30 Apr 2006 #0618.html

Water in Cedar Valley

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Dear Family and Friends,

Welcome to this week's "Thoughtlet."

These words are my personal diary and a weekly review of ideas, beliefs, thoughts, or words that will hopefully be of some benefit to you: my children, my family, and my friends.

"Writing about the week of April 24th to April 30th on November 14th is ludicrous. Oh well! It is my own fault and priorities. At least none of you will ever get behind on things important to you (like reading all of the words your Dad writes).

Monday Rob came over for Family Home Evening. We played chess. I didn't write down who won, and I expect it was Rob, as he fairly regularly beats me at chess now. I wrote the following e-mail to Dr. Lin Bothwell on Sunday:

Lin, You are missed in Beijing! My wife and I attended church in Beijing on the 9th. It was the first Asia wide General Conference, starting at 8:00 Am. We got there about 9:15, and so only rewatched a few talks. After the talks, the District President, who has taught Sunday School or Priesthood when I've been there before made an announcement. I'm sorry I do not remember his name. He said, `I've been here 12 years and I miss Lin Bothwell, as he always reminded me of new first time events in our Branch. This is the first time we have had General Conference the week after it occurs. In fact, this is the first time all 6 branches and 11 groups in China have had General Conference a week after it happend. In fact, this is the first time all units in Asia, from India to Japan, have had General Conference the week after it happened.' Thought you would like to know you are missed and were mentioned. Best Regards, Roice'

About this same time Sara and I exchanged e-mails, which others of you might find interesting:

'From: "Sara Nelson" <saraellyn@gmail.com> To: Dad <rnelson@walden3d.com> Subject: FYI MIME-Version: 1.0 Sorry I was tired last night and don't like talking about the job b/c I'm still upset about it. FYI, I didn't get any feedback at all. HR sent me a one line email and I emailed the hiring manager asking for a few moments to discuss our interview process and to receive some feedback. She completely ignored me and passed me on to HR. But other people are telling me she prefers someone that's really submissive. She only has a high school diploma and is supposedly intimidated by others who went beyond that. Not to metion I lived in Benin and tend to the pushy, confident side in business. I tried negotiating up the salary (which I thought was normal) and it stepped on some toes, as they felt they were doing me a favor by giving me such a large 'raise' (even though I don't see where I'm at right now...the temp position...as a baseline.) You would think competency would be attractive, but I guess in this case it's the exact opposite. She specifically went out and recruited from outside the office to find someone cause she didn't want to hire me. My manager is in awe b/c she really likes me and the work I do. So is the marketing director who wanted me in that position to get my feet wet and when a position in sales opened up, I'd be right next door, already licensed and ready to move up with him. I'm just furious that emotions determined this. I created this whole career in my mind, big picture and my potential within the industry. And I denied myself the foot in the door because I'm competent and push for more. Oh, the irony is a huge kick in the butt. So the search continues... Sara'

I responded with:

'Sara, Thanks for the note. I thought our conversation was pretty good. I do appreciate your opening up more about the issues with your recent interview. It does sound like the emotions were not just on one side of the table, or at least now they are on both sides of the table. There are a lot of companies that do insurance work. And if you really had built up a whole career in your mind in this industry, it should be pretty easy to transfer your interests to another company. For instance, today we had a presentation at work by a company called Amegy Investments, Inc. They have 600 corporate clients, and are the Retirement Services Team. They have one employee in Austin and the 9 in Houston, and sound like they are very busy. They are a registered broker dealer, investment adviser, insurance agency, and affiliate of Amegy Bank N.A. Their toll free number is 800.324.6705 and our discussion was headed up by Bruce and Meredith Moore. They represent John Hancock. Anyway, your brother Ben is pretty close to this type of business, and if you called and asked him he should be able to give you the 100 top companies in this area pretty easy, and then it is just a matter of going down the list, finding who has offices in Austin, and contacting each of them. The Houston Business Journal has a book of lists, which specifies the largest companies in different areas located in Houston. I'm sure there is something like this in Austin, and Roice's friend that works for the Austin newspaper would know who publishes it. Please realize you can not let someone who is insecure, didn't go to college, and is protecting their turf, to keep you from a career that excites you. Even when you go to work someplace, if it is any company with more than 25 employees, you are going to have this same type of political baloney. So don't get upset about it, just realize that it is part of modern business life, and if you are going to be in the career business you have to put up with it. I hated working for Mobil because of the bureaucratic BS that goes with the corporate life. When I was growing up, Dad would send me out to kill prairie dogs that were causing problems with the irrigation ditches. I got pretty good at waiting for them to stick their head up and look around, and to pick them off. My experience at Mobil is that the only managers that had not left to work for themselves or a smaller company were the ones that were afraid to stick their head up and look around. They made sure they never brought attention to themselves, and the result was terrible from an employee moral point of view. I am convinced we never find happiness working for others. I believe the only place we can find happiness is in our family or our personal spiritual life. I have come to find we can also find the most misery and pain in our family, and I'm convinced this happens when we do not follow basic eternal principles. I certainly put too much effort into my work and was not there enough for you kids, especially you and Rob. I'm sorry. I hope you will learn from my mistakes, and not follow my example. Hopefully these words will be of some benefit as you calm down, pick up the pieces, and continue with your search. Love, Dad'

I got a summons for being the registered agent of Advanced Structures in Texas, and sent the following e-mail to Mic:

'Mic, I left a voice mail this afternoon. Expect you are back in the Far East, since I didn't hear from you. Did you get your financing? I had good meetings with the Hong Kong investor, and he wants to start with only oil and gas. Hopefully something will come of it as we prove ourselves. I'm sorry I have not been able to come up with any money yet. I received my first official summons today. It is addressed to Advanced Structures Incorporated c/o H. Roice Nelson, Jr., dated April 7th, and I'm told I have 20 days to respond, which is 9 days from today. Not the welcome I expected coming back from China, and frankly, it is upsetting. I have placed digital photos of all 21 pages at http://www.walden3d.com/060418_asi/ and have attached four critical pages for your review. Please fix this, and get me an official note telling me to ignore the summons later this week. Thanks and Best Regards, Roice'

Mic responded on Tuesday with:

'Roice, I'm here, just wasn't in the office today. don't be upset. man, you live in a nice world if you've never been sued before. must be nice. par for the course in the building arts, so if you want to build the city of the future, better get used to it. you are still our registered agent in Texas I think. it goes by state. anyway, you are not liable, so don't sweat it; I can take care of all the sweating. if you want to be taken out as our agent, that is no big deal. we should probably do that anyway, since you are gone sometimes. you are still our registered agent in Texas I think. it goes by state. anyway, you are not liable, so don't sweat it; I can take care of all the sweating. if you want to be taken out as our agent, that is no big deal. we should probably do that anyway, since you are gone sometimes. I have not looked at it (I can't really make anything out from your photos), but I suspect it's the suit we have been looking for on a project we had in Tulsa that was damaged in a bad storm a couple of years ago. anyway, all you have to do is drop it in the mail to us, overnight, please as quickly as possible, as it is us, our attorney that must respond. although it is public record at this point, please don't post it where anyone else can access it. mic please send it to my attention at: Mic Patterson Principal, CEO ASI Advanced Structures Incorporated 4221 Redwood Ave Los Angeles, CA 90066 310.301.3419 direct 310.301.1984 x234 310.301.2084 fax 310.920.8430 mobile E-mail: mic@asidesign.com www.asidesign.com'

Tuesday Scott Smith was at GDC to work on the d-TIPS application. Also Terry J. Filthaut was visiting. He sells for Paradigm Geophysical now, and we use their depth migration software. Terry joined Landmark from the Calgary office, and we did several things together when I was at Landmark. It was good to see him again. There was also some communication inside GDC about my visit with SinoGeo. Tuesday evening Andrea and I went to the temple. We were asked to be the witness couple. Steve Fry, who used to be in our ward and who swears S. Fry Road was named after him, Steve Feil, and George Schultz were all there and we had nice conversations in the dressing room after the session.

On Wednesday I got caught up on entering my swallows into the spread-sheet. I had gotten as far behind on my swallows chart as I now am on my Thoughtlets. We received Colby's Party Announcement, which changed our plans for Saturday afternoon. In the evening I sent the following to Uncle Dick (0646.html):

'Uncle Dick, Good to talk to you. Look forward to anything you find regarding wells drilled in Cedar Valley since November 1999, in addition to information about the proposed pipeline from Lake Powell to Cedar Valley. I'm particularly interested in any bottom hole temperature information which is available. Particularly on the new city wells at Sargents and Summit, since they are deeper wells. I will post some stuff on the web a few weeks before I come up, and let you know where it is so you can give me some guidance as to whether it makes sense to present this stuff to the water conservency board or not. Best Regards, Roice P.O. Box 382 Barker, Texas 77413-0382 281.579.0172 cell 713.542.2207 or 1307 Emerald Green Houston, Texas 77094 281.578.3966'

Thursday I spent some time on the phone with Tom Kirkwood of Pennsylvania Oil Company regarding SinoGeo. He seems like a very nice guy. He got a degree in English and Chinese, and his Dad told him to move to China. He did, and now he is a partner in SinoGeo.

On Friday I was reading in the Book of Mormon, and came across three verses that refer both to the spatial language of the Book of Mormon, and to why I have come to believe it is important to write these Thoughtlets. The verses are Mormon 9:31-32, and 35:

'Condemn me not because of mine imperfections, neither my father because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been. And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech. ... And these things are written that we may rid our garments of the blood of our brethern, who have dwindled in unbelief.'

Friday I also received the following e-mail:

'Albert Boulanger wrote: > It's a worn out phrase, but the Bush administration might as well be > using it: This ain't your father's coal plant. Indeed, coal facilities > today are about 90 percent cleaner than those developed in the 1970s. > And to capitalize on that success, the president trumpets a potentially > trend-setting plant that would emit zero emissions. > > Ken Silverstein > EnergyBiz Insider > Editor-in-Chief > > Beyond eliminating all the toxins that come out of the plant, the > so-called FutureGen would capture -- and bury -- the carbon dioxide > (CO2) emissions thought to cause global warming. To boot: the facility > would be at least 60 percent efficient, or the amount of coal put into > the furnace that is ultimately converted to electricity -- a good bit > more than a typical plant that is 35 percent efficient. > > FutureGen has been on the drawing board for three years. But just > recently, the Department of Energy asked the FutureGen Industrial > Alliance member companies to propose sites. Roughly 22 are now on the > table in this country. At least nine states are in the running to > attract this would-be facility. > > David Garmen, undersecretary in the Energy Department and who spoke in > Charleston, W.V., says that the list will narrow to a half dozen this > summer. Then, environmental impact statements will be taken and a final > selection will take place in 2008. The goal is then to get the plant up > and running by 2012. The best possible places to build would be those > places that have ample infrastructure that includes rails, gas pipelines > and ports. > > "We mine 2.8 billion tons of coal each day," says Garmen. "If we didn't, > we would have to double our gas production and this is not feasible. We > need to develop affordable energy in ways that don't harm the > environment." Coal makes up about 51 percent of the electricity > generation in the United States. About 250 years worth of reserves are > in the ground and it's relatively cheap when compared to natural gas or oil. > > FutureGen will cost about $962 million. Of that, the coal industry will > pony up $250 million while foreign governments -- China, India and Korea > are all involved -- will contribute $80 million. The U.S. government > will cover the roughly $700 million balance. The initial plant would > generate 275 megawatts of electricity. > > Specifically, FutureGen would use integrated gasification combined cycle > technology, called coal gasification. That converts coal to a vapor > before the toxins are filtered out and the CO2 would be separated from > the hydrogen and then captured. The hydrogen would be used to produce > transportation fuel. > > Zero Emissions > > The FutureGen Industrial Alliance is a coalition representing some of > the world's largest coal companies and electric utilities that are > partnering with the Energy Department to design, build and operate the > plant. They include American Electric Power and Southern Co. as well as > Peabody Energy and Consol Energy. Meanwhile, the China Huaneng Group, > the largest energy company in China, has joined the group. > > If all goes well, FutureGen would be a start. And more would get built. > Until that point, the pressure is on to cut all pollutants that leave > the smokestack as well as to find ways to capture and bury CO2 > emissions. Even the biggest skeptics of the validity of global warming > recognize that it is an issue that is not going to evaporate. It's here > -- and the drumbeat for a carbon constrained world is going to get > louder and particularly as new technologies come to the fore that make > "zero emissions" possible, as well as carbon sequestration. > > "In the next 5 to 10 years, the United States will do something about > CO2 and this is about how long it will take to get the technology > going," says Paul Grimmer, president of Eltron Research in Boulder, Co. > that is working with the U.S. Department of Energy on carbon > sequestration. The technology is most applicable in coal-fired plants, > he says, which emit 3.5 times the amount of CO2 than gas-fired plants. > > Along those lines, older coal-fired facilities could be retrofitted so > as to trap the CO2 before it leaves the smokestack. But such remedies > are expensive and less efficient than building coal gasification plants. > That's why the Energy Act of 2005 would allow up to $800 million in tax > credits to apply advanced coal gasification technologies. > > But the high price of natural gas has forced more utilities to examine > coal generation more closely. In fact, 129 such plants are now on the > drawing board in the United States alone and only a few of those are > coal gasification plants. While those modern facilities are twice as > efficient as conventional coal plants, they cost about 20 percent more. > If carbon sequestration tools are built into them, the tab is even bigger. > > Environmental Community > > While the environmental community champions advances in technology that > include FutureGen and coal gasification, it is skeptical. Any progress > would be mitigated, it adds, if CO2 capture is not included. And the > ultimate answer is to increase the reliance on sustainable energy forms > such as wind and solar while slowly withdrawing from the fossil fuel > addiction. > > "What we are doing is in no way fast enough or large enough," says David > Hawkins, director of the Climate Center at the National Resource Defense > Council, in an interview with Knight Ridder newspapers. "It's like > calling for a 20-year research program on improved fire-fighting > techniques when the house is on fire." > > But, better late than never -- to use another overused phrase. The > voluntary efforts of certain manufacturers and utilities to cut all > their emissions in combination with government programs that include > FutureGen and clean coal research and development will have a noticeable > effect. "One of the oldest forms of energy -- coal -- is also becoming > one of the most high tech," says Garmen with the Energy Department. > > Disagreement does exist as to the best way to achieve cuts in emissions > levels. The technology to do so exists but it is also expensive and > might add a good chunk to the cost of producing power. But what's the > alternative? And that's where common ground can be found. And, it's why > FutureGen and the U.S. government are striving to bring about changes > that would allow us all to breathe a sigh of relief.'

On Saturday Anne John sent me the following e-mail:

'Brother Nelson! Thank-you so much for taking Tyler today and bringing him home! It really helped me out! I was able to give Drew a nap before Tyler's baseball game which made life more pleasant for all of us! Thanks for always going above and beyond your calling! I really appreciate it and notice all your efforts! Anne'

On Saturday Andrea and I moved a truck load of mulch in the rain. It was soaked and heavy and it was not a fun job. And we did it. Actually I did most of it. I also received the following note from Joshua, which is related to Thoughtlet 0616.html:

'Hello Roice We Made it home in one piece. Thank you again for that great opportunity. I am excited to get my film back on monday and get working on printing the best stuff. I would love to send you a few. On another note Audrey and I ran into a man that works for the church. He is a director for many of the charity programs the church funds such as the tsunami relief project. As a matter of fact he was on the way home from that project. He is also in charge of getting water to some of the third world places that have never had water before. He gave me his card after a nice long talk. I thought you may want to pitch your condensation water project to him. He said he would love to talk to you about some of the ideas you have. I did not say much about your ideas because i did not know if anything was a secret. But i did explain to him that you had brilliant ideas that could benefit people all over the world. He would like you to give him a call and maybe schedule a meeting with him next time your up in Utah. His Info Brett V. Bass Manager of Major Initiatives Latter-Day Saint Charities 50 East North Temple Street Room 701 Salt Lake City, Utah 84150 phone-801-240-0359 BassBV@ldschurch.org Fax-801-240-1964 Give him a call, Thanks again Joshua'

I called several times and left messages and never heard anything. Oh well! I responded with:

'Joshua, Thanks for the note, and the contact information. We also look forward to seeing the pictures. Glad you guys are back safe and sound. Look forward to learning about your trip south, and to getting a version of your log to include in a Thoughtlet (plus anything Audrey wants to send). I will contact Brother Bass on Monday. I don't have any money partly because I don't do the secret stuff very well. Oh well! I have posted the first draft of the presentation for the Iron County Water Conservancy District at http://www.walden3d.com/cedarcity/CedarValleyWater/060417/ and I'm in the process of reworking it. The new one will be posted off of http://www.walden3d.com/cedarcity/CedarValleyWater within the next week. Some of these ideas are so big that it takes a lot of people through a governmental body to implement them. Some of them will never be tested. Oh well! Hopefully something will come out of starting the conversation. I'm very pleased you and Audrey were able to come on the trip, and hopefully we are helping to build some bridges that will last through eternity. Love, Roice'

I had been working on this project very hard when there was spare time at work, in the evenings, and generally in the background, which is why this Thoughtlet is titled Cedar Valley Water. So the key links to the presentations I put together for the Central Iron County Water Conservancy District (CICWCD) are:

My recent communication with Rick Duran, Jeff Winston, Mic Patterson, Ray Gardner, and Albert Boulanger were all related to seeking their advice on this presentation. I told Albert and Roger that I considered this most important presentation of my life. Given this, it was interesting how it all turned out (see 0619.html). For instance, in both trips and both times being scheduled to present it, and having carried the GDC projector with me to Utah, I have yet to present to the CICWCD Board. Oh well! I do consider this work very important, and see a tremendous opportunity to make a positive difference through this work. Time will tell!

Kirsten Songsters baptism was Saturday. I got there early and helped bring in lots and lots of pictures and things, all to show how much Kirsten is loved. The baptismal program read:

'Kirsten was born on April 5th, 1998. We waited for her to come for us for eight years. She has two older sisters, Cassandra and Whitney. She appreciates and loves her family very much. Kirsten is currently in second grade at Hayes Elementary and enjoys school very much. She is very fond of all animals, but especially dogs. Besides her love for animals, Kirsten loves to talk, sing, dance, and do arts and crafts. She dances ballet, jazz and salsa. She has a very creative mind and a very outgoing personality. More than anything Kirsten loves her Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ. She couldn't wait to turn eight so she could be baptized. We are very happy and proud of her for making this decision. Thank you for accompanying us on one of the most important days of her life. Presiding: Member of the Bishopric Conducting: Member of the Bishopric Chorister: Sarah de Graaf Pianist: Sister Siebert Welcome: Member of the Bishopric Opening Hymn: #301 "I am A Child of God" Opening Prayer: Cynthia Songsters Baptism Talk: Brother Hugh Songsters Baptism performed by: Brother Christopher Songster Intermission Musical #: "When I am Baptized" by Cassandra & Whitney Songsters Gift of the Holy Ghost Talk: Sister Patty Songsters Confirmation performed by: Christopher Songsters Closing Hymn: #136 "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" Closing Prayer: Sister Sharon Houg'

It was a very nice event and there was a very good spirit there. Shortly after I got home, Andrea and I left for Vidor and Colby's Party. We met the Wrights at the Movie Theater on the Houston side of Beaumont, and took Colby to see 'Ice Age 2.' It was a cute movie, and he seemed to enjoy it. Then we went to a restaurant close to the theater called Chedder's and had a nice dinner. Colby loved to play with the fish in the pool, to climb on the rock and on the fence, while us 'old folks' just sat around and talked and watched him. At one point Colby explained to me: 'I wish I had a pond for my fish. I wish I had a fish too!' What more could a young man wish for? Well stated! It wasn't even too late when we got back to Houston, even though it had been a very full day, starting with the wet mulch.

Sunday Tyler John gave me a nice note (see http://www.walden3d.com/photos/NottinghamCountryWard/CTR-8/TylerJohnThankyou.jpg) and if you look in the same directory there is a photo of Typer John. He is an extremely blessed and talented young man. In Sacrament Meeting, I wrote a possible stanza for Prime Words from a talk by Del Vance:

'It was a family project What children remember Was their jobs, not objects Visited, but loves embers'

And so it is. Except for this Thoughtlet, none of you would even know about, nor probably care about, my concerns about water in Cedar Valley."

Since the 38th week of 1996 I have written a weekly "Thoughtlet" (little statements of big thoughts which mean a lot to me). Until the 43rd week of 2004 I sent these out as an e-mail. They were intended to be big thoughts which mean a lot to me. Over time the process evolved into a personal diary. These notes were shared with my family because I know how important the written word can be. Concerned about how easy it is to drift and forget our roots and our potential among all of distractions of daily life, I thought this was a good way to reach those I love. It no longer feels right to send out an e-mail and "force" my kids and my family to be aware of my life and struggles.

Everyone has their own life to lead, and their own struggles to work through. I will continue this effort, and will continue to make my notes publicly accessible (unless I learn of misuse by someone who finds out about them, and then will aggressively pursue a legal remedy to copyright infringement and I will put the Thoughtlets behind a password).

The index to download any of these Thoughtlets is at http://www.walden3d.com/thoughtlets, or you can e-mail me with questions or requests at rnelson@walden3d.com (note if you are not on my e-mail "whitelist" you must send 2 e-mails within 24 hours of each other in order for your e-mail to not be trashed).

With all my love,
Dad
(H. Roice Nelson, Jr.)

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Copyright © 2006 H. Roice Nelson, Jr.