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Hurricane categories

agiyiga — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 07:13:00 +0000

It is hurricane season! The Atlantic is so busy with storms right now on qeue to destruct and slap anyone on their way. We have just passed hurrucane Gustav and I hope the so presently category 3 hurricane Ike will not follow Gustav.

For the purpose of information, here is the table for HURRICANE CATEGORIES
FIVE: Winds over 155mph (249km/h). Storm surge more than 18ft (5.4m) above normal. Only three such US landfall hurricanes – Labour Day 1935, Camille 1969 and Andrew 1992
FOUR: Winds 131-155mph. Storm surge 13-18ft
THREE: Winds 111-130mph. Storm surge 9-12ft. Katrina hit New Orleans as a three.
TWO: Winds 96-110mph. Storm surge 6-8ft
ONE: Winds 74-95mph. Storm surge 4-5ft
Source: Saffir-Simpson Scale/US National Hurricane Centre

The unpredictable nature

agiyiga — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:32:04 +0000

Isn’t this scary? The picture looks so serene in complete contrast of the tornado twisting around. This is an actual photo of a tornado taken from outside the front door of an Orchard, Iowa resident Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 9:04 p.m. It is amazing that this gigantic and devastating funnel is as unpredictable as nature itself. At least in this photo it just touched ground and went back up the dark clouds without much damage except the trees and crops.

Mitigating the effects of global warming

agiyiga — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:53:30 +0000

Whether you believe in global warming or not, since I knew some who don’t, it is a fact that the world condition is changing gradually all these years that we can not fully see it’s full impact yet on us on a large scale. See it in perspective and we may can do small things that count. In order to mitigate the effects of global warming for companies, factories and even our small establishments, we can make some strategies:

1. We can reduce the specific energy consumption in its operation through improved technology and processes. New and much better equipments and processes are being developed and constantly improving and are earth or “environment” friendly, and even cost us less energy and less heat or smoke emission.

2. Sequester greenhouse gases especially carbon dioxide, through a large-scale forestry programme. We know it really helps. It cools our place down and even gives us fresh air. It does not only mitigate the effects of global warming, derive joy also in planting trees and watching them grow.

Karma from nature

agiyiga — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 02:51:10 +0000

When nature strikes there is no escape, especially with earthquakes. This is so frightening and disastrously devastating. Imagine 68,858, dead with another 18,618 missing (as of Friday, according to CNN), how catastrophic that was, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake. This is so sad and painful for Chinese victims and their families. Is it rightful to say that it is “karma”? It is so more frightening to say that, and unjust. Frightening in a sense that by saying that maybe karma comes back to us with a force greater than that. It wasn’t their choice. They just happen to be living in a place where nature chose to demonstrate its power, and it can happen anywhere. It could happen in whatever form in our place. We should be thankful that we were safe from it and support the victims instead. It was not a joke. We should never be despising or make comments like that over other peoples’ misery. We are all under the heavens, we can never tell what will come or fall our way. Is anyone really safe when nature unpredictably strikes its anger?

Footnote: Sharon Stone was regretful for the May 22 remarks about the disaster in China.

Alligator Garfish

agiyiga — Sat, 10 May 2008 10:21:01 +0000

PhotoHunt 102 (1): armored fish

Can you imagine a fish 10 feet long and weighing 300 pounds? That would be a record length alligator gar you would have. This was one of the unique things we saw in New Orleans. Alligator gar fish. The Cajun’s call the alligator gar “Poisson arme” which means “Armored fish”. And it is. The scales of the alligator gar are made of bone and they overlap each other and are really tough. So tough that the native American tribes down in the South actually made their own bodies armors out of them, they would wear them on their chest to help stop knives and arrows.

Now you can also eat garfish, they are good to eat. But the problem is trying to cut through these scales. If you catch a large one and use a fillet knife, you would starve to death. They are really tough it literally takes a small axe or hatchet to chop your way through them.