One Koch down. One to go.

I have things to say, but no time to compose them. But certainly the world is (literally, terribly) on fire, and you can vent here. Or whatever.

Moosy Chooracter sends in:
1. (It has amazing photographs too.)

2. And!

Hoobie's take: Why don't I flesh these out a bit?

1. "The Deadly Winters That Have Transformed Life For Herders In Mongolia":

A stunningly cold, snowy winter changed Oyutan's life forever. Several animals died every few days from starvation, illness and exposure to the elements. By May, he had lost 100 head of livestock -- and his entire livelihood.

The cause was a phenomenon that Mongolians recognize with a specific word. They call it a dzud -- the deterioration of winter weather conditions leading to a mass death of livestock from lack of food and/or water. Dzud winters vary, characterized by harsh cold, too much snow or not enough, ice and other factors.

and

Dzuds, unique to Mongolia, are homegrown natural disasters born out of the country's unusual environment: landlocked, semiarid and prone to swings in temperature and precipitation. Historically, dzuds occurred once or twice a decade. Four dzuds in a single decade overwhelmed Mongolia's government. It lacked the resources to adequately respond to this magnitude of natural disaster.

Moosy is right that the photographs are stunning.

2. "Climate change threatens reindeer herders' way of life in Mongolia's north, and yields clues to their past"

The team of American archaeologists discovered two worked willow branch artefacts from an ice patch that had completely melted. After consulting the Dukha nomads, the team identified them as parts of an antique fishing rod.

I heard a rumor that Obama is very passionate about one particular candidate, but is keeping it under wraps because he doesn't yet want to jump in the fray.

(I'll give you a chance to register your guesses.)