The hottest May on record.

Over here in the Netherlands we may be cooler than most of the summer world because of (relatively) local weather patterns, but most of the rest of the globe is cooking!

Some quotes from a NOAA article on this matter:

The combined global land and ocean surface temperature was the warmest on record for May, March-May (Northern Hemisphere spring-Southern Hemisphere autumn), and the period January-May according to NOAA. Worldwide average land surface temperature for May and March-May was the warmest on record while the global ocean surface temperatures for both May and March-May were second warmest on record, behind 1998.

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Global Highlights – May 2010
The combined global land and ocean surface temperature for May was the warmest on record, at 1.24°F (0.69°C) above the 20th century average of 58.6°F (14.8°C).
The global land surface temperature for May was 1.87°F (1.04°C) above the 20th century average of 52.0°F (11.1°C) — the warmest on record.
The May worldwide ocean temperature was the second warmest on record, behind 1998. The temperature anomaly was 0.99°F (0.55°C) above the 20th century average of 61.3°F (16.3°C).
Warm temperatures were present over most of the globe’s land areas. The warmest temperature anomalies occurred in eastern North America, eastern Brazil, Eastern Europe, southern Asia, eastern Russia, and equatorial Africa. The Chinese province of Yunnan had its warmest May since 1951. Numerous locations in Ontario, Canada had their warmest May on record.
Anomalously cool conditions were present across western North America, northern Argentina, interior Asia, and Western Europe. Germany had its coolest May since 1991 and its 12th coolest May on record.

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Global Highlights – March-May 2010
The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for the March-May season was 58.0°F (14.4°C), which is the warmest such period on record and 1.31°F (0.73°C) above the 20th century average of 56.7°F (13.7°C).
The worldwide land surface temperature for March-May was 2.20°F (1.22°C) above the 20th century average of 46.4 °F (8.1°C) — the warmest on record.
The worldwide ocean surface temperature was 0.99°F (0.55°C) above the 20th century average of 61.0°F (16.1°C) and the second warmest March-May on record, behind 1998.
Very warm temperatures were present across eastern and northern North America, northern Africa, Eastern Europe, southern Asia, and parts of Australia. Tasmania tied its warmest March-May period on record. The Northeastern U.S. also had its warmest March-May period on record. Conversely, cool temperatures enveloped the western U.S. and eastern Asia.
Western Europe was particularly dry for its spring season. For the United Kingdom, it was the driest spring since 1984, and the twelfth driest since the UK record began in 1910.

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The CO2 levels are heading up, up and up. 350 ppm is considered the upper safe limit we could comfortably live with on this planet... but we passed that point long ago and don't look to be hitting a u-turn anytime soon.

I think our direction's pretty clear now. Still, there are enough fanatics irl and online wanting to have their cake and eat it too. I think we need to start ignoring them, stop giving them a platform to spout their nonsense. Their misinformation has been debunked time and again and yet again, enough of that! Our energy needs to go in a different direction.

What are we going to do?!?! Part of me wants to throw my hands up and say fuck that, I give up. Another part of me is looking at my (adult) son, at the children of my family and friends, and I simply can't give up. We just cannot leave them the world in this state.

It's too late to stop the change but maybe it will be possible to put the brakes on and make it survivable, at least. Maybe we can still make plans for coping with the changes.

We need to accept that really serious changes are coming and within our lifetime. We need to start thinking, talking, acting adaptation. And we need to act on this on a global scale. And we truly need to halt the upward trend of carbon emissions for this to have a snowball's chance in hell.

We need to understand this issue down to the bones, and we need to develop a sense of urgency.
Because it is urgent.

Trade unions and the coming economic collapse

In the unions—thoroughly corrupt, antidemocratic and right-wing—the workers face an enemy no less hostile than the bankers and their political mouthpieces.

source

Are we facing dictatorship regimes in Europe?
Quite possible. This economic meltdown, together with climate change and peak oil, could be the end of democracy without anything equal or better to take it's place.

We are heading into very dark times, I believe.

Beste Job Cohen

Ik heb vanmorgen gestemd. Een Rode Stip onder PvdA, naast "Job Cohen".

Ik ben eigenlijk een SP stemmer. Ik heb vanmorgen een strategische stem uitgebracht op jou. Ik vermoed dat er nog wel meer zullen zijn zoals ik, die strategisch stemmen om de PvdA het grootste partij te maken.

Mijn bedoeling hiermee is NIET een paarse coalitie, of een CDA/enz coalitie. Mijn bedoeling hiermee is expliciet een linkse coalitie, die zich ook zullen gedragen als een linkse coalitie. Ik zie overal in Europa dat linkse regeringen met het zwaard op de strot rechtse maatregelen uitvoeren. Dat wil ik in Nederland niet zien. Sociaal Europa wordt in een sneltreinvaart ontmanteld en de neoliberale richting lijkt onstuitbaar. Ik hoop dat in ieder geval in Nederland dit niet hoeft...

Job, ga voorzichtig om met mijn stem. Ik heb op je gestemd met mijn hart in mijn keel. Als Wouter er nog was, had ik het niet gedaan. Maar, jij bent links, denk ik. Hoop ik!

Monckton

My grandma used to say, rather shut up and let people think you are a fool, than open your mouth and confirm it.

Monckton opened his mouth to rebut some elements of a critical deconstruction of one of his talks by Professor John P. Abraham (in ten parts!)

Einde van een tijdperk

Jammer. Het kraken diende wel degelijk een functie. Ik zal altijd met warme gevoelens terugdenken aan de diverse kraakpanden en gemeenschappen van sociaal geëngageerde mensen die ik (vooral) in Groningen heb leren kennen, zo'n 20 jaar geleden.

De antikraakwet is een feit. Kraken is daarmee 'crimineel'. De wet, die vorig jaar op het nippertje door de Tweede Kamer werd aangenomen, is nu ook door de Eerste Kamer geaccepteerd.
bron

In mijn ogen een geheel foute beslissing. Het eindschot van een fatsoensrakkers-kabinet.

Reformatorisch Dagblad

Ach. Als atheist was is het Reformatorisch Dagblad toch al mijn smaak niet.
Maar deze laatste stukje commentaar over de VN interventie in Malawi ten behoeve van de homo stel dat 14 jaar "hard labour" verlovingscadeau kregen, is gewoon weerzinwekkend.

Bah. Het oh zo Christelijke liefde voor de medemens straalt er niet echt van af.

Another strike against Europe - whaling

European Commission lawyers have said that the EU must vote by consensus in the IWC, and if consensus cannot be achieved, the 25 EU member states – who form a substantial voting block in the 88-member IWC – must abstain.

Most EU nations will be against the deal, but it is possible that Denmark, with links to indigenous whaling communities in the Faroes and Greenland, might vote in favour, in which case Britain and other opponents would not be able to cast their votes against it, and the chances of the deal going through would soar.

The issue is still being negotiated between European Commission lawyers and member states, including Britain.

source

Because of an EU regulation it will be possible for commercial whaling to return. In fact, it seems inevitable that commercial whaling will return. Thanks to a horrible deal cooked up by politicians who have very conflicted interests.

This is a terrible shame and really should not be allowed to happen. If countries are required by law to vote by consensus in this issue, it will be another huge nail in the coffin of the great Euro experiment.

I am beyond furious and outraged. This is unacceptable, it simply must not happen!


UPDATE: We got lucky. The situation remains unchanged, for now. Watch this space, though. This situation has by no means been resolved, just shelved for a little while.