Month: December 2015

It’s catchy.

Raw Story:

Going by Spotify’s revelation that the most-streamed song – not just of of 2015 but of all time – was Lean On, The Atlantic was able to declare the Major Lazer/DJ Snake/MØ collaboration the most 2015-iest song of the year.

Lean On is something of a catchy cultural mish-mash – a Danish singer, a French Rapper, an American/Trinidadian electronic dance music trio, and a music video shot in India.

But does being very much of its time and massively popular equate to emblematic or iconic musical status? As stand-in for the sound of a whole year?

In case you were wondering, there’s also a video teaching the Bollywood dance moves seen above.  If you’re hunkering down for an ice storm, like I am, this could keep you occupied. Continue reading “Music Break: Major Lazer & DJ Snake – Lean On”

Now made visible.

Environmental Defense Fund:

Aerial footage filmed Dec. 17, 2015, shows potent, climate-damaging methane gases escaping from a massive natural gas leak at a storage facility in California’s Aliso Canyon, with the San Fernando valley pictured in the background. The giant methane plumes were made visible by a specialized infrared camera operated by an Earthworks ITC-certified thermographer.

Motherboard:

An enormous amount of harmful methane gas is currently erupting from an energy facility in Aliso Canyon, California, at a startling rate of 110,000 pounds per hour. The gas, which carries with it the stench of rotting eggs, has led to the evacuation 1,700 homes so far. Many residents have already filed lawsuits against the company that owns the facility, the Southern California Gas Company.

Footage taken on December 17 shows a geyser of methane gas spewing from the Earth, visible by a specialized infrared camera operated by an Earthworks ITC-certified thermographer. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) released the footage last week, calling it “one of the biggest leaks we’ve ever seen reported” and “absolutely uncontained”.

Continue reading “Giant Methane Leak is “Worst Disaster Since Gulf Oil Spill””

Get Energy Smart Now:

It is late December, Washington, DC, suburbs and things are out-of-whack. Roses and azaleas blooming in the garden with cut flowers adorning the dining room table and enough lettuce coming up that we’re looking toward fresh salad from the garden for a New Year’s brunch.

Let me tell you: this is not normal.  Actually, correction: this was not normal and sadly is likely a sign of ‘the new normal’: weird weather, with new extremes of all types, amid a warming global ecosystem.

Washington is warm — record-setting warm.

http://getenergysmartnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/CXG1OpvUwAEvini.jpg

Even the cherry blossoms are confused, looking like mid-April rather than December.

High temperature record, after record, along the U.S. east coast are getting shattered

http://getenergysmartnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/CXG5n6KWQAAisRo.png

And, while it gets warm during the day, it isn’t cooling at night.

This isn’t just DC. Continue reading “Your Participation is Not Optional”

I try to show this every time I give a presentation. Many people say it makes an impression, and I’m glad NOAA has updated to 2015.

Watch as the thickest, oldest, arctic sea ice (the lighter colors) disappears over the last 25 years or so – even tho the ice continues to freeze out every winter, the total mass/thickness continues to decline.

Above, awesome stormscapes from Colorado videographer Nicholaus Wegner.

Yahoo News – “..Feeding on unseasonably warm air, storms left a trail of destruction in rural communities from Alabama to Illinois.”

Below, postcard from the future,

ABC News:

A “large and extremely dangerous” tornado was confirmed south of Dallas, Texas Saturday afternoon as the death toll from severe storms throughout the South this week has risen to 17.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) reported two more deaths Saturday, bringing the total in the state to 10. The two additional deaths in Bexar County were originally considered missing.

The National Weather Service this afternoon issued a tornado watch today for 49 counties in Texas, including Dallas County, the state’s second most populous after Harris County. The tornado watch is in effect until 8 p.m. CST in those counties.

And Saturday evening, a “large and extremely dangerous” tornado was reported near Glenn Heights, TX, south of Dallas, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters called the situation “life-threatening” and said that mobile homes “will be destroyed.” They also predicted “considerable damage to homes” and “complete destruction is possible.”