Interesting Findings on Mass Shootings

And now for something special: a study on mass shootings that produced interesting findings and did not have an obvious agenda:

Barriers and locks meant to block outsiders and active-shooter drills do little because most attackers already have access and are aware of the procedures, said the authors of the study, Jillian Peterson and James Densley. The university professors have created a mass-shooter database that goes back more than 50 years. [snip]

The most common site for a mass shooting since 1966 is the workplace, Mr. Densley and Ms. Peterson found. In May, a disgruntled Virginia Beach, Va., city employee killed 12 people at a municipal building. Next was a category that includes restaurants, bars and nightclubs, followed by retail establishments, schools, houses of worship and colleges.

There is no single profile of a mass shooter, but the study’s authors found common factors based on the target. School shooters, like the 19-year-old who killed 17 people at a Parkland, Fla., high school in 2018, tend to be suicidal white-male students with an interest in guns. College shooters tend to be suicidal nonwhite men with a history of violence and childhood trauma. Workplace shooters tend to be men in their 40s of any race who are having trouble on the job. [snip]

In schools, the cost of active-shooter drills for kids outweigh the benefits. Would-be attackers are learning how to take advantage of drills, which create a fascination for some students, said Ms. Peterson.

“You want the adults in the building to be trained to know what to do,” she said. “But training the kids who are the potential perpetrators doesn’t make sense with our data.”

The last recommendation is surprising; train the adults but don't teach students what to do because would-be shooters would learn too much about school defenses. Instinctively I am skeptical, because withholding knowledge from people for their own protection is an excuse that bureaucracies use to cover up their mistakes and to maintain their authority [only they know the secret, important stuff].

Surely there can be a compromise between knowledge and total ignorance. For example, hidden passages through which police may enter the school can be kept secret. And the students can be taught the general principles of run, hide, fight, which may also be used outside of school.

Nevertheless, more studies like this, please.

Great That It Worked So Well

"Find My" icon

Leaving the house last night I dropped the AirPods on the sidewalk. The left AirPod fell out of the case, but I couldn't spot it, even after turning on the iPhone flashlight.

It was time to put Apple's "Find My" app to the test (Apple has combined its "Find my iPhone", which includes other Apple devices, and "Find My Friends" apps).

The left Pod showed up on the screen, only a few feet away. I pressed the button and heard a faint chirping sound.

Directional hearing isn't my forte, and it took a couple of minutes to locate the Pod under the nasturtiums.

A couple of swipes on the shirt, and into the ear it went, still working perfectly.

Of course, I was happy about the result, but the joy was not unadulterated. A loss would have been an excuse to buy Apple's new AirPods Pro.

Unlike the $159, one-size-fits-most AirPods, which are still available, the $249 AirPods Pro have active noise canceling...The new pods also are sweat- and water-resistant, equipped with improved microphones and come with three different size silicone tips for a better fit.

According to the reviewer the AirPods Pro sound better, too.

But I won't be making the purchase. It was too bad great that the Find My app worked so well.

A Caracas in our Future?

Two juxtaposed stories in today's fishwrap illustrate why the City is circling the drain.

Violent beating of three seniors in San Francisco’s Chinatown sparks fear, outrage

The violent beating of three older men captured on video in San Francisco’s Chinatown over the weekend has sparked fear and outrage among some residents in the city’s Chinese-American community, who said they feel increasingly targeted following several high-profile attacks on the neighborhood’s most vulnerable residents....

Three victims, all men ages 63, 67 and 68, were left with varying injuries, police said. Two were treated at San Francisco General Hospital and later released. A third was checked out by paramedics and released at the scene...

No one has been arrested and no suspects have been identified in the attack.

And who is the official who will lead the fight against this recent wave of attacks against seniors?

How Chesa Boudin, a public defender who never prosecuted a case, won SF D.A. race

Boudin’s story is even more movie-worthy. His parents were left-wing radicals in the Weather Underground and served as getaway drivers in an October 1981 robbery that wound up killing three people. Boudin, 14 months old at the time of the incident, was adopted by Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, also Weather Underground radicals. He graduated from Yale and Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes scholar.

Voters elected Mr. Boudin "despite never having prosecuted a case and having a controversial background that included an imprisoned father* and a stint working for Hugo Chávez, the late president of Venezuela who was criticized for trampling human rights."

*Not your run-of-the-mill imprisoned dad: "His parents were left-wing radicals in the Weather Underground and served as getaway drivers in an October 1981 robbery that wound up killing three people."

Hugo Chavez was the socialist who turned Venezuela, the wealthiest country in South America, into a hellhole where millions flee from starvation, disease, and crime. San Francisco currently has the highest per-capita income of all U.S. cities, and the progressives are in charge. Let's hope the parallel to Venezuela stops there, but the signs aren't hopeful.

Well, San Francisco voters keep electing progressives like Chesa Boudin, so there may yet be a Caracas (Wikipedia: "Caracas has one of the highest per capita murder rates in the world, with 111.19 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants") in our future.

It Needs a Lot of Cabbage

Next to the tubs of guacamole and mashed potatoes was a ham costing $549.99. Jamón ibérico de bellota is

from free-range pigs that roam oak forests (called dehesas) along the border between Spain and Portugal and eat only acorns during this last period. The exercise and diet have a significant effect on the flavor of the meat; the ham is cured for 36 months.

$35.714 per pound for cured pork is unimaginable to me, but Costco's hard-nosed buyers wouldn't have ordered the item unless they thought there was a market for it on the mid-Peninsula.

Veteran's Day, 2019

St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Honolulu, on September 7, 2019

One of Dad's few requests was that an honor guard be present at his memorial service.

The young men performed the ceremony deliberately and precisely. The bugler played Taps, the sweet sound carrying across the church grounds. Mom received the folded flag six minutes later, though it felt like more time had elapsed.

Another Veteran had passed from the scene.

Sometimes the Best Does Happen

Lutherans (Jerry) and Episcopalians (Diane) can get along.

Flying in late last night, I didn't have time to make anything for the Home and Hope families, so I bought the precooked mashed potatoes, rotisserie chicken, and dessert macaroons at Costco. Anyway, that's my excuse story, and I'm sticking to it.

Diane slow-cooked a pork roast, seasoned with lemon and garlic. Accompanied by the mashed potatoes and gravy, the roast was the perfect comfort food on a chilly fall night. We put on a pot, and the female heads of household spent an hour socializing over cookies, macaroons, and coffee.

Everyone was in bed by ten, and all were out the door by 6:15 the next morning without our having to roust them. My overnight partner, Hank, and I could scarcely believe our good fortune. Being done by 6:30 instead of the usual 7:30 was a first.

Expect the worst while hoping for the best is a sound rule, but sometimes the best does happen.

Heavy Prediction

(WSJ art by Ryan Inzana)

Space archaeologist Alice Gorman says that gravity will be "the most precious commodity of the next space age." [bold added]

To maintain their bone density and muscle mass, crew members must exercise for over two hours each day. Without this discipline, the astronauts could end up with osteoporosis. Living in gravity so different from Earth’s has consequences, including vision impairment and diminished organ function...

Living in variable gravity environments makes gravity a commodity that it simply isn’t on Earth; it becomes foreground rather than background. Power may be determined by whomever controls access to specially designed, high-gravity environments where people can maintain their strength. Gravity may indeed be rationed, and depriving people of access could have serious health (and even legal) consequences.

Dr. Gorman quickly dispenses with the spinning-spaceship solution to artificial gravity:

The earliest space stations, such as the rotating wheel conceived by the Viennese engineer Hermann Noordung in 1929, were designed to produce “artificial” gravity by spinning, like the centrifuge astronauts train in.....In the 1960s, NASA considered spinning space stations, but decided that astronauts might not enjoy being spun like a sock in a washing machine. Having been in a gravity rotor in an amusement park, I can categorically say that I did not enjoy it.

I applaud Alice Gorman for thinking outside the capsule, but it seems that there are many features of earthly life--oxygen, natural food, copious running water, convenient sanitation, privacy, pets--that will be in short supply in space. I doubt gravity will be "the most precious", but then again she's the expert.

Unexpected Pleasures

Waikiki is quiet before dawn. The tourists are still sleeping save for the solitary jogger. Workers sit quietly at the bus stops, waiting for the ride down town.

The noise from the tree-trimmer is jarring. Really...at 6 a.m.? Until one realizes that traffic congestion makes this the best time to trim the fronds and coconuts before they hurt someone.

It's rare to see a tent. The police chase the homeless away from Waikiki to the other side of the Ala Wai Canal, the old neighborhood. Dad installed a monitored security system, reinforced windows and iron gates because his streets have gotten meaner. After a while one gets used to the new normal.

At least the late night/early morning denizens in the tourist areas are safe. A few Waikiki diners are open, reminding me of this painting (below).

Edward Hopper, Nighthawks (1942), Art Institute of Chicago

An overweight man in a dirty tee-shirt was sitting at the bus stop. He asked for a dollar. He won't have a lot of prospects at 6:30 in the morning. I gave him a twenty. His eyes widened in surprise. Life is full of unexpected disappointments or worse. Unexpected pleasures are few and far between.

Trying to Take It With Me

California bound: clothes, food, kitchen tools, memorabilia 

In the freight industry managing backhauls is crucial to the success of the business. The railcar, aircraft, ship, or truck is often filled going in one direction but empty coming back. The carrier heavily discounts rates on the backhaul, because some revenue is better than none.

On my trips to Hawaii--six this year so far--there is a similar freight imbalance, so I've been taking a half-empty suitcase. On the return to California my luggage is heavier, and I'm heavier.

The only thing lighter is my wallet.

Do-ne Japanese Food

The "seafood set" is more than just a poke bowl
and includes salad, miso soup, and 3 small dishes

Honolulu is no paradise with its traffic congestion, high cost of living, homelessness, and crime. Every time I return the problems seem worse. In the Bay Area, however, living conditions are getting worse faster, so if one grades on a curve Hawaii scores well.

Related note: when dining out in the Islands I've found that, from fast food to fine dining, one obtains the same degree of quality but at a lower price than back on the Peninsula.

The seafood set ($15.95) is about the
same price as a bento box in SF

Relatives insisted that I join them for dinner at Do-ne Japanese Food, a mile and a half from the center of Waikiki. Do-ne has only six tables; if one fails to get a seat when the restaurant opens at 5:30 p.m., then the wait can be an hour. Arriving at 5, I put our name on the sign-up sheet, and we were the first party seated.

I ordered the pork belly set ($15.95), but the kitchen had run out of the ingredients during lunch. No worries, the seafood set was excellent. The fish was very fresh, and we took our time savoring and sharing our dishes. The waitress--who is also one of the owners--never rushed us despite the line building outside. I told my hosts that I'll stop by on my next trip, if for no other reason than to sample the pork belly.

Do-ne was a pleasant experience; the downside is that a poke bowl in California will never taste as good again.

The salmon surf bowl ($13.95) at Shiki, Foster City

The Lesser Head

Koko Head Crater from Hawaii Kai

Koko Head is Diamond Head's little brother:
1) Diamond Head is Hawaii's most famous natural landmark;
2) Diamond Head dominates the Waikiki landscape, while Koko Head is too far away from downtown to be visible;
3) In songs and children's nursery rhymes Koko Head comes after Diamond Head, if it is mentioned at all.

Google's word-count tool confirms that Diamond Head is mentioned about 10 times more often than Koko Head.



It's time to show little brother some respect. From Koko Head's summit one can see Portlock/Hawaii Kai on the right and Hanauma Bay on the left. One of these days, before the tendinitis gets too bad, I hope to climb the Koko Head Stairs.

Not Glamorous

The heavy equipment wasn't there in June.

"The project involves dredging of the Ala Wai Canal to remove accumulated silt and sediments, and repairing two sections of walls along the canal."

The suits--and pantsuits, let's not discriminate--like to talk about infrastructure, a word which distances oneself from the grime and sweat involved in the work.

The burly men and women get their hands dirty so that we won't get our feet wet from storms, tsunamis, or even climate change.

Their task is not glamorous, but it is necessary.

EDNC: A Trusty Conduit for Fire-Relief Donations

As we near the one-year anniversary of the Camp Fire (November 8, 2018), Northern California again has been beset by wildfires. The devastation hasn't been as bad, perhaps because of evacuations and electricity shutoffs (PSPS) to a million people, but the precautions had their own cost. However, policy discussions are for another day.

How do we help the displaced and the suffering?

As with last year, we'll be making a donation to the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California "because it's an effective, trustworthy conduit for fire-relief donations." From the website:

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Across the diocese, many of us are experiencing power shut off and the question of how to have services with no power. Our office has fielded some calls about this, and we want to encourage each of our congregations to:

Be Safe: do what you need in order to be safe
Be Creative: if possible, hold services as a witness to the risen Christ
Be Bold: remember that we are witnesses to the wider community

St. Paul's has sheltered the homeless since 2017.

Our church and community in Healdsburg and the surrounding area are all under evacuation. Click here for fire and evacuation news. Bishop Megan, Canon Andrea, and Director of Operations Kati Braak have been in contact with church leadership: the Very Rev. Daniel Green, Dean of the Russian River Deanery and St. John's, Petaluma; the Rev. Sally Hubble, St. Paul's, Healdsburg; and the Rev. Stephen Shaver, Incarnation, Santa Rosa; who are all working to coordinate response and hospitality efforts.

We are praying for St. Paul’s, Healdsburg: in gratitude for the ongoing outreach and service that they have for the homeless. St. Paul’s, today, is a center for the homeless to gather for transport to evacuation sites. We pray in hope: that all will be safe in the midst of this crisis. St. Paul’s will hold their Sunday Services at Incarnation, Santa Rosa.

We pray for Good Shepherd, Cloverdale: they are safe at this time, and in contact with the bishop’s office. They are holding Morning Prayer services and are opening their homes for safe harbor for those in need.

We pray for our diocese: as we all bear witness to the risen Christ and share this journey with one another.

We want to give: the bishop’s office has sent $6,000 to St. Paul’s already, and gift cards have been purchased and distributed. We are contacting Episcopal Relief and Development today. More will be needed, and we ask that you give generously.

Online Donation Information:

Click here to make a donation: 100% of your donation will go towards disaster relief, distributed by the clergy at their discretion.

Donation link: bit.ly/NorCalDisasterRelief

Check Donation Information:
Want to send a check?
Make checks out to EDNC, with "Disaster Relief" in the memo line

The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California
350 University Avenue, Suite 280
Sacramento, CA 95825

Gift Card Donation Information:

The following types of gift cards are being requested:

Safeway

Visa

You can mail the gift cards to The Office of the Bishop, who will coordinate distribution.

The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California
350 University Avenue, Suite 280
Sacramento, CA 95825

Remarkably Uncrowded

Cars on Ala Wai Boulevard head toward the Kalakaua Ave. overpass

The footpaths near the western end of the Ala Wai Canal are not the shortest routes to shopping or the beach, and they're remarkably uncrowded while being only a few feet from Waikiki or Ala Moana.

For someone who's just trying to record a few clicks on the smartwatch or the pedometer, it's a far more pleasant stroll than the sidewalks near congested boulevards.

At 1 p.m. last Thursday it was only the heat that chased me indoors.

Government Gas & Electric

Like North Koreans, power-less Oaklanders could gaze
at the lights of a city a few miles away (Chronicle photo)

After the wildfires, evacuations, and PSPS ("Power Safety Power Shutoffs"), California politicians are, er, feeling the heat to do something about PG&E, the utility they had a hand in bankrupting. Governor Newsom threatens a government takeover:

The utility must exit bankruptcy by the end of June to access a new state fund that would help PG&E pay for damage from future wildfires caused by its equipment.

But if the company doesn’t reach a resolution quickly, Newsom said, a state takeover is on the table, a position the governor has previously been reluctant to embrace.

Even the wisest Latina couldn't run PG&E.

(From pge.com)

She has to

Deliver electricity and natural gas reliably to 16 million Californians;

Charge customers as low a rate as possible;

Earn a profit for investors, including a regular dividend;

Clear trees and brush to reduce the risk of wildfires;

Provide generous salary, medical and pension benefits in accordance with union contracts;

Repair and replace its aging infrastructure with less efficient and more costly carbon-minimizing energy sources (principally windmills and solar, but not nuclear);

Decommission Diablo Canyon, its last nuclear power plant, for an estimated $4.8 billion beginning in 2024;

Meet Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards;

Pay $billions in damages for its culpability in the 2017-2019 wildfires.

Transfer hundreds of thousands of acres to tribes and public agencies per agreements dating back to 2001.

Your humble blogger is strongly in favor of a government takeover of PG&E. Then the credit or blame for the outcome will be clearly assigned to one party, not diffused over a multitude of groups who have a say in PG&E's governance.

If "Government Gas & Electric" succeeds, then it will be the first major piece of evidence that socialism works, i.e., government can operate a major non-defense sector of the economy. If it fails, then the reasons should become obvious after a few years. In either case, the lessons learned will reverberate far beyond the confines of Northern California.

After-thought - WSJ:

Mr. Newsom, a Democrat, said he will compel PG&E to make massive investments in its infrastructure to improve the safety of the system and reduce the need for pre-emptive power shut-offs.

PG&E was "compelled" to make massive investments in wind and solar farms to meet California's climate-change goals. Now the Governor wants to compel safety and always-on power. Just take it over, already, so you can show us how it should be done.