Guest Opinion by Kip Hansen
The New York Times continues to send out its little climate “newsletter” alerting the public to the most important news about the climate, every two weeks.
I look forward to it — because very little in the way of main stream media news about the climate offers so much comic relief. The first thing — it makes me laugh every time I come to it — is the ClimateFwd: newsletter’s editor. She is Kendra Pierre-Louis and always includes her Twitty-name: @KendraWrites — the link goes to her official page where she subtitles herself as “Kendra “Gloom is My Beat” Pierre-Louis” — honest — you can’t make stuff like this up. Every time I see her name in print, I think of this and laugh out loud.
She is great — well, she makes me laugh and that’s a good thing. In keeping with the Editorial Narrative on Climate Change at the NY Times, which calls for everything to have a climate change hook and to tell the world how bad things are because of, you know, Climate Change is already happening, Ms. “Gloom is My Beat” gives us a climate change story about the Winter Olympics.
It features a US Olympic Cross-country skier — “Jessie Diggins is a cross-country skier on the American women’s team and a favorite to win a medal at the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. …. Diggins is also an advocate for climate action. I interviewed her to understand more about why she believes winter is worth protecting. “
Jessie says “…in places like Davos, Switzerland, where they normally have three feet of snow, they’ve been snow farming and saving it for the next year because they don’t even count on getting snow anymore. I’ve spoken to people in Switzerland who are losing their jobs because winter’s going away.” And goes on to say “….saving winter is something I believe in. It just breaks my heart because this is such a cool sport, and winter is so amazing and beautiful and I feel like we’re actually really at risk of losing it. And I don’t want my kids to grow up in a world where they’ve never experienced snow because we weren’t responsible enough.” [I’ve added emphasis. — kh]
Three things break my heart:
1) That the NY Times’ editorial staff apparently do not realize just how silly publishing things like this make them look to educated, knowledgeable readers.
2) That the ClimateFwd: editor, Ms. Pierre-Louis, apparently doesn’t read her own newspaper (maybe doesn’t read any newspaper?) or she never would have included the Davos quotes.
3) That a young American sportswoman can have been so poorly educated in high school that she does not, seemingly, know what causes the seasons and can be brainwashed into thinking that “winter is going away” and that there is any chance whatever that her kids will “grow up in a world where they’ve never experienced snow”.
Point 1: This is the third edition of ClimateFwd: and they have each been just as silly as the first.
Point 2: NY Times, JAN. 22, 2018 (almost three weeks ago), Heads of State and C.E.O.s in Davos Beware: 6 Feet of Snow in 6 Days
[Hey, give her a break, Mr. Hansen, maybe she reads the Washington Post. ]
Washington Post, 23 Jan 2018, Heavy snow and avalanches strand thousands at ski villages across the Alps
[Ok, maybe Reuters?]
Thomson-Reuters, 23 Jan 18, Heavy snow buries the global elite at Davos summit
[I give up.]
Good, because then there is this breaking news — Cold weather turning skis to garbage in Pyeongchang
Point 3: NASA Space Place: What causes the seasons? (yes, this site is for kids…but it is easy to understand, even if one doesn’t read very well yet.)
All of this makes me want to donate vast sums (of which I have none, btw) to foundations that are trying to sort out the US educational system, so our grandkids never have to experience the kind of cognitive meltdown exhibited by ClimateFwd:.
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Author’s Comment Policy:
This is an OPINION piece — so I won’t discuss hard science issues. It is meant to be amusing at the expense of NY Times — which used to be a newspaper and used to hire journalists.
I will actually make that donation as soon as the Koch Brothers or Big Oil sends me a nice fat check.
If you want to speak to me personally, and not just make a general comment, start with “Kip…” so I can be sure to see it.
This OpEd is not meant to be taken too seriously.
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So many warmnist targets to ridicule, so little time. Thanks for this, Kip.
ristvan ==> You are welcome — Ms. “Gloom is my Beat” always cheers me up!
@Kendrawrites. She does not read.
How Do You Know Climate Alarmists Are Lying? Their Lips Are Moving
Let me begin by thanking the bipartisan group of U.S. governors who convened this meeting. Few challenges facing America – and the world – are more urgent than combating climate change. The science is beyond dispute and the facts are clear. Sea levels are rising. Coastlines are shrinking. We’ve seen record drought, spreading famine, and … Continue reading
https://co2islife.wordpress.com/2018/01/13/how-do-you-know-a-climate-alarmist-is-lying-their-lips-are-moving/
She is suffering from “future present tense”: because we believe climate will happen in the future (no snow), therefore it is already happening, never mind those photos of deep snow.
Why would anyone with sense read the New York Times?
Even if it was free?
If you want to laugh, watch the Three Stooges.
Both Kendra and Jessie remind me of this person:
When late night TV comedy shows become a major source of information to an entire generation, what else can you expect?
[snip]
MODERATOR ==> THIS is an unnecessarily crude thing to appear here about a young American Olympian.
Kip,
Your post doesn’t seem to be very flattering to “a young American Olympian”. You brought her “perspective views” here for the world to see. Do you have no consideration for such a gentle soul with such an important and forward thing outlook that should be read and revaeled by YOUR and
Allow me to finish due to erroneously hitting the post button:
Kip,
Your post doesn’t seem to be very flattering to “a young American Olympian”. You brought her “perspective views” here for the world to see. Do you have no consideration for such a gentle soul with such an important and forward thinking outlook that should be read and revealed by YOUR posting and The New York Times’ climate “newsletter” alerting the public to the most important news about the climate, every two weeks.
Perhaps you could offer cover for the ‘kneelers’ in the professional football leagues, bless their gentle and understanding hearts.
Kip,
Furthermore, why did you write this:
“This OpEd is not meant to be taken too seriously.”
“Kendra “Gloom is My Beat” Pierre-Louis” When I read that I damn near did a ‘Danny Thomas spit take!’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZCm4T7AXEo
Kendra Gloom — What happens when science reporting is turned over to Bachelor of Arts degrees who’ve been indoctrinated rather than trained in the tools of critical thought and skepticism.
The mid-winter future looks bleak indeed — always Christmas, never winter.
The New York Times used to be a respected paper, I subscribed to it for many years, until drivel like this began to appear under its name. Professional journalists used to think critically, now they are just parrots for selected sources and don’t think at all. Thanks Kip, this is an important issue and sites like this must keep hammering away at the dreadful MSM science coverage we see.
Andy ==> You welcome — it’s a pleasure.
Unfortunately for the amused author and commenters, that Olympic cross skier DOES know what she’s talking about. The snow season in Switzerland starts later and ends way earlier over the last few decades. Same for snowfall line. One story about Davos this year does not change the facts. It’s an actual problem for the sport.
Of course if this particular climate change is human induced or permanent, that is another discussion.
John, could you please provide us the data sources for your “The snow season in Switzerland starts later and ends way earlier over the last few decades. Same for snowfall line.”
Thank your ahead of time.
I agree. Would love to see that data re snow in Switzerland.
John Dowser ==> Pierre-Louis and Diggins would have been on solid ground had they discussed that the Swiss ski resorts, built at lower and lower altitudes to take advantage of the phenomenal growth in sport over the last 130 years, were enjoying somewhat shorter reliable natural snow ski seasons recently. The 1970’s were a time of cooling across Europe and higher winter snow accumulations — and more avalanches destroying whole villages.
Snow patterns change naturally over the decades and change back again. 2017 was a lousy year for Alps skiing — yet they had snow in Sicily!
Overall, nothing much has changed in average snow depths — 1960-1983 or so had 7 exceptionally high snow years, otherwise the rest — right to present — are flat — in all decades there have been some really poor snow years.
One thing you can be sure of — Winter is not going away.
The new story point is one doesn’t point out the terrible snow drought in Davos two weeks after huge snowfalls threaten devastating avalanches and trap world leaders at a Davos ski resort.
The ski season for most Swiss destinations doesn’t begin until well into December — they all hope for early snows so they get a big Christmas crowd. Hasn’t been coming in time for Christmas the last few years.
Snow farming is done so cross country runs can be open in the Autumn…Oct and November — when they don;t normally have natural snow.
Less hard winters is viewed as a Good Thing for most places — just not so for Ski Resorts for the Top 10%.
Of course, Davos is for the 1%.