PJ and Jacquelyn, many of the thoughts you have expressed occur to me too. I really posted the article only because it had fresh science findings in it, at least, findings I had not read anywhere else before. I have become a little burned out about the seemingly incessant and obsessive weaving of every scientific finding about meteorology into the getting to be suffocating fabric of global warming thoughts. I think we're all gonna die from the energy wasted on re-discovering over and over what we cannot control, before we die from the uncontrollable itself. The clincher for me was a few months back, when I read (or saw on TV) a report about some current in the Atlantic Ocean. Supposedly, if that current changes in some way, the planet could be in for another Ice Age. Fear of that change in that current is driven by observations that are interpreted to conclusions that - guess what? - global warming is what's changing the current. Get it? No matter what happens to the planet's climate - even an Ice Age - it's because of global warming. It's like, if you want to be Chicken Little about global warming, the deck is stacked; you can't go wrong. Then the blame game and the my science is more solid than your science food fights get going. Then the policy wonks, with all their science-backed, correct prescriptions for all the drastic behavioral changes that humans - especially Americans - "should" be making, that lead to all the unintended consequences that no scientists can foresee (because they could not possibly gather enough data), out-shout everyone in every discussion until you pray that some heat wave or Ice Age could just shut them up (or make them keep to themselves) and make them just leave the rest of us be, baked or frozen. I need to go out and run our noisy gasoline-powered mower, before the neighborhood lawn inspectors park their 4-ton SUV out front and idle it for 5 minutes while making notes about how our grass is too tall, for a "nastygram" to be produced using all the kilowatt hours it'll take to get one of those written and mailed to us. I'm not hyperventilating or raving mad, just venting like I need to now and then about life's absurdities. It's probably global warming that's making me short tempered and causing a snowball effect of additional CO2 dumping into the air. I just saw an article today about the unusual snowfall in South Africa...of course we know why that happened! Forget the lawn, it's Margarita Time!

I don't care what they say I won't stay in a world without love Please lock me away And don't allow the day Here inside, where I hide with my loneliness I don't care what they say, I won't stay In a world without love Birds sing out of tune And rain clouds hide the moon I'm OK, here I stay with my loneliness I don't care what they say, I won't stay In a world without love So I wait, and in a while I will see my true love smile She may come, I know not when When she does, I'll lose So baby until then Lock me away And don't allow the day Here inside, where I hide with my loneliness I don't care what they say, I won't stay In a world without love (Please lock me away) (And don't allow the day) (Here inside, where I hide with my loneliness) I don't care what they say, I won't stay In a world without love So I wait, and in a while I will see my true love smile She may come, I know not when When she does, I'll lose So baby until then Lock me away And don't allow the day Here inside, where I hide with my loneliness I don't care what they say, I won't stay In a world without love I don't care what they say, I won't stay In a world without love (forget him) Peter and Gordon

Wow, if you told me that was southern California I would believe it. It does look like fire. Great photo!

I have read all of the Wilderness books as well as the Outlander series. I enjoyed both but much prefer the Outlander books. They seem to have a more natural flow to them. I like that they stay with the same main characters through all the books. Sarah keeps the same characters but changes main character in the later books. The historical references in both are good but I think Diana's are much better.