Sheril R. Kirshenbaum
sheril
Posts by this author
August 21, 2007
Yesterday, I mentioned our late night karaoke duet when SciBlings converged on New York City. Thanks to Coturnix's phenomenal camera work, the performance has been filmed for posterity in short segments which I've spliced together. [Note we do not actually appear on screen for the first half.]…
August 20, 2007
So, Chris and I arrived in style Friday night to find out what happens when SciBlings converge on the city that never sleeps...
The reason for our journey? SEED had invited all the bloggers to NYC--and sure enough, it was a weekend to remember! You may have already noticed photos of our mischief…
August 17, 2007
Loggerhead sea turtles captured the imagination of marine enthusiasts everywhere long before Crush made his big screen debut in Finding Nemo. They're among the oldest creatures on earth and have remained essentially unchanged for 110 million years. That's a pretty long time considering we boring…
August 16, 2007
I've received several emails voicing concern over fishing down food webs since posting last week about the Yangtze River Dolphin: the first cetacean species likely driven to extinction by human activity. Just remember, it's not a dismal picture when you hold the Montgomery Burns perspective!…
August 15, 2007
...or at least picked a B rate movie...
In an apparent attempt to "sex up" a news program, the TV station has been caught passing off footage from the 1997 Hollywood blockbuster Titanic as a real-life report on the Kremlin's recent attempt to stake its claim to the riches of the Arctic Ocean.…
August 14, 2007
2006 Legislative Knauss Fellows Reunion Sea Ranch, California August 2007
This is the true story of 10 strangers, picked every year to live in Congress and have their worlds turned upside down. Sucked into the vortex of Capitol Hill and spit back out the other side, they develop an understanding…
August 14, 2007
As I'm driving down Highway 1 listening to The Plain White Ts, the road twists and turns and all I can see is blue. I can't tell where ocean ends and sky begins and I'm reminded why I became a marine biologist: The real magic in the world is far more interesting and invigorating than anything…
August 10, 2007
Well, I showed up here at The Intersection, and boy, the place needed some cleaning up...Chris's bad habits, leaving unwashed dishes in the sink, mountains of empty Miller Lite bottles everywhere, and most troubling...we have no proper Scibling banner. So after some sidebar housekeeping and other…
August 9, 2007
They say extinction is the only real certainty. Species are constantly blinking in and out of existence. This may or may not be of concern depending on your scale of interest. In 2007 we're doing all sorts of things to pillage and plunder life on this incarnation of planet earth, but of course…
August 9, 2007
The thing about conservationists is that although many of us begin with the best intentions, we align ourselves with groups competing for the same limited resources. Overlap of of issues leads to inefficient investment of time and energy as repetitive efforts concurrently strive to accomplish…
August 8, 2007
When I had the opportunity to review Danica McKellar's new book Math Doesn't Suck, I was excited on two levels. First and foremost, it's aimed at getting girls interested in math. I've always been flummoxed as to why the subject is such a male dominated field and curious to find out how Danica…
August 7, 2007
So where have we gone wrong?
Allow me to return to a theme that I think is central. We all have different realities shaped by our individual experiences and perspectives. I have been inundated with science so when I hear global warming, I envision the carbon cycle, statistical analysis, oceanic…
August 7, 2007
One of my very best friends doesn't believe in global warming. Wait, what?! Believe? When did this become a faith based debate? I'm getting ahead of myself though, allow me to rewind a bit...
I'm back in Maine. Land of blueberries, lobster, moose, and yes, the majestic sea cucumber. Though I'…
August 3, 2007
Imagine a place where community is the central theme. A town where people may not all have advanced degrees, but collectively work toward sustainable living. I'm not talking about the stereotyped hippiedom of the 70's, but action through practical informed decisions. Streets where bikes seem to…
August 2, 2007
Admittedly, I have a little too much fun teasing Chris about being sexiest geek, but hey, he's the only official one I know. I'm a geek too of course (sans title and glory), who gets seriously excited about anything and everything space. That's SPACE mind you.. astrobiology, supernovas, galaxies…
August 1, 2007
M.C. Hammer sparked the parachute pants phenomenon and Jennifer Aniston sent young women everywhere rushing to get The Rachel. Justified or not, there's something to the power of pop culture. Global Cool is an initiative that uses media celebrities to encourage us to reduce our own CO2 emissions…
July 31, 2007
Last night at 8:00, I saw The Simpsons. Rewind four hours and I was sitting at my desk writing about the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Turns out they are very much related. Sort of.
A little Marine Bio 101:
Dead zones are areas of the ocean devoid of fish, shrimp, and marine life. They're…
July 30, 2007
Are carbon sequestration initiatives providing incentives that decrease land productivity and limit the habitat of endangered species?We spend a lot of time here discussing wind and water, but I'd like to turn your attention to another force of nature.. FIRE! When I was in South Africa earlier…
July 27, 2007
Exciting news in the world of climate policy.. a proposal that's not only progressive and practical, it's possible!
You've likely heard a bit lately about carbon caps and carbon trading. These programs set overall authorized caps on emissions and allow the buying and selling of emissions credits…
July 26, 2007
Since posting on religion last week, readers and bloggers alike have hypothesized, proclaimed, and spun words to guess where I fall on matters of faith. Some even took the time to thoughtfully write and I enjoyed reading a few extremely creative suggestions regarding where I may have hinted. As…
July 24, 2007
I continue to believe that personal decisions do have an impact through collective action. With regard to the sea bass, no, I didn't stand up to make a scene or ridicule the organizers for their meal selection (they likely had no idea of the culinary faux pas). Here's what I did:
I declined the…
July 24, 2007
Last Friday in NYC, I found myself reliving the Al Gore experience.. only this time without sustainable planning. I was at an event where dinner was (gulp) Chilean Sea Bass. Given the fallout last week over that infamous meal, I had to wonder..
Do individual choices matter in a society that is…
July 23, 2007
As Chris predicted, ScienceBlogs up and interviewed me. And no laughing Mr. Mooney, because you were also featured very recently on Page 3.14.
July 19, 2007
As a marine conservationist, I'm compelled to comment on the Gore/Sea Bass faux pas.. or lack there of. Jennifer and Tim recently posted on the former VP's meal at his daughter's wedding which included (gasp!) Chilean Sea Bass aka Patagonian Toothfish. Our newest Science Blogger, The Angry…
July 18, 2007
asks Dark Tent and others..
No, not in the religious sense. Still, for far too many people, there is a distrust of science because it's viewed as a threat to the beliefs that they hold above all else. Why should an atheist care? Because the very individuals making important decisions on issues…
July 18, 2007
If anything can be garnered from the fallout, it's that many who commented seem to have succeeded in demonstrating my point. You see, the very thing I despise about all this arguing is that it breeds intolerance and anger. While I did not write atheism is fundamentalism, I clearly hit a nerve.…
July 18, 2007
With so much hullabaloo over the 'F' word, I'm back to say I really enjoyed reading reactions to my post. Thanks to all for taking the time to think about these ideas with me. PZ suggests I need a lesson in Framing and on that topic, I've got some thoughts here, here, here, here, and here. And…
July 16, 2007
Science Blogs are abuzz since PZ, Rob, James, John, and Skatje Myers have reopened the Pandora's box on matters of Faith. As I've stated before, I feel strongly that Science need not become universally synonymous with Godlessness because that certainly doesn't win any converts. Any breed of…
July 13, 2007
Last night Chris hit Raleigh on his second stop of the Storm World tour so I caravaned over to Quail Ridge Books and Music with a couple carloads of friends to hear what he had to tell us about Hurricanes, Politics, and the Battle over Global Warming. Now as I realize my review could seem suspect…
July 12, 2007
While Chris is on tour talking about Storm World, related global warming news right out of the state near and dear to my heart of mammoth proportions..
The Florida Climate Change Summit is about to kick off July 12-13 in Miami and I expect it will be a precedent setting event. State, regional,…