have had it and so have my husband and myself. Looking for some helpful advise. Thank you.
Swimmer's ear is an infection, caused by pseudomonas aeruginosa: a pathogenic (disease causing) bacteria. This attention of a medical doctor, for proper evaluation and treatment, is suggested. There are several factors that can play a role in this problem. Inadequate sanitation can lead to bacterial growth. Water, that remains in the ear, can add to the likelihood of the problem, especially, if the water was not sanitized properly and remains in the ear for extended periods of time. Shaking the water out of the ears and drying the ears, after swimming, is a good idea and is worth following. I hope that this information proves helpful.
I was doing some research on heated pool rashes and came across your web site. I need assistance with information on developing a severe rash using a heated pool for physical therapy. I had been using it for several months with no problem then all of a sudden started to get this rash. It is very itchy and was on various places of my body. I found that I was not the only one that started to break in a rash as well. Others have seen Doctors and are using various ointments, etc. But even with this they are still having problems. It is essential for me continue to do physical therapy in a pool environment. I am disabled and can not do weight bearing exercises. The heater in the pool was broken and they owners got it fixed and ever since that time, is when the rash started. I can provide more information, but want to see if you receive this information first. Thanks.
I suggest that you seek a medical opinion, as to whether it is chemical dermatitis or an infection such as folliculitis. Treatment is strictly a medical issue. My guess would be inadequate sanitation. I could provide a better answer, if it knew how the water was being sanitized. In addition to inadequate sanitation, bromine has been reported, to me, as being associated with rashes. It contains a chemical, dimethyl hydantoin, not found in chlorine pools, so you may not have been exposed to it before. Its use is popular in indoor pools. Too much potassium monopersulfate has also been associated with rashes, based on the emails I receive. Even the CDC (Center of Disease Control) suggests using tests strips, to do some testing on your own (LAAPS). I don't know what the sanitizer requirements are in your state, but management should know. I hope that this information will start you on the path to discovery.
Dear Alan. My wife Donna very much enjoys water aerobics in the swimming pools here in the RV park where we live during the winter months. These pools are professionally maintained and appear to be in excellent condition. However, after an hour of water aerobics she breaks out in a red, rather itchy and painful rash on her upper legs near her swim suit, and also on her upper arms around the arm pit area. It is suspected that she has a low tolerance to the chlorine in the water, because the rest of the ladies in her aerobics group do not have similar problems. Can you give us a idea of what might be causing her rash and/or what she might use on her skin to prevent this from recurring? Thank you in advance for your advice! Sincerely.
Firstly, a pool rash is a medical problem and your wife should seek appropriate medical advice. It is possible that your wife is sensitive to chlorine and/or some of the byproducts. Because it is not your pool, you can't very well change the sanitizer system. The fact, that she is the only one affected by the problem, does seem to point to sensitivity. However, her sensitivity could be the result of over chlorination or marginally adequate sanitation. The areas affected, by the rash, are places that will remain warm and damp, for well after swimming has ended. The cause of the rash is probably bacterial in nature and could, possibly, be avoided or minimized by a quick shower and removal of the bathing suit. Removing in a wet suit for hours can lead to problems. I hope that I have been of assistance.
I had been teaching swimming lessons in this pool for about 1-1/2 yrs. when developing a rash suddenly. After going through the deductions of food or soap changes and deciding those were not the causes, came to the conclusion that it was the pool. When checking with the pool maintenance staff for water treatment applications, I found out that they used bromine instead of chlorine. After an abstinence of 2 weeks, I went to swim in a different pool that was treated with chlorine with no side effects. Is it normal to develop a sudden allergy to bromine like this? Is there something that I can use to prevent getting this as I am still teaching there? The rash only occurs on my arms, trunk and upper legs and is severely itchy. I have been to a dermatologist which was a waste of time and money. There is no testing that the medical field can do to determine if one is allergic to bromine and all he can do is treat it with an ointment which does not prevent the ugliness of the rash which resembles eczema or rosacea. Any suggestions? My husband told me to find a different to pool to teach in. Help! I love swimming to much to give it up.
You've been to the doctor and that was the right thing to do. The following is strictly anecdotal and is not backed by any data that I have or have ever seen. The chemistry of chlorine and bromine is very similar and, in most instances, it is the bromine that seems to be less irritating. You are focusing the attention on the bromine part of the molecule. The other part of the molecule is dimethyl hydantoin or something closely related. When bromine is added to a pool, the hydantoin is an unavoidable byproduct and builds up over time. It is entirely possible that you are sensitive to this component of the bromine product. Perhaps, you could be tested for reactions to hydantoin compounds. If you are truly allergic to bromine and or the hydantoin compounds, there is nothing that will remove these materials from the pool water, in the near term, that is short of replacing the water. That seems to leave you needing to find another pool, at least temporarily. Many commercial pools have switched, from a total reliance on chlorine or bromine, to ozone generators or ultraviolet sterilizers. This helps reduce odors, destroys organic byproducts and reduces the levels of chemicals needed for proper sanitation. Good luck with the resolution of the problem. Please let me know how things turn out for you.
We have a 10,000 gallon pool. Last year the kids had a few episodes of irritating stinging eyes. What can I do to avoid this problem again. We will be opening the pool, in the next week or so. We use trichlor tablets. Thanks you for the help.
High levels of chloramines is the most likely cause of stinging, irritated or red eyes. Ideally, the combined chlorine level (which primarily consists of chloramines) should not be more than 0.3 PPM. In practice, 1 PPM is probably more attainable. Combined Chlorine is the difference between Total Chlorine and Free Chlorine. Shock treatment is the method of reducing the combined chlorine. You need 10 PPM of Free Chlorine to destroy 1 PPM of Combined Chlorine. The pH of the eye is 7.4. pH values that are much lower or higher can lead to irritating conditions. The trichlor tablets that you are using will lower the pH and can produce unacceptably low reading, if you do not make the proper adjustments. As the pH drops below 7.2, chlorine becomes more aggressive and irritating. In summation, the irritations are probably caused by high levels of combined chlorine and could be made worse by low pH conditions. The solution: pay more attention to the Free and Total Chlorine levels, as well as the pH. If there is some money in the budget, add an ultraviolet sterilizer. It will drastically lowered the amount of chlorine the pool will require and will destroy chloramines and infectious microorganisms, as the water passed through the unit. You'll still need chlorine, but a lot less and the conditions will be much more comfortable. Think about replacing the current chlorine products with a salt chlorine generator. The water quality will be better and maintenance will be easier. I hope that things will work out better this season. Enjoy the summer.
► A Rash From Cyanuric Acid?
Our pool was recently refinished and was restarted as new. My wife develops a rash and welts every time she gets in the pool. This didn't happen in the old (20 yrs) one. Could she be allergic to the higher level of cyanuric acid?
Not likely! If the pool was just refinished, your cyanuric acid level is near the optimum range. If you used a stabilized chlorine, in the pool before it was refinished, it is likely that the cyanuric acid level, at that time, was very much higher. If a stabilized chlorine was not used, I suppose there is a possibility that she is sensitive to cyanuric acid. But, cyanuric acid is present in most residential pools and has she ever had the problem elsewhere? You should seek a medical opinion as to the likely cause of the rash. I hope that I have been helpful.
Do you have any detailed information connecting skin rashes with high water pH?
I have no detailed information on this topic. High pH can be irritating and this can contribute to chemical dermatitis. If you are experiencing a rash problem, I suggest that you seek medical attention, for treatment and a proper diagnosis. In addition, the high pH will reduce the effectiveness of chlorine and this can lead to conditions that foster the growth of infectious bacteria. At a pH of 8.0, chlorine has lost 1/2 of its effectiveness. At a pH of 9.0, effectiveness is nearly zero. I hope that I have been helpful.
► Wet Bathing Suit Rash?
I suggest that you discuss this with the family doctor to be on the safe side. It sounds like your sanitation could be borderline. Kids tend to spend lots of time in the pool and can remain in wet bathing suits long after existing the pool. The combination of possible borderline sanitation and wet bathing suits can lead to rashes in the areas that remain damp for long periods of time. This seems to fit the facts. I suggest that you pay more attention to the free chlorine level and use a product such as the LaMotte Insta-Test strips. It will help you keep the free chlorine at 1-3 PPM. In addition to better water chemistry, get the kids out of the wet bathing suits, as soon as possible! Because chlorine levels rise and fall, a backup sanitizer will not only help avoid sanitizing problems, it can allow you to use fewer chemicals overall. A Solar-Powered Mineralizer works by releasing metallic ions, which can significantly reduce the pool's chlorine requirements. A salt chlorine generator can produce and maintain the required Free Chlorine level and is easy to use, than traditional chlorine products. It is a better way to help sanitize your pool. I hope that I have been helpful. If so, please tell your friends and dealers about the website.
► Rash Under Bathing Suit?
My daughter, occasionally, has gotten a rash under her bathing suit. What is causing this and how can I help avoid the problem? Thank you for the help.
This rash problem may or may not have anything to do with the effectiveness of the pool water maintenance. Obviously, bad sanitation practices will not help. Kids can spend a lot of time in the water. However, this is not a kids only problem. Wet bathing suits and warm bodies can allow for bacterial growth to occur in the creases of the bathing suit and the folds of the body. Some people are probably more sensitive than others. Remaining in a wet bathing for a long period of time, without going back into the water, is the likely cause of many bather comfort problems. If you're not going back into the water - don't hang around in a wet bathing suit, if possible. A medical opinion should be sought for evaluation and treatment. I hope that I was of assistance.
Hi, I have just visited your website and thought to run this question by you. Today I took my kids to the sitter's house where they have small pool in their backyard with chemicals in it. But I am not sure what. When I called to check on my kids she said that my daughter who is 7 had got out of the pool an hour earlier and was broke out in red splotches all up and down her arms that were raised. She said they looked like welts. I have never heard of anything like this before. What I am wondering is if you have heard of anyone having that sort of a reaction to pools like that or if I should search elsewhere for clues of what it could be. Thanks very much.
Yes, I have heard of this before. It is a medical matter and you should seek medical services. There are several possibilities. Inadequate pool water sanitation leading to a bacterial rash. Chemical dermatitis, due to improper chemical levels, and resulting in a chemical rash. Or sensitivity to something used in the water. Not knowing what the pool is being sanitized with makes it difficult to be more specific. If she was the only one affected, that could indicate a sensitivity, on her part, to the conditions in that particular pool. I am not qualified to determine which one is most likely, you'll need a doctor for that. Good luck and I hope that I have been helpful.


Selva Pankaj has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Businessman of the Year category at the inaugural 1st London Asian Business Awards 2017. Stemmed from the success of the Scottish Asian Business Awards and the English Asian Business Awards, the London Asian Business Awards aim to acknowledge and celebrate the hard work of individuals and businesses who have excelled in 2017 within London. The award ceremony will be held in London on 19th September.


text:
if [ -d "/var/lib/pgsql" ]
	then

	echo "PostgreSQL is already installed, nothing done!"

else

	# Run the following command to make PostgreSQL work if SELinux enabled on your system.
	# setsebool -P httpd_can_network_connect_db 1

	yum install -y https://yum.postgresql.org/9.6/redhat/rhel-7-x86_64/pgdg-redhat96-9.6-3.noarch.rpm
	yum install -y postgresql96-server

	# Start PostgreSQL on boot
	chkconfig postgresql-9.6 on
	/usr/pgsql-9.6/bin/postgresql96-setup initdb

	# Install PostGIS 2.4
	yum install -y postgis2_96

	# Make server listen to any client address
	cd /var/lib/pgsql/9.6/data/
	# Listen to any remote client
	perl -pi -e "s/#?\s*listen_addresses\s*=\s*'localhost'(.*)/listen_addresses = '\x2A'\\1/g" postgresql.conf
	# Allow ident connection from localhost
	perl -pi -e "s/host\s+all\s+all\s+127.0.0.1\x2F32\s+ident/host    all             postgres             127.0.0.1\x2F32            ident/g" pg_hba.conf
	# Allow user+password connection from any client
	echo -e "host    all             all             0.0.0.0/0               md5" >> pg_hba.conf
	chown -f postgres.postgres *.conf

	iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 5432 -j ACCEPT
	service iptables save
	systemctl restart iptables
	systemctl start postgresql-9.6.service
fi

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Even Democrats' Rigged Superdelegates System May Not Be Enough for Hillary to Prevail
Even Democrats' Rigged Superdelegate System May Not Be Enough for Hillary to Prevail
By Stephen Kruiser 2016-02-12T18:00:38
Via FiveThirtyEight:
If you look at a Democratic delegate tracker like this one from The New York Times, you'll find that Hillary Clinton has a massive 394-44 delegate lead over Bernie Sanders so far, despite having been walloped by Sanders in New Hampshire and only essentially having tied him in Iowa. While Sanders does have a modest 36-32 lead among elected delegates — those that are bound to the candidates based on the results of voting in primaries and caucuses — Clinton leads 362-8 among superdelegates, who are Democratic elected officials and other party insiders allowed to support whichever candidate they like.
If you're a Sanders supporter, you might think this seems profoundly unfair. And you'd be right: It's profoundly unfair. Superdelegates were created in part to give Democratic party elites the opportunity to put their finger on the scale and prevent nominations like those of George McGovern in 1972 or Jimmy Carter in 1976, which displeased party insiders.
Here's the consolation, however. Unlike elected delegates, superdelegates are unbound to any candidate even on the first ballot. They can switch whenever they like, and some of them probably will switch to Sanders if he extends his winning streak into more diverse states and eventually appears to have more of a mandate than Clinton among Democratic voters.
Clinton knows this all too well; it's exactly what happened to her in 2008 during her loss to Barack Obama.
That this may happen again clearly indicates two things: Hillary Clinton is an awful candidate and the Democrats really have no bench/farm system.
As Silver points out, the superdelegate nonsense is in place to allow the DNC mucky-mucks to override the will of the voters (Democrats disrespectful of the voting process? SAY IT AIN'T SO!). Mrs. Bill is so terrible once she gets in front of the public that even those in the rigged system that should be her safety net abandon her. Again, this is largely because the Hillary Clinton pitch to the electorate is mostly myth. She's not really a strong feminist. She's not really even a strong woman. She's ridden the coattails of two men who embarrassed her publicly to get where she's at.
https://pjmedia.com/election/2016/02/12/even-democrats-rigged-superdelegates-system-may-not-be-enough-for-hillary-to-prevail/


text:
A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds light and variable..
A perennial problem
Bruce Justice
I think I've mentioned some of this before. But with the return of warm weather and outdoor activities gearing up again, it needs mentioning again. So bear with me.
How many of you can remember when you could buy a really nice house for about $25,000? Or how about when you could buy a really good car or truck for under $5,000 at any dealership you visited?
How many of you can recall the days when a simple candy bar was as large as these modern-day King Size candy bars but only cost a fraction (one thin dime) of what one of those large bars cost now?
When was the last time you can recall not having to wait on your tax refund to buy groceries that can fit nicely in one or two bags with room to spare, or when you could actually get a cheeseburger, fries, and milkshake for less than a buck?
And all you smokers out there: When was the last time you could buy brand name cigarettes like Marlboro, Winston, and Camel for a dollar less per entire carton than you can a single pack of off-brand cigarettes today?
I can remember these examples and many more. But if you're an X-Gen or Millennial and can't, that's perfectly okay. Nostalgia is very subjective; that is, the only difference between your fond memories and mine is our age. But I digress.
Perhaps it is because the Mingo County Commission recently received a grant whose specific use is earmarked for litter cleanup. Perhaps it is because law enforcement in both Mingo and Pike counties is making a concerted effort to crack down on the violators and both these things also prompted me to remember.
But the truth is the rate of incidence that a great many people in our area continue to litter, coincidentally enough, brings back another positive remembrance for me.
I'll bet if some of you in and around my age really think hard most of you would be able to remember the days when soft drinks came in returnable glass bottles for which you redeemed anywhere from three to five cents a bottle when you took them back to the store for reuse.
Instead of buying beverages in cans and plastic for which you get nothing today and you simply toss away, in days gone by beverage companies actually made it worth your monetary while to be tidier and cleaner at a time when you weren't expected to be as tidy and clean as you are expected and, in fact, is much more necessary of you today.
I'd also be willing to bet some of you can remember when milk came in biodegradable paper cartons instead of the insoluble plastic jugs that seemingly these days, in far too many instances, end up over the hill or floating down our creeks and rivers.
And speaking of groceries, I'm sure you can also remember when the items you purchase were placed in a brown paper bag instead of these plastic things you get now; these gray and white and pink Walmart-type bags that, again, even a visually impaired person can easily see hanging from tree limbs along the aforementioned creeks and rivers after a high water event.
And that's the rub. If you can remember these things then you can also remember when our hills and hollows weren't needed nearly as much for landfills, and when our creeks and rivers didn't represent stand-ins for them every time it rains and fill up with every conceivable type of litter known to man.
Yes, like now there was too much littering back in the day. But here's the irony: Even though there was more of an excuse for roadside littering and illegal dumps back then due to a lack of garbage service in the rural areas like ours, because of things like returnable bottles and more biodegradable packaging, the problem still wasn't nearly on the scale then as it is today.
Let's face it. We are doing irreparable harm to our homes and to ourselves at a time in our history when we should have far less excuse and can less afford to do so.
Which leads me to ask another obvious question: Whose bright idea was it in the first place to switch from using returnable glass bottles and biodegradable brown paper bags to those made with material that wouldn't self-destruct in a landfill — heck, in a blast furnace — if the world continues on for several millennia more?
Okay, what's done is done.
But now that we know the environmental and even health hazard all this has and continues to create, why in Heaven's name do we not return to the days when being at least a little "greener" obviously caused less problems for our creeks and rivers and valleys, even for us?
I find it simply incredible that some people find it much more difficult to bag their empty milk jugs and the like and let the trash man pick it up — a mandatory service they're paying for anyway, at least here in Pike County — than it is to step out onto the porch and attempt to chuck the lot of it toward a nearby creek or river.
I realize there's no silver bullet, nothing alone that's going to keep our countryside and streams from looking like mini landfills.
But I'm of the mind there are things we can do to at least knock a dent in the problem. And collectively we'd better start making use of them. Either that or begin looking to make new remembrances on another planet.
Mingo County Commission
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