#photos #selfies

I feel like I should be on a wanted poster.

#photos #selfies

And then last night I thought I should get rid of the beard. The mustache and remainder might not make it through the day.

#photos #beard

Florida Will Be Underwater Soon but Republicans Won’t Do Anything About It

If you think concerns about climate change are overblown, or if you have it in your head that global warming is still an abstract concept, go down to Florida. “In the past century, the sea has risen 9 inches in Key West. In the past 23 years, it’s risen 3 inches. By 2060, it’s predicted to rise another 2 feet, with no sign of slowing down,” reports an editorial that ran in South Florida’s major newspapers Friday. It’s the kind of climate warning that terrifies the reader just by listing facts:

It’s not just a matter of how much land we’re going to lose, though the barrier islands and low-lying communities will be largely uninhabitable once the ocean rises by 3 feet. It’s a matter of what can be saved. And elsewhere, how we’re going to manage the retreat.

The editorial is part of a package called the Invading Sea that is a collaboration between the Miami Herald, the Palm Beach Post, and the Sun-Sentinel, with reporting help from public radio station WLRN. All of those outlets—and many more—have been banging on the climate change drum for years, but the collaboration represents a new level of urgency.

The problem isn’t just that the sea is rising, which could result in falling home prices, health problems for residents, and eventually daily flooded streets in Miami. The problem is that while some coastal counties and businesses are taking sea rise seriously, Republican ideologues at the top of the state and federal governments are ignoring it. Florida governor Rick Scott made some vague noises about thinking about climate change after 2017’s Hurricane Irma, but he’s still the same guy who a few years ago reportedly banned officials at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection from using the terms “climate change” and “global warming.” His inaction on the issue prompted a suit last month from eight children who accused the governor of “deliberate indifference.” (Scott is now running for US Senate.)

If the government won’t do or say much about climate change, it’s good to see the newspapers talking up a storm. They’re representing the people of Florida much more than the politicians are.

#climatechange

#photos #flowers #naturewalk

Got a new upstairs window fan. 20” and 1600 RPM, both intake and exhaust. They say it’s “whole house” and I believe ‘em. I can feel the air moving when I’m down in the basement. This’ll be perfect for when it’s hotter inside than out.

I’m seriously impressed so far. With sucking up the cold air from my basement my house is already 2° cooler since I turned it on. My kitchen isn’t hot and muggy for once even though it’s 79° outside.

I did have to do some creative mounting work because I didn’t want it permanently attached to the window. And then I hooked it up to Alexa with a TanTan Smart Plug and called it The Terminator.

Look for it on Amazon: AirKing 9166 20” Whole House Window Fan — $160 when I got mine.

#videos #homeimprovement

Audio (MP3): 20180505 - You can't dump that there

For whatever reason the Chicago Tribune left newspapers on my sidewalk for three days in a row. I like that because reading the paper from start to finish broadens my horizons. I come across articles and the like that I wouldn’t have sought out on my own.

Like this particular Dear Abby-ish piece about a couple that was having a fundraiser with the funds coming from a cash bar. Another couple had shown up with their own wine and proceeded to drink out in the yard or something.

So then the columnist’s advice was to just bluntly ask them about it.

“Daisy and Tom, we found a pile of wine bottles on the lawn near your car, and I think they came from you and your guests. What’s up with that?”

The thing I like most about this was the such few words the columnist offered to the person who wrote in. It wasn’t War and Peace, it was two sentences.

Read more →

There’s a whole wide world out there squirrels, but sure, go ahead and dig where I planted grass.

#photos #squirrels #thestruggleisreal

#photos #cats

May the Fourth be with you ..or.. happy Cuatro di Mayo. Whatever you’re into.

Either way, it’s Friday!

🤩💛🌼 #photos #flowers