I'm sorry, but this just makes me shake my head in wonder...
"A North Pole expedition meant to bring attention to global warming was called off after one of the explorers got frostbite."
Am I missing something here?
"Then there was the cold - quite a bit colder, Atwood said, then Bancroft and Arnesen had expected. One night they measured the temperature inside their tent at 58 degrees below zero, and outside temperatures were exceeding 100 below zero at times, Atwood said."
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*sigh* Yes, there's no such thing as global warming... that's why, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada today, it's over sixty-degrees... when it's still winter and there's normally snow on the ground.
Basically, if it's normally minus 72 and it becomes minus 58, there should be a note made of the variance... even if it's still "cold" to most humans.
...but, since this IS a political issue, and not a scientific issue, I'd say we should burn more stuff, all buy SUVs and run them really poorly, and re-start the coal plants... after all, skewed science tells us it's okay... and while we're at it, light up a Marlborough 'cuz smoking really isn't linked to any health problems... science told us that too in the 1960's and 1970's.
Yeah, yeah, I know. It is fifty here too, (which just happens to be perfectly normal for March in upstate NY). Last week it was ten below and eight of my houseplants froze. IN MY PARLOR!!! It was an all time record low for the date!
Those guys in the story don't look too darned smart figuring they were going to wear wet suits and swim across the Arctic in March...
So hand me a Marlboro, because I have yet to be convinced.
Actually, the reason I'm so sure is friends in the military... who are STILL stationed on the DEW line... apparently, "allergy season" has come their already... which is odd.
I guess what bugs me...
- No, I don't believe Manhattan will be under water in the next ten years.
- No, I don't believe cows, "oil based paint drying", or decomposing styrofoam is a main contributor to things.
- Yes, I believe in the data at hand from neutral sources... we are heating up faster than ever before.
- Yes, I believe that we are polluting worse than we were 10,000 years ago... call it a hunch.
- Yes, I believe pollution is bad.
- No, I don't believe that we should throw away our cars.
- Yes, I think we should TRY and do things... and be damned what they are or aren't doing in other places. They will eventually have to get into line.
Saying "global warming" is a theory is like saying "evolution" is one too... and many people do believe that... I for one, don't.
You may remember a rant I did that you commented on... about "soccer moms" in my (urban) area driving their kids to school (usually a two-block trip) and then driving to the shops several times in a day (a four block trip)... in a huge, honkin' SUV.
THERE'S THE ENEMY!
Do they, a city-dweller, really NEED a heavy, four-wheel drive vehicle? Did they NEED to teach their kids that a WALK OF LESS THAN FIVE ROTTEN MINUTES IS WORTHY OF TAKING THE CAR???
...then those same women take polls and say the environment is their main concern.
And yeah, before anyone slaps me down... it's mostly women.
The problem is, in a "political rage" and "angst-against-the-tree-hugger" mode, many people are missing the big point... pollution is bad.
Moderation is NEEDED...
We need to DO WHAT WE CAN... but to deny what is out there is kinda like when the Catholic church burned Giordano Bruno... he was right, but they didn't want to hear or recognise what he said.
...or like when the Democrats RAKED C. Everett Koop over the coals because his "doctrine" that cigarettes were "bad for you" was an obvious Republican ploy to hurt the tobacco farmers in Virginia... and they trotted out doctors and scientists to dispute him.
The facts are, pollution is bad. We DO need to DO SOMETHING... we don't need to panic... but, forgive me for saying this, to ignore things because they don't jive with our philosophies is dumb.
...but...
There's three ways to handle this...
#1: Go extreme one way and ignore it... in my eyes, at our children's expense.
#2: Go extreme the other way... at all our expense.
#3: FIND THE HAPPY MEDIUM and work towards fixing things gently... and as painlessly as possible.
To do #2 is silly as, yes, it would hurt our lifestyle... too much.
To do #1 is just really dumb... as even if Global Warming is a myth, pollution IS BAD.
Yup, instead of telling everyone THE EARTH IS DOOMED or trying to convert the masses to thinking THE EARTH IS FLAT AND THE SUN REVOLVES AROUND IT, perhaps we should simply say...
"Y'know what? Things aren't great... and we do need to work on them... but we don't need to kill ourselves in the process... or kill ourselves in spite of the process."
I s'pose this is where I need to stop... because, to be honest, if anyone out there NEEDS to preach the doctrine of "non-belief" and look for facts to try and stitch together an argument that logic and neutral science and observation says ain't right... then I'm up against people's faith... in which case... allow me to cite Ferdinand Magellan...
The Church says that the Earth is flat, but I know that it is round. For I have seen the shadow on the moon and I have more faith in the Shadow than in the Church.
...at least Magellan fared better than Bruno...
Here's some decent data... that argues BOTH sides... but the headline is DUMB...
http://www.livescience.com/environment/070312_solarsys_warming.html
You know I don't really disagree with you entirely. However, I am sorry, those guys just look like idiots. Doesn't say much for their understanding of their cause.
Sorry for the rant... I guess I'm passionate about being moderate... if that makes ANY sense.
Hey, if it's any better, when I do hear nitwits telling me that we need to get rid of all cars and shut down all industrial plants, I'm equally as passionate... in the other direction. :)
...and yeah, I agree.. IF you know the facts, mean temperatures have risen by about two degrees... Ergo: If you're heading to the Arctic, one SHOULD assume it's STILL GOING TO BE VERY COLD.
It's not like polar bears are now getting tans on sandy beaches where palm trees sway in the warm trade winds in Inuvik.
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