Tag Archives: drought

“Moron Night” at the Iowa State Fair featured C&W buffoon Hank Williams Jr.

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Metromix Des Moines reports: “Country legend Hank Williams Jr. played to a crowd of nearly 8,500 at the Iowa State Fair Grandstand Friday night. [...] Following the song “We Don’t Apologize For America” a chant of “USA, USA” broke out amongst the crowd. Williams smiled, telling the crowd that he was their mouth piece and adding: “We’ve got a Muslim president who hates farming, hates the military, hates the US and we hate him!” The cheers that followed were loud and enthusiastic.”

How these people survive each day without falling from the toilet and sustaining fatal injury is anyone’s guess. All of them decided to ignore actual events which occurred in their state — at their fair — last week:

1) The President stopped by the Iowa State Fair and then toured drought-stricken crops with Iowa farmers. Last week it was reported that the Obama Administration, via the USDA, will buy up to $170 million worth of pork, lamb, chicken and catfish to help drought-stricken farmers. But Obama hates farmers! and ‘merica! and baby Jesus!

2) Conversely Paul Ryan, the Republican VP candidate, also visited the Iowa State Fair to give a stump speech. Afterwards, reporters asked him about the drought and dead crops and whether he supported federal aid to farmers. Ryan’s reply was: “We’ll get into all those policy things later,” adding, rather unbelievably, “Right now I just want to enjoy the fair.” Please note that drought-stricken crops and the farmers who are suffering are not as important to Master Ryan as his fair-going. Also it’s highly likely that he and Mittens, in fact, would not support such federal aid (that would take away from those tax cuts for the wealthy!). But Paul Ryan is the real ‘merican though, ain’t he Hank?!

Be sure to show up in November and vote against anyone who these idiots support.

NOAA Drought Map: We’re screwed — but don’t blame it on global warming

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Summer of Fire and Brimstone Ahead | Mother Jones

“Part of what’s fueling the insane heat are the same extreme drought conditions feeding the wildfires out west. (Tim McDonnell’s MoJo wildfire explainer here.)

As you can see in the map above, 72 percent of the lower 48 is now classified as experiencing dry or drought conditions. And don’t expect things to get better soon.”

 

What climate change?

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From Julia Whitty at Mother Jones:

Average national temperature records May 2011 to April 2012: NOAA/NCDC

Record average national temperatures from May 2011 to April 2012: NOAA/NCDC

The last 12 months were the hottest 12 months in US history since record-keeping began in 1895. This according to NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center‘s latest State of the Climate report.

United States Drought Monitor as of 1 May 2012.: climate.govUnited States Drought Monitor as of 1 May 2012.: climate.gov

The gnarly partner to all this heat is drought. The US Drought Monitor (USDM) map above shows the state of drought in the lower 48 as of 1 May 2012. That’s a lot of dry territory.

Arctic warming and extreme weather events in the U.S. and Europe

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image: BBCMundo.com

Andrew Freedman discusses how Arctic warming is tied to extreme weather (like drought, flooding, cold spells, heat waves) in the U.S. and Europe:

The study shows that by changing the temperature balance between the Arctic and mid-latitudes, rapid Arctic warming is altering the course of the jet stream, which steers weather systems from west to east around the hemisphere. The Arctic has been warming about twice as fast as the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, due to a combination of human emissions of greenhouse gases and unique feedbacks built into the Arctic climate system.

[...] One does not have to look hard to find an example of an extreme event that resulted from a huge, slow-moving swing in the jet stream. It was a stuck or “blocking weather pattern” – with a massive dome of high pressure parked across the eastern U.S. for more than a week – that led to the remarkable March heat wave that sent temperatures in the Midwest and Northeast soaring into the 80s. In some locations, temperatures spiked to more than 40 degrees above average for that time of year.

[...] The reasons why the Arctic is heating up so quickly, a phenomenon known as “Arctic amplification,” has to do with factors that are unique to the Arctic environment, involving feedbacks between sea ice, snow, water vapor, and clouds. As the area warms in response to manmade greenhouse gases, melting ice and snow allow exposed land and water to absorb more of the Sun’s heat, which melts more ice and snow, and so on. A relatively small amount of initial warming can be greatly magnified in the Far North.


image: The Kitschest Bear by Antoine Beyeler

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin prays for rain, drought worsens: how mad is God?

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Via Think Progress:

On July 17, Governor Mary Fallin asked all Oklahomans to set aside time to pray for rain. The drought actually worsened afterwards in the following two weeks:

Is God mad at Mary Fallin or Oklahoma? Maybe Pat Robertson has some thoughts on why God thinks Oklahoma and Mary Fallin deserve this drought?

Or maybe some of the extremist right wing preachers who worked with Rick Perry for his Prayer Rally this past week can explain it. I mean, if Japan’s earthquake WAS caused by their Emperor having sex with a demon, then what in God’s name is going on in Oklahoma and Texas? Seriously.