Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

California

Seal Rocks Cruise

Yesterday, we played tourist around Avalon and visited several of the Catalina Island attractions. One ride we’ve never taken before is the cruise to Seal Rocks on the east end of the island. It was very interesting and fun when we got to the rocks, this female sea lion swam out to check us out and show off a little.

Seal Rocks Cruise

Along this tour you’ll sail to Seal Rocks aboard the 64-foot Blanche W., an open-deck passenger boat made specifically for Catalina’s coastline. California Sea Lions are one of the Pacific Oceans most entertaining residents. Adult males grow up to an imposing 1,000 pounds, and their cute little pups love to frolic and play.

14 Sep 2006 by California Photography Travel

Kallyfoania Kyoto

How many times must I say to Arnold, “Tell me it ain’t true!?!?”

Last week, the Governor of California signed legislation aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the state. What this means to businesses and taxpayers is an increasing burden amounting to hardship proportions. The Governator, who is running for reelection on a no new taxes plank, now imposes this burden on EVERY Californian — indirectly, it IS a new tax!

From World Climate Report, we get some objective analysis of the motivation behind this recently-signed, whacked-out, drive businesses-out-of-the-state Greenbat legislation:

California Retro

For nearly 100 years, Californians have claimed to be the innovators that the rest of the United States and the world ultimately follow. Not so on global warming. Instead, the California Legislature and Governor Schwarzenegger have just passed and signed global warming legislation that is an awful lot like a watered-down version of the failed Kyoto Protocol. That’s sooo 1990s.

That Protocol was supposed to reduce our emissions of Carbon Dioxide, the main human-generated global warming gas, to 7% below 1990 levels by 2008-2012. Nationally, emissions are up about 18% since then. Recognizing this failure, the California law merely cuts back California emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, a 25% cut.

Why on earth did they do this, and what will it accomplish?

In a word, politics.

[Read more]

07 Sep 2006 by California Greenbats Whacko Politics

Microstamping Dead in California?

AB352 debate is not over yet. Cam Edwards‘ blog linked to an article which had this dispatch regarding the California State Assembly ammunition microstamping bill AB252:

BULLETS – The Assembly also rejected legislation by Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood, that was intended to help police solve shootings by creating a tracking system for bullets. The measure, AB352, would require new semiautomatic pistols sold in California after 2008 to stamp bullets with an identifying mark that would allow police to trace them. It got only 38 votes, three short of the bare majority it needed to move to the governor’s desk.

However, the Assembly has sent the bill back to the Conference Committee, so it will be back when the Legislature again convenes it’s next session. From the Official California Legislative Information webpage (HISTORY of AB352 – emphasis mine):

BILL HISTORY
2006
Aug. 31 Reconsideration granted.  Assembly refused to concur in Senate amendments.  To Conference Committee.
Aug. 30 Assembly refused to concur in Senate amendments.  (Ayes 40. Noes 37. Page  7438.)  Motion to reconsider made by Assembly Member  Frommer.
Aug. 28 In Assembly.  Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.  May be considered on or after  August  30 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.

Watch for this to return next session. Meanwhile, let your State Assemblyman and State Senator know what you think about this issue.

05 Sep 2006 by California Firearms Whacko Politics

Banner Tow Early Warning System

Summertime brings outdoor crowds going to the seashore, theme parks, sporting events and what have you. Where you have outdoor crowds, you will have airplanes towing advertising banners in circles above the crowds. But they do have to refuel from time to time. And since the local airport is a banner-tow base, they generally pass close overhead departing from and returning to home base.


Our protective pets see these guys as aerial intruders and carry on with barking and growling as soon as they hear the airplane engines laboriously towing the extra weight. I can’t notice the difference, but they seem to. Remarkably, they couldn’t care less about other airplanes flying in the same pattern or low-flying helicopters. But let a helicopter pass with a banner behind it (yes there are a few) and the dogs go bat-shit crazy!

03 Sep 2006 by Aviation California Critters Photography

Designer Dishes

While on an errand to visit a gunsmith in a nearby town, we passed these two zany satellite dishes. One was sitting atop a parking structure for the Eight Ball Cafe and the other was on top of an old brownstone where a comic book store occupies the street level. I thought these were pretty interesting and humorous as well.

By the way, the weather today was just great. We enjoyed a drive along the South Santa Monica Bay coastline with the top down in my little Sebring.

02 Sep 2006 by California Culture Photography

West Coast Tropical Storms

Is Southern California about to get a rare weather event? Some meteorologists think that Hurricane John, currently rampaging through Cabo San Lucas, may go as far north as Los Angeles.

From Wikipedia:

1939 Long Beach Tropical Storm

The 1939 Long Beach Tropical Storm, once a hurricane, was the only Eastern Pacific tropical storm to hit California in known history. The only other tropical cyclone to directly affect California is the 1858 San Diego Hurricane.

Storm History

On September 15, a tropical depression formed off the coast of Panama. It quickly strengthened into a hurricane. It tracked northward, instead of the usual westward movement of a typical Eastern Pacific hurricane. The hurricane likely was strong, as it needed to maintain its winds to a northerly latitude. The hurricane’s minimum measured pressure of 28.67 in Hg occurred on September 22. An upper level trough turned it to the northeast, where it weakened due to the cool waters.

Shortly before making landfall on September 25, it weakened to a tropical storm. The storm still managed to hit Long Beach, California as a 50 mph tropical storm, making it the only tropical cyclone in recorded history to hit the state of California. The storm quickly weakened over land, and likely dissipated within a day or two.

My Mom was a 19-year-old newlywed living in Long Beach at the time. She used to tell me about the great hurricane of ’39 and embellish her recount with tales of power blackouts with shutters and screen doors blown off of her house.

01 Sep 2006 by California Environment

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