Happy Winter Solstice…Or End

It is the 21st and the world hasn’t ended, maybe that’ll happen later today. I suppose a few might be reading this from your bunker but most of us we are going about our daily lives:

Scientists confidently predict that the worst upheaval we humans face at the end of this, and indeed any other calendar, is the need to get a new calendar. And perhaps nurse a celebratory hangover.

To their credit – because to say nothing might be worse – scientists have come forward to explain the fallacy, or sometimes that misinterpreted grain of truth, which lies behind each of the doomsday scenarios. In a move that gave short shrift to hedging, the US space agency released a video intended for 22 December 10 days early. Nasa has called it Why the Earth Did Not End yesterday. Academics did their part too. They traipsed from studio to studio to lay out the mundane truth for TV and radio audiences. Some spoke to otherwise respectable journalists for newspaper articles. (Source)

Have a great weekend….happy solstice.

— Steve Patterson

Readers: Climate Change Is Absolutely Affecting Weather In The United States

The latest way climate deniers are dismissing reality is they acknowledge climate change but deny that it’s caused by man. The latest example is Arizona Gov Jan Brewer:

“Everybody has an opinion on it, you know, and I probably don’t believe that it’s man-made,” she told Welch, who had posed the question in the context of her upcoming speech at an energy summit. “I believe that, you know, that weather and certain elements are controlled maybe by different things.” (Huffington Post)

Different things? Such as? But it couldn’t possibly be man and all our burning of fossil fuels! Other things…non-man things.

Thankfully most of the readers don’t try to split hairs on the cause of climate change, here are the results of the poll from last week:

Q: Do You Think Climate Change (Global Warming) Is Affecting The Weather In The United States?

1. Absolutely 89 [66.92%]
2. Possibly 19 [14.29%]
3. Not at all 16 [12.03%]
4. Unsure/No Answer 5 [3.76%]
5. Other: 4 [3.01%]

Here are the four other answers:

1. You would have to be a blind dumbass to think otherwise
2. Climate change is mostly a result of natural causes; humans may accelerate…
3. Yes, it is real but probably not manmade
4. Duh!!!!

Political ideology is preventing many from accepting that humans have altered our climate. Happy 12-12-12!

— Steve Patterson

Even At Low Levels, The Mississippi River Is Magnificent, Powerful

Never forget that St. Louis has alway been a river city. A few times a year I like to go down to the riverfront, to remind myself and marvel at the power of the current. Recently I had to go a little further to get near the edge of the water.

Yesterday:

ST. LOUIS — A top Army Corps of Engineers official says she believes the low Mississippi River will remain open to shipping, partly justifying the agency’s decision to not release more water from the Missouri River into the Mississippi. (Washington Post)

Hopefully the Army Corps is correct and barges will have enough water to navigate the river.

— Steve Patterson

Poll: Do You Think Climate Change (Global Warming) Is Affecting The Weather In The United States?

November temperatures in St. Louis were all over the charts, with some highs in the 70s and lows below freezing (source). Hurricane Sandy did massive destruction in the Northeast at the end of October. A few months earlier Hurricane Isaac hit the northern Gulf Coast.   This weekend California is getting pounded by heavy rains (NYT).

Normal conditions or changing conditions based on man?

A new study published Thursday in the journal Science provides the most definitive — and accurate — evidence yet that polar ice caps on Greenland and Antarctica are melting.

Shrinking ice is not the only telltale sign that climate change is real. From rising air and ocean temperatures to stronger storms to record droughts, evidence of a changing global climate is all around us. (Business Insider)

The poll question this week asks if you think climate change (global warming) is affecting the weather. The poll is in the right sidebar, mobile users will need to switch to the desktop layout to vote in the poll.

— Steve Patterson

Food Delivery By Bicycle In Tower Grove South And Now Downtown

I never paid much attention to Griffin Delivery because they only delivered in the South Grand area, which I’ve never lived in. But recently I was attending a Public Safety committee meeting at the Board of Aldermen and Griffin Delivery owner Andy Heaslet was there to speak on another bill, mentioning they’d just started food delivery by bike in downtown. My ears perked up and I passed him my card when he sat back down.

Eager to try out their delivery service I ordered lunch through their website griffindelivery.com. At that time, last month, they only offered lunch from Pickles Deli  (701 Olive) but they’ve since added Tortilla Grille (200 N. 6th) and Lola (500 N. 14th). Heaslet & Goulet told me more restaurants will be added as the service ramps up.

Ordering is done through griffindelivery.com, the menu for each restaurant is part of website. I was able to select the type of bread and cheese for my grilled cheese. You can select to receive email and/or text messages to be notified when the courier arrives at the restaurant and when your food is on the way. My food was still warm when it arrived!

I personally hate talking on the phone but Griffin Delivery offers a high-tech way to get food delivered from localy-owned restaurants in a low-carbon way — by bike.

Right now downtown delivery is weekday lunch and  dinner down south, but they are looking to expand hours in both.

On Wednesday morning I ordered lunch 90+ minutes before I wanted to eat, allowing me to concentrate on some work. I can already tell that I’ll be having food delivered more often now, time to set a monthly limit for myself.

— Steve Patterson