As we walked back towards the waiting room following the scan that would serve as the blueprint that we would use to plan Darren’s radiation for his cancer, he asked a question that stopped me in my tracks. “If I decide to cancel my radiation appointments, can I just call you?” To determine whether this was just a simple question of curiosity in the case of an emergency or something more, I asked him to clarify why he would consider canceling. Standing in the hallway between two clinic rooms, he stated that in the time between our first meeting and today’s visit, he had been doing some online “research” and thought he would consider doing something “more natural” to keep his cancer at bay...
Read on: The Natural Cancer Cure Lie | Home | Cancer Answers, MD
Sunday, 15 October 2017
2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #41
Story of the Week... El Niño/La Niña Update... Toon of the Week... Graphic of the Week... SkS Spotlights... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... 97 Hours of Consensus...
Story of the Week...
Firefight in Sonoma County reaches second week as flames force thousands to evacuate
Firefighters from Compton put a scratch and wet line around a fire on Lovall Valley Road in Somona, Saturday, Oct 14, 2017. (Kent Porter/The Press Democrat) 2017
An army of firefighters with a larger aerial arsenal at their disposal held their ground and made some gains Saturday on devastating wildfires ravaging Wine Country, but evacuation orders that forced thousands from their homes before dawn and a rising death toll were clear reminders of the peril that still grips the region.
Northeast winds that arrived early Saturday whipped up a new fire in the hills outside eastern Santa Rosa, and spread an existing blaze outside Sonoma, prompting another round of nighttime evacuation orders.
Thousands of Santa Rosa residents were forced to leave — some for the second time since last Sunday — while others faced their first mandatory orders in Sonoma.
Firefight in Sonoma County reaches second week as flames force thousands to evacuate by Kevin McCallum & Randi Rossmann, The Press Democrat, Oct 15, 2017
El Niño/La Niña Update
The task of a climate forecaster is to see the forest, and not get hung up on the individual trees. Especially that extra tall one over there, with the gnarl that looks like a face, and the low branches that would be so easy to climb, and… uh, right. My point is that we try to look beyond shorter-term weather to see longer-term monthly and seasonal patterns. After all, a particular winter can have several colder-than-average days and still be warmer than average overall.
Which brings me to the current situation in the tropical Pacific! The October ENSO forecast says La Niña conditions are favored during the fall and winter 2017-18, but at press time the ocean-atmosphere system didn’t quite meet the criteria for a La Niña Advisory. Specifically, while the atmosphere is generally consistent with La Niña, the sea surface temperature in the Niño3.4 region has been volatile, recently edging up close to average following several weeks near or below the La Niña threshold (0.5°C colder than average).
Animation showing sea surface temperature departure from the 1981-2010 average from early August through early October 2017. Graphic by climate.gov; data from NOAA’s Environmental Visualization Lab.
Is the overall pattern truly La Niña, with some short-term fluctuations temporarily obscuring the pattern? Or has the atmosphere-ocean system really not settled down into a consistent pattern at all? The difference between these two scenarios is subtle, and the ENSO forecast team is maintaining the La Niña Watch as we wait for a clearer picture. The forecast is for that picture to become clearer soon, with La Niña conditions 55-65% likely during this fall and winter.
October 2017 ENSO update: Still watching for La Niña by Emily Becker, NOAA's Climate.gov. Oct 12, 2017
Toon of the Week...
Graphic of the Week...
Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to repeal the Clean Power Plan. In response, Janet Redman, U.S. Policy Director of Oil Change International issued the following statement:
“Pruitt’s move to repeal the Clean Power Plan shouldn’t come as any surprise. He’s repeatedly partnered with fossil fuel companies to sue the EPA for regulating the industry’s air, water, and climate pollution. This kind of cronyism is exactly what happens when government agencies are captured by the corporations they’re supposed to oversee.
“According to Pruitt, this is just another way to even the playing field for coal, oil, and gas – but he knows as well as anyone that fossil fuels already get massive government giveaways. In fact, permanent tax breaks for the fossil fuel industry are seven times higher than those for renewable energy.
“The fight to curb the worst abuses of the fossil fuel energy industry won’t stop here. Federal legislation, the courts, and millions of voters have made it clear that the federal government is obligated to protect American workers and families from the deadly impacts of dirty energy, not hand polluters taxpayer dollars.”
Oil Change International Statement On Clean Power Plan Repeal, Oct 10, 2017
SkS Spotlights...
The Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) Portal was launched in 2010 as a National Science Digital Library (NSDL) Pathways project. It is led by the science education expertise of TERC, the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder, and the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) at Carleton College. As of 2012, CLEAN has been syndicated to NOAA's climate.gov portal.
CLEAN's primary effort is to steward the collection of climate and energy science educational resources and to support a community of professionals committed to improving climate and energy literacy.
The three key components of the CLEAN project are:
1. The CLEAN Collection of Climate and Energy Science resources- high-quality, digital resources—including learning activities, visualizations, videos, and short demonstrations/experiments—geared toward educators of students in secondary through undergraduate levels.
2. Guidance in Teaching Climate and Energy Science – pages designed to help educators understand and be equipped to teach the big ideas in climate and energy science.
3. The CLEAN Network – a community of professionals committed to improving climate and energy literacy.
Coming Soon on SkS...
- The war on coal is over. Coal lost (Dana)
- The F13 files, part 1 - the copy/paste job (Ari)
- Guest Post (John Abraham)
- Americans want a $15 per month carbon tax; but how to get one? (Dana)
- New research this week (Ari)
- 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #42 (John Hartz)
- 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Waming Digest #42 (John Hartz)
Poster of the Week...
SkS Week in Review...
- 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #41 by John Hartz
- New research, October 2-8, 2017 by Ari Jokimäki
- SkS Analogy 10 - Bathtubs and Budgets by Evan & jg
- Despite Trump, American companies are still investing in renewable energy by John Abraham (Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian)
- Analysis: How well have climate models projected global warming? by Zeke Hausfather (Carbon Brief)
- Trump’s plan to bail out failing fossil fuels with taxpayer subsidies is perverse by Dana Nuccitelli (Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian)
- 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #40 by John Hartz
97 Hours of Consensus...
Quote derived with author's permission from:
"The issue is not a lack of scientific evidence, the issue is the unwillingness of people and governments to act. It seems to defy logic. But a lot of addictions defy logic. Our society is completely addicted to cheap power."
High resolution JPEG (1024 pixels wide)
from Skeptical Science http://www.skepticalscience.com/news.php?n=3907
via IFTTT
Guess what – we just received an ‘Ockham Award’ !
It was Alan Henness who persuaded me and helped me to start this blog. He probably feared that, after my retirement from my Exeter post, I might stop being a nuisance to Prince Charles and other quacks. The blog certainly prevented this possibility!
The very first post on my blog went live on 14 October […]
Read the rest here: Guess what – we just received an ‘Ockham Award’ !
The very first post on my blog went live on 14 October […]
Read the rest here: Guess what – we just received an ‘Ockham Award’ !
Saturday, 14 October 2017
2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #41
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week.
Editor's Pick
Record Amazon fires stun scientists; sign of sick, degraded forests
If climate change continues to worsen unchecked, and forest degradation continues unabated, then unstoppable Amazon mega-fires could be seen in this century; such fires would greatly increase the release of carbon into the atmosphere worsening climate change. Photo courtesy of IBAMA
- With the fire season still on-going, Brazil has seen 208,278 fires this year, putting 2017 on track to beat 2004’s record 270,295 fires. While drought (likely exacerbated by climate change) worsens the fires, experts say that nearly every blaze this year is human-caused.
- The highest concentration of fires in the Amazon biome in September was in the São Félix do Xingu and Altamira regions. Fires in Pará state in September numbered 24,949, an astonishing six-fold increase compared with 3,944 recorded in the same month last year.
- The Amazon areas seeing the most wildfires have also seen rapid change and development in recent years, with high levels of deforestation, and especially forest degradation, as loggers, cattle ranchers, agribusiness and dam builders move in.
- Scientists warn of a dangerous synergy: forest degradation has turned the Amazon from carbon sink to carbon source; while globally, humanity’s carbon emissions are worsening drought and fires. Brazil’s rapid Amazon development deepens the problem. Researchers warn that mega-fires could be coming, unless trends are reversed.
Links posted on Facebook
Sun Oct 8, 2017- Back-to-Back Hurricanes Take Heavy Toll on the Caribbean by António Guterres, Inter Press Service (IPS), Oct 4, 2017
- Buffeted but not sunk: Paris resilience plan tackles inequity and climate change by Megan Rowling, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Oct 8, 2017
- From cloud nine to climate change, here’s why you should always look up by Amy Ellis Nutt, Health & Science, Washington Post, Oct 7, 2017
- Our Changing Climate Mind-Set, Opinion by Robert Jay Lifton, Sunday Review, New York Times, Oct 7, 2017
- Hurricane Nate Weakens to Tropical Storm After Landfall by Chas Danner, Daily Intelligencer, New York Magazine, Oct 8, 2017
- Friendly policies keep US oil and coal afloat far more than we thought by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, Oct 7, 2017
- Walruses face 'death sentence' as Trump administration fails to list them as endangered by Oliver Milman, Guardian, Oct 4, 2017
- Elon Musk says he can rebuild Puerto Rico's power grid with solar, BBC News, Oct 6, 2017
- Australia's energy trainwreck: How we ended up with the world's highest power bills, Perry Williams, Sydney Morning Herald, Oct 6, 2017
- NSW bids to skirt court's coal mine ruling by weakening laws protecting Sydney's water by Peter Hannam, Sydney Morning Herald, Oct 9, 2017
- Tokyo Is Preparing for Floods ‘Beyond Anything We’ve Seen’ by Hiroko Taubuci, New York Times, Oct 6, 2017
- Germany’s Shift to Green Power Stalls, Despite Huge Investments by Stanley Reed, New York Times, Oct 7, 2017
- E.P.A. Announces Repeal of Major Obama-Era Carbon Emissions Rule by Lisa Friedman & Brad Plumer, Climate, New York Times, Oct 9, 2017
- Trump’s plan to bail out failing fossil fuels with taxpayer subsidies is perverse by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Oct 9, 2017
- Mega-battery plant to come online in Sheffield by Adam Vaughn, Guardian, Oct 9, 2017
- Hyperthermals: What can they tell us about modern global warming? by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Oct 9, 2017
- Chief Scientist Alan Finkel makes last ditch plea for clean energy target by James Massola & Cole Latimer, Sydney Morning Herald, Oct 9, 2017
- Growing acidification of the Chesapeake Bay threatens crabs, oysters, other life by Scott Dance, Baltimore Sun, Oct 5, 2017
- Science, religion aren't in opposition when it comes to climate change, Opinion by Chris Werle, Hattiesburg American, Oct 8, 2017
- At least 11 dead as fires rage in Northern California by Madison Park & Ralph Ellis, CNN, Oct 10, 2017
- How 4 a.m. chats persuaded Miami’s Republican mayor to care about sea-level rise by David Smiley, Miami Herald, Oct 6, 2017
- Warming Oceans May Make ‘Nemo’ Harder to Find by Craig Welch, National Geographic, Oct 10, 2017
- E.P.A. Says It Will Write a New Carbon Rule, but No One Can Say When by Lisa Friedman, Climate, New York Times, Oct 10, 2017
- Are Electric Vehicles Pushing Oil Demand Over a Cliff? by Erica Gies, InsideClimate News, Oct 10, 2017
- IMF tells rich nations that greater urgency needed on climate change by Gareth Hutchens, Guardian, Oct 10, 2017
- Tony Abbott's climate change claims just don't stack up by Andrew P Street, ABC News, Oct 10. 2017
- How will climate change hurt our ocean species? Scientists investigate by Jami Morton, New Zealand Herald, Oct 8, 2017
- How California's firestorm spread so mind-bogglingly fast: From 'Diablo' winds to climate trends by Andrew Freedman, Mashable, Oct 10, 2017
- New EPA document reveals sharply lower estimate of the cost of climate change by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Oct 11, 2017
- Coal War Games: How Pruitt and Perry are Working the System to Save Dirty Energy by John H Cushman Jr, InsideClimate News, Oct 10, 2017
- Coal Boss Takes Climate Change Denial to the Extreme by Marianne Lavelle, InsideClimate News, Oct 11, 2017
- Despite Trump, American companies are still investing in renewable energy by John Abraham, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Oct 11, 2017
- What Dead Birds Tell Us about Climate Change by Chelsea Harvey, Climate Wire/Scientific American, Oct 11, 2017
- A Giant, Mysterious Hole Has Opened Up in Antarctica by Kate Lunau, Motherboard, Oct 10. 2017
- Worrying new research finds that the ocean is cutting through a key Antarctic ice shelf by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Oct 11, 2017
- Evacuations widened as Northern California wildfires spread to 170,000 acres with at least 23 dead by Louis Sahagun, Paige St. John, Panzar & Joel Rubin, Los Angeles Times, Oct 12, 2017
- Interpreting the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C temperature limit, Guest Post by Joeri Rogelj & Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, Carbon Brief, Oct 10, 2017
- October 2017 ENSO update: Still watching for La Niña by Emily Becker, NOAA's Climate.gov. Oct 12, 2017
- Weather-company chief is Trump's pick to lead climate agency by Jeff Tollefson, Nature, Oct 12, 2017
- Conflicts of Interest? NOAA’s Nominees AccuWeather CEO Barry Myers, and Dr. Neil Jacobs of Panasonic by Andrew Rosenberg, Union of Concerned Scientists, Oct 12, 2017
- The climate-change fire alarm from Northern California, Opinion by Editorial Board, Los Angeles, Times, Oct 12, 2017
- Hurricane Irma, global warming and the bomb: comparing energy giants by Barry Saxifrage, National Observer, Oct 11, 2017
- How Deep Ocean Wind Turbines Could Power the World by Bob Berwyn, InsideClimate News, Oct 12, 2017
- UK releases plan to ‘lead the world’ on growth with carbon cuts by Megan Darby, Climate Home, Oct 12, 2017
- AP-NORC Poll: Americans blame wild weather on global warming by Seth Borensein & Emily Swanson, AP, Oct 12, 2017
- Trump taps climate skeptic for top White House environmental post by Brady Dennis & Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Oct 13, 2017
- Scientists See Climate Change in California's Wildfires by Debra Kahn & Anne C. Mulkern, E&E News/Scientific American, Oct 12, 2017
- Record Amazon fires stun scientists; sign of sick, degraded forests by Sue Branford & Maurício Torres, Mongabay, Oct 11, 2017
- Penguin disaster as only two chicks survive from colony of 40,000 by Michael Slezak, Guardian,Oct 13, 2017
- UK climate change plan branded a 'blueprint for under-achievement' by Lizzy Buchan, The Independent, Oct 13, 2017
- SkS Analogy 10 - Bathtubs and Budgets by Evan & jg, Skeptical Science, Oct 12, 2017
- Not True that Hunger Doesn’t Discriminate — It Does by Baher Kamal, Inter Press Service (IPS), Oct 13, 2017
- New research, October 2-8, 2017 by Ari Jokimäki, Skeptical Science, Sep 6, 2017
- GAO to probe whether Trump administration is protecting agencies’ scientific integrity by Juliet Eilperin, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Oct 11, 2017
from Skeptical Science via IFTTT
Friday, 13 October 2017
Homeopathy for schizoaffective disorder (Is this the most stupid paper this year?)
According to its authors, the objective of this paper was “to demonstrate the need for using both alternative and conventional treatments to improve clinical outcomes in the treatment of schizoaffective disorder”.
Instead of doing anything remotely like this, the authors present two case histories:
Read the rest here: Homeopathy for schizoaffective disorder (Is this the most stupid paper this year?)
Instead of doing anything remotely like this, the authors present two case histories:
- a 23-y-old female (case 1)
- and a 34-y-old female (case 2). […]
Read the rest here: Homeopathy for schizoaffective disorder (Is this the most stupid paper this year?)
Wednesday, 11 October 2017
Come celebrate the positive energy… !!! ??? !!!
Words like these are sure to persuade me that this chiropractic conference announcement is an invitation to abandon reason and dive into pure, unappetising BS. Reading the full text confirms my suspicion; here are a few quotes:
… Chiropractic practitioners are blazing new trails in pediatrics, neurology, neuroplasticity, and multisensory integration, pushing the understanding and […]
Read the rest here: Come celebrate the positive energy… !!! ??? !!!
… Chiropractic practitioners are blazing new trails in pediatrics, neurology, neuroplasticity, and multisensory integration, pushing the understanding and […]
Read the rest here: Come celebrate the positive energy… !!! ??? !!!
Tuesday, 10 October 2017
The Pathological Optimist – vaccine fraud Andrew Wakefield documentary
I was having a peaceful evening. I fired up my Apple TV to watch the Trailers app to see upcoming movies that I might watch. Unfortunately, right at the top row, I see Andrew Wakefield’s face on the trailer for a new documentary about him, “The Pathological Optimist“.
Why would anyone want to see another documentary about this man? Well, it’s horror film season, and Wakefield is one scary man.
In 2016, we got his self-serving fraudumentary, “Vaxxed,”... The Pathological Optimist – vaccine fraud Andrew Wakefield documentary
Why would anyone want to see another documentary about this man? Well, it’s horror film season, and Wakefield is one scary man.
In 2016, we got his self-serving fraudumentary, “Vaxxed,”... The Pathological Optimist – vaccine fraud Andrew Wakefield documentary
Burzynski Patient Eduardo M.’s Story | The OTHER Burzynski Patient Group
Though it’s been a while since we’ve posted, we still hear from relatives of people who went to the Burzynski Clinic and realized it for what it is, a wallet biopsy with a snake oil chaser. The pain experienced by families reverberates for decades, a legacy of misery few men have sunk to. We have about a hundred of those stories here, and we have a thousand more names in the hopper. We will be starting up again since Burzynski was found to be sanctionable on over a hundred counts early this year by an administrative law judge. He can still practice, but he’s skating on very thin ice.
The story of Eduardo M. begins in Argentina, in May of 1998... Burzynski Patient Eduardo M.’s Story | The OTHER Burzynski Patient Group
The story of Eduardo M. begins in Argentina, in May of 1998... Burzynski Patient Eduardo M.’s Story | The OTHER Burzynski Patient Group
Monday, 9 October 2017
The Pathological Optimist: More hagiography than documentary about Andrew Wakefield – Science-Based Medicine
The Pathological Optimist is a recently released documentary by Miranda Bailey about Andrew Wakefield that I got a chance to see. In interviews and in the film’s promotional materials, Bailey takes great pains to emphasize that she “doesn’t take a side” about Wakefield. Unfortunately, her film demonstrates that, when it comes to pseudoscience, “not taking a side” is taking a side, and that a film’s bias is often more evident in... The Pathological Optimist: More hagiography than documentary about Andrew Wakefield – Science-Based Medicine
Weleda’s statements on homeopathy … in need of NaCl, C200, I think
Weleda, a leading manufacturer of homeopathic preparations, is, according to their own judgement, a ‘unique organisation – economically thriving, kind at heart and committed to the well-being of our planet, our environment and our people. We’ve grown into that role through the adoption of seven basic principles which are unchanging, binding for everyone who works […]
Read the rest here: Weleda’s statements on homeopathy … in need of NaCl, C200, I think
Read the rest here: Weleda’s statements on homeopathy … in need of NaCl, C200, I think
Saturday, 7 October 2017
2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #40
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week.
Editor's Pick
International concern as US moves to end clean power plan
US and Chinese presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping found common ground on climate change after the US announced the clean power plan (Pic: White House/Flickr)
News that the Trump administration will move to repeal and replace the clean power plan (CPP) – a major initiative to cut emissions from the US electricity sector – has been met with concern overseas.
On Wednesday, the Reuters news agency reported on a document leaked from the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) outlining a plan to scrap the Obama-era measure.
It also called for input on a replacement policy that would reduce carbon emissions in fossil fuel power plants. Industry is reportedly lobbying for a weaker rule.
The policy underpinned the US commitment to the Paris Agreement, which Donald Trump says he wants to leave. It would also have had a real impact on the amount of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere. By 2030, the clean power plan would have reduced power plant emissions in the world’s second biggest polluter by 32% below 2005 levels.
International concern as US moves to end clean power plan by Karl Mathiesen, Climate Home,. Oct 4, 2017Links posted on Facebook
Sun Oct 1, 2017- Kashmir: Global Warming by Jalal Ud Din Baba, Kashmir Life, Sep 30, 2017
- Costs of Climate Change: Early Estimate for Hurricanes, Fires Reaches $300 Billion by Sabrina Shnkman, InsideClimate News, Sep 28, 2017
- Trump administration swaps 'climate change' for 'resilience' by Miranda Green, CNN, Sep 30, 2017
- Death by 1,000 Cuts: Why the Forest Carbon Sink Is Disappearing by Georgina Gustin, InsideClimate News, Sep 28, 2017
- Trump Push to Cut U.S. Aid Prompts EU Geopolitical-Risk Warning by Nikos Chrysoloras & Jonathan Stearns, Bloomberg News, Oct 1, 2017
- Ice Loss and the Polar Vortex: How a Warming Arctic Fuels Cold Snaps by Bob Berwyn, InsideClimate News, Sep 28, 2017
- Puerto Rico could become a public health catastrophe, Opinion by Tomás R. Guilarte, Miami Herald, Oct 1, 2017
- After 350 Million Piñons Die, Scientists Fear For This Forest’s Future by Jim O'Donnell, Ensia, Sep 26, 2017
- Language matters more than ever when the conversation turns to climate change by Stephen Hunt, CBC News, Sep 30, 2017
- Majority of Americans now say climate change makes hurricanes more intense by Emily Guskin & Brady Dennis, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Sep 28, 2017
- World can meet growing food demands and limit warming to 1.5C, study says by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Oct 2, 2017
- Poorly insulated homes may cost £1bn extra in energy bills by Adam Vaughan, Guardian, Oct 2, 2017
- Stark Evidence: A Warmer World Is Sparking More and Bigger Wildfires by Nicola Jones, Yale Environment 360, Oct 2, 2017
- Why the 97% climate consensus is important by Dana Nuccitelli, John Cook, Sander van der Linden, Tony Leiserowitz & Ed Maibach, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Oct 2, 2017
- Forget the Paris agreement. The real solution to climate change is in the U.S. tax code. by Tim McDonnell, Wonkblog, Washington Post, Oct 2, 2017
- Rise of Distorted News Puts Climate Scientists on Their Guard by Gabriel Popkin, Eos Magazine, Oct 2, 2017
- In a Warming World, Keeping the Planes Running by Mike Ives, New York Times, Sep 30, 2017
- Earth May Be Close to 'Threshold of Catastrophe' by Tia Ghose, Live Science, Oct 2, 2017
- Catholic church to make record divestment from fossil fuels by Arthur Neslen, Guardian, Oct 3, 2017
- The Most Powerful Evidence Climate Scientists Have of Global Warming by Sabrina Shankman & Paul Horn, InsideClimate News, Oct 3, 2017
- European countries spend billions a year on fossil fuel subsidies, survey shows by Fiona Harvey, Guardian, Sep 28, 2017
- Dirty Energy Dominance: Dependent on Denial – How the U.S. Fossil Fuel Industry Depends on Subsidies and Climate Denial by Janet Redman, Oil Change International, Oct 3, 2017
- High Oil Subsidies Ensure Profit for Nearly Half New U.S. Investments, Study Shows by Neela Banarjee, InsideClimate News, Oct 3, 2017
- It's not just Puerto Rico: 6 other Caribbean island nations are in crisis after the hurricanes by Julia Belluz, Science Health, Vox, Oct 3, 2017
- Volcanic Eruptions Can Cool the Planet, But They Won't Save Us From Climate Change by Meghan Bartels, Newsweek, Oct 2, 2017
- Most Americans Want Climate Change Policies by Adam Aton, ClimateWire/Scientific American, Oct 3, 2017
- European Parliament: Say No to Fossil Fuel Lobbying at International Climate Talks by Mat Hope, DeSmog UK, Oct 4, 2017
- IEA: Renewable electricity set to grow 40% globally by 2022 by Jocelyn Timperley, Carbon Brief, Oct 4, 2017
- Three Years for Eternity: A Prayer for Climate Action and the Common Good by Don João Mamede Filho, Common Dreams, Oct 4, 2017
- Global climate impacts of a potential volcanic eruption of Mount Agung, Guest post by Flavio Lehner & John Fasullo, Skeptical Science, Oct 4. 2017
- Ex-FEMA Director: Rebuilding Puerto Rico Requires Acknowledging Climate Change by Rebecca Leber, Mother Jones, Oct 3, 2017
- A lack of action on climate change is putting people's lives at risk, Opinion by Mark Monaghan, Guardian, Oct 3, 2017
- Why people around the world fear climate change more than Americans do by Gregory J Carbone, The Conversation US, Oct 3, 2017
- Scientists mapping Greenland have produced some surprising – and worrying – results by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Oct 4, 2017
- If you can't stand the heat, get out of the climate change debate, Comment by Judith Ireland, Sydney Morning Herald, Oct 5, 2017
- Trump Takes a First Step Toward Scrapping Obama’s Global Warming Policy by Lisa Friedman, New York Times, Oct 4, 2017
- One of the oldest climate change experiments has led to a troubling conclusion by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Oct 5, 2017
- Vast animal-feed crops to satisfy our meat needs are destroying planet by Rebecca Smithers, Guardian, Oct 5, 2017
- Soil holds potential to slow global warming, Stanford researchers find by Rob Jordan, Stanford News, Oct 5, 2017
- Science Says: Era of monster hurricanes roiling the Atlantic by Seth Borenstein, AP, Oct 5, 2017
- People of faith have duty to fight climate crisis: Indigenous Bishop, Opinion by Mark McDonald, National Observer, Oct 4, 2017
- Amazon forest fires pushing climate change ‘beyond human control’ by Fabiano Maisonnave, Climate Home, Oct 5, 2017
- Analysis: How well have climate models projected global warming? by Zeke Hausfather, Carbon Brief, Oct 5, 2017
- New research, September 25 - October 1, 2017 by Ari Jokimäki, Skeptical Scince, Sep 6, 2017
- Climate change in the Caribbean – learning lessons from Irma and Maria by Michael Taylor, Guardian, Oct 6, 2017
- Hurricane Warnings for U.S. Gulf Coast Ahead of Strengthening Nate by Jeff Masters, Category 6, Weather Underground, Oct 6, 2017
- Major Tar Sands Oil Pipeline Cancelled, Dealing Blow to Canada’s Export Hopes by Nicholas Kusnetz, InsideClimate News, Oct 5, 2017
- Greenland’s Coasts Are Growing as Seas Rise by Chelsea Harvey, ClimateWire/Scientific American, Oct 5, 2017
- U.N. chief hopes storms will sway climate skeptics like Trump by Michelle Nichols, Reuters, Oct 4, 2017
- Solar Energy Boom Sets New Records, Shattering Expectations by Georgina Gustin, InsideClimate News, Oct 6, 2017
- We looked at 1,154 climate science results and found no evidence of ‘publication bias by Johan Hollander, The Converstion UK, Oct 5, 2017
- International concern as US moves to end clean power plan by Karl Mathiesen, Climate Home,. Oct 4, 2017
- Humans experimenting with climate's 'playing nice', Video by Peter Sinclair, Yale Climate Connections, Oct 3, 2017
from Skeptical Science via IFTTT
Reiki gets ‘strong support’ from a new review – is it time to re-write a few textbooks?
Reiki has been on my mind repeatedly (see for instance here, here, here and here). It is one of those treatments that are too crazy for words and too implausible to mention. Yet a new paper firmly claims that it is more than a placebo.
This review evaluated clinical studies of Reiki to determine whether […]
Read the rest here: Reiki gets ‘strong support’ from a new review – is it time to re-write a few textbooks?
This review evaluated clinical studies of Reiki to determine whether […]
Read the rest here: Reiki gets ‘strong support’ from a new review – is it time to re-write a few textbooks?
Thursday, 5 October 2017
John Weeks admitted to the ‘Alt Med Hall of Fame’
Orac recently lost his rag over JOHN WEEKS, editor of JCAM (see also here, here, here and here), and was less than appreciative of his recent comments on the Samueli-donation. Personally, I think that this was a bit harsh. To compensate the poor chap for such an injustice, I herewith offer John a place in […]
Read the rest here: John Weeks admitted to the ‘Alt Med Hall of Fame’
Read the rest here: John Weeks admitted to the ‘Alt Med Hall of Fame’
Tuesday, 3 October 2017
Severe liver injury due to naturopaths’ prescription of Epsom salt
We all know Epsom salt, don’t we? This paper provides an interesting history of it:
The purgative effect of the waters of Epsom, in southern England, was first discovered in the early seventeenth century. Epsom subsequently developed as one of the great English spas where high society flocked to take the medicinal waters. The extraction of […]
Read the rest here: Severe liver injury due to naturopaths’ prescription of Epsom salt
The purgative effect of the waters of Epsom, in southern England, was first discovered in the early seventeenth century. Epsom subsequently developed as one of the great English spas where high society flocked to take the medicinal waters. The extraction of […]
Read the rest here: Severe liver injury due to naturopaths’ prescription of Epsom salt
Sunday, 1 October 2017
2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #39
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... Climate Feedback Reviews... SkS Week in Review... 97 Hours of Consensus...
Story of the Week...
September is the most energetic month for hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic
Satellite image of Hurricane Maria making landfall on Puerto Rico on Sep 20, 2017
The 2017 hurricane season has certainly been one for the record books. Whether it be Harvey’s scale-tipping rains, Irma’s off-the-chart winds, or the sheer number of storms that have spun up, this year is clearly anything but normal.But how wacky has the weather in the tropics been? For that, meteorologists refer to a figure known as ACE, a measure of every hurricane’s energy put together during its life span. September produced the most ACE in any month on record in the Atlantic Ocean.
ACE, or Accumulated Cyclone Energy, is manifest in stirred-up oceans, steamy downpours, crackling lightning and ferocious winds. The force to instigate these nasty conditions is extracted from the roasting waters of the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean, and transformed into motion through a hurricane’s natural “heat engine.”
To quantify this measure, scientists take into account the strength of the winds within each and every storm, as well as their duration. ACE is calculated every six hours, and a running tally is kept for each storm so long as it sticks around. The measure does not take into account a storm’s size.
September is the most energetic month for hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic by Matthew Cappucci, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Sep 27, 2017
Toon of the Week...
Hat tip to Stop Science Denial Facebook page.
Coming Soon on SkS...
- Why the 97% climate consensus is important (Dana, John Cook, Sander van der Linden, Ed Maibach, Tony Lieserowitz)
- Factcheck: Mail on Sunday’s ‘astonishing evidence’ about global temperature rise (Zeke Hausfather)
- Global climate impacts of a potential volcanic eruption of Mount Agung (Flavio Lehner & John Fasullo)
- Guest Post (John Abraham)
- New research, Sep - Oct 1 2017 (Ari)
- 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #40 (John Hartz)
- 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Waming Digest #40 (John Hartz)
Poster of the Week...
Climate Feedback Reviews...
Climate Feedback asked its network of scientists to review the article, Climate Change Is Complex. We’ve Got Answers to Your Questions by Justin Gillis, New York Times, Sep 19, 2017.
Thirteen scientists analyzed the article and estimated its overall scientific credibility to be ‘high’ to ‘very high’.
A majority of reviewers tagged the article as: Accurate
Review Summary
This article in The New York Times serves as a primer by briefly answering seventeen basic questions about the cause and consequences of—and possible solutions to—climate change.
Thirteen scientists reviewed the article, and generally found the answers to be highly accurate distillations of the research on that topic. There are only a few instances where answers—mainly to questions about efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions—are worded in an imprecise way that could lead to readers misunderstanding the state of scientific knowledge.
New York Times’ “straightforward answers” to common climate questions are accurate, too, Climate Feedback, Sep 28, 2017
SkS Week in Review...
- 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #39 by John Hartz
- New research, September 18-24, 2017 by Ari Jokimäki
- Climate and energy are becoming focal points in state political races by John Abraham (Climate Consenus - the 97%, Guardian)
- Right-wing media could not be more wrong about the 1.5°C carbon budget paper by Dana Nuccitelli (Climate Consenus - the 97%, Guardian)
- Potholer on the 1.5C carbon budget paper controversy by Guest Author
- The Mail's censure shows which media outlets are biased on climate change by Dana Nuccitelli (Climate Consenus - the 97%, Guardian)
- 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #38 by John Hartz
97 Hours of Consensus...
Chris Forest's bio page
Quote derived with author's permission from:
"[I]t's very clear from the observations that the climate system has warmed over the past century, and that these results are then consistent with human causes having forced the climate system over the past century."High resolution JPEG (1024 pixels wide)
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