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Posted on November 6 at 10:13 a.m.

How sad that someone named Starshine should be so out of touch with her body and of Mother Nature. As a retired rocket scientist, I can tell you that the relationship between women and the moon is not rocket science. The 28 day menstrual cycle of a healthy woman mimics the lunar cycle, and the average length of a normal pregnancy is nine lunar months. The word "menstruation" is etymologically related to "moon". The terms "menstruation" and "menses" are derived from the Latin mensis (month), which in turn relates to the Greek mene (moon) and to the roots of the English words month and moon—reflecting the fact that the moon also takes close to 28 days to revolve around the Earth (actually 27.32 days). The synodical lunar month, the period between two new moons (or full moons), is 29.53 days long.

The fact that you and others make mockery of Ms. Barrett’s experiences is a testament to the sad fact that women are no longer in sync with their bodies and their relationship with nature. Her moonlit skinny-dip in a lake is quite prophetic, since it is believed that our connection to the lunar cycle stems from our origins in the sea, where tidal (lunar) cycles control the lives of many sea creatures.

Perhaps you also believe that food comes from supermarket shelves, and gasoline comes from a gas station pump. Perhaps you place your health and that of your children in the hands of our patriarchal medical community, and give birth lying on a bed in a hospital. As a holistic health practitioner, I routinely see female clients so detached from their bodies and Nature that they have become physical and emotional basket-cases and have lost their natural intuition. My suggestion is to stop making fun of Mother Nature, and embrace her as a child would her parent.

Roy Mankovitz, BS, JD, CNC

www.montecitowellness.com
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Please note, Mr. Mankovitz, we have edited your post of the excess commercial appeals, as per our Discussion Guidelines. — Admin

On Grrrrling at the Moon

Posted on August 7 at 9:37 a.m.

We have an oil shortage and a water shortage. More offshore drilling platforms are just around the corner. While oil and water do not normally mix, I would like to propose an instance where they just might do so. I propose that any new offshore drilling platforms be mandated to also include an ocean water desalination plant, using either reverse osmosis or distillation to turn salt water into drinking water. Now, here is the catch. Since offshore oil rigs bring oil and gas to the surface, it should be quite easy to siphon off some of the gas (methane) to directly power the desalinator. Voila! We now have an offshore rig that provides oil, gas and drinking water. It is a fully self-contained desalination plant that is completely self-powered, each sized to produce hundreds of thousands of gallons of inexhaustible drinking water for residents of the communities that have to look at the ugly structures. When the new rigs are installed, water pipes would be added along with the oil and gas pipes from the platform to shore, whereby the water can be added to our present water supply. The deal with the oil companies would be to provide the water at cost (or free) in exchange for drilling rights. While $5/gallon for gas is no fun, I would feel a little better knowing the oil companies were underwriting part of my water bill and, of course, making our community drought-resistant. Perhaps we should have them throw in enough methane to also power the sixteen year old land-based and mothballed Santa Barbara desalination facility. This really is not rocket science. As a retired rocket scientist I feel comfortable that all of the technology to accomplish this is in place. In fact, Santa Maria has just unveiled an electric generating system for powering a medical center which uses previously wasted methane gas siphoned from a landfill, and unused offshore platforms have been used to house desal facilities in several foreign countries. By placing the facilities offshore, the ecological issues of marine life disturbance and brine discharge are substantially reduced.

On Council Re-Examines Desalination Plant

Posted on August 7 at 9:36 a.m.

We have an oil shortage and a water shortage. More offshore drilling platforms are just around the corner. While oil and water do not normally mix, I would like to propose an instance where they just might do so. I propose that any new offshore drilling platforms be mandated to also include an ocean water desalination plant, using either reverse osmosis or distillation to turn salt water into drinking water. Now, here is the catch. Since offshore oil rigs bring oil and gas to the surface, it should be quite easy to siphon off some of the gas (methane) to directly power the desalinator. Voila! We now have an offshore rig that provides oil, gas and drinking water. It is a fully self-contained desalination plant that is completely self-powered, each sized to produce hundreds of thousands of gallons of inexhaustible drinking water for residents of the communities that have to look at the ugly structures. When the new rigs are installed, water pipes would be added along with the oil and gas pipes from the platform to shore, whereby the water can be added to our present water supply. The deal with the oil companies would be to provide the water at cost (or free) in exchange for drilling rights. While $5/gallon for gas is no fun, I would feel a little better knowing the oil companies were underwriting part of my water bill and, of course, making our community drought-resistant. Perhaps we should have them throw in enough methane to also power the sixteen year old land-based and mothballed Santa Barbara desalination facility. This really is not rocket science. As a retired rocket scientist I feel comfortable that all of the technology to accomplish this is in place. In fact, Santa Maria has just unveiled an electric generating system for powering a medical center which uses previously wasted methane gas siphoned from a landfill, and unused offshore platforms have been used to house desal facilities in several foreign countries. By placing the facilities offshore, the ecological issues of marine life disturbance and brine discharge are substantially reduced.

On Offshore California Drilling