Later On

Fascinating long profile of the scientist who has provided the best long-term measurements of atmospheric CO2 by Justin Gillis in the NY Times:

MAUNA LOA OBSERVATORY, Hawaii — Two gray machines sit inside a pair of utilitarian buildings here, sniffing the fresh breezes that blow across thousands of miles of ocean.

They make no noise. But once an hour, they spit out a number, and for decades, it has been rising relentlessly.

The first machine of this type was installed on Mauna Loa in the 1950s at the behest of Charles David Keeling, a scientist from San Diego. His resulting discovery, of the increasing level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, transformed the scientific understanding of humanity’s relationship with the earth. A graph of his findings is inscribed on a wall in Washington as one of the great achievements of modern science.

Yet, five years after Dr. Keeling’s death, his discovery is a focus not of celebration but of conflict. It has become the touchstone of a worldwide political debate over global warming.

When Dr. Keeling, as a young researcher, became the first person in the world to develop an accurate technique for measuring carbon dioxide in the air, the amount he discovered was 310 parts per million. That means every million pints of air, for example, contained 310 pints of carbon dioxide.

By 2005, the year he died, the number had risen to 380 parts per million. Sometime in the next few years it is expected to pass 400. Without stronger action to limit emissions, the number could pass 560 before the end of the century, double what it was before the Industrial Revolution.

The greatest question in climate science is: What will that do to the temperature of the earth?

Scientists have long known that carbon dioxide traps heat at the surface of the planet. They cite growing evidence that the inexorable rise of the gas is altering the climate in ways that threaten human welfare.

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Very interesting development: The people are deciding that marijuana use should not be a crime, and they’re acting on it. Kim Murphy reports in the LA Times:

It seemed a straightforward case: A man with a string of convictions and a reputation as a drug dealer was going on trial in Montana for distributing a small amount of marijuana found in his home — if only the court could find jurors willing to send someone to jail for selling a few marijuana buds.

The problem began during jury selection last week in Missoula, when a potential juror said she would have a "real problem" convicting someone for selling such a small amount. But she would follow the law if she had to, she said.

A woman behind her was adamant. "I can’t do it," she said, prompting Judge Robert L. Deschamps III to excuse her. Another juror raised a hand, the judge recalled, "and said, ‘I was convicted of marijuana possession a few years ago, and it ruined my life.’ " Excused.

"Then one of the people in the jury box said, ‘Tell me, how much marijuana are we talking about? … If it was a pound or a truckload or something like that, OK, but I’m not going to convict someone of a sale with two or three buds,’ " the judge said. "And at that point, four or five additional jurors spontaneously raised their hands and said, ‘Me too.’ "

By that time, Deschamps knew he had a jury problem.

"I was thinking, maybe I’ll have to call a mistrial," he said. "We’ve got a lot of citizens obviously that are not willing to hold people accountable for sales in small amounts, or at least have some deep misgivings about it. And I think if I excuse a quarter or a third of a jury panel just to get people who are willing to convict, is that really a fair representation of the community? I mean, people are supposed to be tried by a jury of their peers."

The Missoula court’s dilemma was unusual, yet it reflects a phenomenon that prosecutors say they are increasingly mindful of as marijuana use wins growing legal and public tolerance: Some jurors may be reluctant to convict for an offense many people no longer regard as serious.

"It’s not on a level where it’s become a problem. But we’ll hear, ‘I think marijuana should be legal, I’m not going to follow the law,’ " said Mark Lindquist, prosecuting attorney in Pierce County, Wash. "We tell them, ‘We’re not here to debate the laws. We’re here to decide whether or not somebody broke the law.’ "

Twelve states plus the District of Columbia have decriminalized possession of small quantities of marijuana. Led by California in 1996, 17 states have laws that allow medical use of marijuana.

But federal authorities have continued to pursue prosecutions in those states, prompting increasing calls among drug-law reform advocates for juries to follow their consciences and refuse to convict — a legal concept known as jury nullification, widely used during Prohibition and in the Jim Crow-era South.

"This is one of the first times in a number of years there’s a general discussion around this powerful but rarely used jury tool," said Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. "But going back 20 years plus, there’s been some tumult in the courts where the issue is cannabis and the person being prosecuted wants to turn to the jury and say, ‘Yes, I am guilty, and here’s why.’ "

The phenomenon is difficult to measure, St. Pierre and several others said, because the term "jury nullification" is rarely invoked; defendants with substantial evidence against them are simply acquitted, or juries deadlock.

"Sometimes, we’re not told what the reason was, whether it was nullification or they just had a factual question about the case; we just don’t know," said Ian Goodhew, deputy chief of staff for the King County prosecutor’s office in Seattle.

"Some [prospective] jurors will honestly tell us that they don’t think they can follow the law because they think the law’s wrong and should be changed. At that point, we ask the judge to consider dismissing them," he said. "As attitudes change more and more, that’s a problem we could face in trying cases to a jury. You could have that issue trying before a judge too if a judge has a strong opinion on the validity and necessity of those kinds of laws."

St. Pierre said he . . .

Continue reading.

Weight back up to 208.2 lbs today, but it’s early for the reforms to begin bearing fruit. I did do the Nordic Track for 24 minutes this morning: I felt up to it, and I was just finishing Robinson Crusoe. Next up: Don Quixote in the Edith Grossman translation. I also have the Iliad and the Odyssey queued up, so I’ll be good for a while.

I hope all who are celebrating Xmas today have a fine and enjoyable day.

Food notes: I’m making a big salad for our lunch (Napa cabbage, sweet onion, a couple of scallions, chopped yellow and red bell peppers, chopped roasted turkey thigh, some capers, and Ginger Wasabi Miso dressing. For dinner, of course, we’ll have the standing rib roast and potatoes in some fashion.

Figaro has the most Xmas-y looking container—and besides, I love its almond fragrance and its wonderful lather—so that was my choice today. The Rooney 2 had no problem at all in generating enough lather for many, many passes, but three was all I needed, thanks to the smooth efficiency of the Eclipse Red Ring and its still newish Swedish Gillette blade.

Steve of Kafeneio was how I learned about RazoRock, a potassium alum stick packaged well for travel (or, as Steve found, for use by shower shavers). More here about RazoRock.