Snow time like the present

Talking about the weather, it was nice to see a few inches of snow on the ground this morning.  I like the way a fresh snowfall affects the acoustic signature of the city; certain frequencies are dampened dramatically, giving an impression of peace and quiet.  And the trees look nice, with the coating of snow on the branches but they would have looked better had it snowed at Christmas time.

As Mr. Beagles noted, temperature records only go back to about the mid 19th century.  Anything before that is determined by what is called the proxy method, where they do stuff like measure tree rings to get a guesstimate of the temperature.  But here's the kicker: accurate temperature records began at about the same time that the "Little Ice Age" ended.  I had to go to Wikipedia to get the low down on the Little Ice Age, but it lasted a couple of hundred years, more or less.  Apparently, ice skating became very popular once all the rivers were frozen.

So, is the current warming trend just a return to normal?  With all the variables we may never know for sure, but I suspect we are getting warmer than normal if the thawing permafrost is any indicator.  Trouble is, thawing permafrost, besides releasing CO2, also releases methane, another greenhouse gas.  It could be a runaway train, and unstoppable.  Sadly, I am not genetically predisposed for prolonged hot weather.

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Why would Old Dog want to cut down on his news inputs?  It's a great show.

This is a show that began as a comedy and will become a tragedy unless the checks and balances prove their mettle.  It's like we are unwilling participants in a con game, with misdirection, lies, and the classic smoke and mirrors.  All the congressional weasels are out for their own selfish interests, the public be damned.  Maybe Lincoln was wrong and you can fool all of the people all of the time.

Yet, there is hope.  I read this about next year's mid-term elections: All 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives and 34 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate will be contested.  The incumbents got some 'splaining to do.

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For a quick flashback to Big Beer, I found this tidbit:
(Newser) – Anheuser-Busch InBev and Molson Coors Brewing Company make up 69% of the US beer market but 100% of America's 25 worst-tasting beers, as compiled by 24/7 Wall St.

To each his own.