Santa Cruz issued a new tool in establishing a police state by outlawing the use of tobacco in parks. We’re now well over the line into silly legislation that will only be used to hassle people when the police need a reason to do so.

I don’t smoke, I don’t like being around smoke, and I’m grateful enclosed areas are generally smoke free in California. That takes care of the health concerns of the non-smokers reasonably I believe as non-smokers don’t have a choice about breathing the waste air from smokers in enclosed environments. But smoking outside is the smoker’s business and shouldn’t be legislated as the waste air dissipates nearly the moment it is exhaled into the atmosphere.

Let’s not take this smoke-free stuff too far people…


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Technorati Tags: Parks Smoking Ban | Santa Cruz | Police State | Mike Harding Blog

Al Gore can’t win – even when he does win as evidenced by the 2000 US Presidential Election and now the Oscars, he seems to somehow lose in the court of public opinion.

I’m no Al Gore lover, I thought he was the lesser of two evils in the 2000 election (I’m still steamed about Gore “inventing the Internet” and the music ratings advanced by his spousal unit in the 1980s.) The attention given to “An Inconvenient Truth” is annoying, but helpful in raising awareness about climate change.

Now Tennessee Center for Policy Research alleges Gore is an energy pig, reporting the consumption of 221,000 kilowatt hours in the past year. OK, it turns out that it was really 191,000 kilowatt hours (there’s that new math instruction hitting home again,) that the Center didn’t ever contact the utility for the information, and that the Center declines to state their electric power consumption for their executive leadership. Let’s just stipulate that Gore is a rich guy with a big house, 10,000 square feet. He’s got a heated pool, an electric gate, and gas lamps lining his driveway (though I fail to see the electric connection on the latter issue.)

Could he conserve more? Undoubtably. We all could – I suspect the Tennessee Center for Policy Research could as well. What is he doing? He’s paying a premium for “green energy” adding $432/month to his power bill. The house is in the process of solar panel installation. Because Gore is a rich guy with a big house that consumes lots of energy, does that mean climate change is a myth? Does that mean he’s a hypocrite given that he’s offsetting his consumption with available green options?

Rather than spending time and resource attacking an admittedly easy target in Gore, why not actually advance a policy that advocates the replacement of coal powered electric generation with renewables. Nah. That’s boring, no one would blog about it, there wouldn’t be any press releases. That sounds like work…..and there we have it. Work. We’ve all got to conserve as we can (I’d like to see Gore make a little progress on that but people in glass houses….) and work to use the renewable technologies available to start closing the gap now as well as work to improve and invent new technologies to make it happen.

Here’s your challenge Tennessee Center for Policy Research: Advance a policy that solves the problem. When you can do that, even if it’s a stupid policy, you’ll earn some airtime. Until and unless you do that, you’re part of the problem.


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Technorati Tags: Al Gore | Electricity Consumption | Mike Harding Blog

The island volcano Stromboli erupted sending lava down it’s flank and into the ocean. Stromboli is a very active volcano and frequently displays signs of volcanism. Located in the Tyrrhenian Sea between the “foot” of Italy and the “ball” of Sicily, the volcano protrudes about 3000 meters (10,000 feet) from the sea floor to it’s peak. There’s a map below that shows the location.




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Technorati Tags: Stromboli | Eruption | Mike Harding Blog

NASA has great information about the coming lunar eclipse that should be visible, at least in part, on all continents. If you’re in central Africa, Europe, or west Asia, you’ll get the full impact. If your on the US West Coast, you’ll get a little view of the final penumbral phases.

Here’s a handy chart prepared by NASA to show the coverage of this eclipse, click the image if you wish to enlarge it.




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Otherwise known in these parts as “100 foot Wednesday,” the legendary Mavericks surf break is located about 3 miles south of our present location and we’re now in the “watch period” for the 2007 event.

But turning the memory machine back to 2001, there were some powerful storms that came through and it just so happened that people were in the water for a set of rogue waves that were huge. Some say 100 feet (30+ meters) some say smaller, some say bigger. Suffice to say, these waves were huge and abnormal for this part of the world.

A great account of the day was written by the San Francisco Chronicle and will serve to conjure the event should you choose to read it. What I remember about it not being at Mavericks, but on Highway 1 by surfer’s beach is waves breaking over Princeton Harbor’s breakwater and actually reaching the road surface on Highway 1.


Photo taken by Frank Quirarte

Question: How big is this Mavericks wave? Answer: The helicopter is 11 feet from rotor top to skid, the wave looks to be about 3 times the size of the helicopter. Thus I would say the wave is about 30 feet (9 meters) tall.


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Technorati Tags: Surfing | Mavericks | Big Waves | Mike Harding Blog