Gentleman Agitator

NPR's Climate Connections: My Response to a Listener's Comment

    Below is my response to a listener of NPR’s "Morning Edition Sunday" program. It is in reference to my previous post about the "Climate Connections" story about Robert Falcon Scott. This was written to NPR:

    I must comment to a listener’s comment on your story about Robert Falcon Scott, the Antarctic explorer, on your March 30th program. The host claimed that there were many comments about the story and I was certainly surprised by the one you used. Valerie Spain’s comments really had nothing to do with the story itself. Spain wanted to make the statement that Scott’s actions in the quest for the South Pole were based purely on arrogance and stupidity.
    I did not interpret Daniel Zwerdling’s “Climate Connections” story to be about judging Scott’s final expedition against Amundsen’s. The story was not about how the British government and press exploited Scott’s death. It was about both of Scott’s expeditions as pioneering attempts to conduct research in Antarctica. The second expedition was the attempt for pole and conducting further research in 1911.
    Roald Amundsen should be commended for the expedition he carried out. It was done with efficiency and economy. He chose to use dogs to haul his sledges all the way to the pole for instance; Scott did not.  Amundsen, the native Norwegian, had the insight for instance to live with Inuits (Eskimos) and learn the ways of extreme cold survival from them. One needs to be honest though that Amundsen was only after the pole. He had no intent of conducting scientific research.
    I felt that Daniel Zwerdling’s story was more about how research and living in Antarctica had changed in the century since Scott’s time. Perhaps the book, The Last Place on Earth by Roland Huntford had jaundiced Valerie Spain. Huntford had it out to tear down Scott’s heroic legacy in little bits and pieces. It was a very good book in many ways in laying out all the events between the two expeditions and some about other polar explorers such as  Nansen, Peary and Cook. However, Huntford’s poisoned pen laces the work with character assassination of Scott. Other books since then have had a more balanced approach. One of my favorites is The Coldest March, by senior NOAA researcher Susan Solomon. Her book looks at how the climatic conditions on the march back for Scott’s men were out of the norm, even for Antarctica. While taking into account Scott’s abilities, she uses real science and concludes that no matter the quality of preparation with the given resources of that era would have prevented their final fate.
    I would urge Valerie Spain and others interested in the subject to read The Coldest March and other works on the subject for a more balanced view.

NPR: Climate Connections: Robert Falcon Scott

Last Sunday, NPR (National Pubic Radio) ran a report in the continuing series entitled Climate Connections in conjunction with the National Geographic Society. These reports look at how we are shaping climate and how it is shaping us.

In one of a number of stories on my favorite continent Antarctica, they feature a story on Robert Falcon Scott, the early 20th century, British explorer. Scott led two expeditions to the continent. The first was purely a research endeavor in 1901. The second had the goal of sending a team to be the first humans at the South Pole and included more scientific research.

Scott has been a hero of mine since I was a teen. You will learn more about my feelings about him in a future installment of Pillars of My Principles. Scott is definitely one of the pillars of my principles. Until then, you can read my letter to NPR. Give a listen to the report. Learn more about what has been called “the last place on Earth.” Antarctica, my beautiful continent, is changing, and it is not for the better. We need to learn as much as we can about Antarctica, for this place is a barometer of the whole planet’s condition.

My letter to NPR:

"Thank you for your story on Robert Falcon Scott, the Antarctic explorer. Scott has been a hero of mine for many years.

I was even given the honor of attending the one-hundredth anniversary re-launching ceremony of Scott’s first ship, the “Discovery” in 2001. The ship lies permanently berthed where she was built in Dundee, Scotland. It is a must see for any followers of the Scott’s expeditions or polar exploration.

Scott’s story has been much maligned in the last twenty-five years and I thought you gave a good overview of his work in the time you had on the air.  Yes, Scott was working for the advancing the glory of the British Empire, but he was also, unlike some of his contemporary explorers, all for advancing human knowledge of the last unknown continent. And for that, he should be commended."

An October Renaissance, Over the Rhine: Music from WC3PO

    I am a Pandora user. Pandora is an on-line music listening site that allows you to guide its search engine to music you like where you build “stations”.  I have a number of stations that I have built using their music genome project database as a guide. You begin a station with an artist or song you like. Oddly and frustratingly, you the song or piece that you first enter will not be played. The only explanation they offer is that their music licensing will not allow that. Byzantine rules no doubt about not being able to serve up music on demand. The Pandora search engine will look for music you like dependent not on that artist name or song title, but on the elements that make the music up such as the type of harmony, rhythm and tempo. Now, it will often come up with more music by the artist, composer or song you initially entered. It is just as likely other music that has similar qualities to that song you enter. Sound confusing? It is at first, but once you get used to it, your frustration will ease.  At any time, if you do not like a selection, you can give it thumbs down and off it goes to digital oblivion. If you like something new, give it thumbs up to keep it on the rotation. Building your station is like sculpting. You shape your station molding and fashioning it to what you want to hear. Let the site work for you, rather than let it control the listening. A little patience is involved, but I am quite pleased with what I have built so far. Best of all, listening is free!
    The station I am featuring today is called “An October Renaissance, Over the Rhine”. It is primarily dedicated to my all-time favorite group, Renaissance. They existed from about 1970 to the early 1980S, with a reunion album a few years ago. Led by lead singer Annie Haslam, this English group seemed to transcend genres and have a truly unique sound combining classical, folk and rock styling. When people have asked me to categorize their music I always reply that they are in a genre all their own. My older brother introduced me to Renaissance when I was a teen. Like him, I found that the music of Renaissance struck a chord deep in me, pardon the pun. Renaissance helped me through my growing years. They were a beautiful refuge in my soul. Their music will always be in my heart.
    The only group in my mind that has come close to Renaissance, since Renaissance was the American group of the late 1990s, October Project. Hence, October as part of the title of this station. October Project managed to capture for me some of the Renaissance magic offering a sweeping classically tinged sound, expressive lyrics and a great lead singer in Mary Fahl. Largely a corporate record company who pushed them to crank out a second album too soon all but killed October Project.  After being away for a while October Project came alive again in 2003. I am not sure as to future albums beyond 2003’s "Different Eyes."
    The Cincinnati, Ohio based group, Over the Rhine, that I discovered this decade, to me is in the same family tree as the other two, combining a powerful female lead singer with expressive folk and classical tonal sound with deep, poetic lyrics. OTR rounds out the sound I am looking for in this station. I have added some of my other favorite, more mainstream, (progressive) classical and folk rock sounds to the mix such as Kansas, the Moody Blues, Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds, Sarah McLachlan, Alan Parsons Project and others. When I say others, it is the truth; with Pandora, you never know what new and interesting music will appear.
    Lastly, I created the montage artwork you see to represent this station. The scene is a 19th century illustration of the Over the Rhine district of Cincinnati, Ohio, for which the band was named. The two leads of Over the Rhine the husband-and-wife team of bassist/pianist/guitarist Linford Detweiler and vocalist/guitarist Karin Bergquist are top left. The center image is Renaissance (most well known line up): Annie Haslam, John Tout, Michael Dunford, Terry Sullivan and Jon Camp and to the right of the montage is October Project now made up of Julie Flanders, Emil Adler and Marina Belica. I am working on art to go with every station I have. Unfortunately, Pandora will not let you post it, but you can see it here at Gentleman Agitator and its sister site, the fictional Enigma Earth's radio station, WC3PO, in Symmzinnati, Ohio.
    I invite you to listen. I hope you enjoy "An October Renaissance, Over the Rhine".