Tirade - Carbon Emmission

I've often wondered why scientists don't tell us how much carbon is sent up into the atmosphere during volcanic eruptions.  Could it be that it interferes with their global warming theories.  I'm grateful to my friend Kevin for this insight from a Professor Ian Plimer.

Okay, here's the bombshell.  The volcanic eruption in Iceland, since its first spewing of volcanic ash has, in just FOUR DAYS, NEGATED EVERY SINGLE EFFORT you have made in the past five years to control CO₂emissions on our planet - all of you. 

Of course you know about this evil carbon dioxide that we are trying to suppress - it’s that vital chemical compound that every plant requires to live and grow and to synthesize into oxygen for us humans and all animal life. 

I know, it's very disheartening to realize that all of the carbon emission savings you have accomplished while suffering the inconvenience and expense of: driving Prius hybrids, buying fabric grocery bags, sitting up till midnight to finish your kid's "The Green Revolution" science project, throwing out all of your non-green cleaning supplies, using only two squares of toilet paper, putting a brick in your toilet tank reservoir, selling your SUV and speedboat, vacationing at home instead of abroad, nearly getting hit every day on your bicycle, replacing all of your 50 cents light bulbs with $10.00 light bulbs ...well, all of those things you have done have all gone down the tubes in just four days.
The volcanic ash emitted into the Earth's atmosphere in just four days - yes - FOUR DAYS ONLY by that volcano in Iceland, has totally erased every single effort you have made to reduce the evil beast, carbon.  And there are around 200 active volcanoes on the planet spewing out this crud at any one time - EVERY DAY. 

I don't really want to rain on your parade too much, but I should mention that when the volcano Mt Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines in 1991, it spewed out more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than the entire human race had emitted in all its years on earth.  Yes folks, Mt Pinatubo was active for over one year - think about it. 

Of course I shouldn't spoil this touchy-feely tree-hugging moment and mention the effect of solar and cosmic activity and the well-recognized 800-year global heating and cooling cycle, which keep happening, despite our completely insignificant efforts to affect climate change. 

And I do wish I had a silver lining to this volcanic ash cloud but the fact of the matter is that the bush fire season across the western USA and Australia this year alone will negate your efforts to reduce carbon in our world for the next two to three years.  And it happens every year.
Just remember that your government just tried to impose a whopping carbon tax on you on the basis of the bogus “human-caused” climate change scenario. 

Hey, isn’t it interesting how they don’t mention “Global Warming” any more, but just“Climate Change” - you know why?  It’s because the planet has COOLED by 0.7 degrees in the past century and these global warming bull artists got caught with their pants down. 

And just keep in mind that you might yet have an Emissions Trading Scheme - that whopping new tax - imposed on you, that will achieve absolutely nothing except make you poorer.  It won’t stop any volcanoes from erupting, that’s for sure.

But hey, relax, give the world a hug and have a nice day!

Music Track - Dudley

When I was 21, I lived in Southampton, Hampshire.  Our local TV station was Southern Television and late at night, when I used to keep late hours, they would often have the Dudley Moore Trio on.  This was long before he became an international celebratory.  He was an outstanding musician and had won an organ scholarship to Oxford.  Here he is with a short music video from 1965. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnYmGEC4OCs

Birthday!

I suppose some sort of celebration is in order as yesterday was the third anniversary of the start of this blog.  Hard to realize that there have been 1134 separate posts since I began this on June 11, 2010.  I have Al Quizon to blame for it all as he suggested during one of our podcast recordings for The Sun that I did it.  I had no idea it would still be going three years later.  Well, on to the fourth, I guess!

Snow Flowers

A couple of years ago I posted a picture of these odd flowers.  I didn't know at the time what they were called, but found out later they were Snow Flowers Sarcodes sanguinea.  The live close to fir trees as they take nourishment from the roots of the trees.  In fact they are somewhat parasitical.  On our walk the other day we saw this collection of 18 of them. Normally you only see them in ones and two, but this must be some sort of record. No leaves, or branches, just these fleshy red flowers,  Very different.

Video - Giraffes having fun.

I'm grateful to my friend Kevin for this fun video. http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=uFxnBrO9n7o
As he said in his email to me: "What did we do before we had computers?"

Sunday's Column - Palm Springs Art



Dave McGary's "Walk Among the Stars"

When I went down to Palm Springs to research the piece for this Sunday's article, it reached a balmy 85 degrees.  Today it's much higher and well over 100.  The new museum in Palm Desert has been open now for just over a year and already has received 20,000 visitors.  I didn't look at any of the art inside the building, as I spent all my time walking around the outside sculpture garden, which has some very interesting pieces.  You can read the entire article at http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_23421119/palm-springs-art-museum-has-new-riches

Right Track - IRS

If anything shows up the corruption of big government, it's this latest IRS scandal.  Now can anybody imagine the furor if it was George W. Bush's administration in charge of things and if the audits and delaying tactics were being perpetrated on Move On, and other leftists?  There would have been a special prosecutor on the case immediately.  Huckabee interviewed a woman who had applied for tax free status and as a result was investigated 17 times, by a variety of federal agencies, including Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.  Her "crime" was forming a small group to make sure that elections were fair and that dead people were removed from the electoral rolls.  Serious stuff!  The result of this intimidation by a supposedly bias-free agency is that many such groups could not make the contribution to the 2012 election that they had hoped.  Can anyone say disenfranchisement.  I'm sure Jesse Jackson can say it.  But I doubt he would.

Trevor's Tirade - Table Manners

I was appalled the other day when I saw a newsclip showing a dining table full of graduating students from a prestigious university being taught table manners.  At this late stage in their life, what had they been doing before?  Eating out of a trough?  The university charges around $50,000 a year to teach them their preferred subjects so they obviously had parents with some money.  However I was sitting at the bar the other day -  for the more sensitive readers this rarely happens!! - and there was a 50-year old quite respectable woman next to me.  She ordered some food and when it arrived complete with knife and fork all wrapped up in a paper napkin (Incidentally the correct word for such an item is a serviette, but we won't split hairs here.)  After the first mouthful she used the napkin and then threw it down between us on the bar top.  Not a pleasant image as her rather messy meal progressed.  Now the rule for the very few of you who do not know, or who did not have a tartar of a father red hot on such matters, is any napkin should never appear above the table unless it is used briefly to dab the lips, and then replaced upon the lap!  This is not tough stuff to figure out!  Come on People!

Music Track - Dick Barton

Now you have to be really old to remember this.  It's the theme music from Dick Barton; Special Agent.  It used to run for fifteen minutes every weekday evening at 6:45 on the BBC.  The nation was riveted to its set to hear the latest episode of the special agent and his two henchmen, Jock and Snowy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2eqX93umXo

Male Bird's had enough

I was sent this picture by my friend Keith in the desert.  I shows a male bird who's had enough....

It made me laugh!

Hats

We've recently been watching the BBC series Downton Abbey.  It's an excellent production although basically an Edwardian soap opera.  Two things I picked up that were not right however, and it's great to catch out the experts in these things as it makes one feel so smug.  Firstly in one scene at a village flower show, held in a church hall, all the men were wearing their hats.

Now this was 100 years ago, and I can tell you that one main difference between American men and Englishmen is that the latter were congenitally incapable of wearing their hats indoors.  Even back in the 50's and 60's, men would wrench the things off if they ever went undercover.
Secondly, the gentleman's gentleman who cared for the Earl, referred to himself as a valet with the last syllable sounding like "let."  This is an American pronunciation and in fact it would be pronounced va - lay!  Trust me on this!

Video - Gun Safety

I'm grateful to my friend Denise in Florida for this insightful video which only lasts about two minutes and it's well worth your time.

Plaxico Burress was a star wide receiver for the NFL's New York Giants.  He accidently shot himself when he pulled out a gun in a nightclub about three years ago.  Apparently part of his sentence was to do a public service announcement warning kids about the importance of gun safety.  Here it is.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpgL5kuBpMA

Sunday's Column - Pi-town

This week we visit Pioneertown which is about halfway to Palm Springs going the back way.  It's a place that was used as a movie set by Roy Rogers and Gene Autry in the late forties.  Gradually the place took on a more permanent presence and today there is a fine bar, a motel and a bowling alley.  The latter is up for sale if you want to get into that business.

You can read the entire article at http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_23371656/old-west-survives-rootin-tootin-shootin-pioneertown

Mane Street Pioneertown, CA.







The only traffic allowed along the main street is hoof and foot traffic hence the title "mane" street.

Right Track - Intolerance

I'm grateful to my friend Jim in Pasadena for this insightful cartoon on tolerance.