EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HURRICANES

Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same storm.  However:

• In the Northern Hemisphere they spin (looking from above) in the counterclockwise direction.
• In the Southern Hemisphere they spin in the clockwise direction.
• Something called the Coriolis Force created by the rotation of Planet Earth triggers the storm.

• 
  They are called:
• Hurricane if initially formed in the Atlantic or Eastern Pacific Oceans.
• Typhoon if formed in the Western North Pacific.
• Cyclone if in the South Pacific and Indian Oceans.

• 
  The ocean waters need to be at least 80 F (27 C) from surface to 150 feet deep for these cyclonic storms to form.  Thus, the ocean is too cold during winter months.

• 
  Hurricanes cannot exist about 300 miles above and below the equator.  Thus, no storm of this nature has ever crossed the Equator.
• At 39 MPH it is called a tropical storm and given a name.
• Reaching a sustained 74 MPH the classification is changed to hurricane, typhoon or cyclone.
• They are classified according the the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

• 
  The most powerful storm ever was Typhoon Nancy in 1961.
• Highest one-minute sustained winds of 213 MPH.
• Lowest central pressure of 882 millibars.
• Was a Category 5 for 5.5 days.
• Caused damage in 2021 dollars of $4.3 billion in Japan and killed 200.

Interestingly enough, the second most powerful also occurred in 1961 and also made landfall in Japan.  Typhoon Violet went up to 207 MPH at 886 millibars, but dissipated before reaching Japan.

Tying for #3 were Typhoon Ida (yes, Ida) in 1958 and Hurricane Patricia (2015), both at 200 MPH.  

• Ida created extensive damage in Japan and had a minimum central pressure of 877 mb, even lower than Nancy.
• Patricia is especially noteworthy because it is the only one of these four with reliable measurements.  The field has significantly improved over the past half a century.  Patricia's central pressure dropped from 980 mb to 880, also lower than Nancy's, in two days, becoming the strongest hurricane in the Western Hemisphere, making landfall in Mexico.

Typhoon Tip in 1979 is worthy of mention because, while "only" reaching a wind speed of 190 MPH, had the lowest central pressure ever at 870 mb and a diameter of 1379 miles.  Tip formed in the East Pacific,  but here is how he would have looked if placed over the eastern part of the USA.

Finally, this remains a debatable topic, but is there a clear link between global warming and an increase in Category 4 and 5 hurricanes?  To me it just makes sense that the ocean surface, too, is now warming, meaning that hurricanes should be stronger.  From Wikipedia.

I'm off to record my TEDx talk on the Blue Revolution this morning, and will later tell you how you can watch it.  Aloha.

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CHINA vs USA in WORK, SCHOOL and OTHER MATTERS

Hurricane Ida was as fearsome as predicted, with more than a million in Louisiana without electricity, but, as of this morning, there has been only one person reported killed, by a falling tree.  This number will no doubt increase as the search begins, but Hurricane Katrina had 1833 deaths.

The good news of the day is that some doubt has been cast on the Israeli report that vaccine immunity is waning, maybe dropping to as low as 39% from the original mid-nineties.  While there is no doubt that more vaccinated people are today getting sick from the Delta-variant, that could well be because they are taking more chances through travel and so on, and the actual immunity might still be quite high.  In any case, these individuals who do get sick, all tend to live with mostly mild symptoms.   There is a growing sense that booster shots might not be necessary at this time, and the more sensible policy would be to first vaccinate the world, invoke more vaccine mandates and accelerate the FDA study of vaccines for children.

Do people in the U.S. or China work harder?  It is reported that we are the most overworked developed nation in the world!

• In 1960 only 20% of mothers worked.  Today, 70% of children live in households where both mom and dad work, although only 75% of women work full time.  86% of males and 67% of females work more than 40 hours/week.
• The U.S. is the ONLY country without a national paid parental leave benefit.  It is 20 weeks in Europe and 12 weeks almost anywhere else.
• There is no federal law requiring paid sick days in the U.S.  The ONLY industrialized country.
• 134 countries have laws setting the maximum length of the work week.  We do not.
• Americans work more hours/year (number indicates how many more):
• Japan:  137
• UK:  260
• France:  499
• Vacation?
• U.S. 13 days/year
• Canada/Japan:  20 
• France/Finland:  30

Read that article for more info.

What about China?  I guess it is not a developed country, for:

• Chinese work long hours
• Referred to as 996 or a 72 hour work week from 9AM to 9PM six days/week.
• This is the norm!
• China with 46.3 hours/week and the USA at 34.4 hours/week.
• 
  More anecdotal, but in one company, if you don't answer your company cell phone once, that's okay.  The second time will get you a $7 fine.  If you don't reply to a WeChat app, the fine is $15.  You can be fired for not responding to this app.  Meetings are sometimes called for 10PM.
• Tech giant Huawei currently under fire in the U.S. boasts that employees volunteer to work past 10PM.  Yeah, but at the expense of being fired if you don't?
• Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma said that to be able to work 12-hours a day was a huge bliss.

World Population Review ranked the countries with the most number of hours worked per year:

• #1    Mexico (41.3 hours/week)
• #2    Costa Rica (40.8)
• #3    South Korea (38.3)
• #10  USA  (34.3)
• #25  Switzerland  (30.0)
• #37  Germany  (26)

No mention of China.  As shown earlier was China at 46.3 hours/week, making it #1 by quite a bit.

Vivian Wang of the New York Times recently had an article entitled: 12-hour days, six days a week.  Another way of saying 996.  If you can read that article, she says that workers are dying.

• Some companies are reacting by saying okay to go home at 6PM...but only on Wednesdays.
• The reason why companies require long hours is because of the extreme competition for any high tech job.
• Labor unions?  Want to go to jail?

Here are a few other noteworthy differences between the USA and China:

•  It’s illegal for children in China to play video games after 10 p.m. Facial-recognition software aims to enforce that rule.
• School?
• In China, September to mid-July, with summer spent studying for entrance exams. 
• The school day runs from 7:30AM to 5PM with  a 2-hour lunch break.
• High school not required.
• U.S.....you know.
• The USA dominates in any list of best universities:
• China's Tsinghua University is #28 in the top 40 as their only entry.
• China has a billion-plus more people than the U.S., but we have about the same geographical area.  However, you can debate which country has more land.  Arguments can be made for both.

Roast pork has to be on any list of worst foods to eat.  However, I like it and here is how a Chinese restaurant makes  this delicacy. 

Have you noticed that China can build things very quickly?  Here is an example of a ten-story building constructed in one day:

Well, it actually took 28 hours and 45 minutes.  The Bailong Elevator in Zhangjiajie National Forest, the tallest in the world at more than a thousand feet:

Why was it even built?  Apparently as a service to visitors.  Has a $21 roundtrip fee.  One more....is this real?

Yes, a DV LED display on the corner of an urban shopping plaza in Chengdu.

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THE BEST ELECTRIC WINE BOTTLE OPENER

Super Hurricane Ida (there are reports she just hit 155 MPH while nearing the Louisiana coastline, which qualifies her for Super status) made landfall near Port Fourchon as a Category 4 with constant winds of 150 MPH at the inner wall of the storm.  There will be considerable wave and wind damage, plus floods from all the rainfall:

Reportedly, Ida was the most powerful hurricane to strike Louisiana since the 1850's.  Governor John Bel Edwards said yesterday that she will be the strongest to make landfall over Louisiana.  This was when when the projected speed was supposed to be 140 MPH.

How much more powerful is a 150 MPH hurricane compared to a 75 MPH hurricane?  You need to divide the smaller number into the larger number, then take the cube of the quotient.  Thus, 150/75 = 2, followed by 2x2x2 = 8.  A 155 MPH hurricane is 8.86 times more powerful than a 75 MPH hurricane.

Are you one of those still struggling to open a wine bottle using those manual bottle openers?  I've now been at 15 Craigside for seven years and I think still remain as the only one with an electric wine bottle opener.  Here are the top ones from BestReviews:

• Best of the best:  Ozeri Nouveaux II
• $12.66
• was $17.11
• ergonomic grip
• new Li-Ion technology opens 100 bottles on a full charge.
• Transparent shell

• 
  Best bang for the buck:  Oster  $19.99
• Secura  $21.99
• Famili  $17.39
• QcoQce  $19.99, but currently unavailable.

So ordered from Amazon the Ozeri Nouveaux II for $12.66.  Amazingly enough, that Le Creuset opener, the manual one above, costs $20.

The Ozeri arrived, and I tried it.  Fabulous!  I can highly recommend this electric wine bottle opener:

I placed my Ozeri next to another opener I bought from Brookstone, which cost around $27.  The Ozeri is a lot better, plus comes with a bottle pourer/cap.

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BE AFRAID OF MONSTER IDA

Before I get into the very dangerous Hurricane Ida approaching New Orleans, a few other news items of the day:

• The USA suffered yesterday with 190,370 new cases and 1304 new deaths.
• #2 Mexico had 835 new deaths with "only" 20,633 new cases.
• #2 India with 46,805 new cases had 514 new deaths.
• Hawaii had our worst day ever, 1035 new cases and 9 new deaths. 
• Interestingly enough, Florida had the highest number of new cases with 27,584, but only 8 new deaths.  Hmmm...
• The U.S. has now passed 100,000 evacuations from Kabul Airport, which will come to halt on Tuesday.  Lots of fears, but no particularly serious after-attacks.
• The NCAA women's volleyball season began yesterday with Hawaii beating Fairfield, and will play Marquette tonight, with Texas A&M tomorrow.  Two stars were first year freshmen.
• The NCAA football season began today, with Hawaii at UCLA in the Rose Bowl on ESPN.

So on to Hurricane Ida, at this writing only a Category 1.  However, all projections show her strengthening to a Category 4 and slamming into Louisiana near Grand Isle.  The Gulf of Mexico water temperature is in the upper 80's, 8 F hotter than it should be in August.

Ominously, Ida is expected to make landfall on August 29 (Sunday), the same day Hurricane Katrina landed in 2005.  Katrina did attain Category 5 status, but hit Louisiana/Mississippi as a Category 3.  

The huge worry about Ida is that her eye is expected to pass New Orleans on the west side.  Katrina zoomed by New Orleans to the east.  The northwest quadrant of a northern hemisphere cyclonic storm is the danger spot.  Katrina thus actually missed New Orleans, whereas the northwest quadrant of Ida will slam into that underwater city.

Of all the things, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said she can't order any mandatory evacuation for the entire city because it is now too late to do this.  Thus, the populace will need to hunker down awaiting all kinds of dike and lake problems.  Worse, the entire state has been suffering most, per capita, than any other state from new Delta variant cases.

Katrina killed 1836 and caused $125 billion in damages, the costliest on record.  The Superdome and New Orleans Convention Center became home to too many for too long.  Almost three years after Katrina struck, I happened to go to the Sugar Bowl game featuring Hawaii and Georgia.  The devastation was still frightening.

I particularly remember a similar situation way back in July of 1969 when I drove from Baton Rouge, through New Orleans and Biloxi, and into Florida to see Apollo 11 ready to take Neil Armstrong to the Moon.  Had lunch in Biloxi.  Category 5 Hurricane Camille made landfall on August 17 at Bay St. Louis (38 miles west of Biloxi--remember that northwest quadrant danger--Ida is expected to pass no more than 100 miles west of New Orleans, and probably much closer), Mississippi at 175 MPH with a storm surge of 24 feet.  Camille wiped out the highway where we had lunch.  In 1971 I drove close by on Interstate 10 and noticed that whole area in Biloxi just was gone.

My recollection is that I have never been in a hurricane.  I lived in Baton Rouge for three and a half years, and never experienced one.  I was in Colorado when Hurricane Iniki struck Kauai.  I happened to be at a conference in New Orleans in 1989 when Hurricane Jerry was in the Gulf of Mexico, so I left early on a rather memorable trip to Tokyo (yes, Tokyo), then back to San Francisco, and on to DC.  The night I left Frisco I turned on my hotel TV set in DC and saw a scene that was unforgettable.  The AMFAC hotel I had slept in the night before at the San Francisco Airport was destroyed, with the elevator shaft caved-in.  My room was next to the elevator.  This was that 6.9 magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake that postponed a World Series game.  I did eventually get home safely.

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UFOs: Part 3--Best Films and Documentaries

I'll pass today on Afghanistan, COVID-19 and politics.  I began a UFO series last week, and will conclude today with some viewing options.

My conclusion is that like religion and ghosts, UFOs remain in a stage below even paranormal phenomena.  But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a film or documentary to keep your curiosity active.

Interestingly enough, there is a 2009 book on this subject by Chris Hallquist.  You should know that he has been president of Atheists, Humanists and Agnostics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 2005.  There are other points of view, of course.  One is Geta Christina of Why Are You Atheists So Angry?

But this is not a Sunday, so let me go on to the the topic of the day.  What can you see on your TV set?

For example, I just saw on Netflix Top Secret UFO Projects, a series with six episodes.  I watched all, and wonder why.  Rotten Tomatoes did not bother to review it.  The blog site Decider did, and recommended that you skip it.

There are no credible lists of best UFO films, but here is something entitled Secret Access:  Most Credible UFOs as a DVD.  Unfortunately, it cost $154.37 and is a decade old.

On the other hand, there is a boatload of decent films about aliens, a few that almost make sense.  For the record, while I'm dubious about flying saucers, I did once work for NASA on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, and have a sense that there indeed is life somewhere else in our Universe.

Of all those alien films, Sound of My Voice, a low-keyed production starring Brit Marling, might have actually been the most convincing, but you need too stick to the very end to appreciate why.

Let me start with Esquire, for they picked the Best Alien Movies on Netflix, which means I can watch them for free:

• 
  Jupiter Ascending (2015):  a space opera with Channing Tatum as a goateed human-elf-alien.  But whoops, Rotten Tomatoes gives it 27/38 scores.  Hmmm.....
• Battle:  Los Angeles (2011):  military dukes it out with alien intruders.  RT:  36/48.  
• Wait a minute, why am I even bothering with this list.  I'll give it one more chance.
• Zathura:  A Space Adventure (2005):  a Jumanji sequel, but in space.  RT:  76/51.
• Well, a little bit better.  Let's try the next.
• Monsters and Aliens (2009):  Oh no, an animated film for kids.  RT:  73/59.  The next one is also animated.
• I'll stop here and strike Esquire forever from my movie review list.

Yikes, how did those get there!

Okay, this surely sounds distinguished:  The Council of Foreign Relations.  To begin, this page indicates they were founded 100 years ago as an independent, nonpartisan organization, think tank, publisher and educational institution dedicated to informing the public about foreign policy.  So here is their top five:

• The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951, RT 95/87)
• Ah, a good one, featuring Michael Rennie as an alien sent to save humanity from nuclear proliferation.
• Oh, you don't want to watch the 2008 version with Keanu Reaves, for this one is rated 20/27 by RT.
• 
  
• 
  The War of the Worlds (1953, RT 88/71)
• Based on the book by H.G. Wells.
• Terrific special effects for a 50's film.
• The 2005 update with Tom Cruise got 75/42 scores, and was entertaining.
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977, RT 94/85)
• Stars Richard Dreyfuss, who gets to board a flying saucer.
• Directed and written by Steven Spielberg.
• The U.S. military refused to cooperate, citing the prospect of inciting UFO scare fears.
• The Fourth Kind would be alien abduction and Fifth Kind would be direct communication with aliens.
• Won two Oscars.

• 
  Independence Day (1996, RT 68/75)
• Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Judd Hirsch.
• Great battle.  We win.
• District 9 (2009, RT 90/82)
• About a group of aliens arriving to escape from their dying planet, and is placed in a concentration camp...Johannesburg, South Africa.
• Rated R.
• And as a bonus choice, The Phenomenon (2020, RT 88/93)
• A documentary with Peter Coyote as narrator.
• Sort of the Greatest Hits of UFOs.

Next let's step far back and cite something called Country Living with their 21 Best Alien Movies of All Time.  Or, from the UK Independent newspaper, for World UFO Day 2021, the 10 Best Alien Films.  I can go on and on, but I send you to the alphabetical list of all films featuring extraterrestrials.  It is long.  A couple of hundred?   I didn't want to count them all.  What's coming?  What about Alien 5?

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BAD NEWS...PLUS

               From Worldometer (new  COVID-19 deaths yesterday):

        DAY  USA  WORLD   Brazil    India    South Africa

June     9    1093     4732         1185        246       82

July    22     1205     7128         1293      1120     572

Aug    12     1504     6556        1242        835     130

Sept     9     1208      6222       1136       1168       82

Oct     21     1225      6849         571        703       85

Nov    25      2304    12025        620        518      118

Dec    30      3880    14748       1224       299      465

Jan     14      4142    15512        1151       189     712              

Feb      3       4005    14265       1209       107      398

          25       2414    10578       1582        119      144

Mar     2        1989      9490        1726       110      194

          31       1115     12301        3950       458       58

April   6          906     11787         4211       631       37

May    4         853     13667         3025     3786       59 

         26         607     12348         2399     3842     101

June    1         287    10637        2346      3205       95

          30         249      8505        2127        991     383

 July    7          251      8440        1595        817     411

         14          374      8721        1574        580      453

         21          414      8638        1388        510      516

         28          483    10136        1366        641      520

Aug    4           656    10120        1118        532      423 

         11           614    10352        1123        519      573

         17           873     9920         1137        440      553       

         18         1055   10574           985        511      384

         25         1287    11301          901        608      516

Summary:

• The USA had 171,737 new cases yesterday and the most number of new deaths since February.
• New cases and new cases/million by states:
• USA                         518
• Florida  26,203       1219
• Texas  21,961           757
• California  13,583     344
• Georgia  22,400      2113
• Louisiana  6,619     1423
•  
• Hawaii  573              409
•  
• World                          95
• Japan                       166
• China                            0.014

I rarely feature bad news.  Today, I offer a glimmer of hope with the addition of ...plus.  COVID-19 has been bad news for a year and a half, and the only positives I can offer are that the official approval of vaccines, compounded by a booster shot, should bring the world out of pandemic status some time next year.  Those who choose not to be vaccinated will diminish when they are faced with the loss of medical coverage if they contract this illness.  The courts will side with medical plans because costs do go up with COVID-19.

Kabul Airport is getting dangerous, as a suicide bomber today attacked, killing dozens of Afghans and at least 12 U.S. service members.  Another bomb went off at Abbey Gate near the Baron Hotel.  Apparently not the fault of the Taliban or al-Qaeda.  Another islamic terrorist group identified as ISIS-K was said to be responsible.  Who are they?  An offshoot of the Islamic State, the K stands for Khorasan, and they appear to be well financed.  They are said to be a threat to the Taliban leadership.

The U.S. will get around 100,000 evacuated by the August 31 deadline, but that means at least 150,000 Afghans and their families will be left behind.  Really bad news for them. 

9/11/01 was almost two decades ago.  I still remember that morning, when my wife and I stayed in bed all day to see the cataclysm unfold.  The only good news is that America will be out of that 20-year war.

Like my Indiana Jones adventures tending to be mundane, I've also recently been laced by assorted mistakes and misfortune, but not o consequential relative to those global crises.  It began earlier this week when in the process of throwing personal things away to make room for my travel partner moving into my apartment, I made two bags:  a large one with more than 25 pairs of footwear to discard, and a smaller one with maybe a dozen for keeping.  Well, I threw both of them away, leaving me with 3 pairs.  The last time I was down to this number was when I left Hawaii for the very first time to start college at Stanford.

So on Tuesday I went shopping for shoes.  I was particularly concerned that planning for this TEDx event would create a need for dress shoes.  I've had a couple of these meetings the past month and for the first time in maybe years actually wore dress trousers.  I first went to Ross' because it has cheap house slippers.  Did you know that their outlet on Ward is gone?  I grew up in Kakaako just a few minutes away.  So I went to Ala Moana Shopping Center to try Skechers, because they make comfortable shoes.  Bought three pairs, one being for golf, which means two of my six are now for this sport.  My dress shoes are more for leisure walking, but they will do for now.

My idea of the best bread is a loaf from Assaggio, an Italian restaurant located near where my car was parked.  So for $1.99 I bought one.  Mind you, I've been avoiding bread and rice during this pandemic period, not because you can get this disease from them, but to check my weight.  My justification was that I was safely below 155 pounds, and life is too short to not enjoy as much of the remainder as possible.  Did you know that the Honolulu Satellite City Hall has moved just across the fountain pond and escalator from Assaggio's.

I had thoughts, even during this Delta-variant surge to perhaps have pork tonkatsu at Rokkaku Hamakatsu.  However, driving by it appeared to be closed, perhaps forever.  

So after I got my shoes and bread, I was walking to my car, and close by was a food mall.  I went in, looked around and saw that Musubi had pork tonkatsu on chicken curry.  So I bought a bento.  I had a small amount of ahi sashimi delivered by a friend, so had a good lunch at home.  Well, the pork tonkatsu was marginal.  But it's safer to eat at home.

Yesterday I used my new white golf shoes to walk at the Ala Wai Golf Course.  Somehow, I lost my wrist blood pressure device, which I use to control my pulse rate.  So I did not want to stress myself and rested after hole #3 to await John on the 5th.  I was in the shade and got a severe pain under my knee.  An ant bit me and several more were on me.  Killed six.  Moved to another shady spot which looked safe, and soon thereafter I saw three more on my new white golf shoes.  Killed a couple more.  I now see an advantage of white golf shoes.  After the 6th hole I went to the starter office, and asked if....yes someone did, so I was pretty much able to walk the rest of the way.  From bad to good news.

Went home, took a bath, had a great spaghetti dinner and finally got a phone call from my travel agent.  First she was in quarantine from having contracted COVID-19 (which explained why she had not returned my request last week for a phone call).  Wow, the first person I now know who caught this dreaded virus.  But she was actually okay, and went on for the bad news:  Princess has cancelled their world cruise.  What do I do about the Dubai Expo, which appears to still be scheduled to begin in October and end in March?   Well, we can still consider the Star Alliance Global ticket.  Let's see how goes the pandemic.

I then got a follow-up notice that if we transfer our deposit to their 2023 world cruise, and let them know by August 31, we would get:

• Onboard spending money.
• Rountrip airfare.
• Specialty dining.
• Premier Beverage Package.
• Wi-Fi.
• Gratuities

Something worth considering.

Can't end on such a downer, so here is Pearl's Sunburst on the fifth day of blossoming:

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