naked capitalism

eric anderson says:

re Kiribati

from the Kiribati government website: “On Kiribati sea-level have been measured on Tarawa only since 1974. Over this period, to the end of 2008, average sea-level rise has been at a rate of about 1.8 mm per year. Since 1993 the rate has been 3.5 mm per year but at lease some of this increase in rate is likely to be due to natural climate variability influences rather than wholly due to any long-term increase in the rate of sea-level rise.”

I wanted to see the actual Kiribati measurements on-site. They are consistent with satellite measurements of sea level rise. http://sealevel.colorado.edu The average over the period is 3.2mm/year. If this trend continues, that would mean a rise of 320mm, roughly 1/3 meter, in 100 years. Even that much (a 1 foot rise) could be a problem for very low elevation islands. But sea levels have been rising for 20,000 years, and even in the absence of man, would likely rise until the next ice age hits.

Note on this wikipedia graph that several thousand years ago (difficult to date precisely on the scale of the graph), sea level was as much 10 meters higher than current level.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sea_level_temp_140ky.gif

Perhaps Kiribati is not a good spot for perpetual human settlement.

While I disagree with President Tong about the impact of greenhouse gases, I applaud him for his attitudes on conservation, motivated by the Christian faith and Judeo-Christian principles of the Kiribati people. This is consistent with Old Testament principles of conservation. (Deuteronomy 22:6)

If I believed that man was primarily responsible for global warming, I would agree with President Tong. As a Christian, I agree we must sacrifice to help those adversely impacted by our actions. I am not at all convinced that we understand the feedbacks, which are much stronger than the direct effects of CO2 itself. And connecting individual events, like Katrina, to global warming (as Tong does) is sophistry, not science. There has been no statistical increase in severe storm activity (including hurricanes) in the US in the past half-century.

jest says:

That weight loss study was taken *way* out of context. It’s another example of editors doing a piss-poor job of titling articles.

This is what the study said:

“no or modest weight loss with exercise alone”

It did not say:

“exercise won’t make you thin”

which is the title of the article.

The key to weight loss has always been diet AND exercise, not just exercise.

Also, the study appeared to be about “short-term” weight loss, not long term weight loss which is really what matters.

I feel like economists, journalists, and sports nutritionists have been in the same boat, staring at their navels for quite some time. You’d think the movie ’300′ would be enough to cause the “exercise does not cause fat loss” meme to die off, but it keeps pulling a Lazarus on us.

frosty zoom says:

turkeys, turkeys, turkeys…..

i’ve seen flocks of up to 30 at point pelee national park in southern ontario.

there were none 8 years ago.

the park staff are hoping the recently arrived coyotes will eat them but we’ve yet to find coyote feces with feathers — lots of rabbit fur, though..

speaking of thanksgiving: i was driving up trumbull avenue in detroit right next to the ruins of tiger stadium. the light had just turned green when, FLAP! FLAP! a giant pheasant (the largest i’ve ever seen) flew right in front of my car.

as it was u.s. thanksgiving, i said a little prayer for the the fella…

emca says:

The dog in the photo appears to be a Pyrenean Mountain Dog (a.k.a. Great Pyrenees). A dog originally bred to defend the flock, its size, strength and demeanor are especially well suited to repelling wolves, bear and other such low-lifes from the herd.

The dog is somewhat regarded as poor candidate for accelerated canine intelligence, in part because of its slow, laggard motions, in part because of their independent streak and seemly inability to follow orders. The first is explained by their innate ability to not disturb the herd with quick motions, the latter by the necessity of having a gaurdian capable of making decisions based on independent circumstances in unsupervised settings i.e. determining what’s best for the flock without being directed full time by a shepherd.

Probably not a good pet for a typical, sedentary suburban lifestyle the dog’s markedly territorial, barks copiously at strangers, needs plenty of vigorous exercise and as one who has experienced the joys of a similar breed, shed continuously with the only relapse being periods of heavy-duty hair loss from their two ample coats of fur.

Nevertheless, their fierceness when confront by adversaries, their loyalty to the flock, their gentle temperament with a family and above all, their heart, make the Pyrenean make them good choice, particularly if you have a herd of Alpacas to ‘guard’.

Another thought, one can learn from dogs, not because dogs are like people, but because dogs and people are ground in a common organic substrate displayed most commonly in their social interaction with those whose association they share, humans.