Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Global Warming Slamming Us This Winter

I suppose that is what the warming theorists, and the politicos like Al Gore, would have us believe. Then again, just the other day I heard the head of Green Peace (I think that is who they had on a FoxNews video), saying that global warming was quite possibly responsible for the ice storm in the Midwest of the USA. Tomorrow here in western Long Island we are expected to get some bad weather. Now according to whom it is that you listen, such as 1010 WINS Radio, we are going to get 'from 1 to 5 inches of snow between 0900 (9AM) and about 18900 (7PM), frozen, rain and snow' - or, if you read MSN's weather report we are going to have: "Day: Definite light rain with snow and ice pellets (sleet) and patchy fog. High 35F, humidity 65%. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Night: Chance of light freezing rain with snow and ice pellets (sleet). Low 31F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Boy that sounds pretty much alike. Two different media outlets are saying we will have a crappy day, and they both say that a bit further north will be worse. Even the National Weather Service (see: http://www.weather.com/maps/news/forecastsummary/36hrfloaterqpf_large.html?from=wxcenter_maps) predicts at least 1-3 inches of snow on the ground in NYC and western Long Island (and up to about 6 inches in some places on Western LI), and from 6 up to 12 inches of white stuff on the ground just north of NYC; and guess what - the date of this winter storm (as they are calling it) is predicted to be December 13, 2007.

Now from 52 years of experience, most of which I have had a grasp of after 4 or 5 years of age, I can say without a doubt that snow this early in the season, in these amounts, is pretty unusual for our area. So on what can we blame this phenomenon - I would imagine we can blame it on Global Warming, but then again I am no junk scientist, I am not a failed politician, I am not the head of an ultra kooky green group - but I'd bet that would be their explanation. Heck, I am just a regular guy who is surprised that it is going to snow before Christmas; and one who hopes it does snow just about an inch on Christmas. That would be nice; and if such is what we can expect due to Global Warming, then I am all for climate change. Bear in mind - snow over the winter is good. In the spring it melts, the melted water runs off to streams, and into lakes and reservoirs, and into the oceans. Full lakes are good for fish, and for human fun. Full reservoirs are good places to get drinking water. A full ocean is good for fishing, swimming, surfing, and boating, and plenty of other fun things. It seems we cannot go wrong if Global Warming is causing all this snow and ice, let's hope it keeps it up all winter (well not so much so that it screws people over in the Midwest, but enough so there is plenty of melting water in the spring to feed our reservoirs).

Now Global Warming may be for real, and its causing snow may be the result, but if such is the case, there is something very strange about all of this for which I as a rational sort of a guy just do not understand when I re-listen to the Global Warming theories of a year ago, even 6 months ago, or 3 months ago - and then compare those to the ones of very recent days that try to explain away this white cold stuff. Go figure, I guess I should have paid better attention in science class in my school days.

All the best,
Glenn B

Does: PETA Membership = ASININE?

Well that is certainly how I see it. This so called animal rights group that so vehemently opposes people wearing fur, and that is so against animals used in medical and scientific research, in my opinion, just acts like a bunch of spoiled brats who have no better way to spend there time than to harass other people. Yet it has been brought out over and over again in the media and elsewhere) that they: reportedly kill animals in their own, or in their sponsored, shelters; that the head of PETA regularly uses a medicine made through animal experimentation; that many of their members wear leather shoes and accessories while at anti-fur protests; and that in my opinion they are hypocrites beyond the wildest hypocrisies of my imagination. So I wonder, how is it that they apparently keep getting support to get away with crap like what is explained here: Report: Olsen Twins in Hairy Mess With PETA. I am no fan of these Olsen twins, I do not really know who they are, or what they do, except that I have heard them mentioned before over the years; this despite the article calling them Hollywood stars (I guess I am just out of touch with Hollywood these days), but I still think it ridiculous that they be allowed to keep up , what seems to me like, harassing people like this.

There are other groups, much like, or even worse than PETA. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is one just as bad in my opinion. ELF and ALF amount to terrorists as I see them. I truly believe that anyone who supports PETA, HSUS (note this is not your local humane society nor is it part of the U.S. Government), ELF, or ALF are out of their minds. If you truly want to support animals, then giving support to appropriate organizations like local animal shelters who are not affiliated with these groups, or to the ASPCA, or to conservation groups that truly work toward conservation as their main goals, or to state agencies that run conservation programs, seem the way to go as far as I can see. Heck, if you want to hunt and fish to do your part, and you do it legally, you probably do much more for animal and natural habitat conservation within the USA than does someone who joins PETA. The great majority of money going into wildlife and wildlife habitat conservation programs in the USA come from excise taxes, and license fees, paid by sportsman - specifically by hunters and fishermen. (You can check with the U.S. government, or your state's conservation department, on this last statement.)

Do I need to go on; no I guess not. You get the picture, I am absolutely opposed to the efforts of groups such as PETA, HSUS, ELF and ALF. As I see them they are little more, if anything more, than groups of lunatics who want to control other people - and they do so through what I believe are mostly false claims of truly giving a hoot about animals.

All the best,
Glenn B