Month: April 2006

A load of hot air?

BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | A load of hot air?

Well this post has certainly produced the most heat of any of the almost 250 posts here. Be sure to read the 2nd comment from desmogblog which takes up the challange to rebut the sceptics.

How much has the planet warmed up over the past century? Most people reckon between two and three degrees. They are not even close. The real figure, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is 0.6C. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established in 1988 by two United Nations organizations, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to assess the "risk of human-induced climate change".

It's not surprising most people get it wrong. We are bombarded by stories warning us that global warming is out of control."Dr Cindy Carey, a frog specialist from Colorado University, warns that climate scientists have to be more sceptical of their own research.

"A bad paper that gets a lot of publicity could backfire considerably and they'll say see scientists are trying to convince people of climate change on the back of bad data."

After listing some examples this article (click onthe BBC news link at top-of-page to read) concludes wit this warning, just as the alarmist Al Gore movie (Link to movie trailer) is about to open:

All of the climate scientists we spoke to fervently believe global warming is being caused by human activity. Many agree there's also a major problem with alarmism.

A group of 60 expert Scientists just petitioned the Canadian governemet to caution them against a rush-to-judgement on the cause of Global Warming.

It may be many years yet before we properly understand the Earth's climate system. Nevertheless, significant advances have been made since the protocol was created, many of which are taking us away from a concern about increasing greenhouse gases. If, back in the mid-1990s, we knew what we know today about climate, Kyoto would almost certainly not exist, because we would have concluded it was not necessary.

Click on this link to a Colorado State Climate Science Blog to read up on this new research. It is also being trumpeted by this provocative site.

Fritz Haber

Fritz Haber – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1868 – 29 January 1934) was a German chemist, who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1918 for his development of synthetic ammonia, important for fertilizers and explosives. He is also credited as the "father of chemical warfare" for his work developing and deploying chlorine and other poison gases during World War I; this role is thought to have provoked his wife to commit suicide.

Despite his contributions to the German war effort, Haber was forced to emigrate from Germany in 1934 by the Nazis because of his Jewish background; many of his relatives were killed by the Nazis in concentration camps by another of his creations, Zyklon B. He died in the process of emigration.

Circumcision, Fidelity More Effective HIV Prevention Methods Than Condoms, Abstinence, Researchers Say

Circumcision, Fidelity More Effective HIV Prevention Methods Than Condoms, Abstinence, Researchers Say

A study published in the November 2005 issue of PLoS Medicine of men living in South Africa finds that male circumcision might reduce the risk of men contracting HIV through sexual intercourse with women by about 60%. Male circumcision might also reduce the risk of HIV transmission from HIV-positive men to their female partners, according to a study of couples in Rakai, Uganda (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 2/9).

SketchUp

SketchUp – Home
SketchUp is a simple, free but powerful too, from Google,l for quickly and easily creating, viewing and modifying your 3D ideas.
pencil icon Click on a shape and push or pull it to create your desired 3D geometry.

pencil icon Experiment with color and texture directly on your model.pencil icon Real-time shadow casting lets you see exactly where the sun falls as you model.pencil icon Select from thousands of pre-drawn components to save time drawing.

Los Farallones

Los Farallones
From PRBO Conservation Science on Farallon National Wildlife Refuge. An account of the trials and tribulations of conducting ecological fieldwork on a small, rocky island 28 miles west of San Francisco (37.7 N, 120 W) This is one of the premier marine wild life breeding sanctuaries in the world. Only accredited researches and scientists are allowed to visit here. Great pictures and tales. Check out the waves from thier storm video

Never Mind Mars and Venus: Who Is ‘the Decider’?

Never Mind Mars and Venus: Who Is 'the Decider'? – New York Times
"A year or so after the twins were born," Ms. Keller said, "Rob clearly communicated that he would like another child if I felt up to the challenge. I didn't, so we didn't. He could tell that I felt strongly, and he never pushed the issue. For us, marriage is more a finesse game than a power game. It requires 'the suggester' and 'the discusser' as much as it does 'the decider.' "