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.

New Year - Old Back

Well, it is not yet the new year, but the old back has made it's presence known. Yesterday, my neurosurgeon called me at work to state that I had a ruptured disk (again). Ah, the joys of a lost L5/S1 . Well, "back" to the drawing board! Once again, patience and zenlike movements will be called for to assist in the recovery.


that is all from "back here", what is going on where you live???

A Tail of Two Weathers

Well, the official map from last week tells in part, a dreary tale, a tail of two weathers.

One tail, is the tail we normally grab in October, a tail of a kite. October is the driest month of the year and sometimes a windy month. It makes for great fun outdoors. In October the cool breezes of fall commence and summer is a distant memory. Except now.

The second tail, is the tail of the drought. We've grabbed it by the tail and it is slinging us against a brick wall. We are 18 inches shy of the average rain fall for this year. We've only received 23 inches. Weeds are dying, trees are dying, birds are dying, the grass is, in many places, long since dead. What a year! You know it has been a year of crazy weather when August posts the largest monthly rainfall in the previous 12 months.

This drought has weighed heavily upon the psyche. People are experiencing mental abberations that have their genesis in the lack of rain. The sight of a dark cloud has been known to send thousands to the windows of homes, apartments, office towers, glass pressed with faces all hoping for a sight of falling rain.

On top of the drought has been temperatures hotter than hell. August, the hottest month in my life, continued though September and October unabated. The forecast high for Tuesday October 9th, is the same temperature you'd expect for July 9th, 92 degrees. Is it Global Warming? Who knows? But it certainly is LOCAL WARMING! Local warming all over the place.

Stay cool, do a rain dance, keep praying.

Railroad Earth In Concert in Birmingham

Mark Twain Says it Again - Almost 100 years ago

"And now the whole nation--pulpit and all--will take up the war-cry, and shout itself hoarse, and mob any honest man who ventures to open his mouth; and presently such mouths will cease to open. Next the statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and refuse to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque self-deception."

- Mark Twain "The Mysterious Stranger" (1910)

Thanks to Tim Carbone, of Railroad Earth & Kings in Disguise for publishing part of this quote

Railroad Earth: Birmingham

Birmingham Railroad through the center of town, between Powell and Morris avenues. Daylight shot, indigo shot, and white out shot.

Celebrating the arrival of RAILROAD EARTH this coming week in Birmingham Alabama: http://www.railroadearth.com/high_band/home/

On the way to Charlie's Bunion: 30 years of time travel

It was a chilly day for sure, the picture of my better half hiking companion, Debbie, reveals how cold she was. We had hiked over from Newfound Gap and were enjoying the day when we stopped to take photos of each other. I appear asleep here....who knows maybe sleep walking :) There are few photos that show the Baxter State parka, made by LL Bean, that was purchased in Freeport, ME, during the summer trips of 1976. It was the first of several parkas worn (out) over the last 32 years. The boots were Vasque, and they did not last too many years longer. But man, they saw some trails and peaks !

Debbie showed the love of fibers that continues to this day by her preference for a beautiful multi colored yarn sweater.

Our gear was rather basic....but the hiking sticks were superb! Hand carved from fallen trees, or perhaps, I fell the trees and then carved them. Ah, it is so hard to get those kind of facts straight these days.

And the view, the trail, the rocks, the moss, the shafts of sunlight penetrating the leaves and needles and stirring fantastic shapes on the trail. It was a GREAT Day to be together and be Alive !

Arwen Congratulates Debbie On Her Passing The Jury

Debbie passed the jury to be come a juried member of the ADC. Arwen shows her approval by becoming closely attached to a piece of felting that Debbie had done earlier :)

See The Sea anemone

Tonight Debbie became a juried member of the Alabama Designer Craftsman (ADC)! This is a great accomplishment and reflects a huge commitment to her art. Her art that was used for the judging was "felting". The creation and artistic work in taking wool and turning it into felt. The piece photographed here, "Sea Anemone" will be used in the special preview show leading up to the annual show held at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

Congratulations Debbie !!

With old friends you just pick up where you left off

David and his daugher Tess were at a meeting in Alabama back in March of this year. We connected at the Cracker Barrel in Gardendale while they were on their way back to Ledbetter, KY. It was great to see them again!

It is rather amazing, but proven many times in my experience: with old friends you just pick up the conversation you left off with the last time you met. This we were able to do without any effort.

Love and Peace,

Rod

This picture is worth a thousand words. It is a chart showing the high and low temperatures at my weather station for the past month. Without expanding the picture one story is obvious, it is getting warmer as you move from left to right. What is personally interesting is what you see in the last six day's data: the high is over 100 degrees for six days in a row. In 35+ years of being an amateur meteorologist, I've never experienced six days in a row where the high temperature exceeded 100 degrees.

Wow, that is HOT !

Photographic Proof of What Happened

During June 1974 I flew down to Miami, FL to visit my girlfriend, Debbie, who was to later become my wife. This photo was taken the day we visited Vizcaya http://www.vizcayamuseum.com/ . Well, standing on the stone dock I lost my balance and here you see the photographic evidence of what happened.

A Red, Red Rose

A Red, Red Rose
by Robert Burns


O my luve's like a red, red rose.
That's newly sprung in June;
O my luve's like a melodie
That's sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will love thee still, my Dear,
Till a'the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my Dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun:
I will luve thee still, my Dear,
While the sands o'life shall run.

And fare thee weel my only Luve!
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile!

Recumbent At Last

Well, it took about 5 years to get here, but now I'm riding in comfort. 12-13 years of back issues prevented me from getting upon an upright bike, but my physical therapist said that a recumbent bike would work.

I've only ridden about 25 miles in the last 3 weeks but they have been a lot of fun.

Perhaps I'll see you on the road. Be sure and wave!

Hijinks at Thanksgiving!

My nephew up to some hijinks at the Thanksgiving day gathering of the Scott clan :)

Working Backwards in Time

Sorry for the time confusion- we need Dr. Who to straighten us out. The picture here is from the last trip to the North Carolina mountains, way back in October. For the first time we travelled during peak leaf peeping season (say that 10 times really fast). Here is a small sample of the coloration we saw. Those of you who are more awake than I am now, will note there are no mountains in this photo. True! However, had the photographer turned the camera 180 then a picture of the "front range" of the North Carolina mountains would have covered the horizon. This photo was taken on I-40 just after driving out of the mountains.


The other photo is of the Biltmore Mansion, in Asheville, NC. The statistics on this "home" are too stunning to recall. I just remember that it contained more bathrooms than a certain 16 story office building in downtown Birmingham.

The third photo is one taken of the view from Granfather Mountain. Here we are 5,000' above sea level. Just ignore the photographer on the left side of the picture.

I going to stop now.....especially since while previewing the photo's here the layout seems a bit askew. I'm really not sure how these pictures will correspond with the text. More photos next time!

A trip to the Farm (again)

How time does fly. My last post prior to the blistering heat of summer and now, Thanksgiving is past and Christmas approaches rapidly from the starboard bow. In an earlier post I told of the birth of a cria, to Paco and Rose, two llamas who live west of Columbus, MS. Three weeks ago, Shiloh, was born to the same proud parents. Shiloh is a thriving youngster who requires bottle feeding each day. Here is a picture of her tethered prior to her thrice weekly "training". These sessions last 10 minutes and are designed for Shiloh's benefit.

More later :)

Food for thought

Well, it is time to provide another provocative quotation worthy of thought.

From Theology Today, January 1964, comes a book review of Sacred and Profane Beauty: The Holy In Art, by Gerardus van der Leeuw, 357 pp. New York, Holt, Reinhart & Winston, 1963. $6.50. The reviewer is Joseph M. Kitagawa, from the University of Chicago. The book is discussed here:http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/jan1964/v20-4-bookreview13.htm but the quotation that leaped across my desk to hit me between the eyes comes from van der Leeuw's book:

"It is the curse of theology always to forget that God is love, that is movement. The dance reminds us of it" (p. 74).

Now that is food for thought !

Laura Rebecca Scott, my eldest niece, graduated today magna cum laude from the University of Montevallo. Needless to say she was really excited. We, of course, as her aunt and uncle are really proud of her!