Hues

Two nights ago a spectacular sunset came to my gate and awed me with its hues.  It was like being serenaded visually.

 

That Fly on Pence's Head

 Wednesday morning's San Francisco Chronicle (borrowing from an Associated Press article)  pointed out that the fly allighting in Pence's hair created more buzz than nearly anything else!  Stephen King tweeted "The fly knows," and it may now have to be tested for Covid-19.  

Biden tweeted a photo of himself clutching an orange flyswatter under the heading "Pitch in $5 to help this campaign fly."  

I listened to a podcast on Tuesday night's debate and was surprised that according to some kind of gauge, Kamala Harris spoke about 3 minutes longer than Mike Pence.  She interrupted him at times too, but I thought he interrupted her a lot more.  How do they gauge the time when they're talking over each other?  Does that count as the total time for each?  

For your amusement, here's a message from Siri even though I didn't ask!  I guess she picked up on what was coming from the TV--largely from Susan Page, the moderator, who kept saying, "You  have two minutes, uninterrupted" but rarely got the uninterrupted.

For some reason, this won't enlarge.  What Siri is saying is "Start a timer for two minutes." 

 

 

Is Reading the San Francisco Chronicle Like Walking through Samuel Johnson's London?

 Here's what I was telling a friend in a letter today:

I usually go to NYC in September, so since I couldn't do that this year, my son and I read and discussed Vivian Gornick's Odd Woman and the City, and I almost felt that I was there.  I liked one passage about Samuel Johnson, which I relate to our times.  

"In the 1740's, Samuel Johnson walked the streets of London to cure himself of chronic depression...open sewers, disease, poverty; destitution; lit by smoking torches; men cutting each other's throats in deserted alleys at midnight.  It was of this city that Johnson said, "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life."

Specifically, I relate this to reading the SF Chronicle.

SURREAL SKIES, SURREAL YEAR...Explosive Butte County fire kills 3...Revelation Trump downplayed virus nothing new to most voters...Virus toll passes grim mark...UC Berkeley admissions under fire/Connections, wealth aided underqualified, audit finds...Smoke-taint quandary has wineries in chaos...Flip-flop on Supreme Court...Burglars switch to homes in lieu of tourists' cars...It feels like the end of the world...Evacuatlion scofflaws endanger emergency worker...Census workers in S.F. report delays, chaos...No charges in killing; 2 cops shot in protests...Trump won't commit to peaceful transfer of power...

When a woman is tired of the SF Chronicle, she is tired of life.

San Francisco at Noon on a Smoke-Choked Day

 

View from my front window at noon on a smoke-choked day.

Contacted Governor Newsom for a Response to Wildfires as Described on The San Francisco Experience

Episode Description

11,000 dry lightning strikes hit the Golden State overnight August 16 and 17, igniting 347 wildfires. Here in Wine Country, 50 miles North of San Francisco, the fires continue to burn two weeks later, sending massive columns of smoke and ash South to San Francisco and the Bay Area. 2020 marks the fourth straight year the Wine Country has suffered the consequences of massive wildfires. Governor Gavin Newsom says this is what climate change looks like. But is that a cop out ? Mismanagement of California's 33 million acres of forestland has been going on for years. At the same time, our population has mushroomed to 40 million but infrastructure has not kept pace and wildfire management is but one more example.

 California does not even have a Strategic Plan to deal with the wildfire threat, according to the non-partisan Legislative Analyst Office (LAO). So what does the future hold for mitigating the threat of wildfires in the Golden State ? 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4IYiJ5anyJjrvFByouEdg0

Open Letter about Forest Fires and a Podcast to the Governor about

 Contact the Governor

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Sooty Air According to the San Francisco Chronicle

 When wildfires are pumping out smoke, the slightest shift in the wind can push sooty air from one place to another.

What happened in San Francisco and along the Peninsula Tuesday morning is a perfect example of this.

The prevailing winds shifted from a northwesterly direction to more southerly around 5 a.m., carrying smoke from the CZU August Lightning Complex in the Santa Cruz Mountain toward the city, according to the National Weather Service. In prior days, the CZU Complex smoke moved toward Monterey County.

The smell of smoke was strong along the Peninsula and the city this morning and air quality quickly reached "unhealthy" levels.

When air quality reaches "unhealthy," the air districts advises against exercising outside and says you should remain indoors entirely if you have respiratory disease such as asthma.

San Francisco recorded an AQI of 159 at 11 a.m. and Redwood City 156, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

The Air Quality Index operates on a scale from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern. An AQI value of 50 or below represents good air quality, while an AQI value over 300 signals hazardous conditions.

The Air District pulls its AQI data from sensors approved by the state, while the increasingly popular Purple Air app uses data from sensors people install outside their homes.

The smoke along the coast and bay front and in San Francisco tends to be heaviest in the morning, with conditions improving in the late morning to afternoon when the ocean breeze picks up. The winds push the smoke east, and this is when the East Bay becomes socked in with sooty, choking air. This scenario is expected to occur again today, with the coast likely getting some relief this afternoon. BAAQMD meteorologist Duc Nguyen said the ocean breeze often kicks up around 2 p.m.

The prevailing winds are expected to switch back to a more northwesterly direction on Thursday and this could help San Francisco see better overall air-quality throughout the entire day.

But there's one caveat, said Nguyen. "The Woodward Fire in Point Reyes National Seashore has been intermittently emitting smoke, especially in the afternoon, when it’s hotter. With a northwesterly regime, you may get some impact in the later afternoon. If the smoke from that fire continues to be more active, you get the plume coming down."

Will conditions improve any time soon?

Widespread smoke is expected through the week as three major groups of fires  —CZU Complex in Santa Cruz Mountains, LNU Lightning Complex in North Bay and SCU Complex in East Bay and Central Valley — continue to burn. Containment is increasing, but Nguyen said overall containment stands at about 30% and air quality won't improve until fires are more than 60% contained.

The Air Quality District has a Spare the Air alert in effect through at least Friday, warning of the high amount of particulate matter pollution in the air.

"It is illegal for Bay Area residents and businesses to burn wood or manufactured fire logs in fireplaces, wood stoves and inserts, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits, or any other wood burning devices," the district said. "In addition to not burning wood, you can help improve air quality by working remotely and driving less every day."

The district advises residents to go inside if they smell smoke outdoors. And keep windows and doors closed.