Here is our first daffodil of the season. The unseasonably warm weather convinced this flower to come out as though it were spring. Not to worry, though; cooler weather and precipitation are yet to come this winter. California actually has four seasons: rainy season, mudslide season, summer and fire season. And all bets are off when the ground starts shaking; earthquake season is all year long.
Standing on the most southwesterly point of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Point Vicente Lighthouse has long been one of this area’s jewels. Overlooking the rocky beach below from the Interpretive Center, one can see Santa Catalina island in the distance on a clear day.
After some rain moved through the area the day before, we took a drive to Palos Verdes last weekend and stopped at the Wayfarer’s Chapel on a spectacular day.
With its breathtaking Pacific Ocean view and original Lloyd Wright architecture, the Wayfarers Chapel was conceived as a respite for all wayfarers on the journey of life. Here all people may sit and be nurtured by the beauty of nature and enjoy peaceful meditation. No one realized that this simple idea would produce a world-renowned sacred site. The power of Wayfarers Chapel is a blend of the sacred purpose and beauty that people experience. This quiet beauty is emphasized by the openness and echoing of nature in the elegant glass structure.
Each winter the Pacific Gray Whales pass through the waters just offshore of Southern California. After spending the summer feeding in the food-rich waters of the arctic, the Grays swim south along the coast to the bays of Baja California, where they mate and nurse their young. Along the way they pass Palos Verdes Peninsula, where I caught this photo today.
A whale watching tourist boat is seen getting a closer view. “Thar she blows!” Picture taken from the Point Vicente Fishing Access on the southern cliffs of Palos Verdes.
The Supreme Court today reinstated the death sentence for California inmate Ronald Sanders who was found guilty of murder with special circumstances. This is the latest Ninth Circuit court ruling to be overturned in what seems to be a marathon of legislation by judicial fiat from that court; repeatedly, this court has been overruled for it’s outrageous decisions that seem designed to challenge law rather than interpret it.
From AP via the Washington Times: Top court reinstates inmate’s death sentence
A divided Supreme Court reinstated a California inmate’s death sentence yesterday, the first 5-4 vote under newly installed Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.
Justices overturned an appeals court ruling that declared Ronald Sanders’ sentence unconstitutional. Sanders was put on death row for the 1982 killing of a woman during a drug-related robbery in Bakersfield, Calif.
The case presented a technical question for the court involving jurors’ consideration of invalid aggravating factors. Two of the four special circumstances used by prosecutors in their case against Sanders — that the crime was committed during a burglary and was cruel or heinous — were later found invalid.
California argued that Sanders would have been eligible for a death sentence even without those factors. The Supreme Court’s five conservative members agreed.
“The erroneous factor could not have ‘skewed’ the sentence, and no constitutional violation occurred,” Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in an opinion joined by Justice Roberts, retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and Justices Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas.
Dissenting, Justice John Paul Stevens said, “This decision is more likely to complicate than to clarify our capital sentencing jurisprudence.” He was joined in dissent by Justices David H. Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer, although their reasons varied.
Note this is the first 5 votes to 4 ruling since Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court. Justice O’Connor ruled for the reinstatement and as Justice Scalia noted, it would have been the same had Judge Alito been in O’Connor’s stead.
My prediction, is this will be the first of many 5 to 4 votes with Roberts, Alito, Scalia, Thomas and Kennedy in the majority, and Stevens, Souter, Ginsberg and Breyer in dissent. The Democrats are just gonna hate that.
Here’s some more history on this case: From the Supreme Court Blog:
Friday, October 07, 2005
Cases for Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2005
No. 04-980 Brown v. Sanders
In California, a jury can find that a murder conviction warrants the death penalty by finding that special circumstances make the murder particularly bad. In this case, the jury found four special circumstances specified by California law and sentenced respondent Ronald Sanders to death. On appeal, the California Supreme Court set aside two of the special circumstances, but held that the jury would have imposed the death sentence anyway.
Sanders brought a habeas corpus challenge to his death sentence and the Ninth Circuit set it aside. The court held that the California Supreme Court couldn’t know whether the jury would have imposed the death sentence if it only had found two of the special circumstances.
The resolution of this case may depend on whether California is a “weighing” state, in which case the California Supreme Court should have either reweighed the factors or held that the overturned circumstances were harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. California takes the position that it doesn’t matter because the jury only needed to find one special circumstance in order to impose a death sentence.
So, just when does this Sanders guy get smoked?
After a few chores in the morning and a run to the local discount goods outlet, Damsel and I settled in to watch NFL Wildcard Sunday. As an adjunct to that, we also decided to prepare Mexican-style grilled chicken breasts, Mexican rice and (of course) Mexican-style pinto beans. All this enhanced by salsa and tortilla chips. The chicken is sliced and served in rolled-up tortillas with rice and beans (salsa optional).
The secret to this great meal is the marinade prepared the previous day; the chicken breasts are marinated overnight, turned over in the morning and prepared in the afternoon.
These are the ingredients in the marinade:
Marinate 3-4 chicken breasts in a large plastic bag and refrigerate overnight.
Transfer the chicken breasts to a shallow baking pan. Reserve the marinade for basting later. Bake the chicken for 30 – 40 minutes at 400°, turning once about halfway through. Crank up the gas BBQ to high when you turn the chicken. Remove the chicken from the oven and place on the grill. Be sure to spray or otherwise apply oil or a non-stick product to the grill first. Baste the chicken breasts on the grill, and turn basted side down. Baste the top side after. In about five minutes or so, turn the chicken breasts one more time. The idea is to get the basted marinade to infuse and get those nice grill marks on the chicken breasts. Damsel snapped the shot of the chicken during the last stages of cooking. Click to enlarge.
This is quite a delicious and healthy meal. I keep a couple of Coronas or Pacificos in the little fridge to enjoy with this sumptuous treat.
Football, grilling, eating and lifting a brew (or 2) makes for a very enjoyable Sunday Football afternoon!
I almost pity PETA and the vegetarian and vegan loonies who never get to enjoy the magnificence of meals like these.
A local entrepreneur, Don Shaw – a Torrance, California resident, was featured in several news outlets with his latest invention: a flying scooter – really – check it out.
The Ultralight Flying Scooter (TUFS) is the world’s first flying and driving motor scooter! The most amazing aspect of TUFS is its combination of a 2006 Honda Ruckus scooter with the most popular, top of the line and up-to-date ultralight paraglider flight equipment. It encompasses the long time dream of a flying and driving machine. This uniquely handcrafted flight kit is revolutionary to the powered paragliding world, pushing the simple joy of flying to the next extreme.
Because TUFS is considered an Ultralight Aircraft in the USA under FAR Part 103 (http://www.ulflyingmag.com/regs.html), a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) (http://www.faa.gov) pilot’s license is not required to operate this single-seat aircraft. TUFS is also Department of Transportation (DOT) (http://www.dot.gov/) approved. This permits the scooter to be driven on highways and streets when the vehicle is configured to road/ground-mode.
The 42 m2 tandem-rated paraglider wing that gives TUFS its flight capability has a comfortable lift capacity of 508 pounds during flight. This weight includes the weight of the pilot, fuel and oil, extra carry-on payload, scooter, and TUFS flight kit. The maximum pilot weight should be under 210 pounds.
