Folks:
The horrendous collapse of the condo tower in Miami, with over 150 people missing at this point is a modern tragedy. It is impossible to imagine the pain and suffering of the victims and the terror of those who wait to hear if any more can be found alive in the rubble.
But a tragedy is not an accident, nor an uncaused calamity. Scientists are now starting to claim that sea level rise is the culprit, which in turn is caused by human actions. The whole Florida coast in this area is subject to weakening and sinking from sea water intrusion.
There are sure to be more such reports in the near future. However this is not new news, since Trump’s Mar a Lago is also vulnerable to sea level rise, with the further contributing factor that Trump canceled Obama measures to fight sea level rise along the Florida coast.
Painful ironies never stop these days, and Trump is frequently the off-screen perpetrator.
Bob
Robert Chianese, Ph.D., Emeritus Prof. English, CSU Northridge
Past President Amer Assoc for Advance of Science Pacific Div
Fulbright Senior Specialist, columnist American Scientist magazine
to opinions
Cars on Main and California Streets
Please keep them off as the air is cleaner now and like cities and towns in the rest of the world we now have a great communal space and the merchants I talk to like it also.
Michael Salisbury
Dear Ventura Breeze:
In the June 2-15 2021 issue, page 17, the ‘Tree Town’ inset noted the recent planting of 8 Honey Locust trees, mentioning “Honeylocust canopy trees line Main Street from downtown to Five Points…”. This is incorrect. The vast majority of street trees along E. Main Street are Queen Palms (#207) and Jacarandas (#133) according to the 2020 City Tree Master Tree Plan, Appendix B Theme Street Tree Well Replanting (pg24/107). In fact, Queen Palms represent almost 5% of all Ventura street trees.
Oddly, the popular and attractive Queen Palm is absent from the 2019 City of Ventura Recommended Tree List.
Also strange is that even though Ventura has its own city Fire Department and an Urban Forestry Program, somehow the 2020 City Tree Master Tree Plan incorporates the Ventura County Fire Department Fire Hazard Reduction Program, a document which is ill-suited for determining appropriate trees along urban corridors.
Overall, it seems that the future of Ventura shall be without palms, which is a shame given their instant associate with beaches, sun, and fun, which really is Ventura in a nutshell.
Lucien Belmont
The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement
~ Jack Rosenbaum
