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About this blog: I am a native of Alameda County, grew up in Pleasanton and currently live in the house I grew up in that is more than 100 years old. I spent 39 years in the daily newspaper business and wrote a column for more than 25 years in add...  (More)

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What to do with your buckets of water

Uploaded: Dec 18, 2014
Following up on my Pineapple Express stories, what do you do with the water you collect in the shower now that Mother Nature has blessed us with so much rain that the ground is saturated?
During the dry months, there were ample uses for the water collected in the shower while the temperature warmed up. Now, there are no ways that I can think of to utilize water outside the house.
So, what do you do with your buckets of water during the winter months when good conservation practices recommend collecting it, but there's no outside use?
Water the house plants? Yes.
Use it to flush the toilets? On a mellow yellow pot, Yes.
What other uses for this water now that we are enjoying a rainy season—with no guarantee it will last? Suggestions welcome.
Weather patterns look very promising, but we had a wet fall two years ago and the spigot turned off come the New Year.
Incidentally, customers of Zone 7 (Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin and the Dougherty Valley in San Ramon), exceeded the state conservation averages impressively, saving more than 30 percent year-over-year in the dry months. That's an impressive and community-minded response.



More on what's wrong with legislators in Sacramento. The Legislature convened for one day on Dec. 1 to swear in new members, but that didn't stop some legislators from introducing bills.
According to a report in the Monterey County Herald, Assemblyman Luis Alejo (D-Watsonville) introduced legislation to ban the use of "Redskins" as a mascot in California public schools. The name is still used by four schools in the state and Alejo wants to end that.
Why it is appropriate for the Legislature, which has plenty of serious issues to tackle, to dictate nickname policy to local school? Simply stated, it is not.
Of course, it mirrors what is going on in Washington D.C. with the Redskins where team owner Daniel Snyder has been adamant in his refusal to change the long-standing nickname.
That hasn't stopped the Washington D.C. delegate (who does not have a vote in Congress) from introducing a bill to strip the federal tax-exempt status from the Washington franchise. Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced that bill.
Just what a nickname has to do with tax-exempt status is another valid question. Given the national debt just rose to over $18 billion, the wars in the Middle East, the president's action on immigration, to name just a few pressing national issues—Congress needs to stick to critical national issues and let a private business function as such. If Snyder's business operations started to be negatively affected by the Redskins name, he will take an action.

Local Journalism.
What is it worth to you?

Comments

Posted by Dogfather, a resident of Danville,
on Dec 18, 2014 at 9:33 am

Make donation to Tri-Valley Animal Rescue.
Collect cold water line-fill in bucket.
Mix ice with water.
Pour over head and record the dousing.
Challenge 3 friends to do the same, posted on Facebook.
Profit! Well, tax deductions anyway.
Turn off camera.
Hop into nice hot shower.

Or dog water is another possibility. (and if you have no dog, Go to tvar.org, adopt dog...)

Rinse/repeat!


Posted by Anthony, a resident of another community,
on Dec 19, 2014 at 12:50 pm

trillion not billion


Posted by Peter Kluget, a resident of Danville,
on Dec 21, 2014 at 11:05 am

"Officer, shouldn't you be out catching killers and robbers instead of wasting your time pulling me over for speeding!?"

That's the inevitable lame fallback position of someone who has no rational argument but wants to be able to keep acting with impunity even if he's in the wrong. "Inappropriate?" Obviously that depends on whose ox is being gored. Tim doesn't give a hoot about the oxen of Native Americans, so to Tim it's "inappropriate" to do anything at all about it.


Posted by Pedal Power, a resident of Danville,
on Dec 22, 2014 at 6:06 pm

Redskins: When I was growing up I would have gone along with the idea that the use of the Redskin name, in this context, is a compliment based on the stereotype of hard charging braves. But, with the wisdom of years, it appears that most Native Americans were a lot more about being one with nature than warring so I can now see how celebrating the thugs may be offensive to many.
Tax exemption: The only problem I have with abill to get rid of the federal tax-exempt status for the Washington franchise is that it is not far-reaching enough; I don't understand why a football franchise would be tax-exempt anyway.


Posted by Cholo, a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood,
on Dec 23, 2014 at 11:04 am

What does anybody suppose would happen if names for public and private school teams were: Blackskins, Yellowskins, Mexi-Skins, Brownskins, Girlskins, etc.?
Seniorskins, Crippleskins, Blindskins, etc...?


Posted by Cholo, a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood,
on Dec 23, 2014 at 11:06 am

or...Cacasoidskins...?

signed, with a Caucasoid Touch!


Posted by Michael Austin, a resident of Pleasanton Meadows,
on Dec 24, 2014 at 10:21 am

Michael Austin is a registered user.

The drought isn't until its over.

I do not have any problem with the REDSKIN word.
My Mother a full blood Sioux (Lakota Dakota. My Father a mixed Scandinavian.
I was called Half Breed by the Wacicu, (White People).
I have been called and or described with many terms.
It all slides off, never sticks.


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