In the comments here a while back, Benny Peiser, publisher of the invaluable CCNet electronic newsletter, said this: John As you know, CCNet publishes *both* sides in the numerous climate change debates. It was with that in mind that I read Benny’s latest CCNet missive: “MORE TROUBLE FOR IPCC AS SCIENTISTS PREDICT SOLAR DOWNTURN & …
One of my favorite bike racers, Alexandre Vinokourov, is winning the Vuelta. Vinokourov is a great joy to watch – an unpredictable, attacking racer with a flair for the dramatic. I had no idea he was winning. It’s not that I intentionally boycotted the Vuelta. I just got out of the daily habit of checking …
Continue reading ‘The Practical Effect of Cycling’s Doping Scandals’ »
There’s been an interesting discussion in the drought community about the use of the weekly drought monitor for making determinations about who’s entitled to drought benefits. The problem is that the monitor’s maps are a subject blend of the best judgment of a community of people about drought conditions, intended as an informational tool. When …
And thus it begins: I am El Niño! All other tropical storms must bow before El Niño! Yo soy El Niño! For those of you who don’t “habla Español”, El Niño is Spanish for.. The Niño! To any of you hurricanes who are listening, step on up! Because nobody can take El Niño! I challenge …
As soon as you cherrypick to support your side of the argument, you lose any moral authority to accuse the other guys of impropriety when they do it. See Roger Pielke Jr.’s post today: Such tactics have been criticized as cherrypicking and misrepresentation by critics of the use of science by those on the political …
In the climate change debate, both sides have an incentive to scientize – to argue about the science rather than the resulting value/political/policy propositions. Those who advocate greenhouse gas reductions believe that the science is clear and compels a particular policy response. Those who oppose greenhouse gas reductions have found great success by arguing over …
Another contribution to the bike helmet debate (see also here): Drivers get more than 3.1in (8cm) closer to cyclists wearing helmets than they do to bare-headed riders and female cyclists are given more room on the road than male riders, according to a survey from the University of Bath. Dr Ian Walker, a traffic psychologist, …
I’ve said before that Kelly Redmond is something of a national treasure. This interview by Kit Stolz is a good reminder of why. In an age of scientific generalization, Kelly, deputy director of the Western Regional Climate Center, is the quintessential generalist in a couple of different ways. First, he’s conversant with all the key …
A friend on the opposite part of the planet sends along this, and wonders whether it’s an outlier or a harbinger of bad ski seasons to come: The non-profit group that runs southern Tasmania’s ski-tows is facing a loss of thousands of dollars after a snow-free winter. With the season due to end in three …
Not bottled water, apparently: The United Church of Canada (UCC) is advising its 590,000 members to stop buying bottled water, and expressing concern at a number of levels around the issue of water consumption. “The main thrust is our concern about the privatization of water,” UCC social policy coordinator Richard Chambers told the Canadian Press. …