WHY DOESN'T CALIFORNIA SUFFER FROM HURRICANES?

Kiko remains a hurricane, but should by tomorrow weaken into a tropical storm.  If the eye went over Hawaii, there would still be some devastation and a lot of flooding.  However, the track has been predicted to pass sufficiently north of the state such that high surf and associated damage might well be the only problem.

In the West Pacific is Typhoon Tapah, which just attained typhoon strength today and made landfall over China well away from Macao.

The Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of America are eerily quiet as high season begins.  No serious ocean storms are predicted for at least the next week.

In the East Pacific is Post-Tropical Cyclone Lorene so inconsequential that it is not even shown on the map.

She was a hurricane on September 3, strengthened to 85 MPH on the 4th, but later that day lost hurricane status.

Almost all ocean storms in the East Pacific threaten Mexico, especially the Baha Peninsula, but only very rarely extend into California.  Why doesn't California suffer from hurricanes?

• For one, San Diego is at 32.72 North latitude, while Honolulu is at 21.31. 
• Thus, Hawaii is north of San Diego and the rest of California.
• Ocean waters get colder from the equator up and down to the North and South Poles.

There have been exceptions.  On October 2, 1858, San Diego was clobbered by a hurricane.

• The population of the city was only 4300, but newspaper accounts mentioned that a Category 1 hurricane made landfall.

• 
  “A terrific gale sprung up from the S.S.E. [south-southeast],” reported the Daily Alta California at the time, “and continued with perfect fury until about 5 p.m., when it somewhat abated…It blew with such violence, and the air was filled with such dense clouds of dust, that it was impossible to see across the Plaza…[H]ouses were unroofed and blown down, trees uprooted, and fences destroyed. It is said to have been the severest gale ever witnessed in San Diego.
• 
  A tropical storm made landfall over Long Beach in 1939.
• There was no name, for storms began to be identified by the U.S. National Weather Service only from 1953, all female.  
• Males names were introduced in 1979.  
• Actually, the history of names is muddied, for there was a hurricane Santa Ana in 1825, San Felipe in 1876 and San Felipe again in 1928, all damaging Puerto Rico.

• 
  Officially, the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet began to be used in 1947, when Hurricane George was so-named on 5September1947, reaching Category 4 status at 145 MPH on September 15 near the Bahamas, and barrelled into Fort Lauderdale, Florida on September 17 at 150 MPH, with speeds as high as 180 MPH in other nearby coastal areas.  Killed 17.
• 
  Once at Category 4, Hurricane Hilary in 2023 almost made it to California, but not quite.  Yet, gusts up to 87 MPH were received in Los Angeles, and it rained 2.20 inches at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, which was more than its annual rainfall of 2.15 inches.  Watch this video.

But those were rare exceptions.  Why don't hurricanes hit California?

• The average Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, sees 14 named storms, including seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes (Category 3 and higher).  Hurricanes make landfall over New York City, which is at 40.7 N latitude, much further north than San Diego at 32.7 or San Francisco at 37.7.
• 
  The East Pacific basin hurricane season runs from May 15 to November 30, with 15 named storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes.

• 
  But the Pacific Ocean holds 50.1% of all the ocean waters, more than twice as much as the Atlantic, at 23.3%.
• There is only a rare hurricane that forms south of the equator in the Atlantic Ocean.
• A good part of the Pacific Ocean is warmer.
• In the Atlantic, the gulf stream provides a steady infusion of warm water along the Eastern Seaboard.  Plus the Atlantic Basin is 2.5F warmer than the east Pacific.

• 
  Importantly, cold waters from the northern coastal area flow south, keeping California ocean temperatures relatively cool.  I remember, for example, when living in Oxnard, California during the summer:  Oxnard is 60 miles north of Los Angeles, but these currents keep Oxnard cool, say at 70F, when Los Angeles can be more than 100F.  Amazingly enough, Santa Paul, 20 miles inland of Oxnard, can be up to 115F.

• 
  Winds play a role too.
• These winds steer hurricanes in a east to west direction, as you noticed in Atlantic from Africa towards the USA, and in the Pacific from Mexico to Hawaii.

• 
  Also, in the Pacific, there are high altitude winds from west to east that cause turbulence, a shearing effect that inhibits and/or weakens tropical cyclone formation.  

• 
  Not only is California protected, but so is Hawaii.
• With all those Category 4 and 5 hurricanes heading to the state of Hawaii the Big Island of Hawaii, in recorded history, has NEVER experienced even one hurricane.  Ocean storms make landfall over the island, but only as a tropical storm.
• 
  The Pacific Ocean has been aided by more frequent La Ninã cycles, keeping ocean waters cooler than usual.  
• Unfortunately, this is expected to change with global warming.
• A new study from NPJ Climate and Atmospheric science predicts that the Eastern Pacific will have 33% more ocean storms in the coming years.

• 
  That's bad for Hawaii and Mexico, but perhaps also in the future for California.
• Worse, over the next decade, the number of Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms could DOUBLE, compared to the 1970s.
• This is ironic, but air pollution laws now mean that particulate matter absorbing or blocking sunlight, is diminishing, so the oceans will get warmer.
• Finally, global warming means ocean warming, and this will lead to more frequent and intense hurricanes.

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THE MAN OF LA MANCHA

There is a La Mancha in Spain, but there is no real Man of La Mancha.

• This all began with Miguel de Cervantes.
• Was born in Spain in 1547 (?, maybe) and passed away in 1616 at the age of 68.
• Considered to be the greatest Spanish writer, best known for what is said to be the first modern novel, Don Quixote, perhaps even the best book of all time.  As translated by Edith Grossman, widely regarded as one of funniest and most tragic  books ever written.

• 
  Cervantes spent most of his life in relative poverty and obscurity.
• At the age of 22, moved to Rome, where he worked for the household of a cardinal.
• Enlisted in the Spanish Navy infantry a year later, 1570, and got severely wounded, losing use of his left arm and hand.
• There are no portraits of him, but this one to the right is generally used.

• In 1575 was captured by Barbary pirates, and ransomed to Madrid five years later.
• First significant novel, published in 1585, was La Galatea.
• Don Quixote was published between 1605 and 1615, for there are two parts.
• Wrote over 20 plays.
• Died of diabetes in 1611, but was reburied only in 2015 in a public ceremony.

• 
  La Mancha is a region (red) spread over several Spanish provinces.
• Mancha means stain or patch.
• Is the largest plain in Spain.
• Chosen by Cervantes as the setting for his dignified knight-errant Don Quixote.

• 
  While many early versions of Don Quixote were actually filmed here, both the 1957 Russian (this is the entire film) and 1972 productions were not, with the site for the conversion of the 1965 Broadway show shot in Italy.  The 2000 made-for-TV Don Quixote starring John Lithgow and Bob Hoskins was filmed in Spain, but not La Mancha.
• 
  The Man of La Mancha is a 1965 musical from the book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion.
• Began with a 1959 television non-musical, I, Don Quixote, by Wasserman.
• Was a play within a play.
• The 1965 musical version ran for 2,328 performances and won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical.  Has been revived four times.
• The principal song, The Impossible Dream, is my theme song.

The film version starred Peter O'Toole as Don Quixote, but the song was sung by Simon Gilbert.  Sophia Loren actually did her own singing in this film.

I myself can't sing this song, for I have a limited range.  However, I've actually almost embarrassed myself twice, last year on our Norwegian Encore cruise, and most recently at 15 Craigside.  Both would have been on a karaoke platform, but I was saved because the sessions ended and I was never called up.

But Impossible Dream is my theme song because much of what I tried to accomplish in my professional life had to do with trying to attain impossible goals.  What were they?  Go the Huffington Post, listed under Patrick Takahashi, and read my essays on what they were.

• 
  Star Power for Humanity:  spent two assignments at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on Laser Fusion.
• The Sustainable Expo for 2020:  toyed with idea of bring the World Expo to Honolulu.
• The 10% Simple Solution to Peace:  I tried to get President Barack Obama, and two presidents from China to consider my plan.

• 
  The Future of Sustainable Aviation:  attempted to influence the nation and world to develop hydrogen to power future jetliners.
• The Carbon Dioxide Credit Credit Program:  how to remediate global warming.
• What is the Best Biofuel?:  the ideal transition for ground transportation.

• 
  Blue Revolution:  perhaps my most desirable impossible dream for the future of Humanity.  Watch two presentations I gave on this subject;
• To the Seasteading Institute in San Francisco.
• TEDx talk on the Blue Revolution.

• 
  The Promise of Hydrogen, Part 1 and Part 2:  I drafted the original hydrogen bill when I worked in the U.S. Senate way back in 1980, and the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute at the University of Hawaii, which I directed, became the Department of Energy's Hydrogen Research and Education Center.

All those were impossible dreams, as was my attempt in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence at the NASA Ames Research Center.  Nobel Laureate Charles Townes and I proposed a better way to find Earth-type extra solar planets.  The final report I submitted was titled, TO SEE THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM, and used that Playbill caricature of the Man of La Mancha on the cover.

Oh, if you were wondering if anyone had a winning ticket for the $1.8 BILLION Powerball jackpot, the answer is yes, one in Missouri and another in Texas.  They will share the loot.  Additional two tickets, sold in Kansas and Texas, won $2 million, and 18 across 13 states each won $1 million.  The winning numbers were 11, 23, 44,61,62, with the red Powerball of 17 and a Power Play multiplier of 2.  Monday's drawing?  Only $20 million.

If you were worried about Hurricane Kiko, she has weakened into a Category 2, and is continuing to move on a path sufficiently north of Hawaii to minimize severe wind and flood damage.  But remain cautious, for there will be dangerous surf conditions.

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GAN JING WORLD

My blog yesterday ended with some beautiful photos, indicating that these were sent to me by, for me, a relatively new informant, Gan Jing World.  Before I go into this mysterious organization, though, first, a question.  Do you want to be a billionaire?

• Turns out that the jackpot for the Powerball drawing tonight at 10:59 PM EDT is up to $1.8 billion.
• This is the second-highest grand prize in history, to the $2.04 billion jackpot won in November 2022.

• 
  By the way, there is also Mega Millions, which had a $1.602 jackpot in August 2023.  Costs $5/ticket.
• But back to Powerball, say you match all five numbers.  Are you then a billionaire?
• Nope.  You have two options.
• Take a one-time cash payment, and while that is $1.8 billion, for the moment you are a billionaire.  However, the way this works, you only get $826.4 billion.
• Or, take 29 annual payments to get the full $1.8 billion.  But you still need to pay taxes and wait for 29 years to get it all.
• Either way, you will not win become a billionaire through Powerball if you win tonight.

• 
  Is it too late to purchase a $2 ticket?  Most of you can.  I can't, for I live in Hawaii and can't even do this online.  Alabama, Alaska, Nevada and Utah also prohibit this lottery.  However:
• I can travel to one of the eligible states and buy tickets.  If I'm successful, though, I'll need to pay taxes to the federal government and two states, for, while Hawaii does not allow this in the state, it still will take their tax share if you live there and win.
• I can have a friend or relative do this for me.
• There are online courier services, but I don't think Hawaii allows even this option.
• But, oh, your odd of winning the grand prize with a $2 ticket is 1 in 292 million.

• 
  For those who can play.
• Purchase tickets in person at operational gas stations, convenience/grocery stores and some airport terminals.  Some states allow you to this with a lottery courier service online.  As one example, there is Jackpocket, a company owned by USA Today.

• 
  Pay $2 for a ticket.
• Choose six numbers.
• Five of them from white balls numbered from 1 to 69.
• One red Powerball, numbered from 1 to 26.
• You can add another dollar for Power Play, which increases the winning for non-jackpot prizes.
• Drawings occur on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday nights.  If no one wins the jackpot tonight, the sum will increase on Monday.

• 
  Finally, be optimistic, here will be your tax burden.
• The IRS requires a mandatory 24% tax.  Thus, if you take the $826.4 million cash option, you immediately relinquish $198.3 million, bringing you down to only $628.1 million.

• 
  Well, no, for just these winning this amount lands you in the 37% bracket.  This gets complicated, depending on whether you're married or not, etc.  But you will end up getting less than the $628.1 million, and maybe only $520.7 million.
• State taxes depend on where you live, and could exceed 10%.
• 
  There is also the Mega Millions drawing, which next happens this coming Tuesday, and is worth $358 million.  However, your odds are better.  
• Only one chance in 290.4 million.
• About these odds.  According to Google AI Overview:

The odds of being killed by lightning are roughly 1 in 100,000 to 1 in 80,000 over your lifetime.

Or, death by shark?

I've recently noticed that I regularly get sent videos and info from something called Gan Jing World, Technology for Humanity.  

• They call themselves the fastest growing online platform.

• 
  Gan Jing means clean.  They are thus dedicated to:  revitalizing traditional connections—fostering a culture of care, kindness, mutual respect, and trust among individuals, within families, and throughout society.
• Here is a video explaining Ganjing World.
• Headquartered in New York City.
• According to Google AI Overview:

Gan Jing World was started by followers of the spiritual movement Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa). The platform is described as a "wholesome digital town square" aimed at fostering kindness and respect, and its founding team includes individuals who fled persecution in China and are practitioners of Falun Gong. The platform was launched in 2022.

• 
  CEO is James Qiu, a former Apple executive who came to the U.S. from China in 1989.
• Linked to The Epoch Times, a far-right international multi-language newspaper and media company affiliated with the Falun Gong new religious movement, much persecuted by the government of China.

• 

  The Epoch Times was founded in 2000 by John Tang and other Chinese Americans.
• Based in New York City.
• Has websites in 35 countries, but is blocked in mainland China.
• Supported Donald Trump for president.  NBC News indicated that it was the second-largest funder of pro-Trump Facebook advertising, second only to the Trump campaign itself.
• 
  Seems to promote many Trump claims, like anti-vaccine misinformation, fraud in the 2020 U.S. presidential election and QAnon.
• Read Columbia Journalism Review's Unpacking Ganjing World.

Why is the Chinese government so fearful of the Falun Gong Movement?

• 
  First some history of Falung Gong, also called Falun Dafa.
• Is actually relatively new, only emerging around the Spring of 1999 in Changchun, founded by Li Hongzhi.  But his efforts began earlier.
• Was born in 1951 or 1952.
• Created Falun  Gong in 1984, developing his own qigong system, a traditional Chinese practice that combines gentle movements, breathing exercises and meditation, aiming to cultivate and balance the body's vital energy known as qi.

• 
  Li claimed to have supernatural powers, like having the ability to prevent illness, and eternal youth.
• Promoted exercise movements, had no fees and taught morality.  The qigong movement actually traces back to the late 1940s and 50s.  By 1985, qigong practices expanded with millions of adherents, headed by grandmasters.
• 
  Publicly founded Falun Gong in the Spring of 1992.
• From 1992 to 1994, Li traveled throughout China giving 54 lectures, with seminars that  typically lasted 8-10 days, having as many as 6,000 in one class.
• On 3August1994, the city of Houston, Texas, made Li Hongzhi an honorary citizen.
• Li left China in 1995 to spread his practice overseas, and permanently relocated to the U.S. in 1998.
• 
  Initially enjoyed official sanction from the Chinese government, but attitudes changed in 1996.
• In the Spring of 1999, following a protest of 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners at a government compound to receive official official recognition, General Secretary Jian Zemin became concerned enough, and ordered Falun Gong to be crushed.
• In July 1999, Chinese authorities ask Interpol to arrest Li, but the U.S. government refused to cooperate.
• 
  The Falun Gong got bolder, and from late 1999 into 2000 gathered daily in Tiananmen Square performing exercises and meditation to end one-party rule in China.
• Five Falun Gong followers set themselves on fire on Tiananmen Square on 23January2001.
• Falun Gong then abandoned Tiananmen Square in 2002 to instead protest in Western news outlets.
• 
  From 2002-2004, leadership transferred from Jiang Zemin to Hu Jintao, who turned harsher on Falun Gong, for into 2007 there are charges that thousands of Falun Gong prisoners were killed to supply China's organ transplant industry.

• 
  In 2008, 8,000 practitioners are abducted to prevent protests during the Beijing Olympics.

• From 2009, heir apparent Xi Jinping is put in charge of 6521 Project to crack down on Tibetans, democracy activists and the Falun Gong.

• 
  In 2009, the U.S. House passed a resolution condemning the persecution of the Falun Gong in China.
• 2010, 100 Falun Gong practitioners are abducted in connection with the Shangai World Expo.  I went to this Expo and wasn't aware about any of this.
• Around this time came a serious effort by the government to "re-educate" anyone with Falun Gong links.
• This goes on and on, but I'll stop here.

Hurricane Kiko is a Category 4 storm, but should weaken as she approaches Hawaii.  Current projections mostly show the eye on a path north of the islands.  But there remain memories of considerable flooding in past tropical storms.

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