Patagoniacs

About Global Warming

Seen on Ruminations on Russia :

Last month, Oleg Sorokhtin, a fellow of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, shrugged off manmade climate change as “a drop in the bucket.” Showing that solar activity has entered an inactive phase, Prof. Sorokhtin advised people to “stock up on fur coats.”

He is not alone. Kenneth Tapping of our own National Research Council, who oversees a giant radio telescope focused on the sun, is convinced we are in for a long period of severely cold weather if sunspot activity does not pick up soon.

The last time the sun was this inactive, Earth suffered the Little Ice Age that lasted about five centuries and ended in 1850. Crops failed through killer frosts and drought. Famine, plague and war were widespread. Harbours froze, so did rivers, and trade ceased.

It’s way too early to claim the same is about to happen again, but then it’s way too early for the hysteria of the global warmers, too.

This is quite interesting, but the real conclusion of all these news about the climate is :

Be prepare for changes ! Which ones ? It looks like no one really know, but there will be some !

Pictures of surf in BZH

Heard 100 times :
"- So you are a surfer ?
- Yes, I try to be.
- And where do you surf ?
- In BZH, Brittany, in the west part of France ?
- HUU ? There is no wave there. All the waves are in Biarritz or Hossegor.
- Believe me, there are good strong waves, if you are not afraid of the cold.
- ..."

I will not give any special details, but just look at the pictures seen here, and you will understand that there is no need to leave far far away to find a brand new place.

(pictures copyright : Ronan Gladu - )

Mountain Bike and nice weather

Back in Moscow today, I realize how lucky I was this week-end, to enjoy a very nice weather in France, and a good ride in nature.
I went in the woods with a good friend of mine, who has a very nice and efficient bike. That was great to enjoy at the same time, a good weather, a good friend, a good bike and a good sport session.

A lot of people may wonder why people put so much money in a bicycle (some costs more than Eur 5,000), but I really feel the difference now (even if I have not paid mine 5,000 !!).

Here is the description of the bike I bought :

CANNONDALE Super V 700 SL,

Cadre Super V SL 99, Fourche téléscopique Headshock Supper Fatty D (à blocage sur la la tête de fourche afin de la rendre non amortie pour la route), amortissement à air (pompe fournie), amortissement arrière Fox Air Vanilla, jante Coda 700 Eyeleted&Machined, Axe roue arrière : Coda 700 32H, avant 28H, Rayons DT Competition 1.8/1.6 Alu Nipples, Pneus ; IRC Mythos Kevlar 1,95 Rustywall, pédales : CODA 500M noires, Cassettes Shimano Deore LX 9 vitesses 11-32, Dérailleur arrière Shimano Deore XT, avant STX-RC, Pédalier : Coda CF2, 22/32/44, Grip Shift : Quartz 9speed, guidon : Coda expert w/coda weave grip, potence : CODA, freins : Pro-Max PX2 Expert, poignées freins : ESP7.0 Composite, Selle Coda 900M, rails manganèse, recouverte en Kevlar, Tige de selle : Kalloy SP-263.

Poids : 11,5 kg.

All these equipments made the ride perfect. It helps you keep a good control of the bike at high speed in rough terrain, it is comfortable, it is efficient.

It's like riding a wave with a nice board, shaped by a good shaper.

I think I will run less, and ride more :-)

Cannondale !

Thanks ebay !!
Hope this new stuff will give me a lot of fun. And also, I hope it will save my knees ...

The haunted Ipod

Strange strange strange.
My ipod is weird. It behaves as if it's haunted.
It selects the play list it wants and launches it, without asking me anything.
So as a result :
2 days ago I went to the gym with it and the battery was out because it was turned on, without I did anything (it was locked, so couldn't be a false move from me).
Last night, as it was on its docking station, it began to sing without my permission, and woke me up at 3h00 AM.

I am always surprised by the technology and how it behaves when getting old ...

Does anyone else has such a problem with an Ipod ?

War in Chad - Cease Fire ?

Latest news from the AFP. The rebels accepted the principle of a cease-fire.

What I like is the comment of the rebels about the Air strikes :

Le porte-parole des rebelles Abderaman Koulamallah a reconnu l'intervention des hélicoptères, mais assuré qu'ils n'avaient causé "aucun dégât".
  "Nous sommes dissimulés sous les arbres, et étalés sur une vingtaine de kilomètres, entre 10 et 30 km au nord", a-t-il ajouté. "Mais N'Djamena peut toujours fanfaronner, nous encerclons la ville et avons conservé nos forces quasiment intactes".

It's the first time I see that trees are strong enough to protect people against Air strikes.
I think that in Irak and Afghanistan now, they will use trees to protect from Apache's attacks ... :-)

And as usual, a lot of deaths, refugees, and civilian casualties for what ?

Crazy world !

War in Chad - Update

Message received right now, 12h48 GMT :
Withdrawal to the French Operation Base. We fear another attack.
(picture : AFP/SONIA ROLLEY)

War in Chad - Report from the field

Here are some news received directly from N'Djamena, Chad, where the war is on, and rebels are fighting against the President (Deby). I received this news by SMS

(picture taken on "lemonde.fr" - French Defense Ministry)

1st  of Feb  : +237xxxxxxx Here is my Cameroun phone number in case of. I do not sleep at home tonight, but with friends.

2nd of Feb :
- They are in town. We are all grouped in one house. We are planning an extraction if the planes can land.
- The French are gathering the French Citizens to make an evacuation.
- looting in town. Stand by. We have an armored vehicle. Good to have a security chief with a good experience of wars. If not, it would be such a mess.
- Quiet after intense fights from 8h30 till 17. French helicopters are flying over the city and the airport. I decided to stay, because we still have some staff in the East of the country.
- For the moment, the Army won against the rebels. French Army secured some key points for the extractions of foreign citizens.
- French Army is extracting the foreign citizens.

3rd of Feb :
- Security Chief tries to drive the people to the airport. I'm still in the house. 5 planes for to extract people.  Isolated staff is driven to the airport in armored cars.
- Thanks. I do not move. Head down !
- I begin to write the summary of last days for the HQ. Lessons learnt
- Neutral ... (about France). Chief Secu is driving the people to the french base. Helicos. Hope we'll get flights. There were shots on the vehicles this morning.
- 103 staff extracted to Gabon and Cameroun. Trying to set up an office to manage the crisis.Shots stopped.
- Office and home robbed. A new life begins ....
- Moved population everywhere, humanitarian crisis rising.

The Do