Gendered brains, gendered science, playful plaque ...

[erudito]

Yes, the brains of men and women really are different. Via wildilocks. An intellectually serious debate about why women are disproportionately absent from higher reaches of science and mathematics.

Local historical plaques are not normally this playful in spirit. Via the_christian.

Did I know Andre Norton died? Definitely do now. Via meninaiscrazy

Organising in favour of

Comments

Re: Warming

[lokicarbis]

The argument that emissions need to be cut back is all about concentrating on stopping the warming as much as practicable. It is not about concentrating on dealing with the effects.
Oh, indubitably. It's just that I don't recall ever seeing it advanced as a solitary argument. Certainly, at times when it is a key issue, such as during the Kyoto conference, it will have greater prominence, simply because it is something that the world's governments are actually doing something about.

But to suggest that it is the sole element of environmental policy is a ludicrous as suggesting that the US government's focus on 'the war on terror' means that they don't have a domestic economic policy.

And, if symptomatic belief is cheaper and easier, yes.
Remind me never to allow you to come with me to the hospital if I'm sick or injured.

Particularly as not all effects would be in one direction.
I assume that this refers to your subsequent paragraph? 'Cos if not, it needs elaboration.

Since any warming would be concentrated in the northern and southern regions
We usually call them hemispheres. There are two of them, and between them they compose the entire globe. Hence the term 'Global' warming.

would on current evidence and Various scare-claims have been made, but they have tended to "melt away" under scrutiny.
Again, citations please?

lead to more extreme weather but would lengthen growing seasons and increase plant growth
Except of course that one of the extremes is increased variability in weather. Which tends to lead to numerous too short growing seasons, plus more heatwaves, higher winds and greater erosion, none of which are good for any agricultural crop currently popular in this country.

not (1) affect sea levels
Have you read these EPA documents on how global warming is, in fact, having precisely that effect. Or will you just dismiss this as an outrageous claim made by someone with a partisan agenda? (And, of course, continue to not apply that same standard to those who disagree with them.)

Re: Warming

[erudito]

I never implied that stopping emissions was the only environmental argument. My point is the much narrower one that, given economic resources are finite, it could well be more effective to ameliorate ill effects than to try and seriously cut back on emissions.

increasing variability in weather
Which is precisely one of the issues there are arguments about

As for sea level rise I overstated: I should have said affect sea levels to a major degree. 1mm per year is not much of a rise. (And I have seen arguments that the effects would be in reverse directions, due to inceased precipitation contributing to high Antartic ice levels.)

Regarding citations, the links here will lead to some.