People move to Southern California for the weather. They may try to tell you otherwise (how many time have we heard that “I’m doing it for my career” line), but I’m pretty sure they’re doing it for the blue skies and endless sunshine.

That’s why I moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I couldn’t deal with the consistent change in weather, the weeks of grey rain, clouds hanging low in the summer sky. I wanted a given, and that given needed to be SUN, SUN, SUN.

So, you can imagine how traumatizing it was for me (and the rest of the So-Cal population) to spend half of December watching as rain deluged Los Angeles. Nearly 13 inches of rain fell during this storm, making it the wettest December since 1889.

LA usually gets about 15 inches of rain total throughout the year, so this torrential downpour caused extreme havoc in the city of angels. Between flooding and mudslides, damages have been estimated to top $60 million dollars. The storm has even affected the soon-to-be harvested avocado crop, the frost and heavy rain damaging many of the trees. Although it’s to early to say for sure, many farmers are predicting a smaller crop, and higher avocado prices.

If you’re anything like me, your immediate thoughts about this crazy weather are: armageddon, global warming and the story of Noah’s arc. However, a little research reveals otherwise. Currently, Southern California is experiencing the famous “El Nina” effect, which means that the waters are cooler than normal in the Pacific ocean, which should result in drier winters for Southern California and extremely rainy weather in the Pacific Northwest.

Last month’s storms, an obvious deviation from El Nina, were sent to us courtesy of the Gulf of Alaska and a strong northern weather system referred to as Arctic oscillation. Although this north-south weather phenomenon is quite unusual, its not anomalous. In 2004, one of Southern California’s rainiest years, most storms were a direct result of Arctic oscillation.

It’s not all bad news. Sure there’s millions of dollars worth of damage, we’re living in Seattle style weather, future guacamole will probably cost as much as caviar and most of us have suffered at least two weeks worth of a Vitamin-D deficiency, but there is some good to come out of this. The month of December refueled Southern California’s dwindling water supply. After a three year drought the heavy storms refilled water levels that had been at an all time low. The cold snap has also been embraced by many So-Cal vineyard owners, who say that the frost will help grapes enter their winter dormancy state. Not to mention the fact that the last couple of years saw wildfires plaguing much of Southern California, due to extremely high temperatures, and little moisture. So it could be argued that thanks to these storms we’ll stay hydrated, drunk and avoid being burned to a crisp.

Since it’s introduction to the public at the turn of the 20th century, the bicycle has always been placed high on every child’s Christmas wish list.

In some places, however, the bicycle is much more than fancy-free past time. Many African countries, such as Tanzania, Nigeria, and South Africa are relying more and more on bicycles as a main mode of transit.

Most people in Africa don’t have access to public transportation of any kind, and spend hours every day walking to and from their place of business. When one spends at least four hours everyday walking, plus the hours of labor in between, it comes as no surprise that there is little time left for education, much less for any sort of leisure activity. Bicycling cuts travel time down to a fraction of what it takes to walk, and it has been said that owning a bike in Africa can make the difference between living in poverty versus gaining employment and leading a happy, fulfilled life.

With many burgeoning city centers in Africa trying to become more car friendly, regardless of the fact that only a fraction of the population can actually afford cars, it is vital to recognize the importance that bicycles could play in a developing country.

Projects such as the Bicycle Portraits, which was launched in early 2010 and showcases South African bicycles and their owners, play an important part in raising awareness of the positive affect of bicycles, not only on the individual but on the community as a whole.

Many bicycle aids organizations, such as Bikes for Africa, are paving the way to make bicycles less of a commodity, and more of a way of life. If you’d like to find out more about how you can help, click here.

Haiti is once again in a state of turmoil after the presidential election results were announced on Wednesday. Angry mobs, alleging election fraud, flooded the streets, their violent rioting shutting down not only schools and businesses, but the Port-au-Prince airport as well.

After January’s devastating earthquake, which killed over 250,000 people and left at least a million homeless, Haiti has been in a deepening state of despair. This fragile economy has only been worsened by a recent cholera epidemic, which according to international health officials, will affect over 200,000 Haitians in the upcoming months.

After experiencing so much loss, frustration and pain this past year, it is easy to understand why this political standoff has caused so much pent-up anger in the Haitian community. We can only hope that the nation can find a way to overcome their differences, for it seems that, now more than ever, this country needs to pull together and face its problems as a unified force, rather than being divided over the deceptions of politics.

Photo Annie Griffiths

Gulf fishermen, in Bahia De Los Angeles, heading out at dawn. Bahia De Los Angeles, Baja California State, Mexico

Photo David Doubilet

A school of fusilier fish in a coral reef, off the Raja Ampat Islands in Indonesia.

Photo Alison Wright

One of the many beautiful, haunting photos taken by Alison Wright on her journey to Haiti.

The whooping crane is a rare creature, with its abnormally long legs, and distinct call. In North America, there are approximately 340 cranes living in the wild. And that number, despite numerous conservation efforts, seems to be dwindling.

The whooping crane is a creature of habitat, and depends on a stable environment for food and nesting. The crane has made its permanent home in a National Park in Canada, known as the Whooping Crane Summer Range.

During the winter, the whooping cranes migrate towards the Gulf coast near Texas, a fact which has many environmentalist worried considering the crane’s low population. In the Gulf of Mexico the oil spill is already affecting many of the local species, beaching hundreds of oil covered birds and forcing foraging birds, such as the pelican, to readjust their feeding patterns.

The long term affects that this spill will have on the wildlife, the environment, and ultimately on the whooping crane is urgent concern. The marshes and coastlines, if touched by the oil, will become depleted of the food that is the very essence of survival for the wildlife that lives there.

But, all hope is not lost. Multiple individuals and organizations are mobilizing to fight to protect the land and wildlife that are endangered by the oil spill.

You can help, visit The International Bird Rescue Research Center.

Photo Alison Wright

Photo Stephen Alvarez