Rantathon 2004 on population growth briefly touches on pollution caused by industrialization. One such form of pollution is emission of greenhouse gases. Without the greenhouse effect, this planet would be uninhabitable, so we cannot argue this point. Please give your impression on the global climate change (if it is happening).

This is not a poll where I want you to go study some information; rather, I want to know what your current viewpoint is based upon your information sources. The poll demographic is ovbiously odd. If I didn't get your point exactly, you can guess how I classified the degrees of concern.

After voting, read the stuff below and add your five pence worth if you wish. You can give impressions, or facts, but please distinguish between the two. If you are giving facts, it would be nice to actually provide them and a link. 'Thousands of doctors agree' and 'the evidence is irrefutable' are not facts.

This is a new conversation. Everybody starts at zero, I don't care what happened elsewhere. The first person to become an ass will be mocked and egged on and then further mocked.

	0% (0)	There is no evidence, this is a made-up scare tactic.
	46% (14)	The earth naturally goes through climate changes, the measured changes are probably such variations.
	40% (12)	Significantly concerned, the changes are caused by humans.
	0% (0)	We are destroying the globe - apocalypse or a horrific reorganization of the earth is impending.
	13% (4)	Concerned about decreased salami harvests.

Somewhere between 2 or 3 is where I would place myself.

Ass? Egg? reminds me of a joke involving a tapeworm and a chocolate chip cookie.

I said seriously concerned only because of all the pollutants we seem to be dumping in the air and water. I don't know what's up with the ozone hole but didn't our changing of aersols help the problem or slow it?
I'm no "tree hugger" but I think there should be ways of making things (SUV's for one) more environmentally healthy (better gas mileage for one).

I hope nobody plans to raise the price of salami.

In Response to Rich (#19595):

I think we will need to distinguish between chemical pollutants dangerous to living organisms (ddt, mercury (not to GWB, though), etc.), greenhouse gasses (not always bad e.g. carbon dioxide is good for plants), and the ozone hole (which is mostly a different problem).

Quick take:

Venus = Way too many greenhouse gases. Very hot. Women.

Mars = No ozone layer (not much atmosphere, no O2), ultraviolet radiation is high, organic molecules get zapped on the surface. Source of men.

This cartoon can help distingush between those two problems.

In Response to zamphir (#19598):

I hope nobody plans to raise the price of salami

Maybe we should start stockpiling reserves to fend against a great salami famine.

Well, apparently this is a boring subject. Can somebody please hijack this thread into a uninformed series of rants?

Monkeys can smoke! [reuters.com].

In Response to zamphir (#19689):

Duh, haven't you watched the Simpsons?

Krusty the Klown's performing monkey is frequently seen sucking down those sweet sweet deathsticks.

In Response to Dynedain (#19691):

That's a CARTOON monkey.

sheesh.

In Response to zamphir (#19692):

life imitates art, etc, etc

In Response to deerboy (#19685):

Aw, comeon, that 'flamebait' downmod was funny . . .

In Response to Dynedain (#19693):

Actually, life does not imitate art. Life is art. And I'm painting.

That should explain a lot, i think.

In Response to deerboy (#19695):

I thought you were funny. Maybe someone else will fix it. Watch this [kontrabandcontent.co.uk], it's pretty funny as well. Be warned it is a quicktime movie--about 6 meg or so.

In Response to Grimicus (#19703):

Funny, maybe you thought I was funny, but I wan't 'funny' funny.

That movie is just another example of the dominance of herd behavior . . .

I think that the particles we introduce into the atmosphere will induce rain formation leading to a global cooling and eventually a premature ice age.

Think volcanoes = dead dinosaurs.

I wish i had more mammal in me.

In Response to AsphaltBuffet (#19759):

Umm you sure about that? I mean I guess you may be sure about what you think but I am not sure that what you think is something worth being sure about.

At a guess if the particles cause rain formation they come back down. Thereby reducing the thermal absorption of the atmosphere. Vague memories indicate this is not what you want for climate change.

I think the idea was more of create a thick hot atmosphere which does something to do with heating the seas which in turn brings on the ice age (the hot water may be a side effect and not a cause, can't remember, there was something about the salt water absorption level of the sea as well). To make a thick hot atmosphere you just want to reduce the radiation of energy out of the earth, particles in the atmosphere are pretty good at that I think.

Then you get such a thick atmosphere that the incoming radiation is bounced and blammo cold world.

I forget the specifics, I guess senor google knows more.

In Response to tor (#19760):

You are both idiots.

- DB

In Response to deerboy (#19771):

thats a comment worthy of a poopy-face

In Response to Dynedain (#19774):

It's not really what the poopy-face says, but the fact that the poopy-face says it.

Anyhew, the previous two comments made me so much stupider, that was the only response I could muster.

Since I can't open new discussions yet and deerboy asked to have the thread hijacked, here's a stupid getting-to-know-you type question:

What's your favorite book or series of books that you consider a guilty pleasure? The book that you'd hide inside your copy of As I Lay Dying?

For myself, currently, it's Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter books...all vampire smut, all the time, baby! =)

Come on, you know you wanna tell....

A.

In Response to Aliandre (#19796):

I read most of those Anita Blake books. I didn't even bother to finish narcolepsy in chains. The first few were really good, but the ones after Obsidian Butterfly seem like trashy romance novels. Bleh.

I really like The George RR Martin A Song of Ice and Fire series. I just hope he doesn't go the route of Jordan.

Right now I am reading the Harry Turtledove alternate WWII history stuff. World War I finished and now I'm on the second book of Colonization

My wife just read some series by Anne Bishop. I forget the name, but she liked it a lot. People on the Hamilton boards said people who like her first set of Anita books would like that series. I guess they were right :-)

Oh, I absolutely love the General series by David Drake and S. M. Stirling ( I think he's the actual author, I can't remember exactly :-) )

In Response to Aliandre (#19796):

Why do any books have to be a guilty pleasure?

If you like something, read it. Reading is a personal thing, and you don't need to worry about some Athority On Literature to tell you how pathetic your choice is.

In Response to Dynedain (#19798):

Agreed - I guess the question should be something like "What's the book or series of books you read when you want to unplug your brain and critical thinking skills and just have fun?"

With that said - what's yours?

=)

A.

In Response to Aliandre (#19800):

Most reading is that way for me ;) at least when I'm not reading architecture stuff.

My favorite though (as most people in the forum already know) is Lord of the Rings. I've read it somehwere over 50 times....

In Response to Aliandre (#19796):

Various comic books and manga. It must be that females over 30 aren't supposed to be into those, since I get funny looks when I bring them into work. Of course, it could be that I'm getting funny looks for other reasons.