Last weekend we visited the South Coast Botanic Garden, Located on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Los Angeles County, California. One section of the garden is completely dedicated to various and sundry cactii. I took this shot of some hairy-looking cactus with blossoms.

Cap’n Bob also took a picture of the garden in 3D:

(Click for a larger image - you will need a pair of red/cyan anaglyphic 3D glasses to view in 3D)

I last sent you a picture of this orchid plant on March 4th. Since then, the orchid plant produced several beautiful flowers which just seem to last and last.

Phalaenopsis

Known as the “moth orchid” due to its resemblance to some tropical moths, the phalaenopsis is native to the Asiatic tropics, India, Indonesia and the Philippines. This lovely and delicate plant is now a welcome adornment to our kitchen counter under the skylight.

This article from Science Blog suggests that “human-induced climate changes” will affect tectonic plate activity. In the excerpt below, the authors frantically suggest that we will be experiencing unprecedented plate movement as a result of the evils of men:

The erosion caused by rainfall directly affects the movement of continental plates beneath mountain ranges, says a University of Toronto geophysicist — the first time science has raised the possibility that human-induced climate change could affect the deep workings of the planet.

From that description, one might expect that Earth may soon experience alternating earthquakes and hurricanes as mankind continues to cause devastation to the planet.

The article continues with more about the professor conducting the computer models:

“In geology, we have this idea that erosion’s going to affect merely the surface,” says Russell Pysklywec, a professor of geology who creates computer models where he can control how a range of natural processes can create and modify mountains over millions of years. Pysklywec conducts field research in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, where the mountains are high and geologically “young.” He found that when mountains are exposed to New Zealand-type rainfall (which causes one centimetre of erosion per year) compared to southern California-type rainfall (which erodes one-tenth of a centimetre or less), it profoundly changes the behaviour of the tectonic plates beneath the mountains. “These are tiny, tiny changes on the surface, but integrating them over geologic time scales affects the roots of the mountains, as opposed to just the top of them,” says Pysklywec. “It goes right down to the mantle thermal engine — the thing that’s actually driving plate tectonics. It’s fairly surprising — it hasn’t been shown before.”

Wait! Did he say “geologic time scales?” You mean this is going to take some time?

“As a concept, imagine blanketing the European Alps with a huge network of ordinary garden sprinklers. The results suggest that the subtle surface weathering caused by the light watering have the potential to shift the tectonic plates, although you would have to keep the water on for several million years.”

At this rate, we’re doomed to destroy our planet just in time for the Sun to blow up.

You may read the entire article: Climate change could affect tectonic plates

Also see Science Daily and the University of Toronto

Aviation pioneer test pilot SCOTT CROSSFIELD died April 19 in a plane crash in Georgia.

Albert Scott Crossfield - Wikipedia

Albert Scott Crossfield (October 2, 1921 - April 19, 2006) Born in Berkeley, California, normally referred to as Scott Crossfield, grew up in California and Washington. He served with the U.S. Navy as a flight instructor and fighter pilot during World War II. From 1946-1950, he worked in the University of Washington’s Kirsten Wind Tunnel while earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aeronautical engineering. In 1950, he joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics’ High-Speed Flight Station (now the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center) at Edwards Air Force Base, California, as an aeronautical research pilot.

Over the next five years, he flew nearly all of the experimental aircraft under test at Edwards, including the X-1, XF-92, X-4, X-5, Douglas D-558-I Skystreak and the Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket.

On November 20, 1953, he became the first man to fly at twice the speed of sound as he piloted the Skyrocket to a speed of 1,291 mph (2078 km/h i.e. Mach 2.005. With 99 flights in the rocket-powered X-1 and D-558-II, he had — by a wide margin — more experience with rocketplanes than any other pilot in the world by the time he left Edwards to join North American Aviation in 1955.

I’m almost certain that is Chuck Yeager in the picture with Scott Crossfield.

Here’s an update on our reclusive crocodilian neighbor:

Sun’s out, and so are trappings of spring

The latest in the arsenal to try to catch Harbor City’s renegade alligator, an 8-by-3-foot metal trap, has been left at the shore by Los Angeles recreation and parks officials in recent days, carefully positioned on the far side of Machado Lake amid the thick, floating vegetation.

The trap sits in an area where the alligator, a former pet named Reggie, was last seen in October and is camouflaged, mostly hidden from public view.

[more]

Read our previous alligator articles

This is a Saint Louie Louie daffodil growing in our garden. Saint Louie Louie daffodils have a wind-swept appearance with a delicate orange trumpet and beautiful creamy-white petals. I think they look fake, but here it is in the garden right in front of me! There is one daffodil bloom per stem, but we had several blooms this year.

With immigration reform, homeland security and national defense looming as the most vital and important items on the congressional agenda, Rep. Jane Harman (D - CA 36) thinks that the “unprecedented attack” on Roe v. Wade eclipses those issues.

Right: Clueless Jane Harman

Quoting from Harman’s April 19, 2006 email newsletter (emphasis mine):

Today, we face an unprecedented attack on one of our most fundamental freedoms — the right of a woman to make a choice.

With more anti-choice jurists on the federal bench, the foundations of Roe v. Wade are being systematically chipped away. Last month, South Dakota enacted a draconian abortion ban, and as many as 12 other states are contemplating similar laws. Anti-choice activists everywhere are emboldened, believing that the stars are aligned for achieving their ultimate goal: overturning Roe and criminalizing abortion.

Harman’s characterization of pro-life Americans as “anti-choice” is typical of liberal babble speak when describing opposition to the socialist/progressive movement. If anyone is “anti-” everything, it’s Democrats who oppose National Defense and other seriously important issues. Don’t forget that Harman, unlike John Kerry, voted against the 87 billion Iraq defense bill before she voted against the 87 billion (again). Harman is “anti-anything important and vital” and not the other way around. Harman, herself, should take a look at the “stars alignment” and start defending America instead of making abortion rights her top priority.

Fixation on liberal issues by Harman and other Democrats in Congress continues to damage National Security, Immigration Enforcement (we don’t actually need “reform”) and detracts us from completing our all-important War on Terror. These fixations endanger the future security and well-being of all Americans.

Update: Read How Congressman Dana Rohrabacher is worlds different than Harman on Immigration.

Wednesday April 18, 1906 - 100 years ago today, a great earthquake occurred along the San Andreas fault, the epicenter of which was quite close to the City of San Francisco. More recently, other earthquakes have occurred in the same area: 1979 Coyote Lake, 1984 Morgan Hill and 1989 Loma Prieta earthquakes. All of these facts are well-known, and aren’t necessarily new news. Not until some recent work that is, by geologist David Wald and associates. The paper, entitled “Source Study of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake,” compares the events using data from a 100+ year old seismograph that just happened to record both earthquakes.

Below - This is the seismogram data showing both quakes:

One great value of old seismographs is that we can make quantitative comparisons of 1906 with the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Fortunately, the same seismograph instrument at Gottingen, Germany was operating during both earthquakes.

If the Loma Prieta (M~7.0) trace looks smaller, it is because the 1906 (M~7.8) earthquake released approximately 16 times more energy:

Because we have much more extensive information about the ground motion that accompanied the 1989 earthquake, we can work backwards and infer what the ground motions must have been like in 1906.

We expect that the shaking in the next 1906-type earthquake will probably not be much more intense than the shaking felt in 1989 near the epicenter of the Loma Prieta earthquake, but it will last longer — perhaps 45 to 60 seconds or more. Strong shaking in the Loma Prieta earthquake lasted only about 15 seconds. In a repeat of the 1906 earthquake, the region experiencing intense shaking will also be much more widespread than in the Loma Prieta event, affecting areas all along the rupture.

Studying the little Loma Prieta pips on the upper traces and recalling the massive travesty that was the 1989 event, makes one wonder how bad it will be if the energy of the 1906 event were to occur today. My estimation is that damage and casualties would be 100 times worse than 1989.

Now, I don’t want to get into predicting the future, but when (not if) this quake happens in San Francisco, and the devastation is on an order of magnitude to compare to New Orleans last year, just watch the weeping, wailing Friscoites blame the administration for everything that happened - that is, unless the administration happens to be a Democratic one.

Paraphrasing the Bard: “What fools these liberals be.”

Click on WikiPedia for more information about the 1906 event.

Often I look at the logs that are recorded when someone accesses our blog. Often I see weird things in the search strings that direct traffic to us. I decided to share some of this weirdness with you.

1. global warming right wing bloggers

This makes me wonder if all this blog-bloviating (blogviating?) is warming the environment.

2. belzer cocaine

Is Law and Order’s moonbat Belzer not telling us something?

3. magnetic moondust

This landed here legitimately since I blogged about magnetic moondust properties

4. Richard Dreyfuss believes 9-11 was an inside job

Somebody has their Star Whores mixed up - Charlie Sheen thinks that.

5. Animated Porn

You won’t find any of that here . . .

6. girls of California beaches

You won’t find any of that here either . . .

7. zuma beach body washes

Perhaps someone looking for animated beach porn girls in the bath house? Sorry, look elsewhere . . .

8. Magnetic Beard Toy

I wonder if the searcher was surprised to see a picture of Neil Gabler who looks like such a toy.

9. solar minimum and the effect on hurricanes

This isn’t silly at all. I’m glad that people searching for this information have an opportunity to get our viewpoint on environmental topics.

10. whiskey barrel planters los angeles

Damsel blogged about one of her flowers that is planted in a whiskey barrel, but it’s not in Los Angeles.

11. photos of temperate zone damselfish

This is also legitimate. See Damsel’s Damselfish.

12. Neal Boortz Optical Illusion Girl

Maybe somebody thought he heard that Neal had a vision about animated porn beach girls in a bath house or something . . .

13. Madonna the whore of babylon

She’s the whore of a whole lot more than babylon . . .

We wish you a very Happy Easter, Happy Passover, and just a happy, nice, beautiful spring Day!

Right on cue, two of my Easter Lilies opened up today! They are soooo beautiful! Have a great day!