Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Some Weekend Reading from Marc Morano

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1. The media tide is turning. See below from left leaning Slate Mag. writer published in Washington Post:

Wash. Post: Gore and DiCaprio scolded for promoting climate fears: ‘There must be a limit to how many calamitous films, books and television shows we, and our children, can absorb’

Excerpts: ‘I think it’s wrong to let our children believe they’ll be swept away before they get a chance to fret about college admissions.’

“There must be a limit to how many calamitous films, books and television shows we, and our children, can absorb… I, however, refuse to see the apocalypse in every balmy day. And I think it’s wrong to let our children believe they’ll be swept away before they get a chance to fret about college admissions. An article in The Post this spring described children anxious, sleepless and tearful about the end; one 9-year-old said she worried about global warming “because I don’t want to die…Usually we want to protect our children from awful events, adjusting the message to suit their age. Certainly we tried to do that after Sept. 11. But an essential part of the global warming awareness movement is the belief that scaring us to death is the best way to spur massive change. Gore explicitly compares warming to the Nazis of the last century and terrorists of this one.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/24/AR2007062401374.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

2. Actor Bruce Willis mocks environmentalists on Letterman Show (watch video)

Excerpt: First, he came out wearing a giant wind turbine hat claiming that he’s now gone off-grid and is producing his own energy. “Dave, I’ve gone green,” he told Letterman. “I’m completely off-grid. In fact, I can’t even see the grid anymore.” “This whole global warming thing — I’m not convinced. I’m a little skeptical. I’m thinking that the problem isn’t global warming, but ‘global humidity’”.

http://www.ecorazzi.com/?p=3041

3. New research finds Antarctica Ice sheet stable

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/tech/2007/jun/26/062603966.html

4. Harvard Physicist Lubos Motl takes on RealClimate.org scientists

Excerpt: “The Gentlemen at RealClimate.ORG have decided that my article about climate sensitivity and similar articles by others are too dangerous because they show that every new molecule of CO2 causes smaller greenhouse effect than the previous molecule: the absorption gets saturated. Such a conclusion could diminish the holy power of the enhanced greenhouse effect and undermine the global efforts of scientists of good faith – and their friends, politicians of good faith, lawyers of good faith, singers of good faith, and publishers of good faith – to globally regulate the greenhouse effect.”

http://motls.blogspot.com/2007/06/realclimate-saturated-confusion.html

5. Scientist dismisses UK flood, global warming link as ‘simplistic nonsense’

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007290473,00.html

6. Watch interview with Skeptical Scientist Dr. Fred Singer on AccuWeather TV’s Headline: Earth

http://global-warming.accuweather.com/2007/06/skeptical_dr_fred_singer_on_he.html

7. Al Gore Has Not Responded to Ivy League Professor’s Global Warming Wager, Media Mum

http://newsbusters.org/node/13753

8. Gore challenged to put his money where his ‘myth’ is
Meet the Ivy League professor and expert on forecasting who is challenging Al Gore to a $20,000 bet that he is wrong on global warming

http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/3533/

9. Research finds rising C02 emissions making poison ivy more potent

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118281532052547766.html?mod=home_personal_journal_left

10. Tigers invade Bangladesh villages killing three people, 50 cattle

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21973833-23109,00.html

11. Shark pregnancy without help from male baffles aquarium

http://www.9news.com/news/watercooler/article.aspx?storyid=72643

12. Researchers say resurrection of extinct woolly mammoth possible

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/HealthScience/Woolly_mammoth_return_possible/articleshow/2150587.cms

13. UK pub declares itself foreign embassy to avoid smoking ban

“If it is successful, the pub would be classified as “foreign soil”, allowing smokers a haven from the smoking laws covering the rest of the UK.”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=464540&in_page_id=1770&ito=newsnow

14. AP: Researchers to look for evidence of ‘Bigfoot’

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/26/ap3859235.html

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Thanks to Marc Morano for all these links.
Happy reading and have a good weekend …

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. SJT says

    This guy again? Jennifer, if your going to sup with the Devil, make sure you use a long spoon.

  2. Jennifer says

    SJT, Did you watch the Bruce Willis interview? Hilarious http://www.ecorazzi.com/?p=3041

    And ofcourse happy to post a collection of links from you or Luke, as long as there is a ‘politics and the environment’ theme and they are current/published in the last week or so.

  3. SJT says

    I haven’t watched Al and I see no point in watching Bruce. I liked Twelve Monkeys, but that’s because he suited the role perfectly.

    “Since I hate the heat, even I was alarmed by the recent headline: “NASA Warns of 110-Degrees for Atlanta, Chicago, DC in Summer.” But I regained my cool when I realized the forecast was for close to the end of the century. Thanks to all the heat-mongering, it’s supposed to be a sign I’m in denial because I refuse to trust a weather prediction for August 2080, when no one can offer me one for August 2008 (or 2007 for that matter).”

    The classic weather/climate confusion.

    One of Morano’s links apparently refers to scientists worrying about people being able to understand what the science is about. That comment is yet again a perfect illustration of the point.

  4. Luke says

    Wow – It would be hard to keep up with all the contrarian findings Jen. No way poor old warmers can keep up. You can’t generate new science that fast.

    See RC hit Lubos for six though.

    But following on from Jim’s theme though I reckon you guys have caught up. Was easy to overrun the denialists here a year or two ago. But I reckon even Rog has been swotting away.

    Jen I reckon time to ditch the old geology mates and go with the new generation of literate contrarians like Arnost and Biggsy. Much more serious competition than Bill and Bob. Much more relevant than Sid and Schiller’s mantras. Surely we’re over the neo-marxist world govt thing by now. I reckon the new generation are more committed and more up-to-date on the blogs and literature. And arguments definitely on target.

    And Marc is obviously a disciplined lobbyist – good weekly skim – keeps on message about conversions, uncertainty, and appeal to ridicule. Not bad but I’d ditch Singer – bad investment.

    So how can one possibly win against this onslaught. It’s terrifying.

    All I can think of is calling someone a skank and creating a diversion (Motty taught me). Just kidding.

    Only way to cope is denialism – find a thread with Ian on it and ginger him up.

  5. rog says

    You flatter yourself Luke, now that the “debate is over” I find the subject less and less interesting.

    When will Ender finish his windmill (or is he just another internet blowhard)?

  7. SJT says

    “After about eight months, leaf size, stem length and weight and oil content of the plants raised at current carbon-dioxide levels were, on average, 50% to 75% higher than the plants under the 1950s conditions, according to the study, expected to be published this year in the journal Weed Science. Not only did the higher CO2 level double the growth rate, but it made for hardier plants that recovered more quickly from the ravages of grazing animals.

    The latest research follows a Duke University report last year that higher carbon-dioxide levels create a chemical change in poison ivy that results in a more potent form of urushiol, the oil that triggers an itchy rash in about 70% of people exposed to it. “It is more abundant and allergenic,” says Jacqueline E. Mohan, who led the Duke study and is now assistant professor at the University of Georgia in Athens.”

    Exactly what Flannery predicted, the weeds will be the best able to take advantage of the climate change.

  10. rog says

    Tell us the one about the Tuatara sex life again Luke, that was a good one too….notwithstanding that they have lived thru 220 million years (living fossil) and must have seen the odd climate change.

  11. Luke says

    Rog – not sex life – sex ratios old mate. Tell us when they start to change coz they haven’t sorted themselves out yet. Might be OK for you given you can probably reproduce by parthenogeneis.

  12. Luke says

    Saw the Bruce Willis interview Jen. Bruce is a skank ! Bloody smart aleck. I’m not seeing his movie to spite him.

  13. Ender says

    rog – “Problem is finding a source that will provide such enormous amounts of energy in 10 minutes.”

    Yeah you would have to have an exotic, hard to get item like a normal 3 phase connection.

    3 phase 30A per phase = 3 * 30 * 240 = 21kW – that would charge it from dead flat in about an hour. Service stations could have 90A per phase 3 phase outlets that could charge it in 10 minutes.

    It would charge overnight at home on 240V 15A.

  14. Luke says

    3. New research finds Antarctica Ice sheet stable

    http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/tech/2007/jun/26/062603966.html

    WRONG !

    The reference cited says: “While studies of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets show they are both at risk from global warming, the East Antarctic ice sheet will “need quite a bit of warming” to be affected, Andrew Mackintosh, a senior lecturer at Victoria University, said Wednesday. ”

    Which is why denialists can’t be trusted not to spin it. Tripping over themselves uncritically. All the clip does is confirm no current threat to the East Antarctic sheet – so? Did anyone say it was not?

  15. SJT says

    Poison Ivy is a weed. When environmental conditions are changing or unstable, weeds have the advantage.

  16. Anthony says

    Jen, lest quantity, more quality please.

    I am hanging out to see global warming is nothing to worry about but all that gets posted here is drivel.

    Why is it always up to Luke to screen the rubbish posts…

  20. Anthony says

    thats fine Jen, happy to play in the sandpit, but it doesn’t change that you are posting information that is misleading as it misinterprets the findings of scientific reports. As far as I am aware, I have not done this.

    As someone who relies heavily on appealing to their scientific credientials, I would have thought you would find your standards concerning.

  22. roger says

    Try tidying up the grammar and spelling first Anthony before trying to correct others.