Kenny Landes | Graphic Design | Web Development | San Francisco

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.

For the past 3 days, San Francisco has been baked by a record heat wave. What that means in real numbers around here is highs of 86° to 93°. As somebody who grew up in the Midwest, this isn’t too impressive. After all, there I endured months of temperatures at least that high, along with unbearable humidity—not to mention the winters. However, San Francisco is a different kind of place.

The real secret to weather in San Francisco is not the temperature, but the wind. Tucked just inside the Golden Gate along California’s Central Coast, San Francisco is surrounded on three sides by water that rarely exceeds 60 degrees. This gives us mild temperatures year round. In the summer, though, the heat inland near Sacramento draws in the cool air from the ocean. All this cool air passes the coast through the Golden Gate resulting in very cold summer sea breezes that keep the City very cool, often just plain cold. We can always tell the tourists in San Francisco during the summer time as they huddle, freezing to death, at the cable car stops in shorts and flip-flops.

What we get in exchange for this cruel meteorological injustice are amazing springs and falls. Even in winter the weather here is often nicer than during the summer, unless it’s raining. (When it rains here, it often REALLY rains.) This week we got our hottest heat wave so far this year. Since our weather here is so mild there are not many air conditioners in San Francisco, so when it gets hot here, it FEELS really hot because there is virtually no where to escape the heat.

Yesterday, my partner and I went on a long walk to enjoy the heat. It turned out to be a bit much for me. I wore SPF48 sunblock, but still got sunburned. About 2/3 of the way through our trip, I had to give up and take the bus home. The sun had been too much for too long. My head was pounding, and I started feeling nauseous. I felt a little embarrassed, but then I realized that spending 6 hours out in 96° heat was likely to make most people suffer. We returned home to a baking hot apartment that offered no respite. The wind we curse most days of the year had let us down.

For what it’s worth, the record heat and lack of our usual sea breeze offered a rare opportunity to comfortably walk across the Golden Gate Bridge wearing shorts and t-shirt. Usually, this would be a miserably cold experience. The last time I went across the bridge on foot was August 3, 2008, running the San Francisco Marathon. It was 58°, foggy, windy and very cold. This time, it was so hot we had to stop to take shelter in the shade of the bridge tower. I suppose it will be a long time before that happens again, so it seemed worth documenting with a photo.

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.

It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me well that I absolutely love San Francisco. There are so many amazing things to see and do here. For the most part, visitors tend to stay close to tourist attractions on the east side of town. I prefer the west side of town, especially Golden Gate Park with its museums, lakes, running paths and buffalo. Yes, I really did just say there are buffalo in San Francisco!

In 1989, the largest earthquake since the 1906 quake struck during rush hour. Fortunately, due to the World Series game taking place between the Oakland A’s and the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park, traffic was lighter than expected resulting in far fewer deaths than would have occurred otherwise as freeways and bridges around the Bay Area crumbled.

Less famously, some of San Francisco’s world-class cultural institutions also suffered severe damage that ultimately required them to be replaced. In Golden Gate Park, the California Academy of Sciences and the DeYoung Museum were both severely damaged. In recent years, each has rebuilt and opened beautiful new facilities. I took this picture from the tower of the DeYoung, facing south toward the Academy. The campus of University of California at San Francisco is on the hill behind the Academy on the edge of Mount Davidson, the highest of San Francisco’s famous hills. On a lower hill behind Mount Davidson rises Sutro Tower. Originally built to support the war effort in the Pacific during World War II, Sutro Tower now beams radio, television and cell phone signals to the Bay Area, and satellite signals to the world beyond.

This picture was taken on August 2, 2008. San Francisco is famous for its cold, foggy summers. This August day was a beautiful exception to that rule; an example of why I love living here year round.

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.