Comments Underdog has made

Thanks, Lady Bird

    I'd like to say a few words about Lady Bird and her legacy.  
    I live in Austin.  Tonight I went for a run on the Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail.  In the 1970's Lady Bird was the driving force behind the trail and the preservation of the land around Town Lake, which is a dammed-up section of the Colorado River that runs through the center of Austin.  There is still a constant battle between developers who want to "improve" the lake and those of us who want it to stay the way it is.  That battle would have been lost thirty years ago if it hadn't been for her.  Today we would be looking at the Paris Hilton Austin and rows of tacky condo towers on the shore instead of a long and beautiful trail through the trees and the wildflowers.
    At the time there was a movement to name the lake after her, but she adamantly refused.  Now that she's gone it looks like the lake will finally be renamed Lady Bird Lake.  That will be a fitting tribute to a remarkable woman.  
On The passing of the former first lady (sorta) missed by enviros posted 2 years, 4 months ago 5 Responses

Those Hot Spice Babes

Until now I thought the high methane content of the Spice Girls' music was causing global warming.  I stand corrected.On From Spice to Spin posted 2 years, 4 months ago 5 Responses

Keep It In Perspective

There are a number of candidates here who would do a good job of dealing with climate change.  That's good to see.  But we should keep things in perspective.  The next president will be working with Congress in about two years to develop a national strategy.  By then there may be changes in available technology, climate data, public opinion and other factors.  The details of the candidates' current positions are less important than their willingness to deal with the problem constructively.  And there's a danger in pushing candidates to adopt stronger positions to earn support from environmentalists:  they might wind up losing support elsewhere.

I think we should remember that it's better to support a winning candidate with a good record on the environment than to support a losing candidate with a great record.On More useful posted 2 years, 5 months ago 4 Responses

IPCC Understates the Danger of Warming

The IPCC is a scientific organization constrained by political realities.  It represents a middle ground between the opposing scientific and political views on global warming.  And this post interprets the IPCC's work accordingly.

But the real danger of global warming isn't the likelihood that sea level will rise by about a foot in the next century.  We can adapt to that if we have to.  The danger is that a combination of dramatic sea level rise, habitat destruction, and extreme weather events will lead to real catastrophe for our descendants.  By focusing on gradual, manageable changes--and by giving the impression that these changes are predictable--the IPCC understates the case for a serious effort to fight global warming.  Even if there is only a 1% chance of catastrophic climate change, every possible measure should be taken to prevent it. On Recent report published projecting values of sea-level rise posted 2 years, 5 months ago 3 Responses

What an actor!

He was a lot smarter than this on "Law and Order."  I guess that was acting.On Fred Thompson delivers rational, informed, passionate speech about the need for immediate action to posted 2 years, 5 months ago 6 Responses