‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse… Well, when I say ‘not a creature’, I mean to exclude those that were stirring over governmental impotence in the face of an international crisis. I think I may also be ignoring those who were stirred … Continue reading
Guest Post by Jit The following was a recent comment posted at my Birdageddon article. It is reproduced here in full, since it serves as a worthy article in its own right. —— The story goes like this. Puffins are stubby little cute things. They eat tiny fish called sand eels. The eels are declining … Continue reading
In keeping with much of the country, our neighbourhood had a goodly fall of snow last week. Of course, to maintain my climate denial persona, I should now be saying, ‘So much for global warming’. But the reality is that it hasn’t been particularly cold for the time of year. I’d say instead that it … Continue reading
According to the BBC, international scientific co-operation has broken out between the Chinese and Nepalese governments as they have finally agreed to agree over the height of Mount Everest. The long-standing controversy over this issue has hinged on a vital difference of opinion: Does the height include the snow cap or not? For years, the … Continue reading
The Plot Starts to Brew It was April 1958, and ‘King George’ was in his garden basking in the early spring sunshine, whilst awaiting a message from the Master Jesus. Suddenly, his telepathic ‘phone’ rang, but it wasn’t Jesus calling after all. It was instead a ‘call’ from Mars Sector 6. George scrambled to switch … Continue reading
Before I start, I must confess that I am no Sherlock Holmes. What is more, my understanding of virology extends no further than can be gleaned from having caught influenza more than once. Nevertheless, such experience alone should be sufficient to instil a healthy fear of what SARS-CoV-2 may do to an ailing and aging … Continue reading
One of the most prevalent arguments used against climate change scepticism is the presupposed lack of genuine expertise that lies behind expressions of doubt. On the one hand you have 97% of the world’s most sciency scientists, and on the other hand you have John Cook’s cartoon creation, Cranky Uncle, every family’s know-it-all proselytizer, wallowing … Continue reading
Evident: Adjective: clearly seen or understood; obvious. Late Middle English: from Old French, or from Latin evidens, evident- ‘obvious to the eye or mind’, from e- (variant of ex- ) ‘out’ + vident, past participle of videre ‘to see’. You may recall that not so long ago I recounted for you the history of the … Continue reading
Uncertainty as Knowledge Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that you wake up one morning with a burning desire to learn everything there is to know about uncertainty and its relationship to knowledge. And let’s say, for the sake of extending this rhetorical ploy, that you want to make sure that your desire … Continue reading
If there is something that the climate change debate is certainly not lacking it is ad hominin, for whilst it is universally disapproved of it is also ubiquitous to the point of being de rigueur. Take, for example, Peter Gleick’s recent critique of Michael Shellenberger’s latest book. Peter does not waste any time in accusing … Continue reading
