Blog.... Blog Often?

The easy-going days before Chrismas make blogging
a distant activity. It's way down a list of
priorities.

I found myself wondering about the amount
of electricity I use in order to keep blogs
up and running.

Something to look into in the New Year?

The New Morality, Stroke 2

The chain saws are whirring merrily in Dublin these days.
The fear that trees may drop branches and leaves has
encouraged a very serious response by public bodies.
And since it is the dormant season,
several months of tree work lie ahead.


The urban landscape is changing very quickly,
which is enjoyable and, when sensitively done,
makes people feel more comfortable in their
public spaces.

However, the Ents in Tolkein's fantasy would groan louder
than usual at some of the lopping
and pollarding being done in the name of "safety".

If this continues, there will not be much reason
for people walking in cities to look upwards,
as is usual when admiring a tree.



Good Heavens? There will be nothing there.

The New Morality

I grew up in a society that was obsessed.
Its rituals were medieval, its morality
linked to the Heavens.

The new morality is more down to Earth,
more Aristotelian, which suits pragamatists
better.

What pleases, what gives offense has changed
beyond recognition. Carrying a plastic bag
while shopping can be a major political statement.

I find it all very interesting...

What is Your Favourite Colour?

I was surprised when I turned on a gardening programme
on TV recently. The presenters were praising the flowers
of
Summer.

The colours and plants of Autumn are worth looking at
more closely. Pigmentation that occurs as trees
reclaim the rich sugars from their leaves, to store for
overwintering, are some of the most exciting to
the human eye.

The Darwin of the Blogging World?

Now I know how Darwin must have felt...

far out in territories new.

Science Week Ireland has been good for learning new blogging skills.
Link back to their competition topic, I'm told.

What's a "Link Back"?

I now have enough new links in

FeedBurner

to set the World on fire.

Functionalized Nanoporous Thin Films,

or FNTF, as they are known to scientists, may be the most helpful
materials for the next ten years.
In 2007, R&D Magazine awarded Shane Addlema, Glen Fryxell, Richard Skaggs and
Xiaohong Shari Li for their work with water testing technology.

Speed is of the essence when it comes to pollution testing.
Sending samples to a lab causes time lapses in which much
damage can be caused to a fragile ecosystem.
Discs coated with Functionalized Nanoporous Thin Films
offer a highly sensitive test. It is claimed that these
nanofilms are about 1000 times more sensitive than any
test previously available.








They may well
make living in areas subject to heavy metal contamination safer.

Half Hardy Annuals Flower On

Lobelia, usually a half-hardy plant in Dublin,
is flowering still in containers here.

In an Oatfield

A Tad Obsessional?

"Carbon" everywhere. This is the Weasel Word for 2007.
I've started taking bets with myself.
Turn on the Radio or TV.
What are the odds that "Carbon" will be one
of the next ten words you hear?

Forests on the Hills

County Wicklow is densely planted with trees.

It is known as "The Garden of Ireland".

La Mer

Sometimes it's worth thinking about the abundant life
that is in the sea. And mostly beneath the surface...

Kick.ie Image Generator

Turning on Axis

Only Dreaming

My old virtual pal, Veritas from the Lounge,
has been dreaming about me.

The venue was out among the trees, in a wood.

This is a reminder to keep my virtual persona
focused and, if possible, environmentally friendly.

Trees are the Good Guys in the new
Planetery Discourse
that has overtaken all gardeners and plant lovers.

I wonder if, in years to come, our descendants will
smile at the time and energy we put into thinking
about the Forests.

No thoughts of "après nous le déluge" besmirch our thoughts.

We are all engagés now.

Save the Earth?

Everybody (well, nearly everybody)
wants to be Goody Two Shoes.


Recently, my desire to be good has been severely
tested with all the talk
about saving the Planet.

We used to call it
Save the Earth.

Now, just dare to carry a plastic bag
and you become a pariah.

You drive a car? No, no, no... stop it.

What's a lady to DO?

Don't get neurotic, that's what.

Code of Ethics

It has been often said that
scientists are not bound
by a universal
code of ethics,
unlike many professional bodies.

This is worth keeping in mind
when presented with their findings
on the subject of carbon.

Policies being drawn up,
which affect all consumers,
are not necessarily based
on good science.

Good science?

Bad science?

How to tell the difference?

Measuring the Damage

Ireland has a relatively good record when it
comes to measuring Carbon Footprints
of the average citizen.

It's worth making a personal record.

First Photo in Carbon Cycle

Carbon issues have captured the
public imagination on every
Continent.

Let's see where a blogging
all about carbon
might lead.