A Message by Larry D. Smith

Got this Email today...Posted as sent by Larry D. Smith...
______________________________________________

What a great message from Michigan...

BTW, there was a similar snow storm (blizzard actually) in New Mexico, near Ruidoso, that took down trees, store fronts, and did a lot of residential damage.  Did anyone hear about it?  I only know because my step-Mom, Loretta,  has a summer place not far from Ruidoso and the roof of her storage shed caved in.  Loretta was accompanying her friend, Pete, to a Dr's. appointment in Carlsbad, NM where the winds were in the 70 mph range.  Pete, who is in his 90's, got blown over and was crawling on his hands and knees to get to a pole to help right himself.  He was checked by the Dr and found to be OK but it's just amazing to me that none of this weather was even reported.  Oh, I forgot to mention that Ruidoso is only about two hours (from Carlsbad) further up into the mountains where winds were recorded at over 100 mph!  The media really likes to pick and choose their stories don't they?  Point is, people in the less populated parts of our country really do have to be self-sufficient.

Just as a note, Loretta tried to talk Pete out of going to Carlsbad, due to the wind, but he insisted because "It takes so long to get an appointment".  Loretta wasn't about to let him go alone; so, a great-great grandmother in her 80's and her 90-something year old friend braved the elements and drove the 60-some odd miles from Jal, where I grew up, to Carlsbad in some pretty tough conditions for folks half their age.  It's good to know the pioneer spirit is alive and well...

Larry   

P.S.  None of the local media in Southeastern NM or West Texas reported anything about the blizzard either????  I guess they weren't bail-out worthy either (like their Michigan counterparts).  It's interesting that a NY City flea-fart is national news!!  

Like Dennis Miller says, "I don't mean to go on a rant or anything, but hey, that's just my opinion...I could be wrong".

Emergency Weather Bulletin

This text is from a county emergency manager out in the western part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan after a severe snow storm ...

The Mining Journal,Marquette, MI

WEATHER BULLETIN

Up here in the Northern part of Michigan we just recovered from a Historic event --- may I even say a "Weather Event" of "Biblical Proportions" --- with a historic blizzard of up to 44" inches of snow and winds to 90 MPH that broke trees in half, knocked down utility poles, stranded hundreds of motorists in lethal snow banks, closed ALL roads, isolated scores of communities and cut power to 10's of thousands.

FYI:

Obama did not come.

FEMA did nothing.

No one howled for the government.


No one blamed the government.


No one even uttered an expletive on TV.


Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton did not visit.


Our Mayors did not blame Obama or anyone else.


Our Governor did not blame Obama or anyone else either.

CNN, ABC, CBS, FOX, or NBC did not visit - or even report on this category 5 snow storm.

 

Nobody demanded $2,000 debit cards.

No one asked for a FEMA Trailer House.

No one looted.

Nobody - I mean Nobody demanded the government do something.

Nobody expected the government to do anything either.

No Larry King, No Bill O'Rielly, No Oprah, No Chris Mathews and No Geraldo Rivera.


No Shaun Penn, No Barbara Striesand,
No Brad Pitts, No Hollywood types to be found.

Nope, we just melted the snow for water.


Sent out caravans of SUV's to pluck people out of snow engulfed cars.


The truck drivers pulled people out of snow banks and didn't ask for a penny.


Local restaurants made food, and the police and fire departments delivered it to the snowbound families.


Families took in the stranded people - total strangers.




We fired up wood stoves, broke out coal oil lanterns or Coleman lanterns.

We put on an extra layers of clothes because up here it is "Work or Die".


We did not wait for some affirmative action government to get us out of a mess created by being immobilized by a welfare program that trades votes for 'sittin at home' checks.


Even though a  Category 5 blizzard of this scale is not usual, we know it can happen and how to deal with it ourselves.








I hope this gets passed on.

Maybe .....
SOME people will get the message ......
The world does Not owe you a living.

One Decade Ends, Another Begins

In 1999 and probably even before, there began a heated debate as to whether or not the millennium and the century came to an end on December 31st, 1999 or whether it should be celebrated on December 31st, 2000.  Some held to the belief that since the calendar began in 1 AD and there was no 0 AD that the century and millennium ended on December 31st 2000.  While common human instincts would lead others to say that the century ended in 1999.  In this case, if we were to follow the Gregorian Calendar, then the 20th century ended on 31-Dec-2000, and the 21st Century began on 1-Jan-2001...as did the 2nd Millennium.  The rationale being that the 1st century began on 1-Jan-1 and ended on 31-Dec-100 (100 Years).  Following this tradition all the way through...the 19th Century ended on 31-Dec-1900 and the 20th Century began on 1-Jan-1901.

But, wait there's more...

Now let's take a different route...let's use the Astronomical way of tracking years.  In Astronomical terms, 1 BC is considered Year 0...so astronomically the transition from BC to AD went -0002 (3 BC), -0001 (2 BC), 0000 (1 BC), 0001 (1 AD), 0002 (2 AD), etc...The ISO 8601 standard of date/time tracking is used in Astronomy.

So, the 1st Century AD started in 1-Jan-0000 (1 BC) and ended 31-Dec-0099 (99 AD)...Awesome!

But, more appropriately, it is sometimes just held that the 1st Century AD started on 1-Jan-1 AD and ended on 31-Dec-99 AD...and the 2nd Century began on 1-Jan-100 and ended on 31-Dec-199...etc.  If you consider 1 BC as Year 0 then this would make more sense to you.

This little bit of historical data overload is just a demonstration of where the whole debate stems from.  It's really just a little bit subjective...and if you're anything like me...you solved the dilemma by celebrating the new Millennium/Century on 1-1-00 AND 1-1-01...Just to be safe!

But, what does this have to do with decades?...Absolutely nothing!

A decade is defined as a period of 10 years, and in common use can be used as a measure for any 10 year period...but most commonly it is based on the tens digits of the years which you wish to track...ie the roaring 20s (1920-1929)...the 1960s (1960-1969)...etc.

So, although the end of the century and millenia is up to interpretation, there is no real argument when stating that the 90s ended on 31-Dec-1999 and the 00s began on 1-Jan-2000

Therefore there should be no argument that the 00s will end tonight 31-Dec-2009 at 11:59:59...and equally no argument that the new decade (the 10s) will begin at 0:00 on 1-Jan-2010.

Happy New Year and Happy New Decade to Everyone!!!

Peace
G

A Tale of Two Farewells

It was the end of a legacy that started ill-fated from the beginning in 1996.  The first home game of the NY/NJ Metrostars, in front of 46,826 screaming excited fans at Giants Stadium, ended in a last minute defeat on an own goal by their 11-year Italian veteran star, Nicola Caricola.  Since that fateful day, the Ghost of Nicola Caricola has been ever present through the franchise’s 13-year existence.

They had their best ever year during the 2000 season as a shining  new soccer star developed before our eyes when Clint Mathis exploded on the Soccer scene.  Thrilling and brash with a knack for scoring big goals in big games, he made a statement to the NY Fans by unveiling his “I LOVE NY” t-shirt after scoring in LA against his former team, the (pre-Beckham) LA Galaxy.  He finished the 2000 season scoring 13 goals and assisting on 13 others, including a game where he scored a league record 5 goals in Dallas as the Metros defeated the Burn 6-4, clinching the playoffs in the process.  He went on to lead the Metrostars to the Eastern Conference Championship, and they came one victory shy of their first ever visit to the MLS Cup.  After leaving the Metrostars after the 2003 season, he returned to NY, and finished his stint with the Metro/Bulls by setting the team goal scoring record in 2007 with 45 Goals in 110 Games played.

Today, they are known as the New York Red Bulls, and their ill-fated existence hasn’t changed from those early days, just the name.  The highlight of the 2007 season was the first game for David Beckham’s LA Galaxy in front of a crowd of 66,000+ fans at Giants Stadium on August 18, 2007.  The largely pro-Beckham fans were quickly converted as Juan Pablo Angel converted a freekick in the 4th minute.  Beckham setup the Galaxy’s responses in the 6th and 8th minutes, giving them a 2-1 lead.  But, mere minutes before halftime Clint Mathis scored his record breaking 45th goal which tied the game at 2.  The Red Bulls built off the momentum before the half, and their 17 year old phenom, Jozy Altidore scored giving the team a 3-2 lead, and then a 2 goal cushion in the 70th minute, scoring his second.  The Galaxy came right back and tied the score at 4-4, before the Cherubic Assassin scored his second goal 2-minutes from time and sent the fans home ecstatic with a thrilling 5-4 victory.

The 2008 season featured a sub-.500 team backing into the playoffs, and finishing on a run to their first ever MLS Cup appearance, where they lost to fellow Eastern Conference rival, the Columbus Crew 3-1.  Despite the organization’s promoting it as the best season in team history, the strong finish lead by the players just masked the coaching deficiencies which were the demise of the 2009 season…the second worst in team history (1999 was the worst).  The only real bright spot during the Red Bull’s ownership was the signing of Juan Pablo Angel  as their second designated player.  In his first season with the Red Bulls he scored 19 goals, and he went on to become the team’s leading goal scorer setting the standard for Designated Players by letting his play on the field speak louder than any words or promotions off the field.  He beat Clint Mathis’s team scoring record by scoring his 46th goal in 2009. He currently stand at 48 goals scored with 11 assists in only 80 games played, and he’s set to add to his scoring title in 2010 in Red Bull Arena, the team’s new stadium set for debut on March 27, 2010.

The 2009 season ended with the team finishing below .500 and being disqualified from the playoffs weeks before the end of the season, prompting the resignation of Coach Juan Carlos Osorio.  Former Assistant Coach Richie Williams took over and instilled a little pride into the team, and they played better at the end.  But, they still faced the prospect of closing out the season and closing out their tenure at historic Giants Stadium with nothing to play for but pride.  And, they were facing a Toronto FC team needing a win to get in the playoffs.

Red Bull threw a decent party inviting several ex-players to attend their last ever game at the Meadowlands.  And, on October 24, 2009, 21,305 fans came out to bid farewell to both the stadium and the dismal 2009 season in the hopes of starting fresh in a new stadium.  The team gave the fans an exceptional thank you and a proper sendoff to the place of so much disappointment and underachievement by demolishing Toronto FC 5-0 (2 goals scored by the Cherubic Assassin).  It was an inspirational end to a bad season which left every fan in anticipation of the 2010 season.  Bravo!

While on December 27, 2009, a team like the NY Giants with 84 years of history, and whose name is prominently on the stadium, played their last game in the stadium’s 34-year history, needing to win to make the playoffs, and playing a team out of the playoffs, rewarded their vocal and loyal fans by crashing to an embarrassing and utterly insulting 41-9 lose (one of the worst loses in stadium history).  The team played with absolutely no balls or imagination, and don’t deserve to be in the playoffs.  The defense that set foot on that field today is an embarrassment to Giants’ Defenses throughout history.  Totally unacceptable.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

Farewell and good riddance to Giants Stadium!

Peace
G

The Cloud Mystery

This series of video clips was pointed out by a commenter on Watts Up With That?  It is a 52-Minute documentary which aired on TV in Europe…Henrik Svensmark’s theory about how the climate on earth is greatly affected by Cosmic Rays from the sun and outer space is a very interesting scientific view which was dismissed (without debate) by the AGW alarmists…they couldn’t seriously support such a theory…they can’t tax Cosmic Rays or Clouds…that would be absurd!

Very interesting…You have to ask yourself “why hasn’t anyone else come up with a theory showing the Sun and Space are more responsible for the climate variability?” You mean someone actually has the nerve to suggest that that large bright yellow ball of hot gases in the sky might actually have a dominating affect on our climate!?!  I can see why everyone missed it…It’s too simple! hmm!?!

Oh…FYI – for those that have never heard this…Water vapor (i.e. clouds) is the dominant Greenhouse Gas (GHG) not CO2.  But, since water vapor occurs naturally, they couldn’t expect to be able to tax clouds…that would be even too absurd for them to consider.

The documentary is divided into 6 clips.  If you don’t want to invest the time in watching all 52-minutes…I’d recommend watching Part 1 (9:24) and Part 6 (3:31)…Enjoy!

Peace
G

Part 1/6

 

Part 2/6

 

Part 3/6

 

Part 4/6

 

Part 5/6

 

Part 6/6

- Don’t buy the hype, think for yourself!

Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas

First Published by the Troy Sentinel, Tuesday, December 23, 1823

1	'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house,
2	Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
3	The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
4	In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
5	The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
6	While visions of sugar plums danc'd in their heads,
7	And Mama in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
8	Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap-
9	When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
10	I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
11	Away to the window I flew like a flash,
12	Tore open the shutters, and threw up the sash.
13	The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,
14	Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below;
15	When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
16	But a minature sleigh, and eight tiny rein-deer,
17	With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
18	I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
19	More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
20	And he whistled, and shouted, and call'd them by name:
21	"Now! Dasher, now! Dancer, now! Prancer, and Vixen,
22	"On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Dunder and Blixem;
23	"To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
24	"Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
25	As dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly,
26	When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
27	So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
28	With the sleigh full of Toys - and St. Nicholas too:
29	And then in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
30	The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
31	As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
32	Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound:
33	He was dress'd all in fur, from his head to his foot,
34	And his clothes were all tarnish'd with ashes and soot;
35	A bundle of toys was flung on his back,
36	And he look'd like a peddler just opening his pack:
37	His eyes - how they twinkled! his dimples how merry,
38	His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry;
39	His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
40	And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
41	The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
42	And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
43	He had a broad face, and a little round belly
44	That shook when he laugh'd, like a bowl full of jelly:
45	He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
46	And I laugh'd when I saw him in spite of myself;
47	A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
48	Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
49	He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
50	And fill'd all the stockings; then turn'd with a jerk,
51	And laying his finger aside of his nose
52	And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.
53	He sprung to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
54	And away they all flew, like the down of a thistle:
55	But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight-
56	Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

A Violent End

I guess everyone can figure out that I'm snowed in by a blizzard from the increased traffic on my blog!?!

Anyway, I once wrote a 6-word short story...The inspiration for such a short short story was Ernest Hemingway...

In the 1920s, Ernest Hemingway’s colleagues bet him that he couldn’t write a complete story in just six words. They paid up. Hemingway is said to have considered it his best work.

His short short story was...

For sale: baby shoes, never used.

My feeble attempt at matching his greatness is entitled...

A Violent End (a 6-word Short Story by GR Antunes)
Category: Writing and Poetry

............

Big bang. Bright flash. Total darkness.

Pavlik KOs Espino

Well it's over...Miguel Angel Espino's corner calls the fight.

Kelly Pavlik, who wasn't healthy enough to fight Paul Williams 2 weeks ago, KOs his opponent in the 5th Round in his hometown of Youngstown, OH.

Espino showed enormous amounts of heart, but in the end was no match for Pavlik.

Pavlik and his promoter (Bob Arum) made a point of calling out Paul Williams, but as I remember it...it was Pavlik who kept pushing back the fight to the point where Williams said essentially...F' off!

So, we'll see who put's the pen to contract first, and who pulls out...as Bob Arum said..."sign the contract", but his fighter should take the same advice.

G

North Eastern US Blizzard 2009

The Jersey Shore got hammered today with at least 12" already, and forecasts have gone as high as 24" by the time it ends. It's actually quite beautiful.

But, the first one to say it's weather not climate gets bitch slapped!!!

Peace
G

Clint Mathis. MetroFanatic Player of the Decade.

Absolutely Agree with the choice...13 Legend Will Live Forever! The Mohawked Assassin will live on in US World Cup Lore!

And, now he's added MLS Cup Champion to his resume! The Legend Lives!

In my mind, the only fitting cherry to the end of his career would be for him to lead Metro to victory in their new home, and be allowed to retire as Metro!

Clint Mathis #13 RBNY in 2010. Make it happen!

From Metrofanatic.com
MetroFanatic Player of the Decade
December 18, 2009

You might have noticed that we haven't exactly done many "best of the decade" lists that are popping up everywhere. That's mostly because Metro's entire existence has only been 15 years, so celebrating the last 10 of it is somewhat incomplete. That being said...

Who would be the Metro Player of the Decade? There are only four possible choices: Tim Howard, Clint Mathis, Amado Guevara, and Juan Pablo Angel.

Howard started his Metro career in 1998, but did not become a full-time starter on 2001. His 2001 (MLS Goalkeeper of the Year) and 2002 were superb; 2003 started as much before he was sold to Manchester United. A local kid turned star, home-grown Metro, poised to start for USA at the World Cup...

Mathis came to Metro in 2000 and complete turned the morbid franchise around. Brash, creative, daring, he tore through opposing defenses. For the first time since 1996, local fans embrace Metro. 2001 started superbly, before a torn ACL ended a promising season. 2002 and 2003 saw flashes of brilliance, then a departure -- then a return in 2007, when a written-off Clint reinvented himself, topping Giovanni Savarese's Metro goalscoring record in the process...

Guevara was signed in 2003 and immediately made the team his own for the next four years. If only he didn't revert to his pouting self every now and then, this award might have been easily his. But when on, he was on. MLS MVP in 2004, deadly from the penalty spot, directing the offense with pinpoint passes and scoring on long-range blasts...

Angel came on board in 2007, and right off the bat started scoring goals. The question was not if he will break Gio's and Clint's records, but how fast. Possibly the best soccer player in team history, and now its all-time leading scorer, he is poised to add to his total as we head into the 2010s...

Four worthy candidates, but there can only be one Player of the Decade. Drumroll?

Clint Mathis.

Why?

Because his 2000 was magical. Because of the four, he's spent the longest time as a Metro. Because over the past decade, he has given us more positive Metro memories than any other player. Because Howard's career peek came after his Metro days, Angel's -- before, and because Guevara pouted just a bit too much. Because every time he would step on the field you knew there was a chance that something magical would happen.

Clint Mathis. MetroFanatic Player of the Decade.

"Brave New World"

I absolutely have nothing to add to this story, except...Shocking and Scary!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From The Viscount Monckton of Brenchley in Copenhagen at the SPPI blog:

Today the gloves came off and the true purpose of the “global warming” scare became nakedly visible. Hugo Chavez, the Socialist president of Venezuela, blamed “global warming” on capitalism – and received a standing ovation from very nearly all of the delegates, lamentably including those from those of the capitalist nations of the West that are on the far Left – and that means too many of them.

Previously Robert Mugabe, dictator of Rhodesia, who had refused to leave office when he had been soundly defeated in a recent election, had also won plaudits at the conference for saying that the West ought to pay him plenty of money in reparation of our supposed “climate debt”.

Inside the conference center, “world leader” after “world leader” got up and postured about the need to Save The Planet, the imperative to do a deal, the necessity to save the small island nations from drowning, etc., etc., etc.

Outside, in the real world, it was snowing, and a foretaste of the Brave New World being cooked up by “world leaders” in their fantasy-land was already evident. Some 20,000 observers from non-governmental organizations – nearly all of them true-believing Green groups funded by taxpayers – had been accredited to the conference.

However, without warning the UN had capriciously decided that all but 300 of them were to be excluded from the conference today, and all but 90 would be excluded on the final day.

Of course, this being the inept UN, no one had bothered to notify those of the NGOs that were not true-believers in the UN’s camp. So Senator Steve Fielding of Australia and I turned up with a few dozen other delegates, to be left standing in the cold for a couple of hours while the UN laboriously worked out what to do with us.

In the end, they decided to turn us away, which they did with an ill grace and in a bad-tempered manner. As soon as the decision was final, the Danish police moved in. One of them began the now familiar technique of manhandling me, in the same fashion as one of his colleagues had done the previous day.

Once again, conscious that a police helicopter with a high-resolution camera was hovering overhead, I thrust my hands into my pockets in accordance with the St. John Ambulance crowd-control training, looked my assailant in the eye and told him, quietly but firmly, to take his hands off me.

He complied, but then decided to have another go. I told him a second time, and he let go a second time. I turned to go and, after I had turned my back, he gave me a mighty shove that flung me to the ground and knocked me out.

I came to some time later (not sure exactly how long), to find my head being cradled by my friends, some of whom were doing their best to keep the police thugs at bay while the volunteer ambulance-men attended to me.

I was picked up and dusted me off. I could not remember where I had left my telephone, which had been in my hand at the time when I was assaulted. I rather fuzzily asked where it was, and one of the police goons shouted, “He alleges he had a mobile phone.”

In fact, the phone was in my coat pocket, where my hand had been at the time of the assault. The ambulance crew led me away and laid me down under a blanket for 20 minutes to get warm, plying me with water and keeping me amused with some colorfully colloquial English that they had learned.

I thanked them for their kindness, left them a donation for their splendid service, and rejoined my friends. A very senior police officer then came up and asked if I was all right. Yes, I said, but no thanks to one of his officers, who had pushed me hard from behind when my back was turned and had sent me flying.

The police chief said that none of his officers would have done such a thing. I said that several witnesses had seen the incident, which I intended to report. I said I had hoped to receive an apology but had not received one, and would include that in my report. The policeman went off looking glum, and with good reason.

To assault an accredited representative of a conference your nation is hosting, and to do it while your own police cameramen are filming from above, and to do it without any provocation except my polite, non-threatening request that I should not be manhandled, is not a career-enhancing move, as that police chief is about to discover to his cost.

Nor does this incident, and far too many like it, reflect the slightest credit on Denmark. We must make reasonable allowance for the fact that the unspeakable security service of the UN, which is universally detested by those at this conference, was ordering the Danish police about. The tension between the alien force and the indigenous men on the ground had grown throughout the conference.

However, the Danish police were far too free with their hands when pushing us around, and that is not acceptable in a free society. But then, Europe is no longer a free society. It is, in effect, a tyranny ruled by the unelected Kommissars of the European Union. That is perhaps one reason why police forces throughout Europe, including that in the UK, have become far more brutal than was once acceptable in their treatment of the citizens they are sworn to serve.

It is exactly this species of tyranny that the UN would like to impose upon the entire planet, in the name of saving us from ourselves – or, as Ugo Chavez would put it, saving us from Western capitalist democracy.

A few weeks ago, at a major conference in New York, I spoke about this tendency towards tyranny with Dr. Vaclav Klaus, the distinguished economist and doughty fighter for freedom and democracy who is President of the Czech Republic.

While we still have one or two statesmen of his caliber, there is hope for Europe and the world. Unfortunately, he refused to come to Copenhagen, telling me that there was no point, now that the lunatics were firmly in control of the asylum.

However, I asked him whether the draft Copenhagen Treaty’s proposal for what amounted to a communistic world government reminded him of the Communism under which he and his country had suffered for so long.

He thought for a moment – as statesmen always do before answering an unusual question – and said, “Maybe it is not brutal. But in all other respects, what it proposes is far too close to Communism for comfort.”

Today, as I lay in the snow with a cut knee, a bruised back, a banged head, a ruined suit, and a written-off coat, I wondered whether the brutality of the New World Order was moving closer than President Klaus – or any of us – had realized.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I'd add my usual...Peace, but that would be naive.

G

Black Carbon Responsible for Himalayan Warming

Well...who would of thought it? NASA Goddard finally does useful science.

Seems that Dr. Roger Pielke Sr. knows more than some AGW religious fanatics give him credit. Dr Pielke Sr has always held the opinion that other forcings were more responsible than Greenhouse Gases.

A new study from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD shows that Soot (also known as Black Carbon) is more responsible for warming temperatures in the Himalayas than Carbon Dioxide. Turns out that the melting in the Himalayan mountains may be caused by man after all, but instead of continually blaming it on Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) it seems that black carbon soot is the real culprit. As the article states, soot is produced "When fossil fuels are burned without enough oxygen to complete combustion, one of the byproducts is black carbon, an aerosol that absorbs solar radiation..." This black carbon comes from poorly developed regions in Asia with large populations of people, like China, India, etc. And, guess what...It's relatively easy to remedy, and could have much quicker results to the climate. More study of this has been proposed and should be done. Let's hope that the misguided religious fanatics don't start hooking their CO2 hooks into this. Let's hope some real science comes of this.

Maybe ClimateGate wasn't such a bad thing after all...Amen to that!

See the article from NASA - http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/himalayan-warming.html

or, see Dr Pielke Sr's take on it - http://pielkeclimatesci.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/news-release-on-soot-effects-on-climate-in-the-himalayas-its-larger-than-the-forcing-from-the-human-input-of-co2/


Oh and by the way, Himalayan warming is not global warming...The key word being "global". =)

"Don't buy the hype, think for yourself!"

Peace
G

That Pesky Climategate

Well, it’s been four weeks since the whole ClimateGate scandal began to raise blood pressures in the Global Warming supporters camp. The way Al Gore has avoided any HARD questions on the subject is a better example of avoiding the rush than even John Elway used to be able to do during his time with the Broncos.

And, speaking of our mighty Goreacle – savior of the human race – he’s been hard at work promoting his doom and gloom visions of the end of the world (as long as it’s CNN, MSNBC, NYT, or any other liberal dirt rag)…he wouldn’t want to be challenged when he says such awesomely scientific things as claiming the earth’s temperatures are “several million degrees” at “2 kilometers or so down”. Oh, and the “crust of the earth is hot” too.

FACT: Temperature of the sun’s corona: 1–2 million kelvin

FACT: Temperature of the sun’s photosphere: 6,000 kelvin

FACT: Temperature of the Earths mantle, more than “2 kilometers or so down”: between 500 °C to 900 °C (773 to 1173 kelvin)

FACT: Gore is an idiot!

Even John Stewart has found the need to lambaste Gore and the Climategate scandal on “The Daily Show” and he’s a liberal stooge!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Scientists Hide Global Warming Data
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

Scientists Hide Global Warming Data

But, I digress…

I seriously think no one understands what it means to be a so-called “climate skeptic”. If you go to a site like www.wattsupwiththat.com you will be allowed to read the posted articles, and respectfully comment your educated opinions or ask questions if you don’t understand certain things, but if you go to a global warming supporter’s site – like www.realclimate.org – and voice any opposition to the supported opinions, you risk ridicule, and that is only if they even post your comments. Because, sites like realclimate love to censor the content allowed on their sites, because anything to throw their long held beliefs into question is strictly not allowed. Where true scientific debate occurs on skeptic sites, propaganda and denial of opposition are the main courses being served up on global warming sites.

Meanwhile, the very data being used as the whole basis for the debate has been shown (by climategate) to be unreliable and manufactured. The CRU is the main institute responsible for research which supports global warming. The UN’s IPCC report and Al Gore’s movie is all based on the data from the CRU. This is not a “non-issue”. This is disturbing. And, people should be standing up and demanding explanation beyond the usual response of “non-issue” or “out of context”. People should be outraged, but they are not…they continue to let Gore and Obama spew their rhetoric and propose to tax the air we breathe.

Why is it that 10 years ago, Gore stated “we have 10 years to tackle global warming” and now 10 years later he still says “we have 10 years to combat global warming”. Meanwhile, CO2 has not gone down, but the temperatures have NOT gone up; the polar ice caps have been steadily growing; hurricanes have NOT gotten stronger or more dangerous; and sea levels have NOT risen significantly.

Oh and by the way, the Polar bear population is not in danger of extinction according to polar bear expert, Dr. Mitchell Taylor. It’s a 55 page PDF file…I’ll gladly email to anyone who wishes a copy.

The concern that polar bears will decline if the climate continues to warm is valid. However, the assertion that polar bears will become extinct unless immediate measures are
taken to curb greenhouse gas emissions is irrational because it is inconsistent with the long-term persistence of polar bears through previous periods of warming and cooling; and because the IPCC climate model predictions 50 and 100 years into the future do not suggest a future with insufficient sea ice to support polar bears as a viable species. Currently, polar bears are abundant and in no danger of extinction thanks to coordinated research and management programs developed and implemented under the International Agreement for the Conservation of Polar Bears and their Habitat (Brower et al. 2002; Fikkan et al. 1993,Prestrud and Stirling 1994). During the last 30 years, it is generally agreed that polar bear numbers have increased as a response to improved conservation measures (harvest controls). Climate warming has occurred
continuously during that period and consequent reductions in sea ice have been to the detriment of polar bear populations in at least two areas (Regehr et al. 2006, 2007a,b). However, the assertion that polar bears as a species are in imminent danger of extinction or even threatened with extinction in the foreseeable future is both unproven and unlikely.

I’ll leave you with these words from Dr Roy Spenser in explaining Global Warming Skepticism.

And, as always…”Don’t buy the hype, think for yourself!”

Peace
G

_________________________________________________________
From Dr Roy W Spenser, Ph. D. (December 9, 2009):

Global Warming Skepticism 101

The following list, in no particular order, are my responses to common claims and accusations about global warming skeptics. If other scientists or laypersons want me to add to the list, or want to argue for changes, email me and I will update it as appropriate. Please be sure to check back for the latest update (posted above).

1. Skeptics deny global warming. No, we deny that warming has been mostly human-caused.

2. Skeptics are paid by big oil. The vast majority of skeptics have never been paid anything by Big Oil (me included).

3. Skeptics don’t publish in the peer reviewed literature. Wrong…but it is true we do not have nearly as many publications as the other side does. But it only takes one scientific study to destroy a scientific hypothesis, which is what anthropogenic global warming theory is.

4. Skeptics are not unified with an alternative explanation for global warming. Well, that’s the way science works in a field as immature as climate change science. The biggest problem is that we really don’t understand what causes natural climate variability. Kevin Trenberth has now famously admitted as much in one of the Climategate emails, where said it’s a “travesty” that we don’t know why warming has stopped in the last 7 to 10 years. For century-time-scale changes, some believe it is cloud cover being modulated by cosmic ray activity, which is in turn affected by sunspot activity. A few others think it is changes in the total energy output of the sun (possible, but I personally doubt it). In my opinion, it is internal, chaotic variability in the ocean and atmosphere circulation causing small changes in cloud cover. Since clouds are a natural sunshade, changing their coverage of the Earth will cause warming or cooling. The IPCC simply assumes this does not happen. If they did, they would have to admit that natural climate change happens, which means they would have to address the possibility that most of the warming in the last 50 has been largely natural in origin.

5. But the glaciers are melting! Many glaciers which have been monitored around the world for a long time have been retreating since the 1800’s, before humans could have been responsible. A few retreating glaciers are even revealing old tree stumps…how did those get there? Planted by skeptics?

6. But the sea ice is melting! Well, the same thing happened back in the 1920’s and 1930’s, with the Northwest Passage opening up in 1940. It was just as warm, or nearly as warm, in the Arctic in the 1930’s. Again, this is before humans could be blamed. There were very low water levels in the Great Lakes in the 1920’s too, just as has happened recently. We have accurate measurements of sea ice cover from satellites only since 1979, so there is no way to really know whether sea ice cover is less than it was before.

7. But we just had the warmest decade in recorded history! Well, if thermometer measurements had started in, say 200, AD (rather than in the 1800’s), and it was now 850 AD, the same thing might well have been said back then. The climate system is always warming or cooling, and the Industrial Revolution (and thus our carbon dioxide emissions) just happened to occur while we were still emerging from the Little Ice Age…a warming period.

8. But the Antarctic ice shelves are collapsing! Well, sea ice around Antarctica has been expanding since we started monitoring by satellite in 1979….so which do we use as evidence? There is no convincing evidence of warming in Antarctica, except in the relatively small Antarctic Peninsula, which juts out into the ocean. Just as glaciers naturally flow to the sea, ice shelves must eventually break off. It is very uncertain how often this happens through the centuries, and what has been observed in recent years might be entirely normal. Similarly, it was warmer in Greenland in the 1930’s than it has been more recently.

9. But the sea levels are rising! Yes, and from what we can tell, they have been rising since the end of the last Ice Age. Again, the more recent rise might be just a consequence of our emergence from the Little Ice Age, which bottomed out in the 1600’s.

10. But we keep emitting carbon dioxide, which we know is a greenhouse gas! Yes, I agree. But the direct warming effect of moré CO2 is agreed by all to be small…and I predict that when we better understand how clouds change in response to that small warming influence, the net warming in response to more CO2 will be smaller still. This is the “feedback” issue, which determines “climate sensitivity”, the area of research I spend most of my time on. I and a minority of other scientists believe the net feedbacks in the climate system are negative, probably driven by negative cloud feedback. In contrast, all twenty-something IPCC climate models now exhibit positive cloud feedback.

11. But we can’t keep pumping CO2 into the atmosphere forever! No, and we won’t. Assuming fossil fuels will be increasingly difficult to find and access in the coming decades, the continuing demand for energy ensures that new energy technologies will be developed. It’s what humans do…adapt.

12. But we shouldn’t be interfering with nature! Actually, it would be impossible to NOT interfere with nature. Chaos theory tells us that everything that happens, naturally or anthropogenically, forever alters the future state of the climate system. I predict that science will eventually understand that more CO2 is good for life on Earth. This doesn’t mean it will be good for every single species…but when Mother Nature changes the climate system, there are always winners and losers anyway. In the end, this is a religious issue, not a scientific one. Interestingly I have found that the vast majority of scientists also have the religious belief that we should not be impacting nature. I believe this has negatively affected their scientific objectivity.

Climate Change Examiner (December 13, 2009)

Climategate email scandal scientists feeling the heat

End of an Era - Farewell Adrian Monk

Tonight we bid farewell to our favorite Obsessive Compulsive Detective, Adrian Monk (played by Tony Shalhoub). After 8 Seasons on the USA Network, Monk will solve his last case tonight. And, it's the case that answers the question that has been asked for 8 years..."Who killed Trudy Monk?"

We will finally find out who killed Monk's wife, but beyond the final conclusion, we will also be saying farewell to a character who's been with us for 8 years.

So, Farewell Adrian Monk and Thank You Tony Shalhoub!

ClimateGate: Climate Research Unit (CRU) Hacked

For those of you not following along, it was reported last week that The Climate Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England was hacked and a zip file containing emails and data files was released to the world.

The story broke on many blog sites and main stream media outlets. Some very revealing emails have been made public, as well as some very suspect segments of code w/questionable comments by the programmer. The released data has been confirmed to be authentic by Prof Phil Jones, the director of the CRU. Various spins have been attempted by the AGW supporters trying to portray this as much ado about nothing.

A very interesting alternate theory as to how this large volume of information (all contained in ONE compressed zip file) was obtained and released has been proposed...Read Theory.

The whole situation was best summarized by Dr Roy Spencer, Ph. D (Climatologist, Author, and former NASA Scientist).


Update:
The shit storm just keeps growing, even reaching Fox News, as Supporters keep trying to spin, and the media try to run and hide...I seriously doubt this will be the end of the debate (as well it should not be) but it does allow me the opportunity to sit back like a Cheshire Cat in wild amusement.

Not Enough Hurricanes - No Problem

This just goes to show how far Mr Gore will go to make everyone believe his bullshit...Truth is there is no link between Global Warming and increased Hurricane activity. When the facts don't support the theory, make up the facts as you see fit...

Taking advice on science from this jackass is like taking a public speaking class from GW Bush! Stuuuupid!


This article is from Anthony Watts' climate science blog...all credit to his blog for true scientific discussion and debate.

From: Watts Up With That (http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/11/19/not-finding-any-gore-airbrushes-in-hurricanes-for-his-new-book/)

Not finding any, Gore airbrushes in hurricanes for his new book

19 11 2009

Al Gore’s new book had a problem – no big hurricanes since Katrina to put in the book to look “threatening” to the USA. Any imagined link between hurricanes and global warming has evaporated.

Solution: the artists airbrush.

Ryan Maue, hurricane expert from the University of Florida writes:

Anthony,

Not a lot of hurricanes here

The cover opens and closes half and half — so you only see one hurricane…as in the press release photo or the one on Amazon.

But this is the real picture sequence from the book which I looked at Borders today and took cell-phone pictures, original (before the retouching by some “artist”) Note all of the Arctic ice and the size of the Florida Peninsula…

and the final product:

Now with 4 scary hurricanes - hey where's the ice?

WUWT?

A midget Southern Hemisphere cyclone is off the coast of Florida, another hurricane is sitting on the equator off the coast of Peru — and the Arctic Ice is gone (perhaps it is summer) and the Florida Peninsula is half gone

There are other differences I am sure you can find — but the hurricanes are just nonsense…

Ryan

Here’s the book cover:

Nonsense? No more like scaremongering, especially when it has been shown time and again that there is no hurricane to global warming linkage, and we are at a 30 year low.

Mr. Gore, you are a charlatan.

My Grand-Nephew

After nine months of patient waiting, My niece is finally having her first little baby boy. I will soon be blessed with the title...great uncle. The longing anticipation will soon be replaced with joyful exuberance, and the months of agonizing anxiety will be replaced with long hours of blissful celebration. Perhaps it is fitting that next week is Thanksgiving, because we will all have something to truly be thankful for more so this year than any other year.

Good Luck to Melissa and Matty. We are all praying for a proper conclusion to this chapter in your lifelong story.

UPDATE: On Thursday, 19-Nov-2009 at approximately 6:30am, the new addition to the family was born...Finn Peter Galvin (5lbs 14 oz)

The Mad Genius

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- It was a cold, crisp November night...the temps in the 40s - a typical fall evening in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Tom Brady strolled up to the line of scrimmage; his usual swagger replaced by apprehension. His usually quick-witted, genius coach had been temporarily replaced by a raving lunatic. The obvious look of surprised confusion was not easily hidden from the millions of watching eyes, the majority sharing in Brady's bewilderment...some relishing the opportunity to see Belichick crash and burn. And, crash and burn he did. But, Brady not accustomed to questioning his coach's decisions, just prepared to execute the play given to him. It was the 4th Quarter; the Patriots were leading by 6; the ball was at their 28-yard line; there was 2:08 left on the game clock; and the Patriots were facing a 4th and 2.

What happened next will live forever in Colts lore as another great example of Peyton Manning's ability to extract victory away from the overwhelming jaws of defeat. It will at the same time go down in the realms of football lore as an example of a dimwittedly bad coaching decision made by an otherwise (and it pains me to say this) great coach.

Tom Brady drops back to pass quickly (hoping to catch the Colts off guard), and tosses a floater to Kevin Faulk at the 30-yard line (the first down marker). But, seemingly happening in ultra-slow-motion, Faulk bobbles the ball before falling to the ground at the 29-yard line. The world held its breath; the stadium held its collective breath; the Colts' fans held their breath; the Patriots fans held their breath...all awaiting the decision from the referees.

The referees ruled that Faulk had indeed caught the ball and maintained possession, but not until he was downed at the 29-yard line, thus giving the ball to the Colts with just under 2 minutes left on the clock. The thousands of replays, from every angle humanly conceivable, that followed all showed that the call was questionable at best. However, the play was deemed unreviewable because the Patriots did not have any remaining challenges left at their disposal, so the call remained as stated...Indianapolis Colts' ball at the Patriots 29-yard line with just 1:57 to go in the game and all 3 timeouts...a perpetual eternity to a Quarterback like Peyton Manning.

The outcome was as surprising as the fate of Jason Voorhees, or anyone of his unsuspecting victims, at the end of each Friday the 13th movie. Peyton Manning slashed through the Patriots' defense as if wielding a razor-sharp machete, and quickly and convincingly diced the Patriots' hopes of victory, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne with 13 seconds left on the clock. It took 4 plays and 1 minute 44 seconds. Final score: Colts 35 - Patriots 34.

Bill Belichick stands by his decision, and in all fairness, he would've been called a gutsy genius if it had turned out right. But, hindsight being what it is, everyone will question his decision to go for it when conventional wisdom says to punt, but if Belichick has ever been anything, it's unconventional...that's why I call him...The Mad Genius!

G

"We Want Floyd!"

LAS VEGAS - Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao moved one step closer to a showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. by beating Miguel Cotto in a WBO Welterweight title fight today at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Miguel Cotto started out strong, but Pacquiao quickly settled into his rhythm and knocked down Cotto in the 3rd and 4th rounds. Pacquiao's speed was just way too much for Cotto to handle. Mercifully, Referee Kenny Bayless put an end to the one-sided affair 55 seconds into the 12th round, earning Pacquiao his 50th victory in his long illustrious career which began in the Featherweight division and ended with his 7th title in 7 weight classes.

After the referee called the fight, the crowd began to chant "We want Floyd"...referring to Floyd Mayweather Jr. And, during the post-fight interview, Pacman's trainer - Freddie Roach - when asked who Pacman should fight next, said “I want to see him fight Mayweather.” Floyd Mayweather Jr is the only other fighter capable of claiming the "pound-for-pound" title, but in order to be truly considered the world pound-for-pound champion by the boxing world, he will have to fight Pacquiao sooner rather than later.

Two scenarios exist for Pacquiao...either he fights the winner of the "Sugar" Shane Mosley vs Andre Berto fight on January 30th (more about that fight later), the winner then fighting Mayweather, or he fights Mayweather as his next fight. Personally, as entertaining as a fight with Mosley could be, I - like the rest of the world - would prefer to see Pacquiao fight Mayweather straight out. The problem is that if history is any indication Mayweather will do everything in his power to make a fight with Pacman difficult, not because he's afraid of Pacman, but because he'll demand equal or more money. I honestly hope I'm wrong, because a decisive victory over Pacquiao will solidify Mayweather's status as pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world, while at the same time a Pacquiao victory will do the same for him.

This is the fight the fans want; this is the fight Freddie Roach (and, Pacquiao) want; and this is the fight the boxing world wants and needs. Hey Floyd, check your ego at the door, and put your fist where your mouth is, because as the fans said..."We want Floyd!"

But until then, Congratulations Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, the WBO Welterweight and Undisputed Pound-for-Pound Champion of the World!

G