deer

recent local nature photos

These photos were snapped nearby over the course of the last week or two. There would also have been a picture of a rabbit who had started living under our deck, but his own carelessness was taken advantage of by a local hawk. Yum.

The Climate Change Peril That Insurers See

From WashPo: The Climate Change Peril That Insurers See

While I think action is required at the national government and international level as well regarding climate change, I wouldn't underestimate the rationality and power of the insurance industry.
Snippet:

Lloyd's has warned: "The insurance industry must start actively adjusting in response to greenhouse gas trends if it is to survive." The Association of British Insurers has called on governments to "stem ominous weather related trends" by cutting carbon emissions. U.S.-based companies AIG and Marsh -- respectively, the largest insurer and broker -- have joined with other corporate leaders to urge Congress to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 60 to 80 percent by mid-century. AIG's policy statement on climate change "recognizes the scientific consensus that climate change is a reality and is likely in large part the result of human activities that have led to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the earth's atmosphere."

Update: About governmental action being that the government needs to take it.... From WaPo: Bush's EPA Is Pursuing Fewer Polluters. Snippet:

"The Environmental Protection Agency's pursuit of criminal cases against polluters has dropped off sharply during the Bush administration, with the number of prosecutions, new investigations and total convictions all down by more than a third, according to Justice Department and EPA data."
...
"The number of civil lawsuits filed against defendants who refuse to settle environmental cases was down nearly 70 percent between fiscal years 2002 and 2006, compared with a four-year period in the late 1990s, according to those same statistics. "

music podcasts

Here are a few podcasts and related sites I enjoy and can recommend:

Dub Session, with podcast URL: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Dub_Session

Radio Three Sixty, with podcast URL: itpc://www.threesixtyrecords.net/podcasts/radiothreesixtymp3.xml

blogariddms, via weareie, with podcast URL: http://www.weareie.com/audio/blogariddims/Blogariddims.xml

can't forget Duke Listens!, Idolator, Pitchfork, and Fluxblog. All link to downloads from time to time; the Idolator podcast seems spotty (or it has moved.)

I subscribe to the podcasts via iTunes, and either burn them to CD to listen in the car, or download them to my shuffle.