Saturday, August 10, 2013

Links

Articles: Climate Realism and Socialist Realism
In an essay in The God That Failed Fischer describes how in the middle 1930's the Soviets ordered all writers to "treat the present as though it did not exist and the future as if it had already arrived." That became known as Socialist Realism. Russian workers who lived in poverty and shared a single room with other families were depicted as well fed, smiling and happy. That was the communist depiction of the future, a future that never arrived.

Socialist Realism was promotion of fantasy for political reasons. The present did not live up to the enthusiastic promises and predictions that accompanied the founding of the communist state. Rather than admit error, the supporters constructed a mental fantasy world. The promises would still come true, but they would be delayed for understandable reasons. In the meantime they pretended the promises had already come true...
Shock News : There Was An Ice Age During The Ordovician – With CO2 1500% Of Current Values | Real Science

Wisconsin: Cold weather may have affected game bird brood size this year
This year, I have seen fewer turkey broods than I normally expect; when I do see broods, there are only one or two poults with the hen. This is consistent with what other folks have reported seeing as well. Maybe this is a result of the late exit of winter, and the cool, wet spring.
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Could the cold weather have impacted nest hatching success? Possibly—if the ground was cold or frozen, and consequently not all the eggs incubated at the required temperature, they may not have hatched within hours of the best incubated eggs.
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The cool spring could also impact poult survival after hatching. Their primary food is insects, plus any seeds or berries they might find. In cold weather, insects are less active, if they are available at all. And, if plant growth is slowed because of a late spring, flowering plants are delayed in opening up, which means pollinators are less likely to be at ground level. If a chick or poult is unable to find enough food, it dies of starvation—its mother can only lead it to feeding areas, she does not feed them.

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