tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73596505848029744372024-11-01T00:04:24.225-10:00Conservation, science and life in Hawaii - the world is not one-dimensionalSon of Snavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04953630800345727361noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359650584802974437.post-42333342524410390652014-01-16T08:47:00.000-10:002014-01-16T08:50:47.992-10:00

Arthroplasty What a wonderful word. You can really get your tongue around it. Arthroplasty refers to an orthopedic medical procedure wherein joints are surgically disarticulated, bones are rearranged with power tools, bits of steel, titanium and plastic are inserted, reassembled with glue and heavy-duty staples, and followed by months of rehabilitation. Believe it or not, it is (usually) an

Son of Snavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04953630800345727361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359650584802974437.post-77016438919965881012013-05-11T15:43:00.000-10:002013-05-11T15:43:06.206-10:00

The Saturday May 10, 2013 Honolulu Star Advertiser (a.k.a. the Amortizer) featured the headline "WOW!" in huge bold type on the front page. Two stories were featured above the fold. The first, and to my mind the most important, story was is the much publicised increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide above 400 parts per million. The rate of increase in CO2 content continues unabated and is

Son of Snavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04953630800345727361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359650584802974437.post-83256444411004382912012-11-22T10:39:00.000-10:002012-11-22T10:39:05.814-10:00

On the Road in Northern India, October 2012 We used many modes of transportation on our OAT Heart of India tour - planes, trains (including the Delhi Metro), buses, taxis, tuk-tuks,  rickshaws, boats, camels, shanks mares, and even hot-air balloons. But the tour was essentially a road trip, and our daily life was centered on a big white tour bus. I

Son of Snavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04953630800345727361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359650584802974437.post-17636599883433119592012-11-21T08:13:00.003-10:002012-11-21T08:15:52.339-10:00

The Honolulu Bulletizer (aka Star Advertiser) features a story about competing designs for what may become the tallest buildings in the State. The controversy is about how high they are and what it will do to the Honolulu skyline (whatever that is). Why is nobody worried about what these buildings will stand on. The Kakaako area where these building may be built is a low-lying area and &nbsp

Son of Snavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04953630800345727361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359650584802974437.post-30627106332208680162012-11-20T09:54:00.001-10:002012-11-25T16:15:07.972-10:00

"Rail is on the way. We've got the money. Get out of the way." says Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle. It sure looks like rail is a fait accompli. Money is moving in congress. The first delivery of steel rails has arrived in Honolulu. Pylons to support the elevated track have been constructed. Archaeological examinations of rails sites are in underway. It looks like a done deal.

Son of Snavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04953630800345727361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359650584802974437.post-1385035466685066432012-11-17T09:20:00.002-10:002012-11-17T09:20:44.933-10:00

India, October 2012 We were getting ready to cross a busy street in Delhi, and our tour leader advised us to "walk like a cow", meaning when you see your chance, go and don't hesitate. Cows wander the streets of India with apparent nonchalance and manage not to get themselves killed or to disrupt traffic (much). We all crossed the street safely; the flow of rickshaws, tuk-tuks, taxis, buses and

Son of Snavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04953630800345727361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359650584802974437.post-30414935128242269972012-11-12T15:14:00.001-10:002012-11-12T15:21:29.596-10:00

Haven't posted anything since August 2009. Lets just say I have been doing other things. I plan to keep up writing stuff. Here is a sampling of what might appear. Karen and I visited India this year, so you might read something about that. We recently had a mayoral election in Honolulu with a clear choice between pro-rail candidate Kirk Caldwell and anti-rail candidate, former Hawaii

Son of Snavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04953630800345727361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359650584802974437.post-14787290104208096712009-08-27T03:27:00.007-10:002009-08-27T04:09:42.434-10:00

We have all heard a lot of doomsday prophecies about the death of the oceans and the immanent collapse of all fisheries in this century. The principal prophet of doom recently published an article in the 31 July 2009 issue of the popular magazine Science that acknowledges that fisheries can be managed. All you need is some credible stock assessments and some managers willing to decide in favor of

Son of Snavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04953630800345727361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359650584802974437.post-53068245277664553112009-06-09T11:07:00.001-10:002009-06-18T02:54:58.137-10:00

I started drafting this post in October 2008, before the last mayoral election, and never quite got around to finishing it because I really could not make up my mind about transit issues. Sometimes one needs to get away from home to see it clearly. I'm finishing this post from Toulouse, France. This is a city of about 1.1 million people, slightly more than Honolulu (905,000 according to the US

Son of Snavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04953630800345727361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359650584802974437.post-31192613007772323222008-09-20T10:04:00.001-10:002008-09-22T13:03:48.579-10:00

The decision whether to eat seafood known to contain low levels of mercury is one of those not-quite-so-simple decisions. It depends on the type of seafood and on the content of mercury and other elements. No one disputes that mercury in high levels is extremely toxic, but the evidence for toxicity at low levels is not so clear. On the other hand, the beneficial effects of eating fish are quite

Son of Snavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04953630800345727361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359650584802974437.post-89738049590415810052008-09-18T09:07:00.000-10:002008-09-18T09:26:59.082-10:00

A small group of people started a program to introduce critical scientific issues into the political debate. Their efforts snowballed into a broad dialogue called Science Debate 2008.They posed 14 questions to each candidate. Number 9 reads "9. Ocean Health. Scientists estimate that some 75 percent of the world’s fisheries are in serious decline and habitats around the world like coral reefs are

Son of Snavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04953630800345727361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359650584802974437.post-37815980610120141602008-09-11T10:58:00.000-10:002008-09-13T10:59:14.680-10:00

The "hockey stick" diagram representing the change in global temperature over the last millennium received its fair share of scrutiny and criticism and more than its fair share of ridicule. Taking guidance from the National Academy of Sciences, a group of scientists recently published an update of their analysis of global temperature records. Their conclusion: the world is hotter right now than

Son of Snavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04953630800345727361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359650584802974437.post-52667310349313207602008-09-06T14:40:00.000-10:002008-09-13T11:06:06.168-10:00

Living on a small island in the middle of a big ocean sensitizes you to what is happening in the ocean. Or at least it should. Rising sea level is an inevitable consequence of global warming. Simple expansion of water as it warms will contribute a few centimeters. And melting of ice caps will likely add 1 meter by the end of the century.UH Geology prof, Chip Fletcher, and his colleagues at the

Son of Snavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04953630800345727361noreply@blogger.com0