I’m not sure why it is that I’m feeling so lethargic today, but because I am, this is my only article.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:39 (average 5:40). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Religious Agony:
Useless stinking Orb!
Short Takes:
From YouTube (Media Matters Channel): Sean Hannity is echoing Alex Jones
Barf Bag Alert!!
Birds of a feather are Republican assholes! RESIST!!
From Daily Kos: If Antarctica’s ice sheets melted, the worlds oceans would rise by 200 – 210 feet, everywhere. Antarctica holds 6,957,470 cubic miles of ice. That represents over 90% of all the ice on the planet and between 60 to 70% of the worlds fresh water. The sea ice begins to expand at the beginning of winter, and eventually advances by 40,000 square miles per day, surrounding the continent and doubling the size of the ice in Antarctica. The snow that falls takes about 100,000 years to flow to the coast of Antarctica before it breaks off the marine extension of glaciers, or ice shelves, and becomes an iceberg. Once an iceberg breaks off the ice platform, any resistance that it provided to hold back the land ice is lost, and the continental ice can accelerate it’s flow to the southern ocean.
The Conversation notes that for the first time in 7,000 years a phenomenon known as upwelling (the upward flow of warm ocean water to the surface) is rotting the ice shelves from below. It is thought that the upwelling has caused the many ice shelf collapses and ice thinning that we have seen over the past decades.
The ocean surrounding Antarctica is extremely cold, but water over 300m deep, Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW), is about 3⁰C above the melting point of ice. Normally, the very cold water above keeps this away from ice shelves. But in some areas, CDW is spilling onto the shallow Antarctic continental shelf, causing the ice to thin.
Ice shelf thinning has accelerated in recent decades, but the picture is not the same everywhere. While the east of the Antarctic has shown modest gains in ice thickness, the west has outstripped this with significant ice loss – up to 18% in vulnerable areas like the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas.
I can only hope that a 200′ increase in sea level will coincide with a Trump/Pence/Ryan/McConnell/Koch vacation to Mar-a-Lago. RESIST!!
From NY Times: The Environmental Protection Agency has canceled the speaking appearance of three agency scientists who were scheduled to discuss climate change at a conference on Monday in Rhode Island, according to the agency and several people involved.
John Konkus, an E.P.A. spokesman and a former Trump campaign operative in Florida, confirmed that agency scientists would not speak at the State of the Narragansett Bay and Watershed program in Providence. He provided no further explanation.
Scientists involved in the program said that much of the discussion at the event centers on climate change. Many said they were surprised by the E.P.A.’s last-minute cancellation, particularly since the agency helps to fund the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, which is hosting the conference. The scientists who have been barred from speaking contributed substantial material to a 400-page report to be issued on Monday.
The move highlights widespread concern that the E.P.A. will silence government scientists from speaking publicly or conducting work on climate change. Scott Pruitt, the agency administrator, has said that he does not believe human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are primarily responsible for the warming of the planet.
In context with the last Short Take, we are well and truly screwed. RESIST!!
Cartoon:
7 Responses to “Open Thread – 10/23/2017”
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Only elephants should wear ivory! Poachers are the scum of the solar system.
Sure, when all the Antarctic ice melts, Mar-a-lago will be full of mar-a-maids. Unfortunately, a lot of cities will be underwater, along with the homes of people rich and poor.
Sorry about the Broncos.
5:35 I didn’t look up the toxicity of either. The flower looks like it’s in the rosemary family, though.
I suspect the religious agony took a lot of energy out of you. So sorry.
YT/MM – Gee, thanks for the barfing.
DKos – Don’t you mean WHEN Antarctica’s ice sheets melt? Alas, it won’t be that fast – well, not alas – if it happened all at once you and Squatch would both be at severe risk, and also Mitch and many others who don’t deserve it. WRT CDW, I’m glad they used the expression “the melting point of ice,” because, of course, that varies with the distance from the center of the earth. At my (6500 foot/1980 meters plus) altitude, the melting point (and the boiling point) are both noticeably higher than at sea level. Under the ice like that, I suspect the melting point is noticeably lower than at sea level, making it easier to melt.
NYT – The only reason they announced at the last minute, I am sure, was, knowing that the cancellation would “cause talk,” and generate pressure, they wanted the cancellation to stand. Well, we must not let the talk die down. Sigh.
Cartoon – I have been wishing the same thing for decades. I nominate the alligator.
BBA: Well….not to knock the sweet bats around here, and up in Austin, but these guys are bat-Sheet crazy!!
DK: WoW! Another subject of concern and worry. Fracking isn’t going to help this environment either.
NYT: How depressing !!! Yep, we’re screwed !!
Cartoon: So sad. How about the Black Mamba?? instead?
Yea, I thought I heard distant yelling. Bummer about your guys. I’m still in Monday mode so it’s time for a nap. lol. Hope that you have a great relaxing evening, take care, and Thanks, Tom.
MM: Now this is creepy. Alex Jones rants -> ? Sean Hannity copies rant -> ? Drumpf. Alex Jones now has taken Steve Bannon’s place by proxy.
DK: And if Jones influencing Drumpf isn’t scary enough, now it is confirmed that Antarctic ice is melting (rotting) so hard that soon there will be nothing to hold its continental ice formation in place and keep it from sliding and melting into the oceans too. No dike will be high and strong enough to keep 200 feet of water out, so Holland will be completely immersed, but so will all coastal areas. We won’t live to see civilization drown, but wars over resources may have put an end to us all long before the rising waters reach that point. By then there will be nothing left but about 1% of the population scattered over some mountain tops.
NYT: If Scott Pruit is so certain that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are NOT primarily responsible for the warming of the planet, why won’t he allow his own scientists to speak on climate change then? We all know the question to that, and Pruit nor the rest of this administration acting for their puppet masters can’t change the facts by gagging scientists. I hope they realize that soon THEY are the ones held primarily responsible for global warming, sea-level rising and extreme weather.
Cartoon: Elephants are having a hard enough time with all the poaching and slaughter going on without being additionally burdened by being the emblem of one of the the worst political parties in decades. Other parties, like a German party in the 1930s, had the decency to ruin an innocent symbol forever and not an animal.
Thanks all. Hugs!
As much as I liked your ideas for a new Republican mascot, mine is better. See today’s Open Thread.
Puzzle — 5:08 Don’t let the antennae of the butterfly get caught between your teeth! The flower looks like a cosmos, a flower that my father planted in our garden when I was young. Here’s a picture — it is part of the sunflower family with almost feathery leaves that tickle, and yes, that resemble rosemary.
Media Matters — “Birds of a feather are Republican assholes!” — AMEN!!!
If they are birds (the Association of Birds and Bird-brains are going to sue you!), perhaps they could fly away together . . . like the phoenix, head to the sun!
Daily Kos — “I can only hope that a 200′ increase in sea level will coincide with a Trump/Pence/Ryan/McConnell/Koch vacation to Mar-a-Lago.” — And please make sure that Alex Jones, Sean Hannity and Steve Bannon are there too!!!
The human race has abused this planet since time immemorial and continues to do so. It is one thing not to know the science of global warming and climate change, but now we do know the science and yet many still ignore it.
NY Times — I remember a few years ago that a similar situation occurred here under the Harper régime and the scientist was canned. He went on to record and anti-Harper song which you might remember as I posted the video here. I wonder if these scientists have the option to quit the EPA and present their work. It is a decision not easily made.
Cartoon — Looks like the Association of Elephants is about to tell Republicans what they think of their misappropriation of an elephant likeness. Now that is going to stink . . . but less than Republicans!
Had a very busy day yesterday with all sorts of errands. I was totally bush whacked last night and slept so well that I woke up late. Hope your day today is better.
DK: Saw that yesterday. If so much other than Mar-a-Largo would not also be under water, I would say, let the dam burst!
NYT: Here the bastard is borrowing a page from the very G.W. Bush he derided so recently. Bush fed the BS about “Fake Science,” and silenced whomever he could.