People.... stop being idiots.

Intriguing article I ran into the other day: an argument against global warming. Are you kidding me? Why are people still so stupid? I'm glad that this was published in Britian, so it's not just the US that people are so naive about the world... stupidity seems to be a global phenomenon.

The main point of the article: There is lots of snow, so global warming must not be happening. For someone to make this point, they must have no understanding of our planet, or what climate change is. Climate change is by nature a gradual process. Nothing happens quickly on a global scale- this is one of the problems actually- we'll be so far in doodoo (or ocean water) when everyone fully realizes the problem. The overall warming is tacked onto the variations of the climate that occur naturally- these swings can easily be larger, but the overall warming trend is still there.

God forbid we start to do things that will help global warming. Even if you don't believe that we need to cut our CO2 emissions, think of all the other benefits you get: removing coal as the base of our electric power will reduce a whole host of other pollutants (mercury, lead, etc) and will slow the acid rain problem that is killing Adirondack Lakes; changing our transportation to electric cars, or using better mass transportation will reduce urban air pollution- especially in LA- which causes an insane number of health problems, especially for the young and elderly; designing and building better buildings will cut energy demand and will dissipate all the negatives associated with whatever energy source you're using, and will give me a living hopefully.

So... if someone tells you that global warming is not happening, explain to them that they are wrong.

ETPhotography

I've come up with another way to waste far too much of my time, but this might (probably won't) end up with me making a few bucks on the side, but at the very least will break even (Although one could argue I'm about a grand in the hole right now....and that's without accounting for the new lenses and flash I want....)

ETPhotography represents about the fourth website I've tried out for selling some prints / cards of my work the past few months. I hope the gallery will grow over time to accommodate all the latest trips that I have pictures from. I'm especially looking forward to the winter scenes of Zion National Park that Nicole and I will be taking in right after the New Year- just a few weeks!

You may notice a banner to the right side that displays some of the prints in my gallery- check them out, and if you have a job and lots of disposable income, and like what you see, throw down for a ten dollar print.

Mt. Wilson

Well it may be wintertime, but it's still comfortable hiking season in Southern California. Nicole and I hiked up My Wilson (~5600') starting from around 1000', making for a 4,600' gain, 14mile round trip. It was an introduction for the Wilderness Training Course offered through Sierra Club that we're taking this winter/spring for 10 weeks (I'll post more about this later). Afterwards we will be hosting our own show on Discovery Channel entitled: "People who know just enough to get themselves into a shit-ton of trouble in the wild, only to walk a few miles to 'safety camp' and fly out in a posh helicopter". I will be speaking in my fake British accent in an overly dramatic nature for the entirety of the program.

The hike was pretty cool though, it was a relatively clear day in LA, and from a ridge at about 3500', you could see all the way out across the basin to the ocean, and Catalina Island (where some of you may remember Buster from Arrested Development had an unfortunate run-in with some livestock-god I love that show)

Most of our hike was obviously during the day... and the lighting was pretty harsh, making landscapes pretty washed out... and we kept moving so I didn't really take that many pictures anyway, though I do like this shot of a nearby peak receiving some snow possibly...


You can also see downtown LA here... and cluster of tall buildings amongst the bacterial like growth of concrete and steel all around it... and of course just enough haze to make you keep blinking. The clear days just make you realize how shitty the air is. On bad days you just think that you're inside of a cloud and shouldln't be able to see anything anyway.

And of course the most spectacular light show was saved for the drive home.... so Nicole snagged a few pictures of the two icons of Southern California here.... a freeway and a ridiculously awesome sunset

Looking forward to our next actual trip- Zion National Park for a night or two after the Nittany Lions make a meal out of some Roman soldiers.