You will never have to pay to be listed as a top neighbor. Period. That important detail clarified, let's discuss how we arrive at two "top neighbors" for a given region:
Localism is a bustling collection of hyper-local communities, and the top neighbors should reflect those members who are most active. When ranking users in a given region, several factors are considered. To get your foot in the proverbial door, you need to have posted at least one "Localism" article or photo for the region.
The very best way to quickly rise to #1 is to post high-quality local content. Keeping a steady strem of incoming posts and photos will massively tilt the scales in your favor.
What doesn't count toward the top neighbor ranking? ActiveRain points and community sponsorships. The top neighbor spots will always go to the most active members in a region. We want to create a level playing field that encourages the growth of communities — talent and dedication are required to win the day.
The Slow Death of the Salton Sea - Its a Southern California Problem!!!!
We often drive out to Yuma, Arizona at least once a month for some fun and recreation. Along the way we travel south on the 86 through Imperial Valley. Every time we do, we are intrigued by the sight, stories, and quite honestly, the smell of the Salton Sea. This past weekend on our way back from Yuma, we had some time to stop and check out the beaches of the Salton Sea.
It was a depressing detour.
The streets and homes were extremely run-down. The beach parking area was neglected, with smashed and broken concrete and half-dead palm trees. But what struck us the most was the beach and sea itself. When we walked up to the beach we commented how white the sand was, assuming it was the sodium buildup. But it was instead the years of fish bones, dried and crushed. There was also many fresh dead fish on the beach, the tilapia, the heartiest fish species in the Salton Sea- and also the only remaining fish. They are dying in record numbers as well.
The Salton Sea has many bird species that migrate from the entire Northern America Continent. These birds feed on the sick fish, and in turn are becoming diseased as well. This has the potential to wipe out bird species around the U.S..
I am no scientist, but from everything I read online, the fish, birds, and diseases are becoming an alarming problem that has the potential of causing health problems for humans as well. Not just some poor schmuck who braves the waters or eats a fish they caught in the Salton Sea (yuck!), but for humans across all of Southern California.
See, the amazing sodium levels, which are above 25% more salty than the Pacific Ocean, is not the only problem in the Salton Sea. The dying fish and the dying birds, and the lack of outlet for the Salton Sea to drain water, are also adding to the contamination of the waters. But contamination also comes in the form of agriculture drain-offs, containing toxic chemicals, fertilizers, and animal feces.
The most staggering form of contamination though comes from the New River. The river created back in 1905 to 1907. The Salton Sea at that time was just a salt basin with a salt mine at the bottom of it. The Colorado River busted a levy and drained into the Salton Basin for two years, then a dam was erected and forced the Colorado River down the path of the New River. The New River travels down to Mexico and back up to the Salton Sea. The unregulated Mexican waste companies are dumping unprocessed sewer waste straight into the river at the U.S./Mexico border. This river, along with the other toxic contaminations are traveling straight through Calexico, the Imperial Valley, and right into the Salton Sea.
Also consider this. Scientists have contimplated emptying and/or allowing the Salton Sea to dry out. But if that was allowed to happen, the lake bed would turn to a toxic dust and blow throughout Southern California. There are also power plays from surrounding rich counties for the water that could be used for cleaning up the Salton Sea.
We don't claim to have an answer, but acknowledging the problem and pressuring our lawmakers is a good start. Doing nothing may cost us the ultimate price- even if you reside a few hours from the Salton Sea.
Here's a video and Wikipedia link of containing informative facts about the Salton Sea problem.
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Scientists have recently made breakthroughs in the feasibility of creating biofuel from algae. What follows is one of a number of articles on the subject that exist out there. Do we know a place that produces tons of algae? Let's put on our thinking caps...
An Arizona energy company is betting big on algae. PetroSun Biofuels has opened a commercial algae-to-biofuels farm on the Texas Gulf Coast near scenic Harlingen Texas. The farm is a 1,100 acre network of saltwater ponds, 20 acres of which will be dedicated to researching and developing an environmental jet fuel. PetroSun's game plan is to extract algal oil on-site at the farms and transport it to company bideisel refineries via barge, rail or truck. The company plans to open more farms in Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, Mexico, Brazil, and Australia in 2008. Of all the options for future jet biofuel production, algae is considered one of the most viable. It yields 30 times more energy per acre than its closest competitor, and requires neither fresh water, arable land used for cultivation, or consumable food, giving it an advantage over ethanol. PetroSun asserts that an area the size of Maryland could produce enough algae biofuel to satisfy the entire fuel requirements of the United States. Perhaps seeing the writing on the wall, the once skeptical Boeing is now said to be working with alternative fuel developers from around the world to accelerate alternatives to jet fuel, which at $110 a barrel is threatening to sink the major airlines. Continental has said that it will conduct a biofuel test flight next year, the first US airline to do so. Earlier this year, Virgin Atlantic flew a 747 partially powered by coconut and babassu oil. In addition to its commercial applications, PetroSun says, somewhat cryptically, that it is also working with a "government laboratory" to co-develop an algae-based fuel for military use. Gordon LeBlanc, Jr., the CEO of PetroSun, is quoted as saying that the company's success is a combination of a superior technological approach, sheer luck, and a "redneck can-do attitude."
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
buildup. But it was instead the years of fish bones, dried and crushed. There was also many fresh dead fish on the beach, the tilapia, the heartiest fish species in the Salton Sea- and also the only remaining fish. They are dying in record numbers as well.
