Annie, overhead power lines for long distance transmission can be close to 700,000 volts or higher. At this voltage, wires don't need to touch, a spark can jump over a big (23 cm?) air gap, If buried underground, everything must be 100% leak-proof and ultra insulated. 99.999 % is not acceptable. A tiniest pinhole can create an underground explosion. Also, because the power is alternating current (A/C) it can induce (as in induction cook tops) electric current in metal objects nearby. So metal conduits can be a problem. I can't imagine any way to bury this kind of power in mountain and forest areas for over 60000 miles of wire.. Many other areas near population will be a problem because of people's concern about magnetic field possibly causing cancer. So you will have 10 years to deal with "not in my backyard" law suits. Another 20 years for Environmental Impact Statements. 10 years for engineering? 20 years for construction? It takes hours to repair failed overhead power lines. It can take more than months to repair underground ultra high voltage transmission facilities. Not even going to compare costs, it takes a few months to add more power to overhead transmission system. It will take forever for an underground system to add capacity. --------------------------- I am surprised that the following has not been considered now that forest fire has become a worldwide problem: 1. Satellite IR sensor can easily be an added feature to GPS satellites to pinpoint fire the very second it occurs and allowing aerial fire fighting to take place in minutes. 2. Pre-mapped by GPS, access and escape paths based on contour and field conditions survey in all effected areas to allow safe and quick firefighting. 3. Fully insulated auto-pilot controlled rescue vehicles, with builtin air and medical supplies to get deep inside a fire and stay for at least 10 hours. May be modified surplus army tanks? 4. New building Code for buildings in fire areas. dcarch

Fogged up glasses = escaping breath. I use first aid tape to get the top of my mask closed all the way across. Of course this means it hurts when I eventually remove the mask after I get home because of the tape pulling at the delicate skin below my eyes. Meanwhile when I go out on top of the usual wearing of masks below the nose inside crowded stores, teams of completely uncovered workers on construction sites, uncovered outdoor dining creating curbside gauntlets and the pulling of masks completely down in order to use phones - whenever and wherever the phone user happens to be at the time - I see a lot of people with masks that fit so that their noses look like they are sitting in a row boat. As in open on top and with large gaps on each side of the nose, with only the tip of the nose covered. And often just barely at that. Apparently the point of view such behavior demonstrates is not in fact a latter day development, a condemnation of how things have become because I read in the spring about how there was the same problem in 1918. That is that Americans were actually told to distance and cover back then as well and because - same as now - there was a significant component that didn't cooperate a deadly pandemic developed. With one specific large outdoor political rally in particular that was held right after the looming problem had become recognized being considered a major contributor to the initial establishment and spread of the virus. Individuals taking seemingly careful precautions and becoming infected anyway shouldn't be a source of mystification when it is thought about the totality of what is involved with exposure. Because the death dust is out there being blown around to settle on every body and every thing that is within reach of each cloud of exhalation. So that a friend with medical training was taking a shower every day after coming home from work, early in the unfolding of the pandemic. And we have probably all seen the comical pictures of random people in China walking around in protective suits with jugs etc. covering their entire heads - a hysterical response, except was it really? For my part I managed to be moving around inside a crowded Cost Co during peak afternoon hours yesterday and then fall asleep on the living room couch afterward without bathing. Except for washing my face when I got home. While I was at the warehouse store standing in front of a display reading some product labeling an arm came around from behind me and grabbed a container of the goods and disappeared. I did not look to see how much face covering was employed as they walked away. For one thing I did not want to turn and present my face to the air where they had just been. But when they came up to me at the display they were right there, like maybe a foot away. In other news a research entity was granted a million dollars this past week to find out just how long the COVID virus remains viable on surfaces. And the body of a COVID victim that was for some reason kept around for a month was discovered to have still infectious particles in the lungs.

Is that new York? Never mind, it's in Maryland.

We did a tour of community gardens a few years ago, and a few went to weed, but I'm seeing a few come back, actually! This one was on land that was worth so much $$$ that I'm sure the kids of the owners couldn't just let it sit any longer. The original house was the house used in Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt. It sits across the street from the McDonald mansion that was used in Pollyanna!