Another interesting climate change article: http://newsmax.com/InsideCover/japan-warming-UN/2009/02/25/id/328463

Thanks for posting the link bryce! It is interesting how the pro climate change scientist's have not and can not quantify the statistical probability of human caused global warming. The real problem that I have and I believe alot of people have is that politicians claim the science is settled and want to adopt policy based on their own ideology. I doubt that any sceptic wants to see the end of human civilization. Now when the poster child (Al Gore) goes about ranting and raving, he is simply seen as a buffoon by most people. I work in MPLS and most of my daily contacts are with progressive liberal (well intentioned) people and they are predominantly embarrassed by him. I don't have a link to my previous post about Al today because that info was not desceminated from the internet. So you can take it with a grain of salt. Anyhow, as a weather guy, have you looked into how earths moving plates and seizmic activity play a role in the climate as a whole... Its a very interesting study and I would be interested in any links you have on that subject.

I'll do some looking into the seismic activity question. I won't have anything today due to some writing assignments for the news segment. Al Gore continues to be a lightning rod in the climate change discussion. Penn State's Michael Mann mentioned that in the Discover magazine interview.

Paul,The only ranting and raving going on comes from the right wing nuts like Rush, Beck, Hannity, and the rest of the hate talk media.

You can always tune in to MSNBC and CNN whose ratings are just behing the Cartoon Network. Here's link for proof: http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/cable_network_rankings_fnc_2_msnbc_26_cnn_32_hln_37_in_prime_155302.asp Now who is out of touch with the mainstream?

Even reading the interview I get the feeling Mann and others in his crowd are thinking , you just don't understand, trust me, I'm smart.

It just like some of you are watching to much tv or news, and listening to too many bs'ers.......lets get ready to farm and forget some of this stuff

Bill, I rarely if ever listen to talk radio but thanks for sharing your predjudicial opinion about me even tho we have never met. I do study the constitution tho. Maybe you should try reading it sometime.

Paul, you imply some interest in the constitution. Did you have any problem when Bush shredded it during his 8 years?

yes Bill I have a problem with anyone who shreds the constitution. Which shredding are you referring to?

check mate...Bill will be required to actually try to respond to a direct question. I'll make a bet that this conversation is over.

Bill, Still waiting for your response to Paul's question...you have no idea what to say. Typical of the lemming's on the left.

Paul, Smitty, Don't get your shorts in a twist if you don't get an immediate response. I only spend a couple minutes on this site in the morning, then I have to go to work. So, don't jump to a stupid conclusion. Oh, I forgot, you right wingers usually try to ignore facts! Shredding constitution: Illegal war in Iraq, illegal spying on US citizens without warrant, torture, Gitmo, signing statements, suspension of habeas corpus, secret prison camps in foreign countries. Not to mention the the coup d'etat that got Bush in office in 2000.

So Obama is shredding the constitution?

Glad to see you admit to Bush's crimes

That is an interesting article indeed Bryce. As Ive said 100 times that the solution to climate change and peak oil are all but the same as far as renewable energy. We are at a cross roads where renewables could be used or we could start cracking shale/coal and other more destructive resources. Both directions are expensive but it isn't a choice, oil has peaked. I am shocked at how conservatives fight this off and in a real manner are supporting truly terrorist states by sending trillions of dollars to them for oil and further it is more about over indulging rather then actually "conserving". If everyone drove a hybrid that got 50 mpg we could run on domestic oil and put far less carbon in the atmosphere and no money to terorrists!!! BUT NO, conservatives feel they have every right to waste as much as they can because of the entitlement by their hero Ronal Reagan. This philosophy was started by Reagan as a reaction to Carters sensible policy of conservation and energy independence. We will have a lighter carbon footprint very soon, if not as a concern for climate change then by peak oil. ALL the solutions given have a larger price tag then cheap oil that squirts out of the ground. Yes there are tar sands, frack drilled gas, deep water oil, nukes and coal/shale cracking but all will cost FAR more then the stuff we have now. The GOP will be the "conservatives" and fight the conserving of resources and developing a renewable energy policy, they will drill baby drill. Obama isn't even there, he is for the same corporations but at least there isn't the gun slinging attitude of Bush. He is only making the one small step when we need a giant leap ASAP! I predict that as the economy recovers peak oil will slap it back down and climate change will be overshadowed by skyrocketing oil. No win, we are all losers unless the powers to be install energy policy that faces reality of both depletion and climate. Civilizations collapse quickly when they run out of resources, we are truly unsustainable,,,,

Well we will see what kind of Hope and Change comes your way Jay..."Civilizations collapse quickly when they run out of resources, we are truly unsustainable,,,," no sir they collapse when "closed minded" people vote for arrogant leaders like Mr. Obama. This administration could care less of people like you and me Jay. They tell you one thing, then stab you in the back, because all they want to do is to control America.. and they are well on their way of doing that. The arrogance of this administration to tell me that they know what is best for me, is unbelievable. Jay, I wouldn't tell you how and what to do on your farm, so tell me why you think its ok for this administration to do this to us. This is alot bigger than "Climate Change" or Healthcare, this is about our Freedom, and there isn't much of that left.

The "change" i am talking about has more to do with attitude then politics. I don't know who they voted for in Rome, Mayan civilization, Easter Island, Cambodia and other ancient civilizations that collapsed by over extending their resources. Climate change is a product of over consumption, oil depletion and other resource depletion is a result of over consumption. These are values espoused by both parties but the GOP is far more out there and in the face. What is freedom to the GOP? Maybe "less government" although Bush did a wonderful job of turning surplus into deficit with nothing but a failed, illegal war to show for it! Is freedom what the forefathers designed? They had slaves, women unable to vote and actually only land owners the right to vote. Freedom is relative and the neocons really don't have a definition other then a government that suits their own liking. If the GOP wants to do away with all government for freedom the live n Somalia, they haven't had a central government for well over a decade! "Freedom" to make ozone depleting products was denied to people in order to prevent the hole over the arctic from enlarging, by doing so we saved the ozone layer, those laws worked for the common good of humanity. This is the same for climate change only a larger scale and more important issue as well as a solution for other problems. Time to dip your tea bags elsewhere when you speak of freedom, what I hear is more of the tyranny of Bush, Cheney, Beck, Limbaugh, Palin, Hanity who claim "Christianity" in the same way the folks who started the Inquisition, witch trials and Crusades did. It s one thing to hijack a term like freedom but another to have some definition of that which is missing form the GOP's party of institutional cruelty and injustice. So far the only sign of freedom is that the conservative supreme court recently gave untethered rights to corporations in their say in government,,,, is that the freedom youre talking about?

Jay, So we all have to drive 3 cylinder HondaInsight's, have wind power air compressor's, wind mills to heat our water, solar panels on our home, and hoppers for our corn boilers to measure up? You are a bit wacko my friend and should disclose your conflct of interest with each post. What is your day job??? You are calling right wingers names so I assume that Bryce will let me fight back?!?! P.S. My Ford F250 gets 11.5 MPG...not bad, eh?

A double-send of a comment was deleted. Housekeeping action only. There has been some intense back and forth on this thread, but there has not been any attack on a private individual. React to the post, not the poster.

Smitty, My GM 2500 gets 15 mpg, your post refering to mpg is one of the funniest things I have read on hear.

Aaron, I have kind of a lead foot or I could get er up to maybe 12.6- 12.7 mpg. I can't touch that 15 mpg though. Congrats, you win the McGinnis high mpg award for the day!

Hey I got a cuMmins in my dodge that gets 18 mpg :)

I would like to thank the following people in receiving this award: Mr. George W. Bush - for wining the war and keeping the oil flowing, Oil companies - for investing in bio diesil and ethanol and keeping them down, Well?, and myself for being ignorant to the climate change that we created, even though the earth has cycles that are warm and cold, we would be unaware if the genius scienists lead by Al Gore and supported by Jay and Bryce had not enlightinged us all. Smitty we had just better get the Horses and that 2 bottom plow thats in the fence row to change our ways. LOL!

Love your posts smitty, Paul, and Aaron...keep them coming. Just wanted to post my last comment. The real principles of the machine were articulated by Democratic Congressman Alcee Hastings who was impeached and removed from the bench as a federal judge, before being elected to the House when he said, "There ain't no rules here, we're trying to accomplish something. . . .All this talk about rules. . . .When the deal goes down . . . we make 'em up as we go along." And Speaker Pelosi saying "We need to pass this bill so we can see exactly what's in it." WHAT, SHE IS JOKING RIGHT, unfortunately not. And Hastings is true to his word. We make 'em up as we go along. Sounds like that is how they get their information about Climate Change and Healthcare to the American People........MAKE 'EM UP.....

Bryce, you may want to try to contact John Rundal, seismologist at UC Berkley. He has some great info on the effect of volcano's and such on global temps.