Climate Part Two

The disingenousness of a local media celebrity, one of the "talent" at a local media outlet on the subject of Global Warming has been one of about 10 factors driving my research into this complex subject.

An earlier post on this blog ( Sunday, June 29, 2008) alluded to some of the issues involved, so they'll not be repeated here. However, I'll post a resource for those who want to understand how much science is behind the theory of Global Warming.

Checkout the links here http://www.n1yz.com/Climate_Change_Matrix.htm
to "read more about it".

Enjoy!

There are reflections around us, constantly shifting as we move, changing color, angle, tint, hue. Sometimes they can be captured...as this one was at a small country church.

Evening of Alabama Designer-Craftsmen Guild Art Show

The saturday evening of the ADC Guild annual art show at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens is traditionally meal time for the artists. After wonderful fellowship around the table and super food I went for a walk. The sun was setting and I took some shots. This one was taken looking southwest on the upper walkway that leaves the Botanical Gardens building on the second floor and takes you to the Gardens themselves.

It was an enjoyable evening all around.

My wife's ( the artist ) blog:

http://debsthreads.blogspot.com/

The artistic technique of felting - 4 Pieces by my wife Debbie

Poster Child ?

Not me! But, when I mentioned that I owned and rode a bicycle in a meeting where volunteers were being solicited for a corporate wide health kick, the inevitable happened.

See picture :)

A potential tropical storm right off shore from Mobile

We'd better watch #1 - it's pretty close to home :)

CZC MIATWOAT ALL
TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM 
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
200 PM EDT SAT AUG 2 2008

FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

1. A SURFACE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE ACCOMPANIED BY CLOUDINESS AND
SHOWERS HAS MOVED INTO THE NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO. LITTLE
MOTION IS ANTICIPATED TODAY OR SUNDAY...AND ENVIRONMENTAL
CONDITIONS APPEAR TO BE FAVORABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT DURING THE NEXT
DAY OR TWO.  IF NECESSARY...A RECONNAISSANCE PLANE WILL INVESTIGATE
THE AREA ON SUNDAY.

Its 107 degrees out side ( heat index )

When you step outside, you feel insulted: baked, broiled, fried, really well done. Yikes, it does not feel very comfortable. Blazing heat combined with suffocating humidity created heat index values that have been over 100 degrees for the last four hours.

A visitor to our tomato patch

This squirrel is standing on the deck railing looking around. He is standing by the tallest part of our tiny tomato patch. Fortunately he has no interest in the tomatos.

In this 100 degree heat all manner of critters have been seen on our deck checking out the water bowls, bird seed, and the like.

The climate is getting in my way

About 7 months ago a relative asked me what I believed about climate change and the assertion that the global climate was warming. This relative also asked me if I had come to terms with the possibility that anthropogenic processes were contributing to any climate change taking place.

Ok, let us back up a bit and define the term 'anthropogenic'; the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary defines it as "of, relating to, or resulting from the influence of human beings on nature" .

Now let us break up my relatives' query into some definitive questions that would need to be answered, and suggest an order in which they may be tackled.

• one, is the global climate undergoing change?
• two, is the global climate warming, cooling, or remaining statistically average?
• three, is mankind contributing to climate change in any way?
• four, if mankind is contributing to climate change in any way, is there a way to reduce, nullify, or reverse any anthropogenic changes?

Well, these four "small questions" have the potential to develop into an enormous research project. How does one even consider tackling issues like this? Where do you start? What pitfalls lie ahead? What standards do you apply to interpreting research? What part does philosophy play in this quest? Is anyone attempting to mislead me? What sources are trustworthy? Where will I encounter people with hidden agendas?

In face of the enormity of the questions and the potential for encountering intellectual quicksand at many turns, I answered my relative's question thusly: while I've kept in touch with some of these issues in a superficial manner for over two decades, to really deal with the competing viewpoints and information available I'm going to dedicate the next two years to finding out what I can to make an intelligent response to your question.

Yikes! What was I thinking of when I responded? Who on earth can add a two year long research project to their lives? Like many of you I work 40+ hours a week, have family commitments and do volunteer work. When will this research fit in to my life?

Well, the answer is: in bursts! Yet, during the last 7 months I've read several hundred pages of research papers put out by climatologists, physicists, chemists, and meteorologists. During this time frame it has been fruitful to delve into dozens of web sites, scores of blogs, and even engage in email discussions. I've "travelled the world" in this research reading articles from Canada, England, Germany, Australia, South Africa, the United States, and another half dozen other countries.

I've also been surprised at some of the things discovered along the way: namely,

• some people with evidence of an education display an appalling lack of intellectual honesty,
• a lot of evidence of disingenuous arguementation,
• noted ignorance of the simple logical fallacies in their presentation of arguements,
• a willingness to ignore (and conceal) presuppositional paradigms in theory development.

Now, this above post does suggest a couple of things about me and my perspective that I've not revealed. Firstly, I graduated from Western Kentucky University with a B.A. in Philosphy & Religion. My philosophical education trained me in deconstructing logical arguementation and illuminating logical fallacies. Secondly, I've been passionately engaged in the study of meteorology and weather for over 35 years. Finally, my passionate commitment to the "truth", drives all of my intellectual interests. My intellectual roadmap does not illustrate all of the waypoints on that map. I'm going to travel to where the search for truth leads.

Ok, this is all for now..... there will be more forthcoming.

Blessings,

Rod

Fast Trip to North Carolina

This picture was taken from the cabin where we stayed. What an incredible view. Had to scrape, melt, off the snow flakes and ice from the windshield this morning.