I'm a retired medical sociologist from the University of Rochester. My publishing experience includes a wide variety of academic articles and a book, "The Practice of Uncertainty" (1999). The mission of my blog is to provide accounts of the natural environment, including photos, in order to raise awareness of its fragility and the impact of climate change. Climate change is the greatest challenge currently faced by humanity. In writing about the impact of climate change I read reputable books and articles on the topic. So when I make statements about climate change you will see a link taking you to the scientific source(s) of the information I provide.
As for my independently published photobooks, each has gone through several layers of editing and peer review for both readability and accuracy.
This is not to say that everything I say is accurate. Even the New York Times makes mistakes. So, if you find something that is factually incorrect, let me know.
I hope you find reading my blog a positive experience. If you do, please encourage your family and friends to have a look.
Best wishes,
-Steve
Evening photo shoot on the Genesee River breakwater
A friend invited me out on his sail boat this week-end. After leaving our slip we headed out the Genesee to the open lake. On our way out we saw a photo shoot taking place on the breakwater to our left (err, port). There was little wind so we had to motor about half of the time. The lake was smooth, it was warm, and the colors were great! You can view the shots of the evening in the first six frames at my online gallery.
Given our low winter temperatures and the lake’s fresh water, you might not recognize this breakwater in the dead of winter as strong winds produce crashing waves and spray that make the above look like an extended block of ice.
Realizing that I have been the purveyor of bleak news in several of my recent posts, it is time to return to the positive aspects of our environment. Actually, most of us, most of the time miss it–even when we are out in it. We are focused on our cell phones or talking with each other as we walk the trails, not fully taking in our surroundings. Native people, in contrast, are/were alert to sounds, animal behavior, subtle changes in weather and so forth. Animals are also more aware than us, even when it comes to impending earthquakes and tsunamis. During several major disasters they left for safer grounds, probably because they were aware of ground vibrations. We rarely feel these because we are so preoccupied with modern life.
I took the photos here during a couple of hot days this past July using Fuji Pro400 film. When walking with the camera (usually alone) I am looking all around and listening. When I discover a potential shot I think a bit about it (at least in those cases where my subject is not moving) and move around it, taking shots from different angles and/or exposures. You have to take several shots. If you take just one with what you think was a good composition at the time, you will likely be disappointed when you see the result.
So here is the “best” of what I saw on those hot summer days.
CanoeingThe Web It WoveBlue-Green AlgaeDragonflyReflection
Cattail
I am never sure what is better, taking photos or being out in nature. I suppose it is both.
As a follow-up to my July 9, 2018 post, Climate Change & Health, I will be publishing several WordPress pages from this conference presentation, the first beginning in mid-October. These will tie together much of the data on climate change that I have already discussed. However, I will provide a more detailed discussion of climate change and public policy, along with a bibliography of recent books on the subject, and a wide array of links to scientific databases and publications.
Living near the Finger Lakes I hear about these a lot in the late summer. Not only are the world’s 37aquifers running low, but our fresh, surface waters are becoming toxic. Farming and gardening practices, and overpopulation drive climate change, resulting in these blooms.
This could create a tipping point which could threaten public health on a grand scale.
Each time we read and article like this we can say, oh, that’s in the future or somewhere else. But sooner or later the degrading environment will catch up to all of us. One by one, the dominos are falling.
Amidst the sixth extinction that includes dying coral reefs, fires, and floods, Australia is backing away from implementing the Paris agreement. Australia is not alone. Governments and many of their citizens continue to focus on the short term. While understandable, this will lead to dramatic misery in the years to come.
Originally $26.99, Nunavik is available through my online book store for $18.89! Learn about a northern Inuit village and meet the musk-ox than roam the tundra. Free shipping to U.S. addresses!
Trash stuff is offloaded in another building where the claw grabs it to feed to the burners. There it is reduced to ash. Contaminates are scrubbed and captured as fly ash. Both go to landfills where they cannot leach into the surrounding soil.After sorting, each type of stuff is bailed and shipped to producers.
Recycling facilities offer a critical service. Unfortunately, we consume so much stuff that recycling is not enough. Right now there is tremendous pressure on the picturesque Finger Lakes in New York State (home of many wineries) to receive evermore stuff into their landfills. People are up in arms. But who can blame them? I don’t want a landfill in my backyard either. Who is to blame? Well, uh, it’s you, me, and all of us. The fact of the matter is we all buy too much stuff. And the manufacturers and the retailers, they just add to it by blister packing it in cardboard and plastic so it’s more difficult to shoplift and looks great on the shelves or on hooks. Having all this stuff is also causing global temperatures to rise, due to the energy required to produce it.
So, the solution is, buy less and package less. If we don’t do it, then the planet will do it for us. I’m not making a pitch to save the planet—it will go on without us. I’m making the pitch to save ourselves. But at the very least, keep recycling.
My thanks to our tour guide, Katrina, who knew the answers to all of our many questions.
