Jimmy Kimmel’s awesome rant about parents who won’t vaccinate their kids… plus the PSA his crew put together using actual doctors. Great stuff! Lots of humor regarding a serious issue that always has me shaking my head in dismay (and disgust).
Science
John Oliver on Climate Change
I’ve been meaning to post this all week but kept forgetting. John Oliver gives a spot-on (and funny) commentary about the climate change “debate” and public opinion polls about climate change. Love it!
h/t: IFLScience!
Tilting at Windmills…
I read some articles a few weeks ago about a study which found wind farms causing localized ground surface warming in certain regions because they mix the higher, warmer air with the cooler air closer to the ground at night. The headlines were predictably misleading at first, saying things like “Wind farms causing climate to warm.” In a few days, things settled down and the people who understood the study responded with explanations… no, they’re not causing global warming. It’s localized warming. It’s at night. Here’s what happens. etc… etc…
So most headlines were more accurate from that point. Not all. There were still plenty of misleading ones, just not as prominent or numerous. What I found funny, however, was the collection of headlines in my Google News feed on the subject (ordered and formatted here as it showed up in my feed). Note the headline message… and the news source. One of these things is (predictably) not like the others. Ha!
Don’t believe the headlines. Wind farms do not cause ‘global’ warming.
Christian Science Monitor – 20 hours ago
A recent study published in Nature Climate Change suggests that large wind farms could be pulling down hot air at night, raising the average temperature of the local region.No, wind farms are not causing global warming
Washington Post (blog)Myth-busting claims that wind farms cause global warming
Alaska DispatchIn Depth:Wind farms are causing global warming, researchers say
Fox News
Carl Sagan on Silent Assent
If we offer too much silent assent about mysticism and superstition – even when it seems to be doing a little good – we abet a general climate in which skepticism is considered impolite, science tiresome, and rigorous thinking somehow stuffy and inappropriate. Figuring out a prudent balance takes wisdom.
– Carl Sagan
Review: Merchants of Doubt
Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming by Naomi Oreskes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Merchants of Doubt is an extremely well-written, well-documented history of the shenanigans employed by those who, in an attempt to avoid unfavorable legislation or the potential loss of profit, attempt to discredit the science rather than accept reality and come up with an appropriate solution to the problems of the world.
The history lesson runs the gamut, including cigarette smoking, acid rain, ozone depletion, second-hand smoke, DDT, and of course global warming. The authors lay out their case with heavily documented precision, showing what the actual science indicated and how it was distorted and misrepresented by those who feared the repercussions. The book shows how disinformation and fear-mongering were used to mislead the public about what the actual scientific evidence showed and what degree of certainty the research scientists had reached.
It’s a sad statement about the lengths to which some will go for their ideology.
