Monday, June 18, 2007

Green writers

Bad writing in an eco-opinion by the Post:
The spring chirping birds might not be music to some ears, but consider the silence if it were gone.

Bird songs provide nature's soundtrack and a sure sign that all is right in their world. We should all hate for those sounds to go away.
Had to quit there.

Bad headline for someone else's eco-opinion in the Post:

"Don't leave it to the beavers."

Climate change is here [yay!] bringing with it a seven-year drought in the Southwest.

That'll come as news to some in Colorado. But let's pretend:

Dry winters produce more dust on the high snow packs in the Rockies. The dark dust decreases the snow cover's albedo - the percentage of light falling on the snow that is reflected back - which speeds melting and shortens the spring thaw. Developers and dam builders are predicting that if spring runoff goes more quickly, we will need more dams to catch it. . . .
I couldn't find anyone, dam builder or not, who's "predicted" this, but somebody probably has, so let's keep pretending:
So many half-full reservoirs should quiet dam proponents, but they are like beavers: the sound of running water stirs them to action without conscious thought. A beaver will build a wall of mud and sticks on the face of a loudspeaker that plays the music of running water. Human dam-builders are much the same.

That seems rather rude. I would be very unhappy if somebody built a wall of mud and sticks on my speakers, even if they are old. Anyway, the writer goes on a good deal longer. Do with the information what you will.

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