Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Archives for May 31, 2009

Earth’s Atmosphere to Cool and Contract: NASA

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THERE is a new forecast from a panel of international scientists who study the sun.  In a media release from Science@NASA, Tony Phillips explains they predict that the sun will remain generally calm for at least another year and this means low solar activity which can have “a profound effect on Earth’s atmosphere, allowing it to cool and contract”. 

Summarizing comment from the expert panel, Dr Phillips explains that “cosmic rays that are normally pushed back by solar wind instead intrude on the near-Earth environment.

The graph shows yearly-averaged sunspot numbers from 1610 to 2008. Researchers believe upcoming Solar Cycle 24 will be similar to the cycle that peaked in 1928, marked by a red arrow.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/29may_noaaprediction.htm

Enron’s Other Secret

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Every penny that leaves the hands of consumers does so by design, the final step in elaborate and often brilliant orchestrations of public policy, all the more brilliant because the public, for the most part, does not know who is profiteering on climate change, or who is aiding and abetting the profiteers.  Read more here.

Defining the Greens (Part 12)

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THE clothes we wear tell something about us including our likely prejudices.  Clothes no doubt also enable others with similar likes and dislikes to find us. 

A regular visitor to this blog sent in this cartoon of Keith in costume for the ‘Defining the Greens’ series.  The cartoon is titled ‘pigeonholed’ which is apparently a transitive verb that can mean to assign to an often restrictive category.

I am not sure whether Keith is a Green or better defined as a Neopagan.

[Read more…] about Defining the Greens (Part 12)