One of my many favorite animals, the rare white Bengal tiger

VIDEO BANNED BY CONGRESS??

Hey everyone. Love you guys.

"One Touch of nature makes the whole world kin."
- William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Global Climate Change Awareness NEW SENSATION

07-07-07

United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, China, South Africa, Brazil, Germany

Live Earth was a monumental music event that successfully brought together more than 2 billion people on 7/7/07 to raise awareness about global warming. With 24 hours of music across 7 continents, and performances by more than 150 of the world's top musicians, Live Earth will engage, connect, and inspire individuals, corporations and governments to take action to solve the climate crisis.

Visit Live Earth Blog on 'Spaces'

Story of the Millennium

National Geographic - The Big Thaw

June 2007 - You've never had any reason not to trust National Geographic your entire life; now they're right there with the rest of the world trying to get the message through, GLOBAL WARMING IS COMPLETELY REAL and something we need to take VERY seriously.

I could repost some of the story but the message is pretty clear. We can see what's going on; we don't need scientists (let alone those who are being 'bought' or 'silenced', both of which are indeed still happening) to try and explain it to us. The ice IS melting, and it's picking up speed, now at a pace which exceeds any model predictions. Consider that the next time your hear someone telling you that models can't predict the future (Yeah, they can just give you an idea, the reality can be much worse).

There are a couple of very good stories (and a number of fascinating images) in the current issue, I recommend you grab one next time you're at the supermarket. Read it, then pass it on to someone you know is falling for the lies that this is a myth, think it's some kind of hoax, or that the science isn't clear and the official opinion is divided, etc. The fact is, Global Warming is indeed real, you can observe it happening yourself and human activities (primarily burning fossil fuels) are fueling this rapid climate change. Summer ice in the artic could disappear in our own century at the present rate. I hope you don't need to be told how tragic that would be. So do something about it. Please support green technology and anything which will help to cut our CO2 emissions.

ABOVE: A nice graphic I designed to celebrate Earth Day (I looked and looked but I just couldn't find one that appealed enough to me), which I will keep up all year because every day should be Earth Day.

Come join America's environmental, philosophical, political, religious leaders and more in signing The Great Warming Call to Action, and call on America to take immediate action against Climate Change! Click on the link below to see who will be fighting with you.

MUST SEE FILM - The Great Warming

Do you still know someone who doesn't believe in Global Warming?

Dennis Schmitt, a 60-year-old explorer, discovered an island in Greenland that previously was believed to be part of the mainland.

All over Greenland and the Arctic, rising temperatures are not simply melting ice; they are changing the very geography of coastlines. Nunataks — “lonely mountains” in Inuit — that were encased in the margins of Greenland’s ice sheet are being freed of their age-old bonds, exposing a new chain of islands, and a new opportunity for Arctic explorers to write their names on the landscape.

“We are already in a new era of geography,” said the Arctic explorer Will Steger. “This phenomenon — of an island all of a sudden appearing out of nowhere and the ice melting around it — is a real common phenomenon now.”
"I can say that within the last five years the ice margin had retreated at least 10 kilometers.” - says snow-and-ice physics Professor Carl Egede Boggild on another recent Greenland island discovery

The sudden appearance of the islands is a symptom of an ice sheet going into retreat, scientists say. Greenland is covered by 630,000 cubic miles of ice, enough water to raise global sea levels by 23 feet.

With 27,555 miles of coastline and thousands of fjords, inlets, bays and straits, Greenland has always been hard to map. Now its geography is becoming obsolete almost as soon as new maps are created.

Despite its remote location, the island would almost certainly have been discovered, named and mapped almost a century ago when explorers like Jean-Baptiste Charcot and Philippe, Duke of Orléans, charted these coastlines. Would have been discovered had it not been bound to the coast by glacial ice. - see full article

Article~ Bush to address Global Warming in upcoming State of the Union Address - Yahoo News Jan 16, 2007
Article~ Sweden's tree line moving at fastest rate for 7,000 years - Yahoo News Jan 16, 2007
Article~ The Basics - Connecting the Global Warming Dots - NY Times Jan 14, 2007
Video~ Europe has been experiencing springtime in winter - Deutche Welle Jan 10, 2007
Article~ Scientist say 2007 may be the warmest yet - Yahoo News Jan 4, 2007
Audio~ Global Warming and the Politics of Polar Bears - NPR Jan 3, 2007

Related Article - Warmest December in Italy on record -Yahoo News Jan 13, 2007

60 Minutes repot on Global Warming

European Heat Wave: Snowless Alps - SEE VIDEOAbove... ABC News Video via Yahoo! News - Dec 18 2:08 PM

ADD THIS TO YOUR PROFILE

IMPORTANT FILM
Who Killed the Electric Car?
Haven't heard of it? It's the 47th highest ranking documentary ever, look into it
Know what's going on around you!

MY DEEPEST CONCERN

Co2 Levels have increased 50% in the last century, a level not seen on Earth in the last 400,000 years (evidence made possible by advanced studies and sciences, i.e. research on ice core samples which have suspended and trapped gasses throughout time, location of glacier footprints, climate bearing fossils, etc.)

From this point on, unchecked and unorganized regulation of population growth and use of fossil fuels (on a global scale) will result in double the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere between 3 and 6 decades from now.

This is extraordinary considering that the Earth has a natural way of getting rid/using C02, which is cyclic. The earth's dark oceans alone absorbs a significant portion of the C02 entering the atmosphere, thus changing the composition of the oceans and ever increasing biological problems, i.e. reduction in shelled animals and coral reefs (one of many observed consequences already being studied by marine biologists); which if dramatically altered before evolution can catch on will have a dire impact on the entire food chain.

In fact, the earth's atmosphere and conditions for which life exists is so sensitive, many scientists, physicists, environmentalists and so on are beginning to believe the entire life-force on earth could be impacted in such a way which has not been seen since the last great extinction.

Feedback loops (climatologist way of saying 'side effects') occur during any major change over a period of time, a perfect example being a change such as increased temperature... which increases ice melt rate... which (i.e. 1: releases more trapped cO2 in the air i.e. 2,...: exposes more, non-reflective, heat and UV absorbing, land... which further increases temperature... and melting... and dry land which means i.e.... forest fires... resulting in fewer CO2 absorbing trees etc but adding more C02 in the air...) You should get the idea, a little change like this can be a big deal and sneak up on you.

Yeah, this is a serious, serious problem which we are now seeing unfold, and we are just beginning to understand. It is unfortunate that there are powers in very high places spending a great deal of wealth, time and resources to confuse, prevent and delay progress in dealing with this pending global disaster.

(Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio)

Below, check out THE WEATHER CHANNEL's official position on Global Warming

The Weather Channel Position Statement on Global Warming

Withstanding since DEC 2005

The scientific issue of global warming can be broken down into three main questions: Is global warming a reality? Are human activities causing climate change? What are the prospects for the future?

The climate of the earth is indeed warming, with an increase of approximately 1 #-- 1## degrees Fahrenheit in the past century. The warming has taken place as averaged globally and annually; significant regional and seasonal variations exist. The amount of warming in the upper atmosphere has been more difficult to quantify, but new research shows a trend similar to that near the surface.

Impacts can already be seen, especially in the Arctic, with melting glaciers, retreat and thinning of sea ice, and thawing permafrost affecting human populations as well as animals and vegetation. There and elsewhere, rising sea level is increasing coastal vulnerability.

Odds are now leaning toward increased frequency and intensity of heat waves in the warm season and warm spells in the cold season in parts of the world, as well as reduced frequency of low temperature extremes.

In some regions there has been a tendency for an increase in precipitation extremes, both wet (including floods) and dry (droughts). These observations over the past several decades are consistent with what theory and global climate models would suggest.

Global warming cannot be ruled out as a contributing factor to recent increased hurricane activity.

To what extent the current warming is due to human activity is complicated because large and sometimes sudden climate changes have occurred throughout our planet's history - most of them before humans could possibly have been a factor. Furthermore, the sun/atmosphere/land/ocean "climate system" is extraordinarily complex.

However, it is known that burning of fossil fuels injects additional carbon dioxide and other so-called greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This in turn increases the naturally occurring "greenhouse effect," a process in which our atmosphere keeps the earth's surface much warmer than it would otherwise be.

More than a century#'s worth of detailed climate observations show a sharp increase in both carbon dioxide and temperature. These observations, together with computer model simulations and historical climate reconstructions from ice cores, ocean sediments and tree rings all provide strong evidence that the majority of the warming over the past century is a result of human activities. This is also the conclusion drawn, nearly unanimously, by climate scientists. Any meaningful debate on the topic amongst climate experts is over.

Humans are also changing the climate on a more localized level. The replacement of vegetation by buildings and roads is causing temperature increases through what's known as the urban heat island effect. In addition, land use changes are affecting impacts from weather phenomena. For example, urbanization and deforestation can cause an increased tendency for flash floods and mudslides from heavy rain. Deforestation also produces a climate change "feedback" by depleting a source which absorbs carbon dioxide.

The bottom line is that if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase, a significant warming trend is expected to also continue. The ability to adapt will be crucial. Potential outcomes range from moderate and manageable to extreme and catastrophic, depending on a number of factors including location and type of effect, and amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Not every location and its inhabitants will be affected equally, but the more the planet warms, the fewer "winners" and the more "losers" there will be as a result of the changes in climate. The potential exists for the climate to reach a "tipping point," beyond which radical and irreversible changes occur.

In December of 2005 The Weather Channel issued a position statement on global warming. In support of that statement a climate community was born and The Climate Code on MySpace is now part of that community.
Please join the discussion by sharing your thoughts on global warming. Tell us what you think, what you see happening in your hometown, and what you’d like to be done nationally. Or tell us what you’re doing about global warming and you could even be featured on The Weather Channel as part of our Climate Changers segment.
Watch each week as Dr. Heidi Cullen connects the dots and uncovers the truth about global warming on The Climate Code Sundays at 5PM et with encores every Sat. at 5, 7 and 11PM ET (each preceded by 'Forecast Earth', another great show), only on The Weather Channel . You can also learn more on our new broadband channel at www.weather.com/onedegree , your daily source for climate news, science and debate on the web.
The Weather Channel is dedicated to educating people about global climate change. With your help we can make a difference

Nature, and in this case, the earth, has an uncanny way of healing itself. This is why things like the plague come along. However, we have upset the balance of things by being able to combat natural disasters and diseases. Because of this, we have entered an age in human evolution which now we must fully understand and respect nature or it will destroy us. People have already begun to figure this out and the awareness is growing everyday. It's a matter of time before all governments agree it's time to do the right thing for the all present and future life. Will it be too late? At some point, yes, but I have faith there's still time to do what's right.

With that said, anyone standing in the way of this should be removed, banned, barred, fired what have you, whatever it takes really.

Anyone trying to do the right thing should be supported any way possible. Every individual also has the responsibility to learn how to deal with this problem and begin making changes in their life which can help. Once people and governments are on the same side dealing with this issue, it will take modern science to potentially set things straight again. What we don't want to see happen is a continual increase in green house gasses and a continual increase in glacier, ice sheet and ice cap melt. This problem is bigger than people are being led to believe, much bigger.

Anyone using V8 engines for transportation, using regular light bulbs, not recycling and not even trying to avoid over-use of packaging and other garbage, is only going out of their way, contributing to the problem. This isn't a time to be pessimistic, we need to be optimistic that we can change this or its game over. Support alternative fuel initiatives. Support officials who acknowledge global warming and are making efforts to do something. Do research

Warning, there are a handful of well funded sites out there as well as numerous bloggers who only refer to global warming either as hype or still trying to say scientists are divided on the issues. There are key sites doing this, one is junkscience.com, which is group clearly on a mission to mislead people (and ironically, is often referred to by Fox News who also is guilty of avoiding reporting any science which supports global warming but has no problem posting many junkscience articles - mull that one over), feel free to check that out if you want to be misinformed, but be sure to check out sources which use REAL scientific and up to date facts, here's a short list of those...

The Weather Channel: Global Warming

National Center for Atmospheric Research: Global Warming

World News Network: Global Warming

NewScientist.com: Global Warming

Natural Resources Defense Council: Global Warming

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Global Warming

PBS: NOVA & Frontline: Global Warming

WA Dept of Ecology: Global Warming

Seattle Times: Global Warming

World Wildlife Fund: Global Warming

60 Minutes: Global Warming

MIT: Global Warming
GlobalWarming101.com: Global Warming

Ad Council: Global Warming

Wall Street Journal: Global Warming

Answers.com: Global Warming

Stanford University: Global Warming

National Wildlife Foundation: Global Warming

National Geographic: Global Warming

Space.com & LiveScience.com: Global Warming

TIME (2001): Global Warming

Environmental Defense: Global Warming

Science Daily: Global Warming

CLIMATE CHANGE 101: Global Warming

Union of Concerned Scientists: Global Warming Signs (climatehotmap.org)

Wikipedia: Global Warming

BBC: Global Warming

climatecrisis.org (AnInconvenientTruth)

CNN: Global Warming

ABC: Global Warming

NY Times: Global Warming

NASA: Global Warming

EPA: Global Warming

CBBC: Global Warming

Discovery: Global Warming

So with that said, I'm into building webpages, HTML, etc. I've designed, maintain or advised on several of my friends sites, if you have a question, just ask, I'll see what I can do for you.

moving on...

Note - for anything you find here, If you want to share your thoughts with me, good or bad, I'd love to hear from you.

SEPTEMBER 11 REVISITED

The events of 9/11 will not be easily forgot. Questions remain why these events occurred and further more, how it is that three buildings which were actually designed to withstand plane strikes became the first and only three steel structures ever built to collapse from fire and all on the same day. WTC 7 which barely got any mention in the rushed, official commission report, collapsed in the very same manner reminiscent of towers 1 and 2, was a block away and was not struck by a plane. All the questions really come down to why WTC 7 collapsed, which incidentally puts everything that day into question quite frankly. A thousand conspiracies revolve around that day, perhaps none of them are true and we may never fully know why and how these events happened but it's so perplexing, and has led to such significant measures and changes in our world, it's worth further study until real answers can finally be produced.

Till now, I've tried to stay away from this kind of subject matter and I will not have it up forever (probably whether I like it or not) for different reasons and it is not related to Global Warming (directly anyway) but very important all the same. I'll say it right now -it is your civil duty to hear this story which raises scientific and ethical questions about what actually happened to the WTC buildings, then take from it what you will but just know, the story doesn't end here.

NEW September 11th Revisited v.2 is a follow up to perhaps the most riveting film ever made about the destruction of the World Trade Center. This is a powerful documentary which features eyewitness accounts and archived news footage that was shot on September 11, 2001 but never replayed on television.

Featuring interviews with eyewitnesses & firefighters, along with expert analysis by Professor Steven E. Jones, Professor David Ray Griffin, MIT Engineer Jeffrey King, Professor Kevin Barrett, and Professor James H. Fetzer.

Some of the new features in the extended version are:

- Higher quality clips
- More news footage
- More witnesses
- Prof. Steven E. Jones talking about thermite and his analysis of the WTC metal
- Seth Green discussing Charlie Sheens comments
- Tom Delonge from Blink 182
- Tim Russert (Meet the Press) interview on Deadline Live w/ Jack Blood
- Kevin Barrett interview on WISC-TV
- Movie trailer included

The total run time is now 1 hr 24 min. Click here for reviews and to purchase for $6 (delivery is 1-2 weeks).

My opinion of the government...

Note - First of all, I love America and I love my way of life but I know BS when I see it and we've been dished a lot of it lately (this is nothing really new in politics but regarding the recent botched elections, the motive behind invading Iraq, undue support for oil and energy companies, dismissing claims that we're heading into a global warming disaster if we don't take our finger off the trigger, and how all these things tie together, etc, it's getting seriously out of hand). I feel our very way of life is under threat and we don't have to look outside of our country to see it, so understand for example, I support our troops, not what put them there or why they were put there. At this point however, though I want very much for them to leave Iraq safely, I do agree can't simply just leave now, Pandora's box has been opened - hopefully with the fresh approach we'll be taking now, we'll figure out a way to get through this but between global war and global warming, we have a lot we need to be thinking about. Removing Rumsfeld and the rest of the administration that got us into this mess is a great first step.

My very wise friend Neil makes a good point, “Granted, we may still have the best form of government in the world, but so did the Greeks, and the Romans and so forth in their times, before they fell and were eventually replaced with something better”, that’s where we are today. But what good is having a great democracy if you fail to improve upon it, especially in today’s rapidly changing world. Left unchecked, who knows what will happen, maybe corporation will take over, maybe we'll destroy our planet and no one will rule because we'll all be extinct, who knows. The point is; our country and our government may even still be the best (I'm giving no credit there to GW and his staff) but this certainly isn't saying it doesn't need to be improved. Our founding fathers put us on the right path; it’s up to us to evolve. Few people can argue that point.
Anyway, back to the point I was trying to make...Government; We have even less control over it than most of us realize, the only card we hold comes about from arming ourselves with knowledge. Be careful of who you trust, especially from the top - down. The top by the way, is not what you think it is either. This subject is entirely too complicated so I won't get into in any further. Instead, my friend Christian found this vid the other day that actually touches down on several points I could make and is presented fairly well. So whether you are dem or rep, religious or atheist, rich or poor, it's worth checking out. Chances are, you won't believe much of this, that's ironically, the point of the video. I'm sure I will eventually dedicate a blog to this subject but for now, feel free to message your comments to me, I always respond.

ATTENTION

Here's a topic for you... life as you know it, I'm talking about GLOBAL WARMING, and no, I'm not a 'tree hugger' or an 'alarmist' like my friend Pat would like to call me, I'm simply a 'realist'. I believe in what makes the most sense to me and trust me, on this subject, it's based on quite a lot of information. Look around and I promise you'll leave here knowing something new

For some, the biggest problem in the world currently is say, War in Iraq - man I wish we didn't get caught up in that the way we did, I agree with Henry Kissinger, it's militarily impossible to win the war there. Since and as a direct result of going there, we've actually increased the number of terrorists in the world dramatically. More people in around the world look down on the USA, our military and our government now more than they have, possibly ever! And this is such a distraction; we can't deal with the real dangers out there, Iran, North Korea and certainly not least... the very real eminent danger to our planet and the creatures on it. NOTHING concerns me more than what's going on with our planet's delicate balance which is in jeopardy. Hey, I like tigers, butterflies, bees, and polar bears, penguins, whales, birds, coral reefs, etc, but many species of these and many other creatures are in danger of disappearing forever, same is true for present and future civilizations and even landscape it self.

Until now (and times HAVE changed), our own US government (a key player, in fact the world leader of emitting greenhouse gasses, such as C02) has been denying and at times, even covering up science proving we're in trouble, and instead throwing us off the trail, leading us in the WRONG direction and curbing the true danger ahead (Sorry guys, not God or even EXXONMOBIL can bail you out of this one).

What is Global Warming?

20 different views

The implications, more devastating weather, extinction of thousands of animals beginning with indigenous species like the polar bears, coastal societies displaced, farmlands reduced to dust, coral reefs forever lost and that's only the beginning, this will have an effect on health, property, economy and on and on.

The worst that can happen? Some experts fear it could even be as bad a the Atlantic Beltway coming to a halt, which is like the living earth having a heart attack, the result of this would be absolutely devastating and would send the world quite quickly into the next ice age.

If you don't believe this or do and want to know more, either way, I'll be happy to point you in the right direction.

Most Up to Date Temperature Change Chart

Some of you may have heard about the hockey stick theory and how it is not accurate due to the Medieval Warming Period, this should help to set the record straight

It's no longer debated, their is nearly a unanimous consensus among scientists today that agree the global mean temperature has dramatically increased, for no other know causes other than the increase of man induced green house gasses, predominantly in the past century, however finding a full degree increase in the last 30 years alone. The WMA may have existed, but it clearly was not caused by us and did not get as warm as it is now nor did it increase so rapidly see more on this

Nairobi Talks on Global Climate Change

Nov 15, 2006 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Nairobi, Kenya - U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan called for more courage in acting on Wednesday, saying climate change was one of the biggest threats to the planet and that there was a "frightening lack of leadership" on the issue.

The United States, the world's biggest source of emissions, is not taking part in the talks about Kyoto. President George W. Bush pulled out in 2001, arguing that it wrongly excluded poor nations and would cost U.S. jobs... see article

England Nov 14, 2006 This year's
Queen's Speech
Included the announcement of the new
Climate Change Bill
last week.
Are we heading in the right direction?

Air: Policy
The Clean Air Act of 1970 allows the EPA to set limits on how much of a pollutant is discharged into the air anywhere in the United States. In 2005, Congress failed to pass the Bush administration's Clear Skies Act, a proposal that would, among other things, allow power companies that don’t meet pollution standards to buy emission credits from firms that exceed them. Internationally, more than 180 nations signed the 1987 Montreal Protocol, a treaty that limits the production of ozone-depleting substances. The World Health Organization maintains guidelines for international air quality, with revised standards planned for late 2005.

What can be done? It's not necessarily hopeless. For starters, we can stop contributing to the proble... i.e. control population - (to put in perspective, there were 2.5 billion people 50 years ago, there are 6 billion today), depletion of natural resources, recycling, reducing (and eventually eliminating) fossil fuel consumption. etc. and also urging our government(s) (cooperation from USA, China and India is desperately needed - this is a global epidemic) to take measures like other world governments are starting to do.
On the bright side... Study hopeful for world's forests

But don't be fooled, beating the heat won't be easy... Take this news report from Monday for example.

PLANET UNDER PRESSURE