Kenny Landes | Graphic Design | Web Development | San Francisco

It seems impossible, but a hurricane could be about to strike Southern California. I was in San Diego last week, where the water was noticeably warmer than usual…in the mid-70’s. That’s ice water to East Coast ocean swimmers, but about 5–10 degrees warmer than normal, even for San Diego. The NOAA graphic I have posted shows the hurricane could reach San Diego within 4–5 days. By then it’s likely to be much-weakened. However, the potential rainfall could make for a disastrous downpour, resulting in mudslides and flooding.

Check this out, excerpted from the L.A. Times blogger Pete Thomas:

As Southern Californians continue to deal with fire and smoke, residents and tourists in Baja California Sur are bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Jimena, an intense storm that might cause widespread flooding and damage.

The 8 a.m. Monday advisory from the National Hurricane Center positioned the eye of the storm 355 miles south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas. It’s traveling to the northwest with maximum sustained winds of about 145 mph, making it a Category 4 hurricane. It will make landfall in the Magdalena Bay area late Tuesday or very early Wednesday.

The government of Mexico has issued a Hurricane Warning for the southern half of the state. That means hurricane conditions are likely within the next 24 hours.

Beachfront hotels are shoring up and fishing fleet crews from Cabo San Lucas to La Paz have been pulling boats from the water or moving them to safer areas. Guests at Rancho Leonero Resort on the East Cape were sent home. Guests at nearby Hotel Punta Colorada were moved to Hotel Palmas de Cortez. Both are Van Wormer Resorts properties.

Tracy Ehrenberg, general manager of Pisces Sportfishing in Cabo San Lucas, said Monday morning that seas were calm and the port was still open. In fact, Pisces has two charters today. Ehrenberg expects the typical chaos in advance of a hurricane — long lines at gas stations, etc. — to ensue throughout the day.

Mark Rayor, who runs Vista Sea Sport in Buena Vista in the East Cape, took delivery of a Cabo 35 fishing boat Friday in La Paz. A day after he drove the boat south to the East Cape, he drove it back to the protected harbor in La Paz. “The people I bought it from told me it was a lucky boat,” he said. “I’m hoping they were right.”

If there’s a silver lining, the region is drought-stricken and parched, and Jimena is already delivering showers. Said Eric Brictson, owner of Gordo Banks Pangas: “It has been a while since we have been hit, so this could be the one one that finally brings some much-needed rainfall.”

Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2009/08/hurricane-jimena-.html

Popularity: 2%

Hubble Telescope Pillars of Creation

I am, admittedly, not much of a scientist. I find the scientific process tedious and uninspiring, in general. I mean, how compelling can forming and testing hypotheses be? Either it works and can be repeated (resulting in scientific fact) or it doesn’t work.

The Hubble Space Telescope, however, is one of those things that has bridged the gap between science and art. Could we have imagined 20 years ago how much we would learn from the images taken by Hubble? Such breathtaking imagery was simply beyond our imaginations. Even those images were potentially compromised when the original mirrors were cut in a way that left the telescope essentially disabled after launch. Later super telescopes have expanded the point-of-view first revealed by Hubble, allowing us to see non-visual spectrums of light revealing even the furthest reaches of the known or imagined universe.

Today, the space shuttle Atlantis launched what is likely to be the last repair mission to Hubble. It’s gyroscopes are not functioning well, leaving it wobbling in place in orbit. Left to the natural course of things, it would soon crash to earth. It will crash to earth someday, but the emotional response triggered by its breathtaking imagery led to an unprecedented demand amongst the public to keep it up there running a while longer.

Space travel is never without risk. This mission is being openly labeled higher-than-usual risk by Mission Control. I hope the brave astronauts complete their mission and return home safely.

Popularity: 100%

H1N1 Virus, public enemy no. 1

We’ve been warned for many years that it would happen. Now, finally, it has. In our modern world, an outbreak of a highly communicable disease in one area often means outbreaks elsewhere will soon follow. For that reason, the CDC and international health organizations have coordinated to spot outbreaks of disease.

I think we felt safe in the U.S. that such an outbreak would happen outside our borders, far away in some poor remote 3rd-world village where people drink unclean water. We were prepared for bird flu flying in from Asia. Ultimately, it was a new bird-swine-human flu virus emerging in our backyard, in the neighboring nation of Mexico. Since hundreds, perhaps thousands, of flights between Mexico and the United States take place every day, the disease quickly jumped the first plane out of Mexico into the United States.

While it seems that the initial outbreak in Mexico caused many deaths, the cases in the United States have been described as more mild than the seasonal flu. This is good news, and the usual course for outbreaks of disease. Viruses want to live, so the best way to do so is to adapt to the conditions of the host in a way that allows the virus and the host to continue living. This less virulent outbreak here and abroad gives scientists time to develop an effective vaccine.

The hysteria that has characterized the past ten days or so was predictable. And really, who wants to catch a disease whose sudden emergence kills so many? The media quickly went into its usual role as death-drum-pounding, sky-is-falling, end-is-here predictor of doom and despair. So it was good to get clear information from our government on what the risk is, how to avoid it, what to do if we get it, and what not to do if we don’t. From a P.R. perspective, Federal officials from President Obama down handled the situation well, with the comedic exception of Vice President Biden’s authentic, unguarded response to Today Show host Matt Lauer’s question.

So some plans will be changed, some lessons will be learned, most of the sick will soon be back in good health, and we will all move on hopefully with a greater understanding that these things can happen even in our own back yard, not just far away places. This too shall pass.

Popularity: 1%

Susan Boyle’s amazing debut on Britain’s Got Talent

Once in a while someone comes along who challenges everything we believe about each other. In doing so, they challenge what we believe about ourselves. This performance by Susan Boyle, a never-married, middle-aged woman who sings at church and lives alone with her cat in Scotland, cuts through all our mental clutter. Everyone I know who has seen this—and it seems EVERYBODY has by now—has been deeply touched by her performance.

Authenticity is in such short supply in our world today. This performance reminds us all of the simple truth that beauty always comes first from inside. In a media-saturated world, particularly the reality TV genre, we are used to seeing mediocre talent performing simply for the sake of becoming famous. Fame, as an end in-and-of-itself, is such a shallow pursuit. We’ve seen so many of our young, “beautiful” stars fall, tragically, unable to handle the spotlight when it revealed the inner weakness their outer beauty disguised.

Susan Boyle turns it all inside out by coming out on stage in the most unassuming way. We are prepared to laugh her off, kick her into the comic side-show category along with other has-beens who never should have made the show. Then, unexpectedly, she begins to sing, pitch-perfect, immediately evoking an emotional response from all who hear.

Anyway, my enthusiasm is sincere. Like so many millions of others, I was moved to tears hearing her angelic singing and watching her amazing performance. It’s rare to see a real talent that has been overlooked, likely pushed aside, take its place in front of us and touch our souls. Here’s to you, Susan Boyle! I wish you ever success in your new music career. Thank you for revealing to the world the unparalleled beauty of simple authenticity.

Popularity: 1%

On September 11, 2001, I remember being acutely aware as events unfolded that the world had changed. History had been made and nothing would ever be the same again.

On November 4, 2008, a new moment in history was marked as the United States elected its first African-American president. What a proud moment for our nation! And what a contrast of hope compared to the terrorist attacks which were the harbinger of fear.

Today, we proudly inaugurate Barack Hussein Obama the 44th President of the United States of America. I am supremely proud to be an American today. I truly believe President Obama is the right man at the right time.

Today we raise our heads a little higher thanks to the audacity of hope.

Popularity: 1%