cmooney
Posts by this author
May 31, 2007
The last of the pre-season hurricane forecasts--from Colorado State University's Phil Klotzbach and Bill Gray, the latter of whom happens to be a chief character in my new book--is now out (PDF). It is unchanged from the previous Klotzbach/Gray forecast: 17 named storms, 9 hurricanes, and 5…
May 31, 2007
After thinking about NASA administrator Michael Griffin's ridiculous recent statement--he's not sure global warming is a "problem"--I decided to do a full entry at HuffingtonPost about it.
That entry, entitled "Of Idiocy and Optimal Climates," is readable here.
May 31, 2007
My new Seed column, with the same title as this post, is now online. It's about how to convey the "perfect moral storm" that is the global warming problem to an American public that remains deeply confused and even ambivalent about the issue....as epitomized by NASA administrator Michael Griffith's…
May 30, 2007
Well, we've got a second named storm in the Northeast Pacific. As NHC forecaster James Franklin notes, this is an unusual (although not un-heard of) occurrence:
THE DEPRESSION IS UPGRADED TO A 35 KT TROPICAL STORM. ONLY TWICE BEFORE...IN 1956 AND 1984...HAVE THERE BEEN TWO EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC…
May 30, 2007
It's official: The "Speaking Science 2.0" talk is now viewable in its entirety on YouTube:
The presentation above is the one that we gave at the annual meeting of the American Institute of Biological Sciences a few weeks back. Unfortunately, you can't see the PowerPoint slides; you can only see us…
May 29, 2007
It's not even June yet, but a second storm seems to be forming in the Northeast Pacific off the western coast of Mexico, as seen in the image above from the National Hurricane Center. The center's first forecast discussion says this:
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS FAVOR STRENGTHENING. THE DEPRESSION IS…
May 29, 2007
In anticipation of the start of hurricane season, today's Science Times had a pair of great articles on hurricanes, global warming, and coastal defenses in the U.S. I have just put up a post at Huffington Post, entitled Risky Scenarios, that comments on the latest Times package. You can read it…
May 29, 2007
FAITH
Several folks have emailed asking why I've yet to write about RELIGION. Simply put, what I believe is that faith has no place in science. Will someone please stand up and explain the circular argument, the rhetoric, the tomfoolery and fiddlesticks that is the age old debate on how these two…
May 29, 2007
Back from Italy, that is. I had a great, relaxing time in Venice and, later, in Udine and the little town of Manzano, where I'd gone for an old friend's beautiful (and entirely secular!) wedding.
But no more on that, it's entirely non-science related.
This post is just to let you know of my return…
May 27, 2007
posted by Sheril R. Kirshenbaum
Anticlimactic perhaps, but then you knew my last post on Framing wouldn't provide closure on the topic. Hubris would be an understatement if I claimed to have a panacea of answers. Instead, what follows are a few musings to wrap up ideas from Thursday based on my…
May 26, 2007
Hello, everyone. My name is Norman Doering. I'm your weather watcher for the week while Chris Mooney is away. You haven't heard from me until now because there haven't been any new hurricanes this week.
However, earlier today I was checking in on the weather sites that I promised to Chris Mooney…
May 25, 2007
I've had fun following comments and feedback from Wednesday's series on Framing Science. Many of you bring up excellent points and I particularly enjoy hearing from folks who do not wholeheartedly agree. It's also encouraging that other science bloggers including PZ Myers and Coturnix are open…
May 25, 2007
What are the appropriate roles of the defense and intelligence establishments in understanding and responding to global warming? In a recent op-ed, my colleague Mark Drapeau and I reviewed a study by the CNA Corp. that highlighted the natural security threats posed by unchecked climate change. The…
May 24, 2007
Dr. Montgomery McFate, a noted anthropologist and Pentagon consultant currently based at the U.S. Institute for Peace, has pointed out an historical military role of her academic field in understanding the local populace during the Colonial period. Despite this intermingled history of anthropology…
May 24, 2007
Today at 2:22 pm, I'll have circumnavigated our sun exactly 27 times. I love discussions revolving around that spectacular star of ours, because it's capable of altering all sorts of perspectives and intimately tied to the future of our home planet. Fast forward about 3.5 billion years and the sun…
May 23, 2007
Imagine you're a legislative staffer on Capitol Hill..
Short on time would be an understatement.
In comes Joe scientist carrying charts and referencing stats and p-values. 'Let's talk Global Warming!' Again?! He's the fourth PhD this afternoon. Kind of seems like old news. Today's topic is how…
May 23, 2007
Much emphasis in traditional conservation is paced on 'charismatic megafauna,' meaning the species that we all know and love. The heroes of the big screen. Save the Oceans for Flipper and Free Willy. Keep those penguins marching and the polar bears drinking Coca-Cola. Market the smiling dolphins…
May 23, 2007
There's not a one size fits all approach to getting a message across that resonates with the public and policymakers. The idea is to 'Frame Science' in a language that turns people on with the goal of engaging a targeted audience to think and care about a critical issue. The magic recipe is in…
May 23, 2007
That's right, I said it.
Dare I broach the topic sans Chris? Is it fair to discuss Framing when he's not here at The Intersection to reply? I think YES. Just be aware everything that follows is 'according to Sheril' and none of this necessarily reflects the opinions of our two favorite Framers…
May 22, 2007
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released their 2007 Hurricane Forecast today predicting a 75 percent chance that the Atlantic Hurricane Season will be 'above normal' for this year. The season officially begins June 1 and NOAA scientists predict 13 to 17 named storms.…
May 22, 2007
The International Energy Outlook 2007 (IEO2007) was released yesterday with an assessment by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the projection for international energy markets through 2030. This includes the details on everyone's favorite element with 6 protons - the very topic keeping…
May 21, 2007
Exciting news out of my very own little North Carolina town..
Last week, Dr. Peter Agre announced he'll evaluate a run for the Senate in 2008 as a Democrat from Minnesota. (The seat is currently held by Republican Senator Norm Coleman).
Well everyone loves a Renaissance man and Dr. Agre has…
May 21, 2007
posted by Sheril R. Kirshenbaum
In the first installment of Intersection-ing sans Chris, I've decided to address all this hullabaloo on Global Warming.. Is it real? More and more, scientists are criticized as alarmists jumping on the apocalyptic panic bandwagon while the rest of us have more…
May 20, 2007
Typhoon Yutu in the West Pacific, currently recurving and heading towards Iwo Jima. Image credit: Naval Research Laboratory.
Over the past day or so, the second Pacific typhoon of the year--Yutu, or Amang--has rapidly intensified. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center now puts the storm's strength at…
May 19, 2007
Not that it hasn't been noticed already...but I was fortunate enough to contribute to the latest issue of Harper's magazine, for a feature section entitled "Undoing Bush."
In the piece, I lay out some suggestions for what the next president can do to restore scientific integrity to the apparatus…
May 18, 2007
POLITICS Where are we headed? Do party loyalties mean much in the big picture?
SCIENCE Will science solve our problems? Perhaps the very nature of all conflict is a necessary aspect of humanity? Is it true environmentalists are a dying breed?
POP Does public opinion matter? Do films with a message…
May 17, 2007
Well, it was a tough decision. There were a lot of great ideas, suggestions, and proposals about who to have blog here next week in my absence. In fact, there were so many good ideas that I'm going to invite some folks who are not stepping up to the plate this time around to come back and do it the…
May 17, 2007
On May 3, former House Science Committee chair Sherwood Boehlert gave the distinguished AAAS Carey Lecture (PDF). It recently came to our attention that Boehlert spent a significant chunk of the talk commenting on the Nisbet-Mooney "framing science" article in Science.
We've now posted a reply to…
May 17, 2007
Projected track of Cyclone Pierre--currently pointing toward Queensland. Image courtesy of the Bureau of Meteorology, Brisbane Centre.
The Australian cyclone season this year has been very quiet, and was supposed to be over April 30.
Never mind. Cyclone Pierre has other ideas.
This storm is now…
May 16, 2007
Folks: After checking with my publisher, Basic Books, I'm pleased to announce that my first book, The Republican War on Science, has sold 50,000 copies (counting hardcover, paperback, translations, etc). Thanks to all of you who picked up one or more of those copies, and I hope you enjoyed it.…