WHAT HAPPENED TO ACID RAIN?

In the Fall of 1948, Donora, Pennsylvania choked for five days, killing 20 and seriously affecting 7000 from the combustion of coal.  In December of 1952, the Great London Smog probably killed 10,000 during a deadly smog under similar circumstances.

These incidents triggered the 1955 Air Pollution Control Act.  There was no enforcement provision, as the Federal government was just told to provide information.  States did what they had to do.

I flew into Los Angeles in 1958 and met their smog.  It was terrible, my eyes watered and I worried about the long-term effect on my lungs.  New York City suffered their historic smog during Thanksgiving of 1966, but major episodes had also occurred in 1953 and 1966.

Congress amended that earlier legislation in 1963, then again in 1965, and created the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970.  I spent a good part of the 1970's teaching environmental engineering and being director of the University of Hawaii Environmental Center.  The term acid rain was coined in 1972 by Robert Angus Smith, but it was not until this period that scientists began to get funded to study this phenomenon, which simply is caused by coal power plants and combustion vehicles spewing out gases that become sulfuric and nitric acids in the atmosphere

One more legislative refinement came in 1990, specifically to address acid rain.  Well, give the U.S. Congress some credit.  These laws largely helped to improve our atmosphere.  End of story and this posting?  Well, no.

Air pollution is worsening in India, China, the Middle East, South America and Africa.  Everyone now knows how bad Chinese cities are.  I've stopped going to Beijing because I caught a cough, which took me two months to shake.  India will soon be worse than China, but the Middle East might just be even worse.

Globally, the number of deaths attributable to PM2.5—fine particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns that reduces visibility and can create respiratory issues—rose from 3.5 million in 1990 to 4.2 million in 2015, according to the State of Global Air Report 2017, a joint study by the Health Effects Institute in Boston, Massachusetts and the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle, Washington. More than half of these deaths occurred in India and China together: deadly air claimed 1.1 million lives in each country.

Air Quality Index (AQI) Values	Levels of Health Concern	Colors
When the AQI is in this range:	..air quality conditions are:	...as symbolized by this color:
0 to 50	Good	Green
51 to 100	Moderate	Yellow
101 to 150	Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups	Orange
151 to 200	Unhealthy	Red
201 to 300	Very Unhealthy	Purple
301 to 500	Hazardous	Maroon
You will need to click on that map to read the details, but in summary: Hawaii has a 12 rating.  This measurement was taken at Sand Island next to the airport.  This past year has been unusually healthy for Honolulu, for our prevailing winds have pushed the emissions of the continuing volcanic eruption from Kilauea away from Oahu. China and India, actually, were not so bad...yesterday.  Certainly a lot of unhealthy to hazardous numbers, but I've seen a lot worse. I wondered why South Korea looked undocumented, and got this interesting shifting time pollution map.  The U.S. looks okay, but what is that 418 AQI from W. Franklin, Shelton Washington?  Went to check, and no forest fires.  ???? Those Mexican maroons?  Not sure why, but industrial pollution is notorious in the country, much worse than simple human-caused bad air over Mexico City, which was "only" 156 yesterday. The worst yesterday was Izmir, Turkey, at 880.  Why?  There are studies indicating Turkey's industries are serious polluters, and Izmir is certainly one location. When I went around the world last year I never saw stars at night.  In every major city there was significant air pollution.  I was shocked at the air in Dubai, which does not have much oil.  Their solution, I guess, is that they don't report anymore.  But if you click on this map, you know it has to be terrible.  The World Bank has a Little Green Data Book, listing the United Arab Emirates as worse than China and India. The WHO said 98 percent of urban areas in “low- and middle-income countries” with populations of more than 100,000 fall shy of the group’s air quality standards. Thus, air pollution in India costs hundreds of billions--billions, mind you--every year, according to a study in Geophysical Research Letters.  Another report, from Nature, indicated that fine particulate matter is responsible for about 3 million deaths worldwide each year, so I guess other kinds of air pollution must be to blame for the 4+ million/year mentioned above. So Acid Rain in the media became simple air pollution.  Mind you, the Environmental Protection Agency indicated that we still have Acid Rain.  Acid Rain remains devastating, even in the USA.  To the left is a recent map.  But U.S. and European laws have made a difference, shifting the serious effects today mostly to Asia, the Middle East and Mexico.   Apparently President Trump wants to return those polluting industries back to the United States.  Further, his slashing of the EPA budget looms to return portions of the country back to the bad old days of Acid Rain anyway. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, again, broke its all-time record, up 34 to 21,830.  I guess Trump must be something right. - Typhoon Noru is now projected to make a sudden right turn, even further threatening Iwo Jima.  Current models now shows a possible landfall over Japan.  This is one of the screwiest storms I've seen. Typhoon Nesat will soon strike Taiwan, but much further north of Taitung, probably closer to Hualien: A long time ago the Pacific International Center for High Technology Research worked with the Taiwanese Industrial Technology Research Institute on a plan to build an experimental OTEC facility here. -

HOW TO BECOME RICH OR FAMOUS...AND MAYBE BOTH

I was recently contacted by Mensa Hawaii seeking a speaker for their October gathering.  While I have carefully avoided getting too involved in my retirement, I sort of look forward to now and then making a few presentations, especially to 5th graders and women's clubs, for they come up with the most challenging questions and innovative comments.  Plus I go to at least an annual renewable energy conference to keep in touch with this subject, where I usually talk on something like the Blue Revolution.

Mensa is different, for they represent the top 2% of intellects.  There are 134,000 members in a hundred countries.  To become a member, you need to score 132 or higher on the equivalent to the Stanford-Binet IQ test.  This intelligence scale was first developed in France by Alfred Binet in 1908 and revised by Lewis Terman at Stanford University in 1916.

My initial reaction was to focus on the Blue Revolution, but the person I talked to from MENSA suggested also adding hydrogen, so I agreed, especially since I had a whole hour to pontificate.  When I woke up in the morning, it occurred to me that this might be my final opportunity to personally inspire a group of talented people to bring some of my dreams to reality, so I sent her the following message (I later added the graphics for this posting):

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Dear XXXX:

Thanks for the call last night.  When I woke up  this morning, it occurred to me that this could well be my final grand opportunity to personally address a group of really smart and enterprising individuals.  Why limit the talk to only the Blue Revolution and the Hydrogen Economy.

I would like to inspire the audience to carry on what could be their legacy for Planet Earth and Humanity, and possibly become rich or famous and maybe both.  It seems that the timing is optimal to share my "top ten"--not sure how many there will be--ideas for anyone to embrace, taking full credit for their success with my blessing.  However, as I am probably the world authority on most of them, I would be glad to, for free, provide any advice to maximize their chances.

Thus, I will attempt to crystallize the essence of concepts I've advanced over a lifetime on topics such as:

• Peace:  10% Simple Solution for World Peace
• Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence:  Worked at the NASA Ames Research Center on this area
• Eternal Life:  how to live forever (my PhD dealt with DNA/RNA)

• 

  Global Warming
  •  Geoengineering solutions
  •  5 cents/pound carbon dioxide credit
  • Venus Syndrome
• Energy
• Fusion:  Star Power for Humanity (I spent two assignments with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on laser fusion)

• Transportation:
• Ground:  Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (a fuel cell car will take it five times further than any battery-powered vehicle, and methanol is a lot cheaper than  hydrogen)
• Air:  Hydrogen Jetliner
• OTEC and the Blue Revolution (I drafted the first OTEC and hydrogen legislation when I spent three years in the U.S. Senate, both which became laws)

• Enterprises (I formed companies on the following ventures)
  • Rainbow Pearls International (not white or black pearls, but colored ones)
  • Hawaii Geo-Spa (an eco-tourism attraction using the geothermal effluents)
  • The Ultimate Ocean Ranch

Not sure I would want to cover all of the above, but, as there is almost an hour to provide inspiration, my talk would weave my life into these topics, for all of them are directly connected to various roles I played in academia, politics and industry.  But I've reached the end of my trail, and every one of the above continues to show promise for further research, application and profit.

As such, what should be the title of my presentation?  How to Become Rich or Famous and Maybe Both?  My Life Developing Simple Solutions for Planet Earth and Humanity?  Something shorter, surely.  Perhaps you might have some thoughts.

Aloha.

Pat

Daily Blog

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Noting the theme of this conference, maybe:  How to become rich and/or famous in Paradise.

What an opportunity, for surely, there will be bright people in the audience who might want to commercialize Rainbow Pearls International or personally know a billionaire seeking a legacy.  I've long been searching for a co-author on a couple of novels that have been gestating for a quarter century.  I feel like I'm in the final stage of a lengthy marathon carrying a dozen batons to pass on before I reach my finish line of life.

Last night my MENSA link called me again, and asked if I would consider making four presentations.  I was initially puzzled, and wondered if they wanted four different talks.  No, they wanted me to repeat the same one four times.  So I thought, maybe one in the morning of Day One, which will be Sunday, October 8, and the second in the early afternoon of October 9, might actually maximize my goal of Saving Planet Earth and Humanity.  Not sure who can sneak into this regional gathering but both performances will be given at the Ala Moana Hotel:

"Prodigies in Paradise"

Mensa Hawaii Regional Gathering 2017

The Dow Jones Industrial Average again shattered its all time record, up 86 to 21,796.  Not sure why.

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The three serious ocean storms are Hilary, still a hurricane, but projected to soon weaken before impacting Hawaii:

Typhoon Noru remains headed towards Iwo Jima, but the latest info suggests that he will pass sufficiently west of that island:

Tropical Storm Nesat will become a typhoon and make landfall over Taiwan close to Taitung:

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CHAPTER 19: Pearl's Ashes--San Francisco

San Francisco was one of our favorite cities.  Certainly, too cold, but with endearing charms.  I'm trying to think, what Pearl enjoyed here, and Fisherman's Wharf comes to mind, but, she, too, was allergic to shellfish.  There was nothing special about the downtown.  I recall our final trip there.  We stayed at what was the brand new Hotel Vitale and walked to a San Francisco Giants' baseball game at AT&T Park.  But she was not much of a sports fan.  So I had difficulty selecting that special site to drop her ashes.

Thus, in May of 2012 when I spent a day just walking around the city I had no idea where I would drop her ashes.  I started my usual lunch at Tadich Grill and had a grilled salmon with camembert and blue cheeses and a salad.

I then took a walk and noticed Coit Tower.  I have seen this structure for more than half a century, but never went to the top.

Lillian Coit donated $118,000 to build the tower, and probably because she was also the matron saint of the San Francisco firefighters, the design resembled a fire hose nozzle.

The walk up was the equivalent of getting to the top of Diamond Head.  Running out of ideas and enjoying the view, I thought this yellow flower was a reasonable location for Pearl's Ashes #35.  

After 500 steps uphill and a $7 elevator ride I made it to the top.  The sights were spectacular.

This particular visit to the city by the bay had two other events worthy of mention.  First, I participated in the inaugural Seasteading Institute gathering.  Here is my 20-minute presentation on the Pacific International Ocean Station.  

This organization, well explained in a book by Joe Quirk, is an outlier, created to develop homesteading in the ocean, not particularly residences, but, more, businesses to take advantage of independence from national laws and restrictions.  They were the perfect fit for Blue Revolution Hawaii because they say profit today, and we are approaching this next frontier, the sea around us, by strengthening the research and development base.  We came to an early conclusion that governments and companies were not conformed to provide $1.5 billion, so we sought to interest a billionaire or two with vision for a different kind of legacy.  

The big difference is that the Seasteading Institute found PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel, and recently led a rather successful workshop in Tahiti to carry on their mission.  They are beginning to partner with individuals and entities. some of familiarity with me.  I can only wish them well.

My second adventure was dinner at Benu, a Michelin 2-Star restaurant.  Mind you, that was five years ago when the city of San Francisco had no 3-Stars.  Today, the Bay Area has six of them, of course including Benu, the highest in the nation with New York City.  Note that Chicago only has two and there is none for D.C. There as yet is no female chef of a 3-Star dining palace, but Dominique Crenn of Atelier Crenn on Filmore in SFO, could well become the first.  I chatted with Benu Chef Corey Lee, and he actually remembered me from my previous visit.

Next:  back to Bangkok.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average broke another all-time record, jumping 98 to 21,711.  Boeing surged 9%, just for today.  The S&P 500 also posted a record at 2,478, and so did the Nasdaq Composite, up to 6,423.  All this while the White House and Republicans are spiraling to ....you add your disrespect.

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There remain six ocean storms.  Hurricane Hilary is now at a fearsome 125 MPH, but will weaken before threatening Hawaii:

Typhoon Noru continues to meander about and is still heading for Iwo Jima:

Tropical Storm Nesat has popped up east of the Philippines, will become a typhoon, and strike Taiwan on Sunday:

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HOLOHOLO: KUALOA REGIONAL PARK AND LAIE POINT

Holoholo is a pigeon english word I've used since I was young, meaning going out for fun, many times associated with a leisurely ride.  15 Craigside has long offered a monthly van tour to various spots on Oahu.  More recently, our photography club has latched on and this past Sunday we were taken to Kualoa Regional Park and Laie Point.   At the end of this posting I also show what Molokai and Maui look like from Oahu, plus some dangerous nostalgia about Iwo Jima.

We left 15C (just above the first "l" in Honolulu in the top map) and drove to Kualoa Regional Park (lower right of bottom map).  Tony, our guide, talked about the Koolaus.  He correctly said this was not a traditional mountain range, for what you see is the inside of a very large crater, where the side we were currently driving on fell into the sea.  I covered this subject in SIMPLE SOLUTIONS for Planet Earth.  Here is a quote from this book in this blog site:

A particularly good example is the collapse on Oahu of Koolau Volcano a million years ago (give or take 500,000 years). Known as the Nuuanu Landslide or Nuuanu Debris Avalanche, where an apparent earthquake caused one third of the island to break off and fall into the sea. This might have been the largest landslide in the history of the planet, for just one chunk, known as the Tuscaloosa Seamount, is 20 miles (32 km) by 11 miles (18 km) and just more than one mile (1.8 km) high, and is located 60 miles (96 km) northeast of the Nuuanu Pali at a depth of 8800 feet (2680 m). As you drive towards Kaneohe/Kailua through the Pali or Wilson Tunnels and look back at the mountains, what you are viewing is that inside portion of the volcano that remained, although over the years, there has been considerable erosion and land build-up. 

That bathymetry shows these remnants.  Further:

Kenji Satake of the Japan National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology reconstructed the event and surmised on the resultant tsunami from computer models using digital bathymetric data obtained on cruises commissioned by the Japan Marine Science and Technology Center. Estimated were: volume of 3000 km3 and velocity range from 20 m/s to 100 m/sec. Calculated tsunami heights were 100 meters (328 feet) in north Oahu, but 30 meters (98 feet) on the opposite side of the island, Waikiki. Five hours after the slide, 10-40 meters hit the Pacific Northwest and 30-70 meters in California, and in eight hours, 5-10 meters on the Japanese coast. Satake indicated that the wave heights could well have been double those sizes in the Hawaii Islands.

At one time, Koolau Volcano was almost 10,000 feet tall, like Haleakala.  today, what you see is only 3100 feet high.  Here is the really scary part:  there are geological experts who say that this volcano can still someday again erupt!  The entire Hawaiian chain has now and then collapsed, with 16 other landslides clearly observable:

Well, that was my lesson for the day.  Most don't realize that Kualoa Regional Park is larger than Ala Moana Beach Park:  153 acres versus 100 acres.  Just one-third of a mile offshore is Mokolii Island, once called Chinaman's Hat, beginning with Lily.  I worked with her son Ed for three years in the U.S. Senate for Spark Matsunaga, where he met his wife Christine, who also was on the staff.

Laie Point Wayside Park should be a must stop for tourists.  This was the location of the cliff jump in Forgetting Sarah Marshall (which got decent reviews from Rotten Tomatoes:  85/76).  In reality, the setting is a lot more awesome and beautiful:

Not sure who that fisherman was, nor the girl taking a selfie, but that is our Wil in both shots.  Below, our guides, Tony from 15C and Laura from Arcadia:

Yesterday I took my own holoholo and noticed from the Diamond Head Lookout where cars are parked that you could see several islands on the horizon:

Former Hurricane Francesca must have cleared the air a bit on her way past Hawaii.

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There remain six ocean storm, but Gregg and Irwin are not amounting to much.  Hilary is at 105 MPH and will further strengthen, but should fizzle before getting close to Hawaii:

Typhoon Noru seems now headed for Okinawa.  That is Japan to the top left.

As currently projected, Noru will roll over Iwo Jima.  Remember Sands of Iwo Jima, with John Wayne?  Rotten Tomatoes reviewers gave this film a 100 rating, and Wayne got an Academy Award nomination.  That iconic flag photo?  Mount Suribachi is on Iwo Jima.

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