apple juice

one of the consequences of getting a nest thermostat is that we keep our house a good deal colder than previously. we have it set at 62 currently, cold enough that holiday visitors have commented on whether our heat was working.

apparently, there may be some science to it. I’ve long been known for eating a ton of food and having the metabolism to match. as a teenager this was somewhat normal, but now as a mid-30 year old dude, it is slightly less endearing and more concerning for those around me. And yet, my weight has long hovered at a pretty normal place.

after reading this article, The Benefit of Being Cold, I’m wondering if there is some correlation to the many hours I spent freezing on the “mountains” of Minnesota training for ski racing and my metabolism.

so, maybe instead of layering up with the house at 62, I’ll take this sweatshirt off.

So I’m blogging again…

The Battle Over Climate Science | Popular Science

“In the late 1990s, Mann developed a graph that demonstrated a recent and dramatic uptick in global mean surface temperatures. The hockey-stick-shaped curve has become emblematic to both sides of the climate debate. To the vast majority of climate scientists, it represents evidence, corroborated by decades of peer-reviewed research, of global warming. To climate-change skeptics, the hockey stick is the most grievous of many illusions fabricated by thousands of conspiring scientists to support an iniquitous political agenda.”

If you “believe” in global warming, this article will just be mind-boggling to you. It is funny to even have to say “believe”. We can’t even talk about solutions in this country – we’re still debating whether we “believe” the overwhelming evidence of climate change.

Had a good discussion with Doug the other day about climate change and factors contributing to it. I was discussing my goal to cut back on driving and he pointed out (correctly) that personal transportation is not the majority of the problem. (Though it is about 30% of it)

Luckily, it seems, that presented will silly hot temperatures and brain-eating amoebas, wild fires, droughts, public opinion is shifting on the issue.

So why has it not been made an issue in the presidential campaign? (Rhetorical question) Obama should seize on this and let Romney and Ryan writhe around in denial, trying to speak to their base. As governor, Romney was pretty moderate, but as a republican presidential candidate you have to worry about things, like appeasing the oil and gas industry.

Mitt Romney’s shifting views on climate change

The longer he runs for president, the more doubts Republican front-runner Mitt Romney seems to have about the science behind global climate change.

Hmm…

guilty for loving burgers. I wish the costs were upfront at the register. I’m telling you, a carbon tax is a good idea. Free markets rely on good information, and when you don’t have the full story when you make your decisions at the store – we make “sub-optimal” decisions.

In a post-election news conference, President Obama noted that it was doubtful that Congress would do anything to address global warming “this year or next year or the year after.”

Maybe the year after that?

Here’s a little hope: A Novel Tactic in Climate Fight Gains Some Traction