SAD, Crispy Pizza, and Aiiieeee!!! Climate Change

After a WEE hiatus due to perhaps a touch of S.easonal A.ffective D.isorder, or as some like to call it "SAD", I'm back to begin posting again. Praise Jesus, and all of his disciples. And speaking of the Lord, may he shine upon our friend Mr. Caprio in his time of need, so that he may meet his deadlines, goals, and whatever other work crap he may have, and return to a life of semi-leisure so that he may enjoy it better. AMEN (Three candles have been lit in the shrine, one for Caps, one for Steve Jobs, and another for Steve Guttenberg)

I had my lovely Wednesday evening with Kate.

Kate made a pizza tonight, and for a change it did not smell like B.O., but it did get a little crispy. Despite this, the pizza was still quite good. Kate's Mom had bought her a pizza stone for Christmas and it made a very nice crust.

We watched W's speech (guess that speaks for itself... I'm not even certain what to think.... half of the stuff he proposed just pissed me off because I couldn't help but wonder why we weren't performing the items a couple years ago... like "not abandoning an area we just finished securing").

As promised GLOBAL WARMING... Aiiiiiieeeeeee!!!!!!!

Yes... Yes... Global temperatures are rising. There now is enough data that shows it is fairly consistent across the globe. And yes... there's lots of snow in Colorado... but warmer oceans bring more precipitation.... and it's still going to get cold at a mile in elevation.... even after warming a couple of degrees.

Going over differences in "climate" which can make Global Warming a tough pill to swallow is this article from the Times:
The Ununited States, When It Comes to the Weather


This next article discusses what I see as a unfortunately realistic view of Global Warming:
A New Middle Stance Emerges in Debate over Climate Change

Most people will not refute that Global Warming is a reality. Sure you can't prove absolutely how much of an impact humans have on the climate, but to deny it is very ignorant. The average temperature in cities for example is higher than the country side. This is a common known fact, and it is an example of the effect human beings have on the environment on a small scale.

Fossil Fuels represent the ancient remains of plant life that once existed thousands of years ago. Plants remove CO2 from the air and release the oxygen. They retain the Carbon, then die. After being compacted and heated for thousands of years, coal, oil & natural gasses are formed as byproducts. Burning these recreates the CO2 that was removed. Some estimates claim that we have burned over 2/3 of the total supply of such deposits. This represents the carbon dioxide that it took plant life hundreds of thousands of years to remove from the atmosphere, and took us a couple hundred years to return to it.

Ice cores taken from Antarctica and Greenland have allowed scientists to retroactively record the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere and the data collected supports (or proves) this theory, showing that carbon dioxide levels have reached a point not seen since dinosaurs roamed the planet.

No one knows what affect the carbon dioxide levels will have on the long term climate. It is all here say and predictions. All that can be said is that it will have an effect.

I think it is foolish NOT to try and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, so DESPITE a lack of evidence that the carbon dioxide will spell doom... I think better air quality, less money to terrorists, finding a power source we won't run out of (WE will run out of fossil fuels, probably within the next century certainly if not much earlier at our current rate of consumption) aren't things to scoff at. They will not destroy our economy. Yes there are other nations who also aren't doing their part but we should lead by example.

That being said as the "Middle Stance" article above states... I believe the ball is rolling. I don't think there is a whole lot we can do to reverse the warming trend, likely enhanced by carbon dioxide. Whether this will lead us into a hotter drier, or hotter and humid world, probably depends on where you live, and remains to be seen. Some say it may even push us towards another ice age, as increased precipitation starts to build up in the form of ice in the globe's colder regions. As ice is reflective, (white) the theory is that it will reflect heat and further contribute to climate cooling, if enough of it is created.

I don't like the attitude that conservation is a waste of time. To not take care of what we have is completely stupid. We were given quite a gift to have a planet so unique as to be able to sustain such a great amount of life. We should treat it with the respect and care it requires.