I've read about half of her post so far. (There's a lot to read.) Her graph that shows the temperature differences between small and big cities showed something that I had been wondering about. That big cities are hotter which is what I thought.

With more big cities, we get higher temperature readings that have nothing to do with CO2, etc. Just the fact that big cities are heat sinks due to the buildings, pavement, etc.

Yes, Ms. Byrnes is a quite intelligent and energetic young lady.

Posted by DADvocate at May 28, 2007 09:01 PM

Took the time and read the whole article - what a work. I am impressed with the time and effort she obviously put into her paper, and I agree that (if she can make it past the long knives of our current political atmosphere) she will go far.

One of the things I've found to be somewhat ... interesting (read: unbelievable, preposterous, or downright ridiculous) is the concept of "carbon credits", especially as available through the use of credit card purchases, intended to offset the "carbon footprint" one generates. Surely I'm not the only one to see this as the same kind of Selling of Indulgences that got the Catholic church into trouble several hundred years ago, am I?
It's still amazing; all the die-hard "greenies" out there who refuse to accept that man is part of nature, too, and has a point and purpose here on Earth as granted him by God, the same as any squirrel or Spotted Owl.
I've also been noticing that the Green Menace (aka the Environmental Agenda) is being pushed harder and harder by politicians who don't want people looking too closely at other hot-button political issues. For example, in Oregon, the lack of available personnel and facilities to deal with the mentally ill has become a big issue, as has the social work system dealing with abused and neglected children. Despite the Governor's recent pass of a bill to hire 140 new state patrolmen (because we were down to only 24!), law enforcement remains a serious issue, with some local towns and counties forced to cut down their officers to only one per shift, or even to forego any coverage at all during certain hours except for emergencies (in which case the officer on duty can be paged), and illegal immigration and attendant methamphetamine dealing, transport and importation are enormous problems. "BUT!" tout the local news networks "Oregon is one of the leading states in the nation in becoming green!", and we are told that no effort (or expense) is to be spared in achieving first place in this race. Indeed throughout the nation, it has become the latest, greatest snake oil; the panacea for all our woes and worries -- Being Green will set us Free!
At some point, (hopefully) we will realize that while being ecologically sound makes sense, it will no more solve all our problems than sticking our fingers in our ears and singing "La la la!" very loudly (our current foreign and domestic policies) is doing. And having Uber-Green with a Side Order of Self-Righteous Smugness, shilled to us by such a fraud as Al "Fuel My Plane" Gore? Well, at least it's given the verisimilitude it deserves...

Posted by katje at May 29, 2007 07:21 AM

Yeah, but can she do it with the sarcasm that we do?

Posted by Woody at May 29, 2007 08:13 AM

Katje, Vox Rodentae, you haven't posted in a long time at your own site. I've been checking.

Posted by Assistant Village Idiot at May 29, 2007 05:33 PM