Six_Degrees_Could_Change_the_World scared me

Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/National_Geographic_Six_Degrees_Could_Change_the_World/70090419...

Greenland Melting: The End of the End of the World : Rolling Stone

Michael Crichton wrote a book that fictionalizes a man's quest to find alternative reasons for what science and particularly NASA has been saying. But if I am not to believe in conspiracies about things like the JFK assassination, then it's hard for me to believe that hardcore scientists are promoting a theory of end times just to help keep the donations for their research going. Aren't there enough real problems in the world worth researching without making up something?

In the Summer of 2003, whether it was the increased fluorocarbons in the air or not, western Europe was hit by a heat wave that they had no ability to resist. 30,000 people died from heat stroke that summer. 2500 in Paris in ONE night. Granted many were elderly and they lived in houses with tin roofs, built to withstand cold. They had very little air conditioning, but while that lead to the deaths, the cause was a freakish heat wave which they are not accustomed to.

The idea you draw from this 6 degrees show is that as the average temp rises, we will be hit by "once in a century" weather phenomena every few years. Like this heat wave in Europe. But other matters are starting to show on a daily basis. England was once known for its gloomy weather. English wine was a running joke, because the growing season for wine grapes was so short that the wine generally tasted bad. But the warm season has increased so much in England that there is now a blooming English wine business. And the French and their champagnes have been forced to uproot to England because the weather is too hot in France to grow the grapes.

Gradual changes in weather cycles is normal. But the key word is gradual. The changes we are experiencing now usually take decades or centuries to come up. Now they are happening in less than 10 years. The Himalayas are these large snowcapped mountains with enough runoff to feed the mighty Ganges River. Well the runoff has been dropping rapidly as the snow seasons have been shorter and milder. The River is a major part of the Hindu religion and it's as if God is abandoning the Hindu people.

I read an article on Greenland in Rolling Stone and it was very depressing. Greenland is losing its ice and cold seasons faster every year and instead of the companies that are causing it doing something to slow it or stop it, they are making it worse by seeing the ice free zones as potential new mining zones. Diamonds, the core elements of aluminum and even oil are all in abundance under the permafrost and the Greenland parliament is just selling the rights like crazy, killing off one of earth's last pure environments.

Think of Greenland as Ground Zero for climate change.

Funny, my wife says that people with kids at her job don't seem too concerned about the Venus-like planet we're leaving future generations. I think we have a moral duty to leave the earth in better condition than when we got here. When I cross the Metropolitan Ave. overpass on the Jackie Robinson going home and can't even see the New York City skyline because of the smog, I'd say we're failing those next generations.

The Freditor

Jump on board the New York Mets bandwagon, before it gets too full--fred

They finish the first half with a 9 game winning streak, longest since April 2000.
Are 52-44 after hovering at or below .500 for over a year.
Their pitching seems to be worked out and their hitting has been timely.
The firing of Willie Randolph appears to have been the perfect move, but even more so to me is the firing of "pitching guru" Rick Peterson.
RP was like some of the admittedly brilliant people in the Bush administration (Wolfowitz). Too smart for his own good.
Too tied in to a philosophy that might work sometimes, but refuses to change it when it doesn't.

I hate pitch counts and sp does Jerry Manuel. I hope they continue to let the good pitchers pitch and stop worrying about arm strength. When you are winning, you get stronger.

1/2 game out of First place. The season is starting to look very promising, indeed.

And I love these no name players who are making such huge contributions, like the 2000 team.

The Freditor

Let's make example of this man-Killed daughter for not wanting arranged marriage

Pakistani Man Charged in 'Honor Killing' - AOL News

These people from different cultures have to learn that when you come to America you can't force your children to do the barbarous things you did them in the old country. I'm glad this Garbage is grieving, he can grieve in prison for the rest of his life.

Arranged marriages and beating women must be stopped any way possible. My mother told me stories of poor young Albanian girls in her high school who were forced out of school to train them for their arranged marriages, because they were getting too many American ideas. They'd come into my mother's nurse's office crying their eyes out at the hell their lives were about to become and it would kill my mother when their parents would come in and sign them out of school. Making them dropouts at 16. Disgusting.

I don't care how many "happy" arranged marriages Oprah shows, when someone is forced to do something against their will and by will I mean that they would do it without any family pressure--then it is Always WRONG!!!!! I can't be subtle about this issue. It makes me sick that in 2008 we still have to deal with this kind of crap.

The Freditor

Great Praise for the Blogs

HEY FRED,

I think it is very very good. You give good background information about your life and share your interests. I GIVE YOU 4 GOLD STARS. I LOVE THAT MONKEY. Looks kind of like the Ralley Monkey the L.A. ANGELS used in the 2002 season.

SEE YAA NICK

Let's Put On a Show!

Let's make June's last Saturday Nelson Mandela Peace Day to honor his birthday. On Saturday it won't effect work schedules and each year, hold a big concert like Live Aid to promote some great cause. It would be the Super Bowl of music, love and charity.

The Freditor

Where have all the fireworks gone?

It is 1 hour and 14 minutes away from the 4th of July and I haven't heard one firecracker go off all week.

Where are they? Has the Guiliani/Bloomberg regimes been so successful at eliminating fun that no one dares light off a bottle rocket anymore?

Sad. Watching the Macy's Fireworks on TV was always for old people, if you wanted a really good show, you'd just sit on your stoop and your neighbors would blow your eardrums off and make your retinas dance.

I guess we're safer now, but not better. Bring back M-80s and screaming gypsies and all the other noises and colors that made July 4th special. Otherwise Independence Day becomes just another holiday like Labor Day but with more summer to go.

The Freditor

Bruce Springsteen's Fortune-Teller Dies

Kudos to Marko for discovering this story.

'4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)' is becoming a cursed song. A month or so ago, Springsteen organist Danny Federici died from melanoma. His biggest claim to fame was his great accordion work on Sandy. Although I think his keyboard work on The Detroit Medley is his greatest achievement. Still gives me chills to this day. As for Madame Marie, I only found out recently that almost all the characters on Springsteen's first two albums were based on real people, including his old girlfriend, Rosalita.--Fred


by David Sprague

From Spinner.com

The news that New Jersey-bred Marie Costello died Friday at the age of 93 probably wouldn't get too much attention from non-family members -- unless those strangers happen to be true Bruce Springsteen aficionados. Costello, you see, was the boardwalk fortune teller immortalized by the Boss 35 years back when he offered up an image -- in '4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)' -- of "the cops finally bust[ing] Madam Marie for tellin' fortunes better than they do."For the record, Madam Marie was never actually arrested for plying her trade, though she did count Springsteen as one of her regular visitors. Her 'Temple of Knowledge' stall, now run by her daughter Sally, remains a fixture on the Asbury Park boardwalk.