Don’t like the weather, lets change it.

Can we engineer the weather? Some scientists think so, but what are the risks?

Carbon Trading Fraud

The Financial Times has found problems with the carbon credit market. They see it as just a gold rush for a $68 billion dollar market. Looks like a great opportunity for Wall Street to make some big dollars.

Delta Airlines now is offering carbon offsets, you to can be like Al Gore, well with out the private jet.

• The Reference Frame has more in this boondoggle.
• Wikipedia entry on Carbon offset

Much of this push to become carbon neutral looks to have little benefit to the possible Global Warming problem.

Scientists Demand Changes to Global Warming Skeptic's Film

To these scientists they think they are helping by correcting errors in a program, others look at this as pure censorship. They look to eliminate the discussion of two ideas in the video, 1) the effect of volcanic activities in the creation of CO2 and 2) the medieval warm period.

I am leaning towards the idea that this is and attempt at censorship if the scientists plan on ignoring the errors in Al Gore movie.

If you want to check out the video your self here is the link to The Great Global Warming Swindle at Google video.

A Contrarian view on Earth Day

Again John Stossel takes a look at the opposite view of Earth Day, working in the left leaning media John’s voice stands out in his call to slow down and really look at what we are saying.

"The precautionary principle, popular in Europe, is the idea that no new thing should be permitted until it has been proved harmless. Sounds good, except as Ron Bailey of Reason writes, it basically means, "Don't ever do anything for the first time."

Stakeholder participation means that busybodies would be permitted to intrude on private transactions. Semmens's example is DDT, which for years would have saved children from deadly malaria, except that "'stakeholders' from the environmental quarter have prevailed on governments to ban the trade in this product."

The first victims of these principles are the poor. We rich Westerners can withstand a lot of policy foolishness. But people in the developing world live on the edge, so anything that retards economic progress -- including measures to arrest global warming -- will bring incredible hardship to the most vulnerable on the planet.

If we care about human life, we should celebrate Economic Progress Day."

Relax on Global Warming, the planet is fine

In an interview with Professor Richard Lindzen, it is pointed out that the planet is in good shape. He says that we have done a good job so far in cleaning up the planet:

• Forests are returning in Europe and the United States
• Air quality has improved
• Water quality has improved
• We grow more food on less land
• The world has moved forward in conquering hunger

The environmental movement has accomplished much in the last 50 years to be proud of, but Professor Lindzen thinks that money may be affecting there research.

Is Lindzen a quack, well he is an atmospheric physicist and the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology at MIT, have a read and then decide.

Scientists opposing the mainstream scientific assessment of global warming

Did you ever want a list of scientists that oppose the mainstream scientific assessment of global warming?

This Wikipedia page list scientists that have voiced there concern over the mainstream opinion on global warming. Wikipedia has categorized there area of dissent from the mainstream:

• The Earth is not warming
• The principal cause of global warming is unknown
• Global warming is mostly due to natural processes
• Climate forecasting isn’t as accurate as the IPPC ranges imply
• Global warming is good for human society

Green House Conspiracy

Here’s an other documentary on global warming. If you spent the time to view the BBC documentary “The Great Global Warming Swindle” you will want to check this on out on Google video. It was shown on SBS Television Australia in 1990, 17 years old but this has some valuable information.

One square just isn't enough

Ok, this can not be helping the cause.

U.S. Adults Less Likely Than Europeans to Think Humans Are Contributing to the Increase in Global Temperatures

"While two-thirds of U.S. adults (65%) believe humans are contributing to an increase in global temperatures, this is less than the British (77%), Italian (87%) and French and Spanish (88% each) who believe this. The country where they are most likely to believe humans are contributing to this increase in temperatures is Germany (92%)."

A little more information on our beliefs about global warming it looks like the majority of the US believes in (65%) global warming.

Climate change: Why we don't believe it

"Global warming is a threat that is going to wipe out civilisation as we know it. The liberal elite and political classes are signed up to the message that, unless we take urgent action within ten years, we are all literally doomed to burn up.

But who else believes them?

Beyond the corridors of Westminster and the offices of environmental pressure groups, where global warming and sustainability are buzzwords of the moment, British consumers continue flying, driving and buying with unchecked enthusiasm. The gulf between the pronouncements of our politicians and what the majority of people think and do, could scarcely be wider."

This is interesting, a discussion on why global warming message is not getting across to the masses. My thought is the alarmists have over sold the issue, most already know that the planet is getting warmer, but we do not trust the idea that it is caused by human actions.

Climate Catastrophe Cancelled

Here is an other view of the global warming debate. Not as snazzy as An Inconvenient Truth but some interesting information. Check it out if you are looking to balance the information you have been seeing on global warming.

The Global Warming Jihad

This is an interesting article on the religious tone to the global warming debate.

Butler Shaffer can turn a phrase like no other.

Check it out if you have been getting the feeling that you are witnessing the birth of a new religion.

Da Bum

Taxing Fast Food

OK, this is the first real shot fired by any sort of left wing crazy liberal in their war against obesity. Admittedly this is done by the cash strapped city of Detroit, I was figuring it would happen in either San Francisco or New York city first. So now the governments willing to tax people for being fat, what's next, taxing people because they're ugly?

There's no question that this country is getting fatter you can see it every day stop at a grocery store, look around yourself at the gas station as you're pumping your paycheck into your gas guzzling SUVs tank. We have grown in diameter to the point now we need to have large SUVs just to haul our fat buts around. Here's a shout out to America get up and walk.

Going Green and Going Bust

An article posted on Fox.com, points to a few problems in regulating building standards that are not tested. Seattle's two-year-old City Hall has been plagued with problems that is making life difficult and uncomfortable for the tenants. Some examples of failed portions of this project are, light reflecting shelves designed to reduce electrical bills create such a glare that workers complain, and oxygen producing rainwater preserving" Green roof" died and will be receded with hardier plants. Boilers exploded, the police have trouble getting hot water in their locker rooms, offices are often too hot or too cold. One report from the city of Seattle says that "tenants are uncomfortable and they are wasting money heating and cooling air that is not reaching them".

In other example from washingtonpolicy.org, points to a middle school that has not achieved the savings they were promised.

"Tacoma middle school was projected to achieve 35% energy savings. During its first year and a half of operation, however, it is actually using 25% more energy than the average middle school in Tacoma, including one school built at the same time without the green building elements."

Washington State has become the first state requiring all tax funded buildings to be green. From this experience in Seattle it looks like there's going to be some wasted tax dollars over the next few years just learning about what works and what doesn't.

Can you buy a Governor at Wal-Mart?

I was thinking about Social Security today, and President Bush's idea of progressive indexing. But Wal-Mart is just too much fun. So here's one, the Maryland Legislature has passed the bill that requires any business with more than 10,000 employees to spend at least 8% of their total payroll and employee health benefits or compensate the state's health insurance program for their employees reliance upon it.

That sounds like an interesting way of slapping Wal-Mart around, but the governor of Maryland ( Ehrlich ) is threatening a veto, it gets interesting when you find out he has received campaign contributions from our favorite company Wal-Mart.

Governor Ehrlich has benefited from a relationship with Wal-Mart, in December 2004 Wal-Mart held a reception honoring Governor Ehrlich. This event was a $1000 per person price tag in addition to this fundraising benefit for the governor he also received a $4000 donation from Wal-Mart in January 12, 2005.

The total size of the donations from Wal-Mart is unknown, so how do we know if Governor Ehrlich's potential veto has been bought by Wal-Mart is a truly honest desire to prevent a targeted tax increase against an honest business. Or the effect of the political donation, only people who know is the governor and maybe Wal-Mart.

If you're interested in telling Governor Ehrlich to return the campaign contributions from Wal-Mart this link to Wal-Martwatch.com will allow you to send him a message.

Have a great day.
Da bum