Hi Jennifer
When you put the article about 650 scientists a while back I found I could not access it. I also noticed in the blog others who stated they could not access it either. I also found no US Senate page was accessible. After trying various things and knowing I could access it from work I asked my ISP if they were blocking it. After several days it was determined no they weren’t but on tracing the request it was getting to the senate but there it was being blocked.
On finding this I put a polite request to the Senate’s webmaster giving all the detail I had. On not receiving a reply that gave any information I started tonight to check my computer’s configuration more rigorously only to find I can access it without any problems. So if you know anyone else who had problems with this you can suggest they give it another try.
Mike O’Ceirin
FLYNN ACT
Australia
If Global Warming causes Extreme Weather, at what global temperature did it not happen?
Community
Finalists for The 2008 Weblog Awards have been announced
There were over 5,000 nomination for us to sort through and visit, and it was a very difficult task. When the process pushed the potential voting dates too close to Christmas we made the decision to hold off voting until after the New Year.
From all of the nominations we have selected nearly 500 finalists in
48 categories. The full list of finalists is here:
http://2008.weblogawards.org/site-news/2008-weblog-awards-finalists/
[JenniferMarohasy.com/blog has made it into the finals in the online community category!!]
Finalist badges will be available Wednesday. Voting is scheduled to begin January 5.
Thank you for participating and spreading the word!
_______________________________
Kevin Aylward
The Weblog Awards <http://weblogawards.org/>
New Report on Australian Rangelands
The rangelands cover some 81% of Australia and are popularly known as ‘the outback’.
A new report, ‘Rangelands 2008 — Taking the pulse’, is the first time that disparate datasets have been brought together at a national and regional scale to report change in Australia’s rangelands.
The hard copy version of Rangelands 2008 — Taking the pulse includes a CD with a hypertext-linked version of the complete report plus summarised information for each of the 52 bioregions wholly or partly within the rangelands. Copies can be ordered from Land and Water Australia at http://products.lwa.gov.au/products/pn21387.
The Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts has published a booklet entitled Australia’s Rangelands 2008 — At a Glance which provides highlights from the complete report as well as the CD above. This booklet can be obtained from the DEWHA Community Information Unit.
Mars Rover & Carbon Emissions
Mars has a simple climate compared to earth – but NASA now admits that its GCM for Mars just does not predict the climate.
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE4BF0AA20081216
Is it posisble that carbon emissions from the Mars Rovers is destabilising the atmosphere – bringing the entire plaent closer to a “Tipping Point”?
I am pretty worried about this – so any comments would be welcome.
John Menzies
Saving African Animals
A note from the African Wildlife Foundation:
“We need to help develop understanding everywhere, seek the courage and energy to make change, and have the confidence to envision bold, new programs to effect permanent solutions to guarantee the perpetuation and growth of Africa’s unparalleled wildlife.
“Help save mountain gorillas, elephants, lions, rhinos, giraffes (and more) – and their habitat! When you do, you’ll receive AWF’s quarterly newsletter and our 15-month calendar with stunning photos of African wildlife.
“Plus, you can take pride that you are making a difference for Africa’s wildlife and wild lands.
More Scepticism in the Mainstream Media
Folks,
As you might expect, Australia’s Canberra Times is a conformist newspaper that mostly goes along with the capital’s political fashions, and has long run the alarmist AGW line. Over the weekend there has been a turn-around. Their economics editor, a well respected David Alexander, has written a long opinion piece plus a news item, in which amongst other things to concedes that some of the climate critics are highly qualified and (based on the NZ precedent) suggests the possibility of a parliamentary enquiry into the ETS, about which he says “Much would be learnt, the public would be enthralled. Surely there is nothing to be afraid of?”.
This, and especially the understated rhetorical question, is a stunning development.
On top of which, retired ANU economics professor Richard Mulgan has an editorial in today’s Times that sings the praises of scepticism in general!
Finally, at the same time, our ABC has run an article about “carbon baggers” (lovely term!) chasing aboriginal interests, about which the blog response is almost entirely “a plague on the ETS house”.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/15/2446106.html
Things are moving, and by the sweetest irony that on the very day that the Rudd government has plumped for a timorous (though still silly, because it won’t have the faintest possible influence on future
temperature) 5% ETS rate.
Cathy
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.