Happy New Year
Today is the warmest New-Year Day in Prague's recorded history. It reached 12.5 degrees Celsius (54.5 degrees Fahrenheit) this afternoon. This beats the old record for January 1st by a full degree Celsius (1.9 degrees Fahrenheit). There is still nearly no snow in the mountains and obviously what little has fallen here in Prague long since melted away.
Contrast that with last year when the mountains had well over six feet of snow, and with every other New Year's Day that I can remember. It is usually well below freezing by now and the temperature rarely creeps above freezing from now until April.
I'm not complaining.
Happy New Year. May it be a healthy and prosperous one for all of you and your families.
Contrast that with last year when the mountains had well over six feet of snow, and with every other New Year's Day that I can remember. It is usually well below freezing by now and the temperature rarely creeps above freezing from now until April.
I'm not complaining.
Happy New Year. May it be a healthy and prosperous one for all of you and your families.
posted by Praguetwin at
10:42 PM
16 Comments:
It's raining in Wisconsin.
By
Mark, at 6:10 AM
While we are crying about the gas prices and that Paris Hilton can't keep her panties on for any longer period of time, the most dangerous situation is staring us straight at our dumbass faces.
Yes, the damn climate change, that is already there to see, is going to really spank us like nothing has before. If the 98% of the most renowned scientists in the world, that usually can't stop arguing about everything under the Sun, agree that this is a real thing, it's the high time for all of us to stop burrowing our heads into our butt holes. That literally stinks.
By
Anonymous, at 10:41 AM
Welcome back Pekka,
I'm not saying it is global warming, but it sure is warm.
Stephanie,
correct me if I'm wrong, but that is highly unusual.
By
Praguetwin, at 10:57 AM
Here on the edge of the Australian outback we recently recorded our coldest December (28) day for 120 years.
That came in at about 15c which is a fair drop from the normal mid 30s up/.
Coastal temps are consistently lower than normal.
Strange world...
By
Cartledge, at 8:41 PM
Strange and extreme.
That seems to be the trend.
By
Praguetwin, at 11:56 PM
PT,
Oh yes, it's is definitely unusual. We've had one snow storm, about a foot, and was melted within two weeks. Then, we've had rain and a little frost. Usually we're buried under snow by now, and it's time to bundle up in layers. Instead, I wear a sweater to go shopping. Very, very unusual. We had a green Christmas, and that's almost never a problem for Wisconsin!
Not that I'm complaining. I like the weather right now. It just doesn't bode well for the rest of the planet...and I certainly don't like watching hurricanes and tsunamis ravage the various shores of the world. Were it just Wisconsin, though, global warming wouldn't be so bad.
By
Mark, at 1:41 AM
Stephanie dear, don't fool yourself by thinking that the "nice" weather is all that there is. Like the most things, it comes with the price tag you are not probably willing to pay. This friging thing is the most serious threath to us all even if the Prince of Chimps refuses to believe it. Btw, it was touch and go with the white Christmas all the way to Lapland.
By
Anonymous, at 3:59 AM
Pekka,
I believe I acknowledged the price with my last comment, i.e. tsunamis and hurricanes for a start. While I am not convinced that global warming is something we have caused, since it's happened numerous times in the history of this planet with no explanations that we've been able to ascertain at this point, I do readily recognize that global warming is both happening and potentially devestating. Actions can be taken on a global scale to compensate for some of it, but that too will require more sacrifice and life-style changes than most people are willing to make. The threat will have to be more than hypothetical for people to make the substantial changes necessary to ensure safety and prosperity for as many as possible. But, honestly, I doubt human beings are ready to cooperate to the extent they will need to for a successful transition into a warm spell.
By
Mark, at 6:57 AM
Stephanie, you did indeed make a reference to the natural occurrances that come with the climate change. However, they were "half assed", and that suspision of mine was confirmed by your latest doubt filled comment.
Your take on this, now totally supported phenomenom by the scientists, was suprising - if we can afford to reduce our impact economically acceptable way. While you are mesmerized by the coal and oil lobby propaganda, the stark choice is facing us with consequences that are clear; do something now using the financial recourses that are available or wait, as the Bush&Co wants, till there is not enough money in the world to do any good. Already now, we are experiences unnaturally severe weather extremes that should not be there according the long term flactuation data. There is clearly our collective air pollution in the mix and this has never happened before.
Even in the case that the best brains in the world have come to the wrong conclusion, I side with them over the shrinking herd of the so called scientists that are backed by the special interest groups. Stephanie, there is no serious debating going on with this issue among the before mentioned brainiacs. The serious scientific discussion has moved on to the subject; how can some of the world leader be brought to face the most crucial reality in the history of our species?
Finally, the myth of a sensible antidote to this destructive behaviour is too expensive and would create mass unemployment is just that - a myth. It's not nearly as expensive as many of you have been led to believe. So much of economic rust is based on the unwillingness of the political and economic leaders to start acknowledging that the fossile fuel century is coming to an end. Those countries that are bold and "with it" will reap huge benefits from the new technologies and of the manufacturing items that will be needed now and more so in the near future. Manufacturing the pick-up-trucks is not going to do it.
By
Anonymous, at 11:54 AM
A bit--well actually a lot--late, but Happy 2007 Praguetwin. Here's to hoping that some serious steps to address global climate change are taken this year.
By
Anonymous, at 3:15 PM
Froggy, I hope you realize that it's you and the rest of your species that will be one of the first to go extinct! ;)
By
Anonymous, at 8:11 PM
Pekka,
You're jumping to a lot of conclusions about my position. Reducing or eliminating our use of fossil fuels is not something I would debate for many, many reasons -- none of which have to do with global warming.
1) They are poisoning our air, our water, and our land. They are making our world more dangerous in a very direct, measurable way.
2) Their use and dependence is a political mistake that we've been paying dearly for for quite a while.
3) Whoever develops the alternative resources and makes them both practical and economical will have a "gold mine" that will increase profits for the country and the citizenry.
Those reasons are sufficient enough for me. I have no love for those of whom you wrote.
However, that doesn't mean that the science of global warming being caused by these same fossil fuels is sound. Is it possible? Yes, but it has not been proven, that's why they call it a theory. They use guestimates to account for the variables they cannot account for in a scientific manner; it's not like we have another global model we can tinker with to see how it works, therefore they cannot prove their theories.
That they consistently refuse or are unable to explain the past climate fluxations, and yet claim to know why our climate is fluxuating now is highly suspect. There are perhaps a myriad of variables that are misguessed or unaccounted for...and we wouldn't know. That's why, essentially, man is not ready to tinker with our planet's natural forces...we don't understand how they work.
Fossil fuels probably are a contributing factor to global warming, but it seems like the utmost in human arrogance and ignorance to claim they are the cause. The Earth's ecosystem is a complex system that we're not even close to understanding in its entirety -- not even the most brilliant amongst us.
"It's not nearly as expensive as many of you have been led to believe."
This proves you have no understanding of what I'm saying.
Simply put: We may or may not be able to stop global warming. I don't believe we can, because I do not believe we understand enough of what's causing it to have the impact you so arrogantly believe we do. However, if we cannot stop global warming, that doesn't mean we don't do anything. If we take no action, the human is going to be damn near unimaginable to us. The natural disasters we witnessed last year around the globe will look like a cake walk compared to what we're going to face. Therefore, if we cannot stop it we will have to take costly measures that will impact the quality around the world to ensure that we don't leave people stranded and helpless along the coasts which will be repeatedly and brutually hammered by nature. In order to prevent that, people are going to more crowded, with less luxurious accomodations, and forced to work in ways American society has thought well behind us. That is the cost I was referring to.
By
Mark, at 12:18 AM
Stephanie, you are obviously a smart lady. You are also a citizen of a democratic country and thus allowed to state your opinions even if they are wrong. :)
I am not as arrogant as I sound. It just that I really despise those in high places whom know the present and especially looming situation while myobically taking care of their own narrow bottom line by backing all sorts of pseudo-scientists in their faulty propaganda.
Let's just agree to dissagree, Stephanie! Watch for your beach house, though!
By
Anonymous, at 10:41 AM
I have no trouble agreeing to disagree with you on this matter. However, I have no beach house and can barely afford to maintain the house I have. I am by no means in "high places," unless you count the riches of love between family and friends.
By
Mark, at 1:12 PM
Stephanie, my "high places" reference was reserved for Dubya et al.
By
Anonymous, at 7:02 AM
Froggy, I hope you realize that it's you and the rest of your species that will be one of the first to go extinct! ;)
Naw...we'll just move north like some kind of biblical plague. ;-)
By
Anonymous, at 6:48 AM
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