Review it Wednesday... The weather

Photo by Julie Gentry

It's hard to believe April is just a few days away. The first quarter of 2013 is gone already. How did that happen? Every year, I promise myself I will not leave taxes until the last minute. And every year, I fail to keep that promise. This is about the time I start to panic.

While I usually review a product on Wednesdays, this week I decided to review the weather. There are a couple of reasons for this. One, is related to the whole April-is-almost-here-and-I-have-failed-to-do-my-taxes-yet situation. I simply don't have time for an honest full-fledged review of anything. And two, the weather deserves a review. At least it does here in Western Pennsylvania. 

I'm looking out my office window at mounds of snow and bare trees. A pair of cardinals, a chickadee, three warblers and a titmouse are flitting around my birdfeeders, fueling their bodies with the energy they need to stay warm. There's something wrong with this picture. 

Of course, the usual anti-environment critics are joking about Global Warming. Clearly this is a sure sign that nothing's getting warmer, right? I find the problem is in the semantics. Climate change should have never been touted as Global Warming. Had that term been avoided, perhaps more people would have jumped on board and cared. The fact of climate change is being experienced globally. Sometimes it's too hot. Sometimes too cold. The winds are blowing a bit stronger than usual, and more often. At least, that's the way my husband, who hates wind with a passion, sees it. 

Yes, the Earth does have its own unique cycles. That's obvious as we look at weather-related history. However, anyone who is foolish enough to believe we have done nothing to contribute to the meteorological craziness, is... well... crazy. Of course, it has something to do with us. We can't poison the atmosphere the way we do and not expect ramifications. That's ridiculous to even begin to assume. 

But back to my review. I will admit that I am loving the cold weather, as I am not looking forward to wearing less clothing. Let's face it... big sweaters hide a multitude of bad choices. For me, there is nothing better than turtlenecks, sweaters, leggings and boots. And, of course, scarves. That's my look. The thought of short sleeves (or, gasp, sleeveless), shorts and sandals, does not appeal to me in the least. So, I'll give winter's bout of tenacity a thumbs up. While I am looking forward to opening the windows, sitting on the porch late into the evening, and seeing green instead of brown and white outside my office window, I shudder to think of packing my comfort clothes into the cedar chest.

So, how about you? Are you loving or hating the weather where you are?

Snowmaggedon 2010

So what's the story with Global Warming?? As I look outside at the nearly three feet of snow in my yard, I can't help wondering what has brought about this return to winter. With projected temps below freezing for the rest of the month, it's hard to embrace the Al Gore-isms that permeate environmental websites and magazines.

Well, the flipside is we are now entering a season of Global Cooling, just like we experienced in the 1970s. Back then, the furor revolved around climatologists' claims that we were headed for an Ice Age. Of course, these claims only made them look like fools eventually, but many environmental enthusiasts jumped on the Global Cooling bandwagon perpetuating a mild hysteria. It really makes you wonder in light of the over-the-top hysteria that has resulted from the Global Warming camps.

Am I saying we should stop caring about pollution and environmental issues? Absolutely not! The best part about the Global Warming alert has been the wake-up call we've received. We all need to start caring about the environment...not because of Global Warming, but because we're killing our planet, our wildlife, our marine life and ourselves! Being green is about a whole lot more than Climate Change!

Speaking of which, the newest findings point to a projected 30 year Global Cooling pattern we have now entered. As a matter of fact, one of the U.N.'s top Global Warming proponents has changed his tune. Professor Mojib Latif, a professor at the Leibniz Institute at Germany's Kiel University and author of the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, predicts we are now in the early stages of a "mini ice age," based on the natural cycles in water temperatures in the oceans. He blames the rise in temperatures over the past three decades on the fluctuations in currents and now says we're going to spend the next three decades facing falling temperatures.

And the evidence is widespread. Did you know that Beijing had its heaviest snowfall in sixty years and Europe's recent snowstorms shut down the Eurostar train service, as well as the airports? Of course, there are some environmental enthusiasts blaming these arctic conditions on the rise in greenhouse gases, thus Global Warming, but we can't expect them to let go of the propaganda that fuels a worldwide hysteria. Based on this past summer, which I often referred to as "the summer that never was," and the current conditions, I'm thinking the Global Warming alerts just might be losing their zing.

The good news is, this might be the end of the Global Warming blitz for awhile. The bad news -- winters like this one will become commonplace.

My advice: invest in snowblowers (I know, I know, they're not environmentally-friendly, but they are heart healthy), generators, and lots of candles. We're in for some chilly weather.

Keeping it green and longing to see some,

Hana