Thursday, July 2, 2009

Too much salt in the Salton Sea

Every Californian, in particular, Southern Californians, needs to see the 2004 documentary Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea.

One statement, made in the film, that resonated with me is that you only need to visit the Salton Sea once to feel sympathy for the place. When I went out there with my buddy Ransom Riggs, two weeks ago, I was overwhelmed by the death and decay--the smell of rot, the fish carcasses, the abandoned homes. I was convinced that the sea was a toxic wasteland. I read that the sea was filled with sewage overflowing from Mexico, a statement that turns out to not be true.

The Salton Sea was caused by a run off of the Colorado River in 1905. The overflow went to the Salton sink, the deepest part of the Imperial Valley and a major area for salt mining. The largest lake in California quickly became as salty as the ocean. In the 1950s, the sea boomed as a major tourist site. But the combination of the desert (not dessert) heat, which could reach up to 120 degrees in the summer, and the sea's salinity increasing by 1% each year, made it difficult for the fish to breath.

Too much salt! That's what was killing all the fish. All the dead fish created high levels of bacteria and when the birds ate the fish, they began to die, too. The local government decided to diverge the clean water from the Colorado river to LA and San Diego instead of wasting it on the Salton Sea and now the water is receding and animal deaths has increased. Politicians want to forget that the Salton Sea even exists. And scientist predict that if the lake evaporates, it will create a huge alkaline dust storm that will completely blanket and destroy Palm Springs.

The problems with the Salton Sea are not easy to fix. A part of me thinks that we should just let it dry up, because the reason the lake can't survive in that climate is because it was never supposed to be there. It's killing millions of fish and thousands of birds every summer. But then what will happen to Palm Spring? With most of the wetland dried up in California, where will the birds go?

More photos from Ransom Riggs:

Monday, June 29, 2009

Palm Springs: Too hot, too handle


I went to Palm Springs for the weekend and learned that the desert is hot. Like seatbelt burning, energy sucking, shriveled skin by the pool, hot. I woke up early Saturday morning, because it’s the desert and it’s bright, and found myself unable to bear the desert heat by 10 a.m. I am not unfamiliar with the browning affects of the sun, (see Morenas), but this was a whole new scale of heat. All weekend, Palm Springs held a steady 110, cooling into the night to 95. And I wondered: how and why did people create a civilization here?

A Quick History of Palm Springs: For thousands of years, Native Americans made their residence near the canals and hot springs of Palm Spring’s desert, until the Spaniards arrived in the 1800s and nearly wiped out the Indians with the great small pox epidemic of 1862. Mormons arrived to Americanize, Zoning restrictions separated class, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, JFK and other Hollywood stars began to vacation in the Coachella Valley, and then boom, here emerged the town of Palm Springs, whose main economy is based on tourism.

Golf courses and resorts with lagoon-shaped pools speckles Palm Springs to create the atmosphere of a “desert oasis.” 42,807 people reside in Palm Springs year round with an upsurge of tourists during the winter, or during events such as the famous Coachella music festival. The hotels used to shut down in July and August, but now remain open, despite the heat. The downtown has all the basic amenities with movie theaters and high-end restaurants.

We have the ability to create communities in extreme temperatures, but at what point is the heat too much? According to the Department of Health there were 8,015 heat related deaths in the United States between 1979-2003, which was more than hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined. In fact, two days ago, hundreds of cattle died due to extreme heat in Nebraska.

Over the weekend, I kept saying, “This heat is killing me,” which turns out is not an exaggeration. This is not to say that I didn’t enjoy Palm Springs this weekend. How could I not staying in a resort, perusing restaurants, sitting by the pool with a good book? But if you’re planning to head to Palm Springs for the weekend, I have just two words for you: Winter Time.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Michael Jackson RIP


Over the years, MJ’s fall from grace has turned him into a tabloid star, Wacko Jacko, not the King of Pop. But since the news of his mysterious death unfolded, the perception of him has changed to the positive. It’s easy to criticize a man when he’s going through struggles, but hard not to revere him after he passed away.

And this is the exact reason why I can’t stop thinking about him. MJ’s talents, challenges, insecurities, and solitary death are a reflection of our worse fears on mortality. MJ deserves the super-stardom that he received, with musical and dance talents that defined decades of entertainment. He had a dance style all his own, and a voice that went high and low with lyrics that moved the masses. He has been an iconic pop star my entire life, dancing with Diana Ross and Britney Spears, and his music will live on even after I am long gone.

Michael Jackson was a star. His fans created him and they destroyed him. And the argument made when celebrities complain about fame, “it’s their choice to be famous,” can’t be made with MJ, who was thrust into the spotlight as a child in Jackson 5. His evolving face, from a handsome young man to a pale mold, can only be accredited to his growing insecurities. Michael was just too sensitive. I wish things had been different.

I, like many others my age, have been affected by the loss of a great man. I hope that now that he is gone, we will only remember him fondly.

Also, check out these dance moves! The guy dances like he’s on ice.
Moonwalk


With Diana Ross


With Britney Spears

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

More Pandas

This is just too cute to not post:

Monday, June 22, 2009

Salvation Mountain

I was about to write a blog about Salvation Mountain, but I like Ransom Riggs' blog better. Here are some of his super-rockin' photos:

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Pandas: More than just a cute face


There are approximately 2,000 pandas in the world, and this year, I have seen four—two in Hong Kong and two in San Diego. That’s .2% of the Panda population, which I can proudly say has been graced by my presence.

I find this 2009 personal fact odd, considering, and my apologies to Jenny, I don’t like zoos. I don’t like cages and I don’t like gross tourism, so logically, I don’t like it when animals behind bars get their pictures taken by middle-aged men in Hawaiian shirts and a sun visor. I understand that conservation is the San Diego Zoo’s top priority, and there are some animals so extinct that they don’t even live in the wild. But. Their cages look like prisons.

I can’t blame my friend Jenny, who I have known for fifteen years and have visited in Hawaii, Wales, Oregon and now, San Diego, for wanting to go to the zoo, because I was the one who suggested the idea. She was hoping to recreate a childhood experiences; I was hoping to get over my issue with creatures in cages. Not sure if that happened, but, at least, I got to see my favorite animal in the world: the panda.

Here are some interesting stories about pandas:
* Panda Diplomacy: Ever since the Tang Dynasty in 625, Pandas, who only exist in central China, have been given to other countries for diplomatic purposes. Between 1958 to 1982, China gave 23 pandas to nine different countries, most famously when Mao Zedong gave two pandas to Richard Nixon. Since 1994, pandas are only loaned to other countries for the hefty fee of up to $1,000,000 a year.

* Panda hugs: Early last year, a 20-year-old student in China was mauled by a Panda after climbing into a panda cage to give it a hug.

* Panda Porn: In Thailand, animal keepers have been able to boost the population by showing pandas, who are normally poor breeders, footage of other pandas procreating.

* Panda Fashion: Here is clip of an adorably strong panda unafraid to beat up a tourist for a jean jacket:


* Panda Dog: This is what happens when a panda fan gives her dog a make over:

Friday, June 19, 2009

Love, Loneliness and Joshua Trees



The first time I had heard of Joshua Tree is during Season 2 of Friends when Rachel, unable to forgive Ross, looks out her window, into the rain, with U2’s “With or Without You” speaking the words of her broken heart. It was so damn romantic my little high school heart pitter-pattered for passion.

Skip ahead fifteen years, and I’m taking a trip to Joshua Tree’s National park, the inspiration behind U2’s album, and thinking back on that scene with Ross, Rachel, and the younger version of myself filled with romantic ideals.

The Joshua tree, or Yucca brevifolia, is native to Southwest North America with a long root system that enables the tree to live in the harsh, dry climates of the desert. Due to the tree’s lack of growth rings, it’s difficult to determine the tree’s actual age, but if they can survive the desert, they can live for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years. Joshua trees, because of their long roots, live spaced out from one another. Their “cactus-like” tops don’t reach towards their neighbors, but stretch like fingers towards the sky. Joshua Trees are the most independent and sturdy of trees, who live for years and years. All alone.

In fact, the Joshua Tree is the antithesis of romance. Who wants to spend thousands of years with roots, like arms, pushing life away?

As I stood in the Mojave desert, surrounded by Joshua Trees, thinking these thoughts on companionship, existentialism, and Jennifer Aniston, I become lost in the beauty of the desert. This issue of independence and compromise has been a common topic among my girlfriends, who whether single, engaged, married, or divorced, strive to find deeper meaning in their lives. Heavy stuff. But I was thousands of miles away from my urban Los Angeles studio. In this desert, the simplicity of the beige dirt, blue skies, smooth boulders, and lone trees filled me with a meditative balance. If I held my breath, all I heard were birds. And if I thought real hard, I could remember the lyrics of that damn romantic U2 song:

See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
I wait for you

Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed
of nails she makes me wait
And I wait without you.