Silly Bits VIII

The end of the year (and that of 'Just Blowing Smoke') is apparently not one which provides a break for much of the silliness going on in the world today.  So while the calendar is winding down here, I thought it might be amusing to take one last shot at pointing out a rather glaring one.

In the Antarctica, there's a true bit of international silliness going on.  It seems that a Russian ship, the MV Akademik Shokalskiy, became trapped in the ice on Christmas Eve about 185 miles east of the French research station Dumont D'Urville.  A search and rescue mission was mounted, and a Chinese ice-breaking ship, the Snow Dragon; was expected to reach the beleaguered vessel a couple of days ago.  That mission was put on hold however, when the Snow Dragon was unable to reach the Shokalskiy due to ice that was more than ten feet deep.  An Australian ice-breaking vessel, Aurora Australis, is now on the way and closing in on the site in the hopes of completing the rescue mission.

Not to worry for the crew and passengers, who appear to be in good spirits with plenty of supplies on board to keep them content during their icy internment.  Some of the scientific experiments that they set out to complete are ongoing while they wait for their would-be rescuers.  The silliness of this particular situation comes in two parts:

1. The silence of the 'Climate Change' crowd over the stranding of a scientific vessel in an expanding ice pack at a time when the 'Chicken Little' cry is over the melting of such packs and glaciers around the world. 

2. While you're contemplating these 'sounds of silence' on the Global Warming issue, consider further that the Antarctic continent is currently experiencing its SUMMER.