William Connolley stumbles into the minefield that is defining the Australian drought: Australia hasn’t got a mega-drought, only a 10-15% reduction in rainfall. Many commenters complain, mostly offering up the absolutely useless evidence offered by alarmist news stories from the Australian press. Lab Lemming nails it by noting that drought is best defined by societal …
Blue iris 4-20 Originally uploaded by heinemanfleck. Our big iris bloom is getting underway – my favorite garden time of the year. And, based on previous phenology, right on schedule.
A riff on skin moisturizers might seem a bit frivolous by way of explaining California’s current drought conditions, but it would not be the first time the reality of Southern California clashed with its iconic image: Julia Sandoval, an aesthetician at the Ra Organic Spa in Burbank, has been living it up with creams containing …
I wish I’d had a camera, but I’ll have to attempt a word picture instead. I was out riding in the foothills with some friends yesterday morning, doing repeats up the road to the Elena Gallegos picnic area. It’s a gentle and persistent climb that winds up an alluvial fan splaying out of the Sandias. …
Yesterday I pointed to framing by Bob Loux, head of the Nevada’s effort to block Yucca Mountain. Loux used the nuclear transportation danger frame in a presentation before the Sparks City Council, urging the council to pressure the Walker River Paiutes to block rail transportation of waste to Yucca Mountain. Today, we see the results: …
Press release today from the Coal-to-Liquids Coalition: A leading energy developer told Congress today that liquefied coal offers the United States an extraordinary opportunity to take control of its energy destiny in the face of the nation’s growing reliance on foreign fuels and rapidly escalating prices for imported oil. “At today’s prices, coal-to-liquids is economical …
The “loading dock” is a metaphor in the science policy wonk world for a process by which scientists just sorta drop off information for folks, hoping that they somehow find it useful. Mitchell Berger, a New Jersey public health planner had an letter in Science April 6 placing an interesting twist on the issue: It …
Harrison’s Rose Originally uploaded by heinemanfleck. Lissa’s Harrison’s rose is the product of some adventure. Our first try involved stealing a clipping from a certain prominent government building, all Tom Cruise Mission Impossible-like, swooping in like secret agents. But it never took root. Then Tim Berners-Lee invented the Internet, and she bought one on line. …
From the Yucca Mountain debate: Transporting nuclear waste by rail to Yucca Mountain through Reno and Sparks could adversely affect tourism in the area even if there never is an accident. That was the message the Sparks City Council heard Monday from Bob Loux, the executive director of Nevada’s Agency for Nuclear Projects.
UN Security Council climate debate: Britain holds the council presidency this month and organized an open meeting to highlight what its foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, said was the “security imperative” to tackle climate change because it can exacerbate problems that cause conflicts and threatens the entire planet.