thoughts on the drought going on in the western part of the U.S.

In the western part of the U.S. there has been a drought going on for the last few years with no real change in the foreseeable future by meteorologists.

The question is what do the municipalities and companies going to do about the need for water versus the lack of available drinkable water.

I think that each U.S. state that has coastline should be desalinating water with the states closest to the drought stricken areas of the country doing the most desalinating given the increased need for water.

Yes desalinating sea water is expensive but what I'd like to see happen is that the water itself be directed on the intake end in such a way that would help create as much of the energy needed as possible.  Where we use dams in rivers to create reservoirs and to create energy, why cant we design large scale holding tanks that permit intake from the tides and by a siphon with the intake having water turbines that can be powered by both the siphon and the high tide?

Where there are water turbines that work with the ocean currents and a siphon creates a man made current in a tube, why can't they be adapted to be used with a siphoning effect for the intake of ocean water for a water desalination plant to help create the needed energy?

Why can't we use the facade and roofs of the buildings that would be a part of the desalination process to house solar panels facing the path of the sun?

Given the advances in windmill technologies why can't we have rooftop windmills on the property or rooftop windmill type windmills in strategically placed areas between buildings to catch the wind as it goes around the buildings where the space between buildings can act like a wind tunnel.

The cost of desalinating water is expensive but what are the economic and environmental costs of not doing as much large scale water desalination as possible in the areas where we have millions of people and countless farms that would be hurt or helped by doing or not doing desalination?

If we started doing a lot more large scale desalination we would create badly needed jobs for every step along the way from building to running the plants.

Why is it that most wheelchairs are dark colors?

Before my brother Tommy had gotten hit by the car, I had already been asking myself why the manufacturers of wheelchairs tend to use dark colors for their wheelchairs where it causes safety issues for the user if they are ever in an area where they need to use the roads at night when there are no sidewalks and at crosswalks.

I had been asking myself to the point that I had bought reflective tape and reflectors for my moms and a friends electric wheelchairs a couple weeks before my brother had gotten hit by the car.  After he got hit, it showed the inherent problems with the dark colored wheelchairs when it comes to safety, and I concerned enough to decide to buy reflective tape and reflectors for a neighbor in my apartment complex so that way she can use them if she feels that she needs them.

Safety for those who need any type of mobility devices is paramount when they are being manufactured.  Those who need to utilize mobility devices have limited options in terms of colors that permit them to be seen by oncoming traffic with the only color being used is chrome for some metal parts but it isn't an industry standard for safety.

I feel that the manufacturers of mobility devices should be required to manufacture their products to be highly visible when in low light situations, whether it be a paint job with reflective properties or if there are items that glow in the dark with the material being able to glow in the dark for as long as possible.

About my brother Thomas James Davis

On September 5, 2014 my brother Thomas James Davis who was living in Hawaii was struck by a car on his way home and subsequently died due to his injuries.

Even though he may have not wanted to listen to family and friends on certain things he will be greatly missed by many people.

As much as a pain in the butt he was at times, he was a good person.

Tommy may you Rest in Peace and I hope that you are in a far better place where you are able to walk with out the aid of crutches or a wheelchair and with being able to hear people again.

Thomas James Davis
January 23, 1970 to September 5, 2014