Author: Paul Handover

The International Space Station

Almost taken for granted by so many of us.

Thanks to Dan for passing me the link to a fascinating graphic that was recently published in USA Today showing the

As seen by STS 128
As seen by STS 128

time-line of the International Space Station.  It has been orbiting above our heads for over a decade!  Do click on the link because you will be surprised, unless you work for NASA, how large and complex the ISS now is.

It’s an interesting to consider what has happened since the launch of the first module, Zanya, on the 20th November, 1998.  Bill Clinton was then President of the USA; Tony Blair had been British Prime Minister since May, 1997.  How times change!

But steadily a group of Nations has worked together to keep this project going and now the end of this magnificent enterprise is within sight.  As the NASA web site summarises:

The International Space Station is a partnership of the US, Russian, European, Japanese, and Canadian Space Agencies. The station has been continuously human occupied since Nov 2, 2000. Orbiting 16 times per day at 17,500 miles per hour 250 miles above the ground, it passes over 90% of the world’s surface. When complete in 2010, it will weigh over 800,000 pounds and have a crew of 6 conducting research and preparing the way for future exploration to the moon and beyond.

By Paul Handover

The Saola, what future?

The Saola is one of the world’s rarest mammals, on the brink of extinction.

(Please share this Post as far and wide as you can – thank you.)

NOTE: Thanks to Yves Smith of Naked Capitalism for this amazing picture that came from the BBC. (By the way Yves’ Blog is an excellent subscription if only for the wonderful daily animal pictures.)

If you, like me, had never heard of this creature then be prepared to weep a few tears; this beautiful animal is very unlikely to survive as a species for much longer.

Saola

Read more about the Saola

Planet Earth, just a reminder.

This is a beautiful planet and it’s the only one we have.

Yes, I know it’s not original but these pictures still have a haunting beauty about them.

Just look at our world

Hurricane Jimena from space

The International Space Station passed directly overhead the storm.

Here’s what a hurricane looks like from 300 miles above. It has to be described as beautiful.

Here’s what a hurricane looks like from 30 feet away.  It has to be described as ugly.

Main street, San Carlos, Mexico
Main street, San Carlos, Mexico

Wednesday, 9th – still no mains water or public sewerage services.

By Paul Handover

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Now you see it, now you don’t!

Bermeja (Mexican Gulf) – anyone seen my island?

There’s a wonderful story in last week-end’s The Sunday Times, a British newspaper, written by Matthew Campbell concerning the loss of an important island that has been used previously to define the limits of Mexico’s maritime

Old map with Bermeja
Old map with Bermeja

border (read oil!).  Here’s an extract:

The mystery has come to haunt Mexico as unrelentingly as one of its beloved soap operas: where is Bermeja, an island off the Yucatan coast that appears to have vanished without trace?

The disappearance of Bermeja is no laughing matter – it would allow Mexico to extend its maritime border some 55 miles further north, helping it to fight off what it sees as American encroachment on its claims to potentially vast oil reserves in the Mexican Gulf.

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Jimena – reflections

It’s the little things that seem to stick

This is the first time in my life where a major natural disaster has happened around me, so to speak.  Now some 2 days later, here are some reflections.  The small stories have so much more power to affect one.

Jimena 1That knowing that hundreds of homes here in San Carlos and in nearby Guaymas have been flooded out doesn’t have such a powerful affect as seeing an individual’s possessions spread out in the sun.

People of all sorts and backgrounds love to spread rumours. There seems to be a human need to be the spreader of new information, even if it is far from correct.  Just about anything that one wanted to know, or even more importantly needed to know, had to be very carefully sieved. Better to find out yourself because the chances are that whomsoever is saying this or that has got their facts wrong.  Amazingly, some of the worst gossip was coming from people who weren’t even in the area!

That knowing that we had 28 inches of rain fall wasn’t as powerful as seeing our neighbour’s swimming pool fill up from

Empty - Full in 30 hours
Empty - Full in 30 hours

empty!

The electricity workers were marvellous.  They came in from far and wide and worked all Jimena 3the daylight hours available.  It made me realise that, ultimately, we don’t accord sufficient money and status to the guys who keep the electricity flowing and too much status and money to those that have jobs that would cease instantly in a world without electricity, clean water and public sewerage systems.

The small acts of generosity were powerfully touching!  Charlie and Tracy had a large leg of lamb that wasn’t going to keep without a functioning freezer.  So they cooked it up and invited three other couples to share it.  Thanks guys!

Jimena 5Within hours of the rain ceasing on the 3rd (Thursday) and people started venturing out and about, either to find provisions or just to stare open-mouthed at the effect of Nature, some poor sod had his car catch fire.  You really had to feel sorry for him – this was not a great time!

And on a very personal note, Jean worked with me in mopping up rain water from 2am on Wednesday 2nd (the height of the storm) and still managed to serve a beautiful hot meal of tasty baked chicken legs in the evening.  She is a special lady.

Jean hair-washing
Jean hair-washing

By Paul Handover

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Jimena – Update

The end of a tough and arduous few days.

Just a quick note to say that ‘normal’ service will be resumed in the morning, local time here in Mexico.

Day 1 of Jimena
Day 1 of Jimena

Jimena struck San Carlos, where we are presently living, late afternoon on the 1st September.  Electricity was restored a couple of hours ago.  (I write these few words at 6.30 pm on Sunday, 6th.)

Jean and I are very tired!

Lots to report….

Read more about the storm

M’mmmm – Let me think about this!

The pluses and minuses of skydiving.

This looks great. Cameraman is Paul Lewis.

And here’s that Paul Lewis again.  Having a really, really lucky day!

Funny, there is a saying amongst us (amateur) pilots.  Why would anyone want to throw themselves out of a perfectly serviceable aeroplane!

Exactly!

By Paul Handover

UK Postcode TDCU 1ZZ

Where the capital city is called Edinburgh of the Seven Seas

My great buddy of 30 years, Dan, Californian born and bred, recently emailed me saying that he had spent a fascinating hour reading the website of Tristan da Cunha.  Most British people will have some odd recollection about this very remote community living in the South Atlantic because the islands are part of the United Kingdom. TDCU 1ZZ is, in fact, the UK postcode for Tristan da Cunha.

The settlement on Tristan
The settlement on Tristan

This is not a place which has a habit of making main-stream news! Indeed, one could not imagine a more distant part of the planet. Well you won’t imagine a more distant place. Tristan da Cunha is the most remotely inhabited archipelago on Planet Earth. Indeed, only one island, Tristan, is inhabited and, according to the website there are just 264 British citizens there today.

Earlier it was mentioned that most British will have some vague recollection of Tristan.  More likely, that will be those British who were born before, say, 1950.

Why?

Continue reading “UK Postcode TDCU 1ZZ” →

Johnathan Wilson Lewis – another thinker.

Fourier approaches to the theory of volume holography.

Anyone who takes a doctorate with the above subject title has to have a well-functioning brain.  I know John.  He does.

John Lewis, as I have always known him until reading his Blog, and I met a good many years ago when we both were members of a private flying group that operated a Socata (French) TB20, G BPAS.

TB20 G-BPAS
TB20 G-BPAS

It was based at Exeter in Devon, SW England.  Both of us were/are private pilots.

We flew together on many an occasion and it was clear from the start that John approached everything in life from, well in his own words, “…. motivated by an interest in what things are, how they work and how they are used.”  Say no more!

Well, as luck would have it, the joys of social networking brought us back in touch recently and we had a jolly good chin-wag.  With a bonus.

Read more about John Lewis