A Different Kind Of Northern Invasion

     No, I’m not talking about the big rock concert coming in May to Wisconsin, this is something that we all see and feel as we walk out the door in the morning. The record setting cold that has gripped the eastern half of the country since around Christmas has caused the usual ‘hur, hur, where’s you’re global warming now, huh?’ posts on social media like Twitter, including from the Twit-In Chief.

     I could go on all day about the difference between weather and climate but sites like RealClimate do a fine job of explaining that but what I want to talk about is how climate change is making cold snaps like this sink even further south and stay longer. Simultaneously warm air from the temperate zone can infiltrate the arctic causing things like rain in Greenland and melting permafrost in Alaska.

     One consequence of climate change that is not in doubt is that the arctic is warming over 3 times faster than regions closer to the equator. As this difference becomes less the polar jet stream becomes weaker and allows the arctic air to invade. There are rivers of air in the atmosphere called jet streams that carry weather systems around the planet in a fairly regular linear pattern that keeps them within a certain band of latitude. Recent research from Dr. Jennifer Francis of Rutgers has predicted that these polar invasions will become even more frequent as the world warms.

     We had a similar pattern in 2009, I remember one day in January then where the temp in New Orleans was the same as Fairbanks, Alaska. Chaos is the rule of the day in weather now, and with more heat comes more chaos. I have been studying this for over 25 years and observing it even longer, the predictions made by Dr. James Hansen before Congress in 1988 are coming to pass.  Things are moving faster now with bigger disasters becoming more and more common. Also remember that these long lasting bends in the jet stream work the other way as well and we are going to see long lasting heatwaves in summer like Europe in 2017.

Starting again maybe

I let this blog go to seed, so to speak but now I am thinking about starting to write again. With the times we are in every voice in the wilderness should chime in.

This is more of a test than anything

More to follow...

Congrats To The Hawks

Well that was a classic Stanley Cup finals and a well-deserved win for the Blackhawks. Boston played hard and matched up well but the Hawks just had more and got some luck in the last two minutes.

Hope to see my Wild hoisting The Cup soon.

Now there's just the Twins until Viking training camp starts.

Hello NSA!

Greetings to my readers at the NSA! I've always assumed you were reading all this stuff anyway so this weeks news is no surprise to me. I remember being called an anti-American dirty hippie for speaking out against the so-called Patriot Act a decade ago, now the same ones who passed it are crying foul? The fourth amendment has been gutted over the last thirty years, mostly because of the war on (some) drugs, I don't remember a huge right-wing outcry over that.

Privacy is so twentieth century.

But the collapse will render it all moot.

Wild win in OT!

A nice win on an overtime winner by the rookie Zucker - GO WILD!

Makes the homemade carnitas taste even better.

Because It's The Cup

What a game last night! Unfortunately the Wild came up short in overtime but they hit a couple of posts and could have won with a little luck. That is how you play for the Stanley Cup, all effort, all the time. Great job by Harding in goal and the whole team.

Go get 'em Friday.

GO WILD!

ETA: I shaved yesterday morning so I think I'll grow a playoff beard, Hope to look like these guys when the Wild drink from the Cup.

Blowing Past Four Hundred

Look at the little widget on the right side of the page, it measures atmospheric carbon dioxide at Mauna Loa in Hawaii where they have been monitoring the level continuously since the 1950's. It is now poised to go over 400 parts per million(ppm), a level not seen on earth in three million years. This should be front page news but because of the well funded merchants of doubt the general public still think there is a debate among scientists about what is the major forcing that is driving climate change.

CO2 is a greenhouse gas. That is simple physics and can be demonstrated by a smart sixth-grader. We have now gone from about 250ppm to 400 in only a hundred and fifty years, but some still think this has no affect on global temperatures. I've got some news for you deniers - nothing else fits the already observed warming EXCEPT forcing by carbon dioxide. If you can prove otherwise I'd love to see it because believe it or not - I WANT TO BE WRONG! I would love nothing better than to see some peer-reviewed science showing that we are not totally screwed as a civilization but right now the vast majority of papers I see point to ecological disaster right around the corner.

Shit, might as well drink a toast. To humanity! We had a good run but we are still just apes with guns.

There's A New Sharrif In Town

The Vikings really scored on the first round of the NFL draft Thursday night. Because of the run on offensive linemen there were some quality players available when the Vikings picked at 23 and 25. The biggest (literally) surprise was that Sharrif Floyd, the big defensive tackle from Florida was sitting there at 23 when he was predicted to go in the top 5 so the Vikings practically sprinted up to the podium to get him. At 25 they got Florida State cornerback Xavier Rhodes, one of the best cornerbacks in the draft.

They weren't done yet, though. They traded three draft picks with the Patriots to move back up to 29 and get Tennessee wide receiver Cordarelle Patterson, a raw but extremely talented receiver who can return kicks and stretch the field. The price was steep but this kid has amazing open field skills.

All in all I think they got three immediate starters and had the best first round of any NFL team. Now they can get a linebacker in the fourth round and add some depth later.

SKOL VIKINGS!!!!!!!!!!

Humanity Just Sucks

Fuck. The worthless fucking congress can't even pass a toothless fucking background check bill with more holes than Swiss cheese.

Nothing is ever going to get done on climate change.

Fuck I hate my species.

Paranoia Strikes Deep

I am getting really sick of hearing from the gun nuts about how background checks are some kind of new government list to come and get their guns. Do they live under a fucking rock? The goddamn government has a fucking file on everyone, even your elderly aunt Millie. If they want to figure out who has guns it would not be hard for them to do. This paranoid bullshit is pissing me off because I think it should be at least as hard to buy a Bushmaster as it is to buy a fucking used Chevy.

End of rant.

Full disclosure: I own two rifles and a shotgun and eat plenty of wild game. These people who claim to speak for gun owners do not speak for me.

A Test Of Poe's Law

OK, which one is real?

First this:

"
Now the state’s “Committee on Energy and Environment” is proposing a law that would prohibit spending on anything that won’t set Kansas on a course to self-destruction. House Bill No. 2366 would ban all state and municipal funds for anything related to “sustainable development,” which it defines as: “development in which resource use aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come."

Now this:

"f Earth's species were meant to change over successive generations through physical modifications resulting from the adaptation to environmental challenges, then God would have given them the genetic predisposition to select mates and reproduce based on their favorable heritable traits and their ability to thrive under changing conditions so that these advantageous qualities would be passed down and eventually encoded into the DNA of each generation of offspring," Olathe public school teacher and creationist Joyce Eckhardt said. "It's just not natural."

Some warn that the strict wording of the law could have a deleterious effect on Kansas' mostly agricultural economy, since it also prohibits all forms of man-made artificial selection, such as plant hybridization, genetic engineering, and animal husbandry. A police raid on an alleged artificial-insemination facility outside McPherson, KS on Friday resulted in the arrest of a farmer, a veterinarian, four assistants, one bull, and several dozen cows.




If this isn't textbook Poe's Law I don't know what could be.




God humans suck.

Thanks Oregon, I Feel So Honored

The state of Oregon has decided to name S. cerevisiae as the official state microbe. I hope to make everyone very happy and to work especially hard making those fine Oregon beers. Being able to eat sugar and piss ethanol makes one very popular.

I should be back to more frequent posts soon - damn real life.

...On The Other Hand..

We have just great news like this:
http://www.wunderground.com/news/approach-mass-extinction-climate-change-20130327
 and this:

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/03/23/1766011/ice-breaking-news-2013-arctic-freezing-season-not-what-its-cracked-up-to-be-literally/

I'll write more soon but things have been hectic lately.

Nature bats last.

Happy And Gay

Here's to hoping the Supreme Court decides to not stand astride history hollering "STOP!"

So far it sounds like there may be a little room for optimism.

The Geeks Don't Want No Freaks.

I had this issue back when I was a kid, How come I can still remember these lyrics and somehow still forget why I went to the basement? This could be a Masters thesis.

Crap, wont let me paste. Then I just have to tell you that the link goes to a blog with the 1976 classic "Keep On Trekkin" which is the Mad Magazine Star Trek musical. Far funnier and better for your sanity than this:

What A Show!

That was a hellava show last night, and even if Kid Rock is not your cup of tea he puts on a great show. Seger was awesome, and the Silver Bullet Band was tight. Just a great show in a really nice venue. The critics agree:

If it was a test, the crowd -- not to mention the headliners -- passed with flying colors. Both guys are from suburban Detroit. One grew up creating that old time rock and roll, the other twisted and tweaked it to fit his own vision. Seger may be 67 and Kid Rock is a mere 42, but that 25-year difference barely seemed to faze the sold-out crowd, who cheered lustily throughout the entire evening.

...

During Seger's encore, he invited Kid Rock onstage and the pair performed several of their hits together, including Kid Rock's "All Summer Long" and Seger's "Rock and Roll Never Forgets." Judging by their obvious chemistry and the crowd's wild response, don't be surprised to see Seger squeeze in a full tour with Kid Rock before he hits that self-imposed retirement deadline. 

Just an amazing night of rock and roll.

ETA: this was my first time at Excel Center, much nicer than Target Center and I REAALLLYY want to see a Wild game there.

Rock And Roll Never Forgets

I'm off to St. Paul today for the Bob Seger/Kid Rock concert, should be a blast. I've never seen Seger before and he rarely tours now so I jumped at the chance when tickets were announced. Hope the snow isn't too bad but what the fuck, I'm a Minnesotan - just take some extra time.

Onward Christmas Soldiers

So you thought you were safe and the long nightmare of the War On Christmas was long behind but the great TBogg shows that the war is never over, and Caribou Barbie will lead the charge:

This time to save us from the Godless Heathens and Muslims who profane Our Lord and Savior’s Sacred Birthday with gift-giving that is not limited to giving frankincense, myrrh, and gold (from Kay Jewelers) to the Baby Jesus. And also so she can make a little extra pin money off the rubes because mama needs a new pair of Naughty Monkey fuck-me pumps.

When it comes to slinging snark, TBogg is in a class by himself. I'm sure Super Sarah's book will be piled up in the remainder bins at Sam's Club within a month of publication.

The Harvin Trade - Good Deal For Vikes?

Well the Viking boards I frequent are all over the trade they made today, sending malcontent wide receiver Percy Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks for the Seahawks first round pick (25) this year along with a seventh round pick and a third round pick next year. This is an impressive haul even for a top-tier WR like Percy, who can also return kicks and line up in the backfield. He is a true dynamic playmaker, and he must really have pissed off the team brass for them to give him up - even for a high price. There had to be something besides money involved, and if so Seattle may get more trouble than they bargained for.

I have been a Viking fan since the days of the old Purple People Eaters and they have been giving me indigestion for most of that time. I think the trade was in the team's best interest if Harvin really did not want to play here, might as well get something for him unlike what the Wild did with Gaborik. The rumors are that the Vikes want to use one of their firsts and go after RFA Victor Cruz from the Giants. If that happens The Vikes will be definite winners in the trade.

Idiocracy In Action

This whole sequester mess just makes me sick. I can't believe these GOP goobers still take supply-side economics seriously. I am a Keynesian in economic philosophy, so I stand with Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman against the ignorant austerity policies so enamored by the right. This is exactly the WRONG time to cut government spending because the economy is still far too vulnerable. Spend now while interest rates are ridiculously low then pay it down when the economy picks up - pretty simple actually.