Sharing photos, videos, vintage images I've discovered, and -- occasionally -- commentary and thoughts from retired life and travels.

January 2010

A Fox News.com article says that some UN claims related to the impact of climate change on the Amazon forest are based on a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report that was not peer reviewed and only remotely connected to the Amazon.

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In the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), issued in 2007 by the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), scientists wrote that 40 percent of the Amazon rainforest in South America was endangered by global warming.

But that assertion was discredited this week when it emerged that the findings were based on numbers from a study by the World Wildlife Federation that had nothing to do with the issue of global warming — and that was written by a freelance journalist and green activist.

The IPCC report states that "up to 40 percent of the Amazonian forests could react drastically to even a slight reduction in precipitation" — highlighting the threat climate change poses to the Earth. The report goes on to say that "it is more probable that forests will be replaced by ecosystems … such as tropical savannas."

But it has now been revealed that the claim was based on a WWF study titled "Global Review of Forest Fires," a paper barely related to the Amazon rainforest that was written "to secure essential policy reform at national and international level to provide a legislative and economic base for controlling harmful anthropogenic forest fires."

Read the rest of the Fox News.com article.

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Dodged an icy bullet!

January 29, 2010

We’ve been watching this storm system move our way all week – and we’ve been getting ready for it.

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Yesterday, the weather forecast was that we could get as a .75 inch coating of ice on trees and power lines – enough ice to be disastrous.

Fortunately, though, the ice here didn’t get more than a quarter of an inch. Fortunately, the freezing rain changed to sleet and, later, snow.

It was enough, though, that we didn’t venture out all day – no need.  We’ve got about 4 inches of snow on top of the ice.

We were ready, though, just in case.

One of the first things I did was to move the motorhome between the house and the shop.  The area where it is normally parked is next to and under several large pines.  After our close call last year, when an ice storm dropped branches, power lines and even whole trees not too far north of us, we decided that we would move it to a safer location if another ice storm was forecast for our area.

We also made sure we had enough groceries, which we did.

Just in case we lost power like we did last year, I had topped off the fuel tank in the motorhome.  I also moved our other smaller generator up to the front porch and made sure I found the cords for running power to the refrigerator, fireplace blower, computers and TV.

Despite the winter weather we’ve had this year, we haven’t lost power this season – yet!

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yellowjacket on purple thistle flower, along lower Fall River Road, Rocky Mountains National Park, September 2, 2009

We had parked near the Alluvial Fan parking lot and I had walked across Fall River Road to get a different angle on the scenery for photos.  This image is one of a number of thistle plants in bloom.

Along lower Fall River Road, Rocky Mountains National Park, September 2, 2009

Gallery: Fall River and Trail Ridge – September 2, 2009

See more of our Image Galleries at Haw Creek.

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Climategate rolls on

January 28, 2010

The University of East Anglia violated the freedom of information laws, but is not likely to face legal action because time limits in the law have expired, according to a Norwich Evening News article (UK).

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Norwich’s flagship university was at the centre of a new row today after it emerged it broke the law by refusing to hand over its raw data for public scrutiny in the climate change row over stolen emails. 

The reputation of the University of East Anglia’s world renowned climatic research unit (CRU)was shaken to the core last year after emails posted on the internet from researchers including its director Prof Phil Jones appeared to suggest ways of avoiding freedom of information requests together with a “trick” to explain away an apparent fall in global temperatures.

Read the rest of the Norwich Evening News article.

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According to the UK government’s chief scientific advisor, Professor John Beddington, the impact of climate change has been exaggerated by climate scientists.  He also says that scientists should be more honest about how difficult climate change is to predict  and less hostile to those who question anthropogenic global warming, according to a Mail Online article.

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And he condemned those who refuse to publish full report data, adding that public confidence in climate science would be boosted by greater honesty about its uncertainties.

Professor Beddington was speaking in the wake of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) admission that it had made a mistake by claiming that Himalayan glaciers could melt away by 2035.

That followed the ‘Climategate’ row over whether researchers at East Anglia University manipulated evidence to support a theory of man-made global warming.

Read more the rest of the Mail Online article.

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Berries

January 27, 2010

berries on fern lake trail, Rocky Mountain National Park

Fern Lake Trail, Rocky Mountain National Park.

Gallery: Fern Lake Trail – September 5, 2009

See more of our Image Galleries at Haw Creek.

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