Dash of Calabash

By Dennis T. Avery

Now it’s not just the sunspots that predict a 23-year global cooling. The new Jason oceanographic satellite shows that 2007 was a “cool” La Nina year—but Jason also says something more important is at work: The much larger and more persistent Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) has turned into its cool phase, telling us to expect moderately lower global temperatures until 2030 or so.For the past century at least, global temperatures have tended to mirror the 20-to 30-year warmings and coolings of the north-central Pacific Ocean. We don’t know just why, but the pattern of the last century is clear: the earth warmed from about 1915 to1940, while the PDO was also warming (1925 to 46). The earth cooled from 1940 to 1975, while the PDO was cooling (1946 to 1977). The strong global warming from 1976 to 1998 was accompanied by a strong and almost-constant warming of the north-central Pacific. Ancient tree rings in Baja California and Mexico show there have been 11 such PDO shifts since 1650, averaging 23 years on length. (more…)

The Teutonic smoking ban is temporarily up in smoke. From The Economist:

Berlin may have introduced a smoking ban at the beginning of January, but one month on, many cafés and bars had begun handing out the ashtrays again. The ban has proved unpopular with rebellious Berliners, with one angry smoker punching a waiter who tried to usher him outside. Although anyone found lighting up indoors may be fined up to €100 ($150), police will not be enforcing the rule until July. During this six-month grace period, the authorities are letting bar- and café-owners decide for themselves whether to allow smoking. Some bars have styled themselves as “smoking clubs”, though this will have no legal power to protect anyone, come July.

Might there be a lesson here for Hawaii and other states with similar smoking policies?

The U.S. Navy has been temporarily barred by a federal court from using “mid-frequency active sonar” to detect diesel submarines in practice exercises off the California coast.The ruling came in a suit by environmentalists claiming the sonar injures vulnerable marine mammals, even though the judge found there was no evidence–or conflicting evidence she couldn’t evaluate–regarding such injuries … or even the presence of whales at all.

But the “lack of documented evidence of the disturbance, injury, or even death of marine mammals in a particular geographic area does little to prove that MFA sonar never caused such adverse effects,” the judge concluded.

The Navy plans to appeal. “Today, dozens of countries–including North Korea and Iran–have extremely quiet diesel-electric submarines, and more than 180 of them operate in the Pacific,” said Vice Adm. Samuel Locklear, commander of the U.S. 3rd Fleet. “Active sonar is the best system we have to detect and track them.” Apparently, real submarines are not as important as imaginary whales.

Sources: Kenneth R. Weiss, “Judge bans Navy from using sonar off Southern California, Federal jurist backs activists, saying use during training exercises off Southern California could harm whales,” Los Angeles Times, August 7, 2007; Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. v. Winter, 8:07-cv-00335-FMC-FMOx, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 57909 (2007)

For a Houston man, saying it with flowers will probably cost him a bundle. So he’s trying to grab a bundle from the florist.The man had the florist send his sweetie long- stemmed roses and a stuffed animal along with a mushy note. Problem was, he was still married to another woman at the time; a divorce was in the works but not final.

After receiving a thank-you note and a discount coupon in the mail, the man’s wife contacted the florist, who faxed her a copy of the receipt and the love note. The man claims in his suit what had been an amicable divorce proceeding may cost him more money because his wife can use this evidence of his alleged infidelity against him. He’s seeking $1 million in damages from the florist for these costs and mental anguish.

University of Houston law professor Richard Alderman said, “I’m a big consumer advocate, but in this case I’d have to go with caveat emptor”–let the buyer beware. The man’s lawyer disagrees. “We didn’t file this frivolously,” she said. Of course not.

Source: Mary Flood, “Lawsuit: Floral flub made life thornier for man in love triangle, Man seeking divorce says he’ll pay dearly for love note mix-up,” Houston Chronicle, August 13, 2007

The Economist reports that Berlin is having a hard time enforcing its smoking ban, as many people are rebelling against the law.

Berlin may have introduced a smoking ban at the beginning of January, but one month on, many cafés and bars had begun handing out the ashtrays again. The ban has proved unpopular with rebellious Berliners, with one angry smoker punching a waiter who tried to usher him outside. Although anyone found lighting up indoors may be fined up to €100 ($150), police will not be enforcing the rule until July. During this six-month grace period, the authorities are letting bar- and café-owners decide for themselves whether to allow smoking. Some bars have styled themselves as “smoking clubs”, though this will have no legal power to protect anyone, come July.

Seems Germans can disobey orders after all!

Lingle-Aiona Initiatives 2008, recently published in the Honolulu Advertiser are available on-line using this link. This post relates to increasing affordable housing opportunities, one of 14 initiative areas contained in the document. Some initiatives are recycled or continued from prior years. Stay tuned to see how the bills/initiatives progress.

Increasing affordable housing opportunities - AGS-01(08)/HB3035/SB2957 allowing for state projects to begin with having the full amount of capital cost funding on hand at the beginning of the project; BED-08(08)/HB3060/SB2982 allowing the Hawaii Community Development Authority to resell fee simple interest in reserved housing units; BED-01(08)/HB3057/SB2979 permanently requiring 50

5 of the conveyance tax go to Rental Housing Trust Fund to build more affordable rental units; Extend $7.5 million annual tax credit expiring 5/31/09 to 5/31/10. Still pending - bill to authorize $100 million in additional revenue bonds for Hula Mae Multi-Family program (new and rehab affordable rentals)

Lingle-Aiona Initiatives 2008, recently published in the Honolulu Advertiser are available on-line using this link. This post relates to protecting our keiki and kapuna, one of 14 initiative areas contained in the document. Some initiatives are recycled or continued from prior years. Stay tuned to see how the bills/initiatives progress.

Protecting our keiki and kapuna - covers adoption (HMS-15(08)/HB3131/SB3053 allowing foster children reasonable visitation with siblings before and after adoption/legal guardianship; HMS-19(08)/HB3134/SB3056 requiring follow-up visit by professional child care welfare staff for children reported abused or neglected, adding 2,500 visits annually; HMS-22(08)/HB3126/SB3058 allowing for “hanai” custody of children; and HMS-24(08)/HB3137/SB3059 allowing Office of Youth Service investigative authority to comply with DOJ memorandum of agreement concerning conditions at Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility.

The Honolulu Advertiser, 1/19/08 p C3, reported that the Kaheawa wind farm exceeded its output target last year, generating more than 125,000 megawatt-hours of electricity. It further reported that the company supplied electricity to more than 11,000 Maui homes, reducing the island’s oil dependence by 236,000 barrels a year.

While this sounds almost too good (one comment to the press release noted that this would mean 48% capacity, which is unheard of) and means that the project would be generating 11 MW for each of its 11,000 customers (Sierra Club of Hawaii reports an average household uses 7,800 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually), this is indeed a step in the right direction.

Look to see alternate energy production increase from 6% in 2006 when the report for 2007 is released by DBEDT this year. Read the 2006 report using this link. See page 11. (As a point of comparison, note that in 2006 geothermal power represented 20% of energy production for the Big Island.) The goal for the state is 20% overall. Note that the HECO Kahe Wind Farm project was refused permits by the City and County of Honolulu.

Lingle-Aiona Initiatives 2008, recently published in the Honolulu Advertiser are available on-line using this link. This post relates to protecting our food suply, one of 14 initiative areas contained in the document. Some initiatives new, some are recycled or continued from prior years.

Protecting our food supply - covers land, water, food safety and invasive species (Description of initiative included in first link above, but only the only bill listed is HHL-01(08)/HB3126/SB3048 which seeks to increase the loan ceiling from $50K to $200K for farm and ranch operations on Hawaiian Home Lands)

Read about winners Al Gore, Sam Zell, Jamie Diamond and Steve Jobs; and losers John Borwne, John Mackey, Charles Prince, James Cayne and Conrad Black.

Click here for the Honolulu Advertiser article