Houston Area Forecast: 100% Chance of Meteors

After a week-ling lead-up, tonight, August 12/13, 2010, is finally the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower. Wit this event, meteor season 2010 will kick off in a big way.

Every August, Earth passes through the stretch of space junk shed by comet Swift-Tuttle, reaching the deepest concentration of debris tonight. According to some estimates, under ideal conditions (dark country skies), one can expect to see 60 meteors per hour. The reason the meteors are called Perseids is because the meteors seem to radiate from the constellation Perseus. The best time to view the shower is in the pre-dawn hours, with 3-5am being best.

Don't want to stay up that late? Don't worry, Perseus rises in the Northeast around midnight and will climb higher as the night progresses. However, unless one lives out in the country, the early post-midnight hours will probably involve Perseus being low in a light pollution dome. To improve odds of seeing meteors, travel out of light-polluted Cleveland and to the suburbs or, even better, the country if you can. In the suburbs, just going from the front to back yard can make a dramatic difference as this will eliminate glare from those pesky street/house lights to a large extent.

Two things can ruin the meteor shower: clouds and the Moon. The clouds? Well, that's a regional thing. Check your local Clear Sky Clock to see what the clouds have in store for your location tonight. For us Northeast Ohioans, tonight is looking good. As for the Moon, that's an Earth-wide issue. The good news is that, this year, the Moon is just a few days past new, which means that there will be no Moon up during the time of the meteor shower. There will be a slight lunar glow in the South (opposite Perseus), but this will disappear about midnight, which is about the time Perseus clears the Northeast horizon.

So how about viewing tips?

First, plan to stay out awhile, as it takes the human eye about 15 minutes to get optimal night vision capability. The bad news is that, even one bright flash of white light will wipe out night vision, requiring you to start the process all over again. Next, grab a lawn chair or, even better, a lounge-type chair. Trying to lean back with a straight-back lawn chair can be a pain in the neck, literally! Eyes ready for dark and with something to sit/lay on, settle in for a night of hopeful meteor watching (or at the very least, stargazing), just try not to fall asleep and don't forget the bug spray!

Besides meteors, tonight can be a great time for binocular viewing, owing to your use of a chair. Under suburban (maybe) or rural skies (definitely), a pair of medium power (10x50) binoculars can yield some stunning wide-angle sights. For someone truly dedicated, why not try and keep a tally of how many meteors you see for every complete hour? Really ambitious? Why not try photographing the meteors?

Whatever you plan to do tonight, good luck and clear skies!

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Texas' new, state-of-the-art jail unfit for prisoners?

by Rucks Russell / KHOU
Posted on August 5, 2010 at 10:12 AM
Updated Thursday, Aug 5 at 2:01 PM
PEARLAND, Texas—Pearland’s sprawling new public safety building includes new courts, offices for police and administrators, and a state-of-the-art jail that remains unfit for the prisoners it was meant to house.

"We just want to be able to use the new facility," said Lt. Onesimo Lopez, public information officer for the Pearland Police Department.
The new building opened its doors in April, but while hundreds of workers moved in, prisoners have remained locked out.

Officials blame the holdup on construction flaws by the contractor.
"Our holding area for intoxicated suspects needs a drain, and the door for another holding area opens the wrong way," Lopez said.
Pearland’s city manager said a dispute between the city and the contractors set the project back.
"It’s been a back-and-forth in terms of who’s responsible for what," City Manager Bill Eisen said.

He added that the differences were recently ironed out and hoped repairs to the facility could be made within four weeks.

But the work will cost about $15,000 -- that’s in addition to what it costs to keep the old jail running, and the $19 million already shelled out by taxpayers for the new building.
"Ultimately, the buck stops with me," Eisen said.
But for now, it also stops with the taxpayers.



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Pearland soldier receives PETA award.

Pearland, Texas -- For joining with two of his fellow Marines to rescue homeless cats in Afghanistan, sending one of the cats--Kiki--to safety at his Pearland home, and preventing the birth of more unwanted cats by having Kiki neutered, Cpl. Brian Chambers will receive a Compassionate Action Award from PETA.

The group has also offered to reimburse the Marines for the cost of sterilizing Kiki and his buddy KeyKey (who is now living at the home of Marine Lance Cpl. Chris Berry's parents in Davison, Mich.). The three Marines will each receive a framed certificate and a letter of appreciation from PETA for evacuating the kittens from a war-ravaged and unfriendly environment overseas. While stationed in Afghanistan, Chambers, Berry, and Lance Cpl. Aaron Shaw found several homeless cats, and the Marines fed, sheltered, and provided medical care for many of them.

"We salute Brian and his friends, who were deployed in a war zone thousands of miles from home and still made time to save animals who needed their help," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "War zones are a nightmare for animals, too, but thanks to these Marines, Kiki and KeyKey can look forward to a life filled with all the love, care, and security that they deserve."

Spaying one female cat can prevent thousands of births, and an unneutered male cat can create limitless litters of kittens. Approximately 8 million cats and dogs end up in animal shelters every year, and half of them must be euthanized for lack of a good home. Millions more never make it to animal shelters and must fend for themselves on the streets, where they are often subjected to abuse, suffer from starvation or disease, or are struck by cars.

Tar balls found on Texas beach

(CNN) -- Texas authorities have traced a small number of tar balls found near Galveston to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Coast Guard and state officials said Monday.
The tar balls collected from beaches in Galveston County over the weekend could fit in a five-gallon bucket, but have been confirmed to have originated from the ruptured BP well off Louisiana, said Jim Suydan of the Texas General Land Office.

Galveston is about 400 miles west of the site of the worst oil spill in U.S. history, which began in late April with the sinking of the offshore drill rig Deepwater Horizon. Coast Guard Capt. Marcus Woodring said authorities weren't sure how the tar balls made it that far, but tests confirmed that at least the first batch collected Saturday came from the Deepwater Horizon spill off Louisiana, he said.
None were found Monday, and the area's beaches and waterways remained open.
"Until we see a greater sum of oil, I can be cautiously optimistic that maybe this is something that will pass," Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski told reporters.


Tar balls occasionally strike the Texas coast, in part because of seepage from undersea oil deposits or from sunken vessels, Woodring said. "Seventeen or 18" cases of tar balls unrelated to the

Deepwater Horizon disaster have been reported to Woodring's Houston-Galveston Coast Guard sector since the spill erupted in April he said.

And though the ones found Saturday and Sunday were confirmed to have come from the ruptured well off Louisiana, they were less weathered than officials would have expected -- leading the Coast

Guard to suspect the oil was either stuck to the side of a ship's hull or mixed in with ballast water from a passing vessel, he said.

Ships passing through the spill are are supposed to be decontaminated before they head into port, he said.


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A Pearland woman is suing hot air balloon business after a rough landing in 2007.

A Pearland woman is suing a Custer hot air balloon business after a rough landing in 2007.

According to court documents filed June 25, Karen Carver of Pearland, Texas, was a passenger in a hot air balloon operated by Black Hills Balloons in July 2007 when the balloon "crash landed" hard against the ground around 7:15 a.m. near Pringle.

Upon landing, the basket allegedly flipped on its side, slid on the ground several feet and caused 11 passengers in the balloon to be jostled around in the basket and collide with one another. Carver is listed in court documents as having suffered serious injuries.

Court documents say the flight was not operating on a flight plan and the company, through its pilot in command, operated the aircraft in a negligent and careless manner.

Carver is seeking damages in an amount to be determined by evidence at trial as well as lawyer fees and costs.


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Regus Opens Business Center in Pearland, Texas' Fastest Growing Suburb

Pearland Town Center Location Offers Ideal Work, Live and Play Environment
PEARLAND, Texas, June 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Regus, the world's leading provider of innovative workplace solutions, has opened a new, full service business center in Pearland Town Center, responding to rapid economic growth and new business development in the Pearland area. Pearland is the fastest growing suburb of Houston, offering families and corporations a small town environment with convenient access to the city.

The growing importance of achieving work/life balance, especially for suburban families, is a driving force behind Regus' continued expansion into high-growth suburbs. "Our new business center at Pearland Town Center offers a great working environment within walking distance of major retailers, restaurants, a luxury hotel and upscale residences," said Jeff Doughman, Central Region Vice President of Regus. "It is specifically designed to meet the needs of entrepreneurs, mobile professionals, and growing businesses that need more scalable, cost effective workplace solutions. Larger corporations can leverage our business center to gain an immediate footprint without significant up-front capital expenditures."

Over the past year, Regus has experienced a significant increase in the number of Houston-area inquiries. Although Pearland's population has tripled since 1990, the town offers a truly hometown experience with a low cost of living and crime rate, good schools, and friendly neighborhoods.

The new business center, Regus' eleventh in the Greater Houston area, is located in the heart of the Pearland Town Center at 11200 Broadway, Suite 2743 in Pearland. It offers flexible terms on fully furnished private offices, meeting rooms and virtual offices. With its Businessworld Membership program, business travelers have affordable access to Regus' global network of more than 400 locations in the U.S. and 1,000 worldwide.

Regus will hold a grand opening event at the new Pearland center on Wednesday, July 14 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Members of the press are invited to attend.
About Regus

Regus, the world's leading global provider of innovative workplace solutions with 1,000 locations in 450 cities and 80 countries, offers products and services ranging from fully equipped offices to professional meeting rooms, business lounges and the world's largest network of video communication studios.

For more information please visit www.regus.com.

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Recovery Effort in Gulf Expected to Continue Despite Storm

By JOSEPH BERGER

A tropical storm moving across the western Gulf of Mexico that is likely to strengthen into a hurricane is not expected to seriously disrupt efforts to capture oil gushing from the stricken BP well, officials of the Coast Guard and BP said Monday.

Adm. Thad W. Allen, of the Coast Guard, who is commanding the federal response to the disaster, said at an afternoon press conference that high seas produced by Tropical Storm Alex should not force the evacuation of rigs and other equipment from the blowout site, which is 50 miles off the Louisiana coast. Should an evacuation take place, he said, it could halt the work of collecting oil and drill relief wells for about 14 days.

“As it stands right now, absent the intervention of a hurricane, we’re still looking at mid-August," to have relief wells shut off the gusher entirely, Admiral Allen said.

However, BP officials said that what could be delayed, even by current wave heights, is an effort to prepare what is known as a “floating riser system” that will help raise the daily total of collected oil from, about 25,000 barrels to as much as 50,000 barrels. At a briefing Monday morning, Kent Wells, a senior vice president of BP who is overseeing BP’s efforts, said the storm is expected to follow a track that will take it well west of the blowout site, but it may produce waves of 10 to 12 feet, which Mr. Wells said was too high for the “very precise work” on the surface needed to prepare the floating riser system.

Mr. Wells said the containment cap and a second system that are collecting 25,000 barrels of oil a day would not need to be disconnected and the drilling of two relief wells should continue on schedule. The first relief well is supposed to pump in heavy mud and shut off the gusher sometime in August.

Tropical Storm Alex is on a course heading for northeastern Mexico and a stretch of Texas. Meteorologists at Accuweather.com said they are anticipating a landfall between Tampico, Mexico and Brownsville, Tex. Wednesday night or early Thursday.

Meanwhile Associated Press reported that BP had filed documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission that indicate the cost of capping and cleaning the spill have reached $2.65 billion. BP has lost more than $100 billion in market value since the drilling platform the company was operating blew up April 20. The costs include spill response, containment, relief well drilling, grants to gulf states, claims paid, and federal costs, but not a $20 billion fund for damages the company created this month.

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