I took the 50D out for a little photography at lunch today. Geared up with my 70-200 f/2.8L glass (arguably one of the best Canon ever made), and a Hoya 77mm polarizer, I took a drive across the two bridges, picking up a sandwich along the way.
Olympic mountains can be seen all around town. Olympic Mountains, seen from the Manette neighborhood of Bremerton, WA
The ‘iconic’ Manette Bridge. Soon to be replaced with a rather boring cement version, has served the community of Bremerton, connecting East (Manette) and West (downtown) for over 80 years. The Manette Bridge, built in 1930, connects East and West Bremerton.
The Boat Shed – one my favorite lunch spots on a sunny day. During the warm moths, the deck is packed, and getting a spot on the dock has more to do with luck than anything else. Sometimes during the spring grey whales can be seen in passage. The Boat Shed - one my favorite lunch spots on a sunny day.
Olympic Mountains from the Warren Ave. / Hwy 303 Bridge. Looking West over Port Washington Narrows and the Bremerton Yacht Club (left). Silverdale is far right and the Hood Canal just over the first set of green hills. Olympic Mountains from the Warren Ave. Bridge
One of the massive rain forest valleys that head into the Olympic National Park. Olympic National Park
While here at home, watching it rain today, I began to wonder what the rainfall trends have been over the last 100 years, and if there is any obvious correlation to the increase or decrease, when compared with the so-called ‘Climate Change’ that is so much in the news.
While poking around the net I came across we chart produced by The Aquinas Project (some sort of research group), but I found it interesting, so I’m posting it here.
What the chart shows, with annual and decade long rainfall trends overlaid is that.. compared to 120 years ago, average rainfall (at least in the search city they chose) is nearly identical.
So, this raised the question for me. Now, I’m not saying I believe that ‘Global Warming’ is happening at all. Frankly, it’s not, and honest good science proves that. BUT, what this chart shows, based on NOAA data (or so they say) that there is NO long-term effect on average rainfall.
So this makes me ask the question:
Assuming Global Warming (or Climate Change.. pick your BS lable) is real, WHO CARES!??! If it’s not affecting the most easily measured weather ‘symptom’, does it really affect humans at all? And let’s be frank here.. we like to say we’re all about nature, but in the end, it’s survival of the human race we are REALLY worried about. Sure, there are some pathological types that aren’t but, who cares about them? I don’t.
So I ask again… if we’re not even seeing more rain.. does it even matter?
I also wonder what the annual U.S. losses dues to weather related natural disasters plot would look like over a similar period (inflation adjusted of course).
Why do I ask that question? Well, because our ‘Great Savior President Obama is promising $100 BILLION dollars of our money to combat this ‘SO CALLED’ problem.
Well, if we’re loosing less than $100 BILLION a decade to natural disasters then I say STOP wasting money trying to prevent them and put that money into damage mitigation!
Not to scale, clearly.All the years I have lived up here, and traveled down I-5 to California, I wondered if this sign, just south of Portland was misleading. It always seemed to take far longer and be far more easterly to take the I-205 bypass around Portland, than the I-5 central route through the city. The sign implies a little extra distance. Reality? Read on.
Here is what the area looks like. Now that you have seen the sign, here are the mapped routes, with mileage. Should the OR DOT be smacked for putting up such a misleading sign? You be the judge.
I-5 Route through PortlandThis time, I decided I had to find out for certain. On the way down I took the I-5 central route through Portland and measured the mileage. As you can see here, the route looks pretty straight, with a little bend just south of the city.
Measuring the distance along I-5 came to 27 miles. Longer than I thought! No wonder why it seems to take forever to get through there, it’s about a 30 minute drive without traffic!
The I-205 Sucker Bet On my return, I took the I-205 bypass, touted as a faster way around the city, and of relatively equal distance. I present this image for you, and the following data.
Clearly, you can see that it’s a MUCH longer route. And the actual path looks, quite different, than the sign suggests.
So, how much of a sucker bet is it? How about 67% longer than the I-5 route?! It’s just a hair over 40 miles!
Traffic would have to be a crawling 30 MPH all the way through and past the city to break even! Now, here is the kicker. When traffic is bad in Portland, it’s just as bad, if not worse on I-205 (been there, parked in that).
So, no matter how you cut it. Unless you are going to the airport, East on OR-84 or WA-4 it’s a sucker’s bet and one you should NOT TAKE!
Traveler beware. The Oregon DOT and that sign LIE!!
Somehow the conversation at work devolved into us finding this little gem:
Hemp for Victory. 1943 Film by the US Government. It’s 10 min. long, and seems to have been sped up a bit during digitizing. According to the websie where I found this, the film was VERY difficult to locate, and a usable copy was not located until 1976!.
Here it is, hosted on YouTube… at least until someone in the US Government puts a stop to it:
The company I work for, traditionally enjoys an all-hands lunch every Friday. During the nice weather month in the Puget Sound, we’ll often be found along the Tacoma waterfront, dining on the deck of a few local establishments.
M.V. North Star
Not long after joining the company, I noticed a ship that would arrive, during lunch, on any day we were able to take in the good weather. What is striking about the ship, was the consistency of it’s arrival within an hour or so, as well as the polished look of the bow, while the rest of the ship seems rather, worn.
Last Friday I took a photo of the ship, so that I could zoom in on the ship’s name and learn more about her. Here is what I found:
M.V. North Star – Totem Ocean Container Express, Inc.
The ship is an Orca class Ro-Ro named the ‘M.V. North Star’
Totem Ocean Trailer Express’ $155 million North Star is one of two new TOTE ships. Each can carry 600 40-foot trailers and 220 automobiles, almost double the capacity of TOTE’s older vessels.
http://www.nassco.com/cdc/tote_galleryNS.html
‘Ro-Ro’, meaning Roll-On, Roll-Off ship:
M.V. North Star
The ship is not a car carrier, but a trailer carrier. Container Trailers are rolled onto and off the ship, so loading does not require cranes, instead using multiple ramps to extract trailer cargo.
Here is a photo of the M.V. North Star’s sister ship ‘Midnight Sun’
TACOMA, WASHINGTON — Totem Ocean Trailer Express greeted the newest vessel to enter the Alaska trade, the M. V. North Star, the morning of August 28, 2003. Her arrival in the Port of Tacoma marks the conclusion of a many-year new ship building and reinvestment program that will benefit the Puget Sound and Alaska for decades to come.
Her sister ship, the M. V. Midnight Sun, entered Alaska service in April this year. Both ships are the first two members of the Orca Class, specifically designed for the rigors of the Alaska trade and built to protect the pristine environments of Washington and Alaska waters.
Studying the shipping schedule, the North Star arrives in Tacoma every Friday afternoon, unloads, realoads then heads back to Anchorage early the following morning. Here is the July 2009 schedule:
Voyage No
*Ship
**Tacoma
Cutoff
ETD
Tacoma
Unload
Anchorage
Voyage No 2
***ETD
Anchorage
Unload
Tacoma
9099
MS
6/24 11:00PM WEDNESDAY
6/25 3:00AM THURSDAY
6/28 7:00AM SUNDAY
9100
6/28 5:00PM SUNDAY
7/1 6:00PM WEDNESDAY
9101
NS
6/26 11:00PM FRIDAY
6/27 3:00AM SATURDAY
6/30 7:00AM TUESDAY
9102
6/30 5:00PM TUESDAY
7/3 6:00PM FRIDAY
9103
MS
7/1 11:00PM WEDNESDAY
7/2 3:00AM THURSDAY
7/5 7:00AM SUNDAY
9104
7/5 5:00PM SUNDAY
7/8 6:00PM SUNDAY
9105
NS
7/3 11:00PM FRIDAY
7/4 3:00AM SATURDAY
7/7 7:00AM TUESDAY
9106
7/7 5:00PM TUESDAY
7/10 6:00PM FRIDAY
9107
MS
7/8 11:00PM WEDNESDAY
7/9 3:00AM THURSDAY
7/12 7:00AM SUNDAY
9108
7/12 5:00PM SUNDAY
7/15 6:00PM WEDNESDAY
9109
NS
7/10 11:00PM FRIDAY
7/11 3:00AM SATURDAY
7/14 7:00AM TUESDAY
9110
7/14 5:00PM TUESDAY
7/17 6:00PM FRIDAY
9111
MS
7/15 11:00PM WEDESDAY
7/16 3:00AM THURSDAY
7/19 7:00AM SUNDAY
9112
7/19 5:00PM SUNDAY
7/22 6:00PM WEDNESDAY
9113
NS
7/17 11:00PM FRIDAY
7/18 3:00AM SATURDAY
7/21 7:00 AM TUESDAY
9114
7/21 5:00PM TUESDAY
7/24 6:00PM FRIDAY
9115
MS
7/22 11:00PM WEDNESDAY
7/23 3:00AM THURSDAY
7/26 8:30AM SUNDAY
9116
7/26 5:00PM SUNDAY
7/29 6:00PM WEDNESDAY
9117
NS
7/24 11:00PM FRIDAY
7/25 3:00AM SATURDAY
7/28 7:00AM TUESDAY
9118
7/28 5:00PM TUESDAY
7/31 6:00PM FRIDAY
*NS — North Star
*MS — Midnight Sun
**Vehicle hours: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. M-F
***To be determined by Anchorage Operations
Despite forecasts to the contrary, it just started to snow. This must be the fault of Al Gore for not turning off his lights for Earth Hour this past weekend. Remember, rules apply to everyone, except the Liberal Elite.
