Baerbel's Blog

Here it is! The "climate change" book, that I helped with by giving feedback and contributing ideas via Manpollo.org's discussion forum, is published on July 7th 2009. Embedded below is Greg Craven's own brand new trailer for the book launch. Please watch it and pass on the links from the "more info" side bar. Then buy it!

The book shows ordinary people (non-climate experts!) how to decide what's the best bet for them to safeguard their families even if if they don't understand the claims and counterclaims in the media debate about climate change. It has the spark of genius in it.


Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in this book - just a passionate belief that it might be part of what saves everybody's bacon. Governments and climate scientists are generally pretty firm that there is a big threat. What we need is something that shows the ordinary man-in-the-street how they can make a good sensible decision about what we should do about it. I believe this book is a brilliant example of that.

Using the techniques of risk analysis Greg shows how we can make the best decisions as to what to do when we're not sure of all the facts (or even the facts themselves are not all certain!). His method works for any big decision - not just climate change stuff.


Greg Craven has also launched a new website about his book and his take on how we can get start down the path of taking action. Go and check it out at http://www.gregcraven.org/

On May 30, 2008 five healthy eyases (baby peregrine falcons) were banded and named at Kodak Office in Rochester, NY.

Here is a link to an online-album:
http://www.kodakgallery.de/I.jsp?c=dzberi5.2hpvapxe1&x=0&y=-xgpsn3

And some Youtube-videos:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=91B9508D2C0A42F6

Cheers
Baerbel

Greg Craven - also known under his Youtube ID wonderingmind42 - has created a great series of videos about the global climate-change. His main focus is NOT on deciding whether or not it's real and caused by humans (we have the scientists to do this for us) but instead on the risks we take by NOT doing anything against it. In order to make his point, he employs risk-assessment tools much like casinos and insurance companies do.

This video should be watched by everybody - Greg even invites critiques and comments from the skeptics to sharpen his argument. In his thorough research he is able to refute all of the arguments and he has produced about 6(!) more hours of videos about the topic.

Give it a try and watch "How it all ends" on Youtube:



For all the other videos and to be able to watch them in sequence, you may want to check out the Manpollo-project homepage: http://www.manpollo.org/

Hope you are impressed by Greg's reasoning as much as I am and help to spread the word!

Cheers
Baerbel

Hi Folks,

this will most likely be my last post while in Rochester. So, I'd like to start out with some thanks:

Thanks to all the veteran fledgewatchers who took me under their wings and made me feel very welcome. I really enjoyed meeting all of you and we'll stay in touch virtually!

Thanks to all of you viewing my albums and for sending your kind feedback. It was fun creating the albums and I'm glad you enjoyed them!

Today was a gorgeous day I mostly spent down at the gorge. Aura was very accomodating with doing not just one but two or three flyovers as well as landing in a nearby dead tree. Soooo, today's album is a bit larger again than the previous ones have been - I just couldn't decide which pictures to upload

http://www.kodakgallery.de/I.jsp?c=dzberi5.97zmj2vx&x=0&y=9pzvo1

Cheers and Goodbye from Rochester

Baerbel

Hi Folks,

today, I drove down to Mendon Pond Parks to visit Wild Wings and the raptors they keep there as educational birds.

Terry and Susan were kind enough to take some of the birds out of their enclosures so that I could take a close look at them and take pictures. Thanks Terry and Susan fora great experience and thanks alsoto the two other helpers whose names I unfortunately didn't get! I met "Quiver", the feisty and astonishingly small kestrel, "GHO", the Great horned owl, "Shasta", the Red tailed hawk and "Melinda", the Barn owl. Gorgeous birds!

After getting up close and personal with these birds, I strolled along the Bird Song Trail for a little while, armed with sunflower seeds to perhaps attract some chickadees. It being summer, I didn't really think that they'd be interested in handouts, but surprisingly enough they were! I had several birds land on my outstretched hand and samplea seed or two before beating a hasty retreat. How cute! Squirrels and chipmunks were romping around as well and last but not least I saw bluebirds in the meadow flying toand fromtheir nestboxes.

A really nice outing!

Here are the pictures to go along with it:

http://www.kodakgallery.de/I.jsp?c=dzberi5.6ofc2725&x=0&y=t6rsi0

After a short dinner with Kodak colleagues at the Saddleridge, I went out to the bridge to meet many watchers for a short little while. The sky above Lake Ontario was all yellow and it was just a question of time until it let loose! While retreating to our cars we all of a sudden had all three juvies low over the visitor parking lot playing a late game of chase! We also had a chase going against the rain to make it relatively dry into our cars.....

Cheers

Baerbel