There’s more economic benefit to letting scuba divers see live sharks swimming off the California coast than there is in fishing for them.

  
Click here to read a summary of the new study Sea The Value:  Quantifying the Value of Marine Life to Divers. 

Eight weeks into this year’s California budget stalemate, the issues and the prospects for their resolution have not changed significantly since the past fiscal year ended on June 30^th.

The Governor has proposed a budget (see it here ), but the stalegislature is far from agreeing on his suggested sales tax increse.

Evans says that borrowing money to balance the budget, as was done in past years, is no longer a viable option.

To view Noreen Evans' website, click here.

The oldest surviving brick mansion in Sonoma County has had its seismic stabilization work completed, and is ready for public visitors again.

The Hood mansion was built in 1858, by William Hood for his wife, Eliza. Below is a similar view of the home as it looks today, along with an interior photo of the dining room, which was "updated" with some colorful wallpaper for a fundraising event back in the 1970s.

The public is invited to join in celebrating the hood House’s 150^th birthday on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008. The party will include presentations from 10-11 am, and an open house with grounds tours from 11 am to 1 pm. Cake and lemonade will be served. The Hood House is located at 7501 Sonoma Highway.
There's a map to Hood House location here .

Palm Oil

First the ethanol boom created a surge in corn prices; now bio-diesel made from palm oil is threatening tropical rain forests.

To view a continually growing list of products that use palm oil, click here.

To see the website for the Rainforest Agribusiness Campaign, click here.