Well it’s been an interesting year, here at Xasáuan Today. We’ve looked at the Monterey Peninsula’s water supply problems and picked apart the county’s transportation dilemma. We’ve questioned development on eroding beaches and dissected the Light Brown Apple Moth. We’ve chimed in on local political issues. We’ve gone on some bike rides, examined some mushrooms, and even found time for a visit to Pat Springs.
But nothing gets attention quite like a fire. We posted a few bits of breaking news and a few satellite heat detection maps soon after the Basin Complex Fire began — and got a few dozen hits more than normal, then a few hundred, then a few thousand, then tens of thousands, and finally well over 200,000 views of our fire-related pages (and counting). We can’t say we made everyone happy, but all in all, we were given far more praise for our civic-mindedness and service to the community than we will ever deserve or be able to live up to – and all we can do is say thank you to everyone who was thoughtful enough to send us such supportive messages.
And to our usual audience – the aging beatniks, social and environmental justice advocates, cyclists and backwoods retro-grouch types that make this site what it is – our New Years message is simple. In the words of Saul Alinski, “Don’t worry boys, we’ll weather this storm of approval and come out as hated as ever.”
And, with that, our award for the best Ventana Wilderness themed Internet video of 2008 goes to “Sykes, el caminadon!” by Rodrigo Beas:
Happy New Year Everyone!
Xasáuan Today 