Well, I guess it’s good news that the Bush Administration now acknowledges global warming. But that’s the only bright side of the sad news that the polar bear, the world’s largest land predator, is facing extinction.
Back Again
Well, back to regular life, more or less, such as it is. What did I miss? Ford dying. Well, that was predictable. Wasn’t a fan of the Bush War — again, not surprising. Ford may have been lackluster (I love how the media is trying to hype the most unhype-able of ex-presidents), but he was no dummy. Edwards throws his … Read More
Tornado In London
Don’t worry. I’m sure it has nothing whatsoever to do with global you-know-what: A tornado hit a residential area of London on Thursday, injuring at least six people, according to ambulance service staff. Police were alerted to the tornado in north-west London at around 11 a.m., a Scotland Yard spokeswoman said. One man was taken to hospital suffering from serious … Read More
Leadhead
Give President Bush credit for recognizing an environmental/health problem: "Lead is a persistent and highly toxic substance that can cause a range of environmental and health problems. It has an especially harmful impact on the health of children and infants." – George Bush, April 2001 Of course, that statement was before 9/11, and 9/11 (as we know) changed everything. The … Read More
DeClutter
I have a problem with clutter, and a bigger problem UNcluttering. One of the reasons is that I have a hard time doing it ALL (when of course, if I just did a little at a time, it would eventually get done). Which brings me to this helpful household hint article I discovered: Your home is filled with clutter of … Read More
Earth Is Hotter Than Ever
AP reports: The planet’s temperature has climbed to levels not seen in thousands of years, warming that has begun to affect plants and animals, researchers report in Tuesday’s issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The Earth has been warming at a rate of 0.36 degree Fahrenheit per decade for the last 30 years, according to the research … Read More
Woodsy The Owl To Be Cremated
"Give a hoot, don’t pollute". That’s what Woodsy the Owl used to say. I guess that message no longer conforms to the Bush Administration, who now wants to do away with the environmentally-correct mascot.* In fact, they really want to do away with him. Here are actual instructions from the USDA Forest Service website: Destroying Old Woodsy Owl Costumes – … Read More
Is Bush Warming To Global Warming?
Buried deep in this Time column, you will find this: Previewing the final quarter of Bush’s presidency, officials disclosed to Time that the Administration is formulating a huge energy initiative designed to "change the whole nature of the discussion" and challenge the g.o.p., Democrats, the oil and electricity industries, and environmentalists. An adviser said Bush’s views about global warming have … Read More
McDonalds Hearts Hedgehogs
I don’t think I’ve ever had a McFlurry, but to those who have: Do you know they kill hedgehogs? Yup. Apparently the discarded McFlurry containers trap hedgehogs who stick their head in to get some of that McFlurry McGoodness. And the hedgehogs. But thanks to the fine efforts of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (or NAMBLA), those little bastards won’t … Read More
The Land Was Made For You And Me
Bush had a plan for the Giant Sequoia National Monument, home to two-thirds of the world’s largest trees. He wanted the U.S. Forest Service to open up the 320,000-acre national preserve to loggers. Today, a federal judge said "no".
NOAA Doesn’t Do Debbie
So far this hurricane season, we had tropical storm Alberto, tropical storm Beryl, and tropical storm Chris. The next one was supposed to be named "Debby", giving me an obvious tie-in to "Debbie Does Dallas". But for some reason, NOAA is calling the recently-formed tropical storm "Tropical Depression FOUR". Uh, guys? What about Debby? UPDATE: Oh, I see. Tropical Storm … Read More
How Hot Is It?
It’s so hot that Sandi Fontaine of Bedford, NH is using her car as an oven. Literally. Full story here, including this cooking tip: As a matter of fact, anyone can turn the family car into an oven on wheels.The only requirement, Fontaine said, is the outside temperature has to be at least 95 degrees Fahrenheit. RELATED: On the other … Read More
Pat Robertson Believes In Global Warming
Pat Robertson has always been a little half-baked — like the time he and Jerry Falwell sat around and blamed 9/11 on lesbian sex, or the time he said that Katrina was the sign of the biblical apocalypse. Maybe this heat has converted the doughy mess that was Pat Robertson’s brain into something solid and reasonable. Anyway, it’s a good … Read More
Heat Don’t Lie
USA Today, December 12, 2003: "UN: 2003 Third Hottest Year On Record" USA Today, December 15, 2004: "2004 is the Fourth Hottest Year For World Since 1861, Says UN" Washington Post, October 13, 2005: "New international climate data show that 2005 is on track to be the hottest year on record, continuing a 25-year trend of rising global temperatures." MSNBC, … Read More
Hot Enough For You?
Oddly enough, I haven’t read about blackouts, as power stations fail to meet air conditioning consumption. Maybe that’ll be later this week. UPDATE: Apparently, we’re still okay when it comes to power demands. LATE UPDATE [3:50 p.m.]: Ah here we go: Power outages hit New York subway, LaGuardia