State of Fear – A Book Report

big-stateoffear.jpgI recently finished Michael Crichton‘s “State of Fear” novel. Although it is fiction, Dr. Crichton, as usual, did the supporting research into the topic of global warming and the hysterical reactions of climate fascists. There is an author’s message and a complete bibliography at the end of the book.

This passage is on the foreword to the novel:

This is a work of fiction. Characters, corporations, institutions and organizations in this novel are the product pf the author’s imagination, or, if real, are used fictitiously without any intent to describe their actual conduct. However, references to real people, institutions and organizations that are documented in footnotes are accurate. Footnotes are real.

It was a hell of a novel. All the time indicting the alarmists for what they are: extremists and carbon tax and fund raising profiteers. I highly recommend this novel not only for entertainment, but to educate the reader with some of the actual facts about climate change from reputable scientists.

From the State of Fear website:

This is Crichton’s most wide-ranging thriller. State of Fear takes the reader from the glaciers of Iceland to the volcanoes of Antarctica, from the Arizona desert to the deadly jungles of the Solomon Islands, from the streets of Paris to the beaches of Los Angeles. The novel races forward on a roller-coaster thrill ride, all the while keeping the brain in high gear. Gripping and thought provoking, State of Fear is Michael Crichton at his very best.

Finally, here is a quote from Dr. Crichton in his presentation,“Aliens Cause Global Warming,” to Jet Propulsion Laboratories in 2003:

“Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you’re being had.”

— Michael Crichton

Fishhook Cactus Flower

When we were getting our landscape irrigation installed, the crew dug up a small fishhook barrel cactus. One of the guys asked if I wanted to plant it somewhere else, so I put it into a six inch pot to allow it to grow enough for transplanting into the cactus garden. Unexpectedly, today the tiny fishhook has this beautiful pink flower. Click on the image to enlarge.

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Wren Pen

wren-pen.jpgOur new spa should be delivered sometime during this coming week. In the meantime, there is one bay of the screened enclosure still open so we can get the spa placed on the patio. We are looking forward to both having the spa installed and the patio finished.

Today, Damsel took this image of a cactus wren that found its way into the patio. She flushed the wren out with a straw broom and it flew out to the mesquite tree behind the RV pull-through. A few minutes later, the bird came back into the patio. We think it may have been trying to get out of the sun on this 108° day.

Click on the image to enlarge.

Monsooner Or Later

Occasionally, these nice puffy cumulus clouds will band together to form thunderstorms. We’re in monsoon season from now until September. Sooner or later, we will get lightning, thunder and a gully-washer cloudburst. Our first storm of the season here was on July 3rd. We kind of like ’em despite the increased humidity. Click on the image to enlarge.

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New Decor for the Office

Now that the furniture is (mostly) in place, Damsel and I have been gradually acquiring native American, southwestern and old west knick-knacks and art for decorating the rooms with themes appropriate to our historic old western town. Today, we had some time to kill before collecting the dogs from the groomer so we stopped into one of the local gift and souvenir shops. We have been in this shop before where I was fascinated with most of the hand-made dioramas of old western towns. I decided to get one of them for the office.

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I hung it over the desk this afternoon. Click on the thumbnail above to see the full-sized panorama. Note some of the funny signs and other humorous stuff.

Wickenburg Station

These days, the 0ld Wickenburg Railroad Station serves as home to the Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce. We were in the old downtown area today getting our health records transferred to our Arizona Physician. Click on Damsel’s image to enlarge.

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