thinking about climate change

In the past I've tried to link to thoughtful information about climate change.   Here is more useful information and analysis that helps puts opinions like those of George Will in perspective.

From The Loom: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2009/07/23/george-wills-crack-fact-checkers-continue-their-nap/

monadnock 2009

From our yearly hike - July 4th this year.   White dot up, white cross down.

 

 

Another note - we talked to a fit guy who was doing four laps.   Bottom to top four times in one day.   Something to strive for?

deer and dogwoods

Did I mention we're annoyed about the deer eating our dogwoods?   Really annoyed?  Anyway, if you look closely, you will see her at work....  (Very closely)

recently, in Cambridge

recent wildlife sitings

It continues to be an active year for wildlife here, including some new visitors we haven't seen before.

1. Deer continue to be present, and they're annoying us due to their taste for our dogwoods.

2. We've sees a bluish-grey hummingbird checking out our upstairs and downstairs decks.  The cats are wild about it.

3. We've seen a Turkey and her 13 or 14 little turklets.
3a. But not recently.

4. We've seen a grey fox; first time ever.  Perhaps related to 3a.

mt greylock

Hiked some, CCC Dynamite trail was funky due to lots of fallen trees.  Cleared a bit.  Here are a few snaps:

recently, in or near London

Mostly in Kew Gardens or Hampstead Heath.

walked yesterday at Great Meadows

Here are a few photos:

Turtle, Mound (nest), Snake (look closely), Frog, and can anyone tell us if those are Grebes in the last picture?   [Update: Thanks to an alert commenter those aren't Grebes, but are American Coots.  Here is the Wikipedia entry to further confirm: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Coot - Thanks AlanB]

why progress is hard

This insightful blog post by Julian Sanchez  demonstrates, here in the context of climate change debates, why making ratonal progress in the public sphere can be so hard.

see: http://www.juliansanchez.com/2009/04/06/climate-change-and-argumentative-fallacies/

Money snippet:

Actually, I have a possible advantage here as a peddler of horseshit: I need only worry about what sounds plausible. If my opponent is trying to explain what’s true, he may be constrained to introduce concepts that take a while to explain and are hard to follow, trying the patience (and perhaps wounding the ego) of the audience.

challenges

found this (more or less) on the web:

"View all problems as challenges.
Look upon negativities that arise as opportunities to learn and to grow.
Don't run from them, condemn yourself, or bury your burden in saintly silence.
You have a problem? Great.
More grist for the mill. Rejoice, dive in, and investigate."