About

Saturday, January 2, 2016

I'll start 2016 with some rambling about this blog and where I'm coming from.

Back in 2011 I started commenting at Anthony Watts' blog, WattsUpWithThat.  I did it with trepidation since I knew Mr. Watts had quite the reputation for banning skeptical commenters regarding his insinuations and pronouncements.  I tried being rational and civil, but the contrarian tactic of baiting to divert the conversation must have suckered me over his tolerance-line for "alarmists" and I found myself joining his legion of the banned and effectively censored from his online "debate".  Ironically his compatriots seem to have no limits on the hysteria, insults and fabricated claims they are allowed to inject - oh but you better not confront them with facts, that's unacceptable in their echo-chamber "debate."

What's a little go-getter to do?  Roll over for Anthony?  Why?  When I could respond with a blog of my own.  Thus, "What's Up With That Watts et.al" was born.  Dedicated to examining contrarian claims; learning about their debate tactics; confronting their arguments with reason and links to authoritative sources for learning; and sharing that information with other concerned students and citizens.  

Deep down I was also hoping to spur some dialogue with other like minded individuals, perhaps even encourage some to engage in the public "debate" themselves.

It's been a little over four years now and I'll admit looking at some of the earlier posts occasionally I cringe - you see, I'm not a professional writer, nor scientist, I'm a skilled worker, a tradesman with decades of experience and a respectable mastery of carpentry and culinary arts and a smattering of numerous other acquired skills.   Workingman trades where you must do real work and meet other's expectations in a timely and satisfactory manner, as opposed to professional pundits and PR wizkids who don't have to do anything but write and write and talk and talk.

All my life rather than contenting myself with pro sports, or Hollywood fiction and celebrity worship, or obsessing over getting ahead of the Jones, my life long passion has been learning about our magnificent planet Earth and I've been aware of, and interested in, climate science since my high school science classes in the early 70s.  

Writing about it has been a decades long and ongoing learning process, beginning with Letters to the Editor, slowly evolving to a couple blogs of my own.  Sure sometimes I flop, but at least I'm trying, it's up to readers to decide if I'm getting anywhere, or to do better themselves.  

Yesterday, in a pleasantly cosmic-giggle sort of way, the New Year was ushered in with WUWTW's visits meter passing 200K, (it hit 100K August 2014).  Who knows what that means.  Other than knowing I'm not counting myself, I haven't a clue how many of those are visits from real people or bots, or how many actually read the posts.  Responses/comments have been few, but positive, more would be welcomed.

I do know the visits come from around the globe, my top ten starts with United States, followed by Russia, United Kingdom, France, Ukraine, Germany, Australia, Canada, China, Turkey.  It would be fun to hear from some of those visitors.

Starting 2016 I want to change the tone of this blog a bit and focus a little more on conveying my own personal journey of discovery and appreciation.  I might even focus the first weeks of blog posts on a systematic review of the fundamentals of our global heat and moisture distribution engine, including the usual cornucopia of appropriate links folks have come to expect from me.  

(I haven't forgotten about the JimSteele/ClimateHorrorStory affair, but that's a big project requiring days of uninterrupted focus and it'll still be a while before real life allows me that luxury again.)

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Considering the title of this blog is, 

"What's up with that Watts", 

and the fact I seldom write about Anthony,

I must include mention of the blog that does keep a close eye on Anthony Watts and whom you can trust to clarify his latest shenanigans, of course including links going back to the actually science that Sou bases her conclusions on - the incomparable 

http://blog.hotwhopper.com.  

Ben's http://wottsupwiththat.com 

is another resource worth becoming familiar with.

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Here are some more reflections on why I'm doing this:

Bart, it's about dissecting tactics - March 6, 2015

http://whatsupwiththatwatts.blogspot.com/2015/03/bart-its-about-dissecting-tactics.html

Bart Verheggen Says: March 6, 2015 at 17:59 Citizen and cjw, You’ve both said what you wanted to say it seems, let’s leave it at that. The current conversation is no longer constructive.

citizenschallenge Says: 

March 6, 2015 at 19:40 

Bart, yes, sort of, kind of… but you see, there is a lesson in it though.

I appreciate that I’m a bit irritating to some of you more serious educated folks. Still, my little thing is to really get inside the structure of the rhetorical manipulation going on – study it at close range, learn to understand it, watch it in action and hopefully from time to time be able to write about it and explain it along with highlighting it’s intellectual bankruptcy. ...

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Memories, an appreciation of science - March 13, 2015

http://whatsupwiththatwatts.blogspot.com/2015/03/an-appreciation-of-science.html

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You, me, we don’t need a scriptural “God” - Knowing Evolution Is Enough !  -  MARCH 26, 2015

http://citizenschallenge.blogspot.com/2015/03/plz-no-god-evolution-enough.html

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Earth is more than a pretty postcard - May 29, 2015

http://whatsupwiththatwatts.blogspot.com/2015/05/earth-morethan-postcard.html

It's deeply heartbreaking realizing how uncaring and disconnected people have become from the planet that sustains all of us.  It seems that the Republican/libertarian crowd despise our Earth and everyone who cares about her in the bargain.  

I don't get it, though I keep struggling with understanding it and failing to find the words to describe both the resentful attitude Republicans have adopted towards our life giving Earth and to convey a sense of the wonder that people like me feel for our home planet. ...

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Considering the two species of debate - June 18, 2015

http://whatsupwiththatwatts.blogspot.com/2015/06/twospecies-of-debate.html

{This is a bit clunky, but it does define the two types of debates out there.}

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Concerning Our Failure to Appreciate the Weather  

October 20, 2015 | The Humanist Magazine

http://thehumanist.com/magazine/november-december-2015/up-front/concerning-our-failure-to-appreciate-the-weather