Let’s set the record straight. There is absolutely NO conclusive scientific evidence that man is creating global warming. None whatsoever. Are we causing some pollution in the atmosphere in certain parts of the world due to the burning of fossil fuels? Absolutely. I think that there is common agreement on this issue. We should do everything we can to minimize pollutants in the air. However, I challenge anyone out there to show me scientific proof that man is creating global warming. And no, just because Al Gore says so doesn’t make it so. I am utterly amazed at the gullibility of people that take his movie and slideshows as gospel.
There is no compelling evidence that I can find that backs up, with a high degree of certainty, the claims of the global warming fanatics. For every report in their favor, I can produce one to refute it. It is the United Nations report (United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – UN IPCC) from the late 1990’s that is used so extensively to back up global warming claims. Do you really trust the political motivations and individuals running that show? Based on its less than stellar performance in most other areas, the quality and validity of anything they do is suspect. Did you know that the Earth has actually cooled since 1998?
Here are a few quotes from noted scientists and experts in the field that you won’t find in the standard media outlets:
“There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gases is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth’s atmosphere and disruption of the Earth’s climate,” the petition states. “Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal environments of the Earth.”
“The models and forecasts of the UN IPCC are incorrect because they only are based on mathematical models and presented results at scenarios that do not include, for example, solar activity.”
“Earth has cooled since 1998 in defiance of the predictions by the UN-IPCC….The global temperature for 2007 was the coldest in a decade and the coldest of the millennium…which is why ‘global warming’ is now called ‘climate change.’”
Here are a few links to read if you’d like to get a more informed opinion.
U. S. Senate Minority Report
The Amazing Story Behind the Global Warming Scam
31,000 scientists reject ‘global warming’ agenda
I finally got to watch this movie again last week. I bought it when it was first released almost nine years ago. This is definitely a movie to watch every now and then. The acting is good, the storyline is believable and the underlying message is even better. All the actors did a great job in portraying their characters. Haley Joel Osment really nailed the young boy’s character. Many real world situations were dealt with in an honest and open fashion including personal tragedy, child abuse and alcoholism.
I think this movie is more than just your typical Hollywood tearjerker. It delivers in two powerful ways. It shows that even in difficult and tragic circumstances people can make the effort and be successful in changing their lives in a positive manner. More importantly, it shows that a few positive actions that each of us is capable of making can have a major impact on someone else’s life.
This movie is a great example of the power of a pyramid scheme used in a positive way. If you’ve never seen this movie, I highly recommend it. If you’ve seen it before, it’s worth a second showing. You might want to keep the tissue box nearby.
Main characters: Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, Haley Joel Osment, Angie Dickinson and James Caviezel
Year released: 2000
For more information on the movie, click here. Be forewarned, though. If you’ve never seen the movie, the whole plot is pretty much explained in detail.
I’ve been thinking about the whole technology thing lately. There have been enormous advancements in medical technology, computers, cell phones, automobiles and almost everything else that is touched by technology. Have we gone too far though? Those that know me know that I keep up on most of the latest tech trends. I’ve got the latest Apple computer, cell phone, TV gadget, etc. However, overall, I’m not so keen on technology advancement. Let me give you some examples of why I feel that way.
Cell phones – not a big fan. I know that for some people it can give them a certain sense of security. I understand that, especially as a parent. However, in the big scheme of things, I think we’re better off without them. Firstly, they’re annoying as heck when you’re in quiet surroundings or trying to have a conversation with someone. They’ve raised the art of annoying people to a new level. Some people are beyond obnoxious when they’re talking on their cell phone. I don’t really want to hear how well your blind date went the night before. Really, I don’t. Secondly, they’re a hazard when driving. I see so many people just yacking away on their phones in the car with little or no sense for what is going on around them. I think there are more injuries and lives lost than there are instances of cell phones saving lives. Finally, it intrudes on your personal life. Do you really need to get that call at the restaurant, at the park or at the beach?
Medical technology – Sure, that latest surgical technique may add some years to your life. But what has the overall advancement in technology done for the population in general? It seems like for the simplest of doctor visits, we now have to get a battery of tests and scans to cover every conceivable diagnosis known to man. It’s gotten out of hand. The cost of general medical visits and procedures is getting well beyond the normal person’s means. Unless you work for a fairly large company, the costs are out of control. Instead of spending our medical dollars on patient education, preventative medicine and better access to medical facilities for all people, we’re spending millions on the latest scanning equipment to help a very minor percentage of the population. I’m not against medical advances per se; I’m against those whose cost is extremely exorbitant or those that prolong a person’s life regardless of the real quality of life gained. I don’t think we were all meant to live into our 90’s. The costs to do that are just not sustainable.
Computers – Yes, computers have their place. They can certainly help with repetitive tasks and mundane work. They also have their place in certain communication scenarios. I video chat with my daughter who lives hundreds of miles from home. It beats a phone call any day. Military personnel who get the chance to see and hear their loved ones while they’re stationed overseas is a great use for computers. Access to information and news has its place, also. However, I think the whole social networking thing has gotten out of hand. It’s become an obsession with way too many young kids and adults. Some of the information and pictures posted on their Facebook/MySpace accounts is way too personal. It sets them up to possible predators or individuals who can easily take advantage of them. Twittering can be a real time waster, too. Do people really need to know that you just had your third latte at Starbucks? I don’t think so.
I could also get into the overuse of texting, Instant Messaging and the many other time wasting activities that many people do on a day-to-day basis. I’m not totally against it; it just needs to be done in more moderation. Listen, technology definitely has a role to play in our lives. I just think we’re letting it rule too much of it. We’re losing touch with the simpler way of life. Things are getting too impersonal. I probably need to take a little bit of my own advice in this regard.
Charlie was fixing a door and found that he needed a new
hinge, so he sent his wife Mary to Home Depot.
At Home Depot, Mary saw a beautiful bathroom faucet while she
was waiting for Walt, (the manager) to finish waiting on a customer.
When Walt was finished, Mary asked…’How much for that faucet?’
Walt replied, ‘That’s pewter and it costs $300.’
‘My goodness that sure is a lot,’ she exclaimed.
Then she proceeded to describe the hinge that Charlie had sent her
to buy, and Walt went to the back room to find it. From the back room
Walt yelled, ‘Mary, you wanna screw for that hinge?’
Mary replied, ‘No, but I will for the faucet.’
This is why you can’t send a woman to Home Depot.
This is my second article in the “Good News” series. I just ran across a website called Ode Magazine. It offers both a print and online version of their magazine. An excerpt of their “About” page states:
Ode is a print and online publication about positive news, about the people and ideas that are changing our world for the better. For the first nine years of its existence, Ode was published in Dutch. But in the summer of 2004 … it launched the English-language edition of the magazine. Ode now appears ten times a year in both English and Dutch, with a worldwide circulation of more than 100,000. In print and online, Ode’s aim is to bring a new reality into view, to explore opportunities for positive change in our daily lives and our daily minds.
There is a link on their website called “Good News” that lists articles from various media outlets that they consider positive or good in some aspect or form. My only criticism after perusing the list, and the magazine itself, is that it seems overly reliant on the liberal-leaning media. The majority of stories are from NPR, MSN, Slate, Huffington Post, New York Times, The Guardian, etc. I think they could use a little more balance in this regard. You can see some of the liberal agenda and ideology working its way through some of the articles. There seems be be a good dose of climate change and tree-hugging articles in the current listing. The articles aren’t really geared at presenting a good news story of a personal nature. It’s more slanted at themes and issues that affect us all. However, I’ll try to keep an open mind and not be too judgmental at this point. It might prove educational and enlightening for me. See folks, I’m even trying to follow my own advice that I wrote in an earlier article last week.
To go to the magazine’s home page, click here.
To go to their “Good News” section, click here.
My blog has a birthday! It was one year old yesterday, March 28th. Woot woot. Since I host my blog on my own domain that I control, I have access to various statistics about the site. The graphic on the left shows the top 25 countries that have visited my blog this past month. I went from about 700 visits/month during my first full month online to about 2400 visits/month for the current month. A very small fish swimming in the big Internet pond. Blogging serves as a useful diversion for me when I get the urge to write about something. However, I don’t expect the New York Times to be knocking on my door any time soon with an offer!
What some people may not realize is just how pervasive blogging has become. Every Tom, Dick and Harry, myself included, is doing it. There are millions of blogs on just about every subject imaginable, and then some. What I found most interesting was discovering that other websites and blogs had links on their sites to my various postings that I’ve written over the past year. There is a technology out there called web robots, or bots for short. Bots are sophisticated software applications that can scour the Internet at tremendous speeds and gather and catalog all the information available on a website. This is the technology that Google and other search engines use to provide you with the ability to find things on the Internet. In my case, companies or individuals are using their own bots to find sites that have certain keywords that they want to catalog and list on their sites. For example, they might be interested in articles that have the word “religion” in them. If their bot finds this keyword, their site will generate a link to that article. They might also extract the first few sentences of the article and include it in their posting. For those of you in the technology business, this is no great revelation. However, it might be interesting to the non-techy type that is reading this blog.
Well, I guess I’ll go now and bake a cake and stick a little candle in it. No, not really. Those that know me know that I wouldn’t have the foggiest idea of how to bake one. I’ll just sing myself the birthday song. Happy birthday to my blog, happy birthday to my blog, happy birthday…
Back in July of 2008 I had written an article about tattoos. It discussed why I had a change of heart on my perception of people who got tattooed. I think I’d like to expand on that idea a little bit more.
Over the years, I’ve formed many opinions on a variety of subjects. Whether it relates to politics, religion, relationships, etc., I have a definite view on what I think is the correct conclusion to draw based on the facts presented. In all honesty, I would have to categorize myself as a bit judgmental. As you get older, I think you have a wealth of experience to draw on. Some might call that wisdom. But that “wisdom” can sometimes be misleading or at least give you a false sense of righteousness. I’m not saying that basing conclusions on past experiences is faulty. On the contrary, experiences, good and bad, are valid barometers on which to base conclusions. However, I think as we get older, we tend to think we’ve seen and heard it all. Our opinions tend to get cast in stone and there’s little anyone can say or do that will change it. Basically, our preconceived notions cause us to rush to judgment. I can honestly say that I’ve been guilty of this on occasion so I’m definitely not throwing any stones from my glass house. I’ve been critical of people and some of the choices they’ve made. On further reflection, some of my opinions may have been too harsh. Just because you have experiences to draw from doesn’t mean they’re enough to form the correct opinion or make the right judgment. You might not have as complete of a picture for the given situation as you think. Sometimes there’s a lot more information that you’re not privy to or maybe the other person is not willing to share that information with you at the moment.
So there you have it. I think I need to do a little more reflecting on occasion or at least make a more earnest attempt to see the other person’s viewpoint. I need to listen more. Some things just aren’t as cut-and-dried as you think they are.
Women, learn to work the toilet seat. You’re a big girl. If it’s up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don’t hear us complaining about you leaving it down.
Birthdays, Valentines, and Anniversaries are not considered by us to be opportunities to see if we can find the perfect present… again!
Sometimes we are not thinking about you. Live with it.
Don’t cut your hair. Ever. Long hair is always more attractive than short hair. One of the big reasons guys fear getting married is that married women always cut their hair, and by then you’re stuck with them.
Ask for what you want. Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!
We don’t remember dates . . .Period!
Most guys own three pairs of shoes – tops. What makes you think we’d be any good at choosing which pair, out of thirty, would look good with your dress?
Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.
A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.
Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.
If you won’t dress like the Victoria’s Secret girls, don’t expect us to act like soap opera guys.
If you think you’re fat, you probably are. Don’t ask us. We’ve been tricked before!
If something we said could be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.
You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know how to do it best, just do it yourself.
Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.
If we ask what is wrong and you say “nothing,” we will act like nothing’s wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.
All men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.
In previous postings, I think I’ve harped on the fact that the news media, in general, seems bound and determined to get as much bad and sensational news on the air as possible. There’s no attempt to provide any semblance of balance in this regard. It permeates television, newspapers, the Internet, etc. This negative bias really grates on me. I want to read about or view some of the good things happening in this country and around the world. And there is a lot of good out there and it’s not all that hard to find.
What I’m going to do is start a new category called “Good News”. It’s going to feature a story about someone who’s doing something good out there. No parameters other than that. It can be an individual, a group, an organization or a company.
My first good news article is about a man named Jorge Munoz. I found an article about him on both the New York Times and the CNN websites. He’s just an ordinary guy but he’s doing extraordinary things. He’s a bus driver in New York but he spends most of his time cooking and delivering meals to the homeless. From what I read, he does this every night, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The links below will take you to the appropriate websites. If you want to read a heart-warming story about the human spirit, these two articles are definitely worth a look.
For the CNN article, click here.
For the New York Times article, click here.
This is my 100th posting. Woo hoo! I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. When I started this blog, I had no idea of how long I would end up doing it. As my “About” page details, and my first posting mentions, I had no agenda in mind nor a particular subject area to discuss. It wouldn’t have surprised me nor bothered me if this ended in one month or one year. I just thought I’d give it a whirl and see what happened. Some months I wrote every other day and some months it was once a week. It all depended on my mood at the time and whether I had something I wanted to say. There are now twelve categories of subject matter. I don’t know if that will expand in the future or not.
So, getting back to the topic at hand, why do I blog? I think my primary motivation, at least in the beginning, was to peel off a little bit of my self-induced shell. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a fairly introverted kind of guy. I’m definitely not the life of the party. There won’t be throngs of people gathering around my end of the room to hear about all of my adventures or listen to my captivating stories. As a matter of fact, shortly after I started blogging, one of my former co-workers told me that she learned more about me after the first few weeks of blogging than she had in the couple of years that we worked together. Heck, I actually thought I was being pretty open at the time. In reality though, few people get past the first layer with me. Not that I’m an overly complicated guy or anything like that. Just the opposite. I’d say I’ve got two shells. A lot of people may get through the first layer, but few, if any, get past the second. If you do, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what makes me tick.
So there you have it. If you’ve been reading most of my blog, you should have a little better picture of who I am and what my opinions and beliefs are. They’re not set in stone although there are certain core values that are not subject to negotiation. I do think there are things that this old dog can still learn. I’ve actually changed my opinion in certain areas in the short time that I’ve been blogging. I’m sure there will be others. Stay tuned…
