Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog

Quoting SPLbeater:
i personaly..or any of my family...wont drive elctric cars. if you wreck with one, you can and most likely will get battery acid all over you if your hit in the right spot. the standard car battery, the acid in them is called SULFURIC ACID. has a very powerful chemical that dehydrates skin so rapidly it melt it off.

if regular vehicles werent available, i would drive an 18-wheeler or a tractor everywhere. no electric for me :D :D :D :D

Battery acid? Electric cars do not use wet cells that contain battery acid.

Link

Quoting SPLbeater:


i sure aint doing anything special to 'go green' i dont and will not buy CFL lights

I will not buy an electric car, and/or anything in a vehicle to help the envoirment

I could care less about the EPA

just earlier me , brother dad and grandfather were out burning a brushpile. after the flames died down(was 15ft high) we had a smoke plume so high and so thick we couldnt see the stars, or the nearby trees. me and my bro was like "eat this al gore!"

Isn't there another blog for those who don't understand science and don't want to understand science?

Quoting Some1Has2BtheRookie:


Battery acid? Electric cars do not use wet cells that contain battery acid.

Link

I suppose you've never been in a car fire.

I have.

We have about 800 car fires each day in the US of A.

besides, i need an SUV for the car audio system i plan on installing. 12,000 watts, maybe 2 18" FI subwoofers

Quoting SPLbeater:


i sure aint doing anything special to 'go green' i dont and will not buy CFL lights

I will not buy an electric car, and/or anything in a vehicle to help the envoirment

I could care less about the EPA

just earlier me , brother dad and grandfather were out burning a brushpile. after the flames died down(was 15ft high) we had a smoke plume so high and so thick we couldnt see the stars, or the nearby trees. me and my bro was like "eat this al gore!"

LOL +1

There are roughly three times more people living in China than in the US. If China emits a bit more CO2 than the US is that a fair comparison or should we base things on per capita/per person emissions?

Comparing nations can be misleading, given their vastly varied sizes and populations. To get a more meaningful picture, it's essential also to consider emissions on a per-person basis. From this perspective, the list is topped by small countries with energy-intensive industries such as Qatar and Bahrain, and the large developing nations such as India and China look significantly less polluting. Here's a selection of countries and their per-person CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels:

Australia: 19.6 tonnes
United States: 17.7 tonnes
Russia: 11.2 tonnes
Germany: 9.3 tonnes
UK: 8.4 tonnes
China: 5.8 tonnes
World average: 4.5 tonnes
India: 1.4 tonnes
Africa average: 1.1 tonnes
Chad: 0.03 tonnes
See all countries

As with national emissions, this list would look different if all greenhouse gases were included.

Historical emissions

Since carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere can stay there for centuries, historical emissions are just as important – or even more important – than current emissions. The tricky question of historical responsibility is one of the key tensions in the process of negotiating a global climate deal. The following figures from the World Resources Institute show the top 10 nations as measured by their cumulative emissions between 1850 and 2007. The US tops the list by a wide margin.

1. US: 339,174 MT or 28.8%
2. China: 105,915 MT or 9.0%
3. Russia: 94,679 MT or 8.0%
4. Germany: 81,194.5 MT or 6.9%
5. UK: 68,763 MT or 5.8%
6. Japan: 45,629 MT or 3.87%
7. France: 32,667 MT or 2.77%
8. India: 28,824 MT or 2.44%
9. Canada: 25,716 MT or 2.2%
10. Ukraine: 25,431 MT or 2.2%
See all countries

Of course, it's also possible to look at historical emissions per person, which turns things around yet again. In this view, the UK shoots close to the top of the rankings, while China drops towards the bottom.

1. Luxembourg: 1,429 tonnes
2. UK: 1,127 tonnes
3. US: 1,126 tonnes
4. Belgium: 1,026 tonnes
5. Czech Republic: 1,006 tonnes
6. Germany: 987 tonnes
7. Estonia: 877 tonnes
8. Canada: 780 tonnes
9. Kazakhstan: 682 tonnes
10. Russia: 666 tonnes
See all countries

Consumption emissions

Imported and exported goods add another layer of complexity to the equation. Many commentators argue that focusing on where emissions are produced is unfair, because much of the carbon output of countries such as China are generated as a result of producing goods that are ultimately consumed in richer nations. If emissions are measured in terms of consumption rather than production (that is, each country's exports are excluded from its footprint, and its imports added) the tables turn yet again. The most widely cited international dataset for consumption emissions, from 2001, is rather out of date, but it still provides interesting insights. Here's the top 10 for consumption emissions per capita, including all greenhouse gases:

1. US: 29 tonnes
2. Australia: 21 tonnes
3. Canada: 20 tonnes
4. Switzerland: 18 tonnes
5. Finland: 18 tonnes
6. Netherlands: 17 tonnes
7. Belgium: 17 tonnes
8. Ireland: 16 tonnes
9. Cyprus: 16 tonnes
10. UK: 15 tonnes
See all countries

By contrast, China comes in at just 3.1 tonnes, and India at 1.8 tonnes.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/apr/21 /countries-responsible-climate-change

If we look at the problem as a "per person" problem then we in the US are several times larger problems than those living in China, India or any other developing country.

What's that old saying about worrying about the speck in someone else's eye when you've got a 2x4 in yours?

Quoting BobWallace:


I suppose you've never been in a car fire.

I have.

We have about 800 car fires each day in the US of A.

there was one day me and my fam was on de way home from doin the church bulletin, and all of a sudden traffic stopped and there was a head on collision in front of us. if we had been down the road 15 seconds earlier, it would have been us.

The cause? heh, some idiot was coming UP the EXIT ramp and slammed into an SUV. both drivers died. the car that got hit skidded over to the shoulder, and slowly caught fire. driver died in the fire

Quoting GeoffreyWPB:
Special Weather Statement...

... Turning much colder late Monday through Wednesday...

A strong cold front will pass through South Florida Monday
afternoon. Behind it, air temperatures by daybreak Tuesday will
range from the mid 30s west of Lake Okeechobee to the mid and
upper 40s along the southeast coast. Even colder temperatures are
possible Wednesday morning, with temperatures potentially falling
below freezing over Glades, Hendry, interior Collier, and
interior Palm Beach counties. Low temperatures elsewhere will
range from the mid 30s to mid 40s.

In addition to the cold temperatures, brisk northerly winds are
expected. Wind chill advisories or warnings may ultimately be
needed late Monday night trough early Tuesday, and again late
Tuesday night into early Wednesday. Wind chill values during
these periods may range from the mid 20s west of the lake to the
upper 30s and lower 40s along the southeast coast.

Why do you always have to drag politics into this?

2012 Doomsday Predictions Debunked by NASA

On Dec. 21, 2012, many doomsday believers fear the apocalypse — anything from a rogue planet smashing into us to our world spinning end over end. However, the world should expect nothing more next year than the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, NASA says.

Many people point to the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar on Dec. 21, 2012 as evidence of the coming apocalypse, but astronomers have been quick to stress that there is nothing to be concerned about.

According to the ancient Mayan calendar, next year's winter solstice marks the end of a 144,000-day cycle. This cycle, which begins at the mythical Maya creation date, has already been repeated 12 times. The 13th will end in 2012, capping a full 5,200-year Mayan cycle of creation.

This date has long been shrouded in mystery, with many claiming that it will bring destruction to our planet.

Rogue planet Nibiru?

One fear is that a rogue planet that has been dubbed "Nibiru" or "Planet X" is supposedly aimed at Earth. Self-proclaimed Nibiru expert Nancy Lieder, who says she is in contact with the aliens from Zeta Reticuli, first said Nibiru would cause widespread disaster in May 2003, only to change it to Dec. 21, 2012.

There is, however, no evidence that Nibiru is real.

"Nibiru is ridiculous because it doesn't exist — it never existed as anything other than a figment of the imagination by pseudo-scientists who don't seem bothered by a complete lack of evidence," astronomer Don Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object program office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., told SPACE.com.

There is no basis for the claim that it might be lurking behind the sun, as it could not have hidden from observation until now, Yeomans said. If such a planet was headed toward Earth by Dec. 21, 2012, it would already be visible to the naked eye.

Cosmic alignments?

There are also concerns that planets or stars might line up in ways that will transform Earth. For instance, some theorists claim that from our point of view, the sun will cross in front of the plane of our galaxy on Dec. 21. However, the sun already does this twice a year, Yeomans said.

In fact, the sun will eventually cross the plane of our galaxy. However, the sun is about 67 light-years from the galactic plane, so it should take several million years to do so, Yeomans said. Even then, when our solar system finally does cross the plane, nothing special will occur, he added.

Some also claim that gravitational effects from planets lining up with each other will somehow affect Earth. However, there is no planetary alignment due on Dec. 21, 2012, "and if there were, it wouldn't cause any problems," Yeomans said.

The only bodies that have any significant gravitational impact on Earth are the moon and the sun, effects we see as the tides. Tidal effects from other bodies in our solar system are negligible at best, and in any case, we have experienced them for millions of years without notice.

Solar storms?

Solar storms — deluges of energetic particles from the sun — do happen, usually waxing and waning in cycles that last roughly 11 years. When these charged particles collide with Earth, they can trigger auroras and damage satellites and power lines, although not really inflicting any lasting harm, Yeomans said.

There are accounts of a solar "super-storm" slamming into Earth in 1859. Although that caused relatively little damage back then, there are concerns that such a storm might cause far more harm now that our world is more dependent on electronics.

Yet, there is no evidence that such a super-storm will happen on Dec. 21 of next year, Yeomans said.

Flip-flopping Earth?

There is some alarm that 2012 could see the flipping of Earth's poles — either the planet's geographical poles, which mark the Earth's axis of rotation, or its magnetic poles, which our compasses point toward.

But, there is no reason to fear such an occurrence, scientists said, because the moon stabilises our planet's spin. The planet's magnetic poles do flip, but over periods of about 500,000 years, and not suddenly, "but over thousands of years," with no evidence of a flip on Dec. 21, 2012, Yeomans said.

Even if the planet's magnetic poles do flip, no real problems would occur, other than the inconvenience of us having to change our compasses from north to south, he added.

Cosmic impacts?

The Earth is always vulnerable to impacts by comets and asteroids, but giant impacts are rare, with the last major collision taking place 65 million years ago, ending the Age of Dinosaurs.

Still, astronomers do monitor the sky for near-Earth objects.

"There are no known near-Earth objects in 2012 that present a credible risk to Earth," Yeomans said. "None, zero, zip, nada."

But despite evidence to the contrary, doomsdays theorists have garnered attention, and similar prophecies will continue to proliferate unless scientists become more involved in bringing truth to these outlandish claims, Yeomans said.
Mounting hysteria regarding these unfounded doomsday predictions "will improve only if scientists get more engaged in debunking pseudoscience," he said.

Quoting AussieStorm:
2012 Doomsday Predictions Debunked by NASA

On Dec. 21, 2012, many doomsday believers fear the apocalypse — anything from a rogue planet smashing into us to our world spinning end over end. However, the world should expect nothing more next year than the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, NASA says.

Many people point to the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar on Dec. 21, 2012 as evidence of the coming apocalypse, but astronomers have been quick to stress that there is nothing to be concerned about.

According to the ancient Mayan calendar, next year's winter solstice marks the end of a 144,000-day cycle. This cycle, which begins at the mythical Maya creation date, has already been repeated 12 times. The 13th will end in 2012, capping a full 5,200-year Mayan cycle of creation.

This date has long been shrouded in mystery, with many claiming that it will bring destruction to our planet.

Rogue planet Nibiru?

One fear is that a rogue planet that has been dubbed "Nibiru" or "Planet X" is supposedly aimed at Earth. Self-proclaimed Nibiru expert Nancy Lieder, who says she is in contact with the aliens from Zeta Reticuli, first said Nibiru would cause widespread disaster in May 2003, only to change it to Dec. 21, 2012.

There is, however, no evidence that Nibiru is real.

"Nibiru is ridiculous because it doesn't exist — it never existed as anything other than a figment of the imagination by pseudo-scientists who don't seem bothered by a complete lack of evidence," astronomer Don Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object program office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., told SPACE.com.

There is no basis for the claim that it might be lurking behind the sun, as it could not have hidden from observation until now, Yeomans said. If such a planet was headed toward Earth by Dec. 21, 2012, it would already be visible to the naked eye.

Cosmic alignments?

There are also concerns that planets or stars might line up in ways that will transform Earth. For instance, some theorists claim that from our point of view, the sun will cross in front of the plane of our galaxy on Dec. 21. However, the sun already does this twice a year, Yeomans said.

In fact, the sun will eventually cross the plane of our galaxy. However, the sun is about 67 light-years from the galactic plane, so it should take several million years to do so, Yeomans said. Even then, when our solar system finally does cross the plane, nothing special will occur, he added.

Some also claim that gravitational effects from planets lining up with each other will somehow affect Earth. However, there is no planetary alignment due on Dec. 21, 2012, "and if there were, it wouldn't cause any problems," Yeomans said.

The only bodies that have any significant gravitational impact on Earth are the moon and the sun, effects we see as the tides. Tidal effects from other bodies in our solar system are negligible at best, and in any case, we have experienced them for millions of years without notice.

Solar storms?

Solar storms — deluges of energetic particles from the sun — do happen, usually waxing and waning in cycles that last roughly 11 years. When these charged particles collide with Earth, they can trigger auroras and damage satellites and power lines, although not really inflicting any lasting harm, Yeomans said.

There are accounts of a solar "super-storm" slamming into Earth in 1859. Although that caused relatively little damage back then, there are concerns that such a storm might cause far more harm now that our world is more dependent on electronics.

Yet, there is no evidence that such a super-storm will happen on Dec. 21 of next year, Yeomans said.

Flip-flopping Earth?

There is some alarm that 2012 could see the flipping of Earth's poles — either the planet's geographical poles, which mark the Earth's axis of rotation, or its magnetic poles, which our compasses point toward.

But, there is no reason to fear such an occurrence, scientists said, because the moon stabilises our planet's spin. The planet's magnetic poles do flip, but over periods of about 500,000 years, and not suddenly, "but over thousands of years," with no evidence of a flip on Dec. 21, 2012, Yeomans said.

Even if the planet's magnetic poles do flip, no real problems would occur, other than the inconvenience of us having to change our compasses from north to south, he added.

Cosmic impacts?

The Earth is always vulnerable to impacts by comets and asteroids, but giant impacts are rare, with the last major collision taking place 65 million years ago, ending the Age of Dinosaurs.

Still, astronomers do monitor the sky for near-Earth objects.

"There are no known near-Earth objects in 2012 that present a credible risk to Earth," Yeomans said. "None, zero, zip, nada."

But despite evidence to the contrary, doomsdays theorists have garnered attention, and similar prophecies will continue to proliferate unless scientists become more involved in bringing truth to these outlandish claims, Yeomans said.
Mounting hysteria regarding these unfounded doomsday predictions "will improve only if scientists get more engaged in debunking pseudoscience," he said.

doomsday beleivers are entertaining. especially when nothing happens lol

Quoting AussieStorm:
2012 Doomsday Predictions Debunked by NASA

On Dec. 21, 2012, many doomsday believers fear the apocalypse — anything from a rogue planet smashing into us to our world spinning end over end. However, the world should expect nothing more next year than the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, NASA says.

Many people point to the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar on Dec. 21, 2012 as evidence of the coming apocalypse, but astronomers have been quick to stress that there is nothing to be concerned about.

According to the ancient Mayan calendar, next year's winter solstice marks the end of a 144,000-day cycle. This cycle, which begins at the mythical Maya creation date, has already been repeated 12 times. The 13th will end in 2012, capping a full 5,200-year Mayan cycle of creation.

This date has long been shrouded in mystery, with many claiming that it will bring destruction to our planet.

Rogue planet Nibiru?

One fear is that a rogue planet that has been dubbed "Nibiru" or "Planet X" is supposedly aimed at Earth. Self-proclaimed Nibiru expert Nancy Lieder, who says she is in contact with the aliens from Zeta Reticuli, first said Nibiru would cause widespread disaster in May 2003, only to change it to Dec. 21, 2012.

There is, however, no evidence that Nibiru is real.

"Nibiru is ridiculous because it doesn't exist — it never existed as anything other than a figment of the imagination by pseudo-scientists who don't seem bothered by a complete lack of evidence," astronomer Don Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object program office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., told SPACE.com.

There is no basis for the claim that it might be lurking behind the sun, as it could not have hidden from observation until now, Yeomans said. If such a planet was headed toward Earth by Dec. 21, 2012, it would already be visible to the naked eye.

Cosmic alignments?

There are also concerns that planets or stars might line up in ways that will transform Earth. For instance, some theorists claim that from our point of view, the sun will cross in front of the plane of our galaxy on Dec. 21. However, the sun already does this twice a year, Yeomans said.

In fact, the sun will eventually cross the plane of our galaxy. However, the sun is about 67 light-years from the galactic plane, so it should take several million years to do so, Yeomans said. Even then, when our solar system finally does cross the plane, nothing special will occur, he added.

Some also claim that gravitational effects from planets lining up with each other will somehow affect Earth. However, there is no planetary alignment due on Dec. 21, 2012, "and if there were, it wouldn't cause any problems," Yeomans said.

The only bodies that have any significant gravitational impact on Earth are the moon and the sun, effects we see as the tides. Tidal effects from other bodies in our solar system are negligible at best, and in any case, we have experienced them for millions of years without notice.

Solar storms?

Solar storms — deluges of energetic particles from the sun — do happen, usually waxing and waning in cycles that last roughly 11 years. When these charged particles collide with Earth, they can trigger auroras and damage satellites and power lines, although not really inflicting any lasting harm, Yeomans said.

There are accounts of a solar "super-storm" slamming into Earth in 1859. Although that caused relatively little damage back then, there are concerns that such a storm might cause far more harm now that our world is more dependent on electronics.

Yet, there is no evidence that such a super-storm will happen on Dec. 21 of next year, Yeomans said.

Flip-flopping Earth?

There is some alarm that 2012 could see the flipping of Earth's poles — either the planet's geographical poles, which mark the Earth's axis of rotation, or its magnetic poles, which our compasses point toward.

But, there is no reason to fear such an occurrence, scientists said, because the moon stabilises our planet's spin. The planet's magnetic poles do flip, but over periods of about 500,000 years, and not suddenly, "but over thousands of years," with no evidence of a flip on Dec. 21, 2012, Yeomans said.

Even if the planet's magnetic poles do flip, no real problems would occur, other than the inconvenience of us having to change our compasses from north to south, he added.

Cosmic impacts?

The Earth is always vulnerable to impacts by comets and asteroids, but giant impacts are rare, with the last major collision taking place 65 million years ago, ending the Age of Dinosaurs.

Still, astronomers do monitor the sky for near-Earth objects.

"There are no known near-Earth objects in 2012 that present a credible risk to Earth," Yeomans said. "None, zero, zip, nada."

But despite evidence to the contrary, doomsdays theorists have garnered attention, and similar prophecies will continue to proliferate unless scientists become more involved in bringing truth to these outlandish claims, Yeomans said.
Mounting hysteria regarding these unfounded doomsday predictions "will improve only if scientists get more engaged in debunking pseudoscience," he said.

MOVE ALONG YEP NOTHING TO SEE HERE


stupid cows



Mooooooooooooo

Mauritius Meteorological Services
Tropical Cyclone Advisory #16
CYCLONE TROPICAL BENILDE (04-20112012)
4:00 PM RET January 1 2012
===================================

At 0:00 AM UTC, Tropical Cyclone Benilde (968 hPa) located at 16.6S 75.4E has 10 minute sustained winds of 80 knots with gusts of 110 knots. The cyclone is reported as moving south southwest at 7 knots.

Dvorak Intensity: T4.5/5.0/W0.5/6 HRS

Hurricane Force Winds
=======================
30 NM radius from the center

Storm Force Winds
==================
50 NM radius from the center

Gale Force Winds
================
80 NM radius from the center extending up to 110 NM from the center in the southern semi-circle

Near Gale Force Winds
======================
110 NM radius from the center extending up to 220 NM from the center in the southern semi-circle

Forecast and Intensity
====================

12 HRS: 17.8S 74.9E - 75 knots (Cyclone Tropical)
24 HRS: 18.7S 74.5E - 70 knots (Cyclone Tropical)
48 HRS: 20.0S 73.9E - 50 knots (Forte Tempête Tropicale)
72 HRS: 20.3E 73.2E - 35 knots (Tempête Tropicale Moderée)

Additional Information
======================

For the last hours, system has weakened. It seems that drier air is wrapping into the southern part of the system. Current intensity is maintained at 80 kt, but for a 3 hours and 6 hours average, DT has decreased at 4.6. Adt is again too high at 5.6.

Within the next 36 hours, numerical weather prediction models are in good agreement. Benilde is expected to move south southwestward towards a weakness in the subtropical ridge. It remains under the steering influence of a mid level ridge located to the east of the system. In relationship with dry air intrusion, there are some uncertainties about the forecast intensity despite rather good environmental conditions. Beyond 36 hours, system should encounter southwestward rebuilding low-mid level high pressures. Numerical weather prediction models diverge about final track. ECMWF is faster and keeps a southward track for a longer time before a clear deceleration, as most of others models forecast a westward tracks with easterly low-mid level flow. Official forecast track is between both options. It is expected that system rapidly weakens by encountering cooler AST and strengthening westerly vertical wind shear.

The next tropical cyclone advisory from Mauritius Meteorological Services on Tropical Cyclone Benilde will be issued at 6:30 AM UTC..

I'm confused how the Japanese tsunami back in March doesn't even make the honorable mention list. Given it has had arguably the greatest fallout (no pun intended) impact and was certainly devastating to the Japanese economy and ecology, not to mention the Pacific Ocean habitat, and the Western parts of North America, it is curiously absent from the list. Did we just forget about it?

Quoting yacoub:
I'm confused how the Japanese tsunami back in March doesn't even make the honorable mention list. Given it has had arguably the greatest fallout (no pun intended) impact and was certainly devastating to the Japanese economy and ecology, it is curiously absent from the list. Did we just forget about it?

Cause it wasn't a weather event.

I mentioned it.

Happy New Year Rio De Janeiro, Montevideo , Brasilia, Sao Paulo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quoting PensacolaDoug:


There is enough evidence to suggest that mankind may play a role in it and further un-biased reserch without the "political agenda" is warranted. However, un-biased research may be be damn near impossible in this politically charged atmosphere we find ourselves in these days.

Pensacola, all evidence shows that the earth is currently warming and man is responsible for at least some of that warming.

I find it sad that a few people still have trouble understanding this.

As far as predictions for the future go, we should keep in mind they are only predictions - most of which are based off computer models. How much faith did you put in todays GFS run? Hopefully not too much.

Therefore, I can understand people being skeptical about what people say for the future of our climate and environment. However, since we know earth is warming and we are partially responsible, shouldn't that at least instill a sense of duty in yourself to want to protect and preserve the environment for future generations? Do you not care at all about the world your children and their children will have to live in?

I would sure hope not. Happy new year.

Happy New Year my fellow Wunderbloggers.
I won't make it to midnight so am sending my regards now. I wish you all the best of luck in 2012.

NAM

first forecast of 2012

Gutes Neues Jahr!

Quoting SPLbeater:
Gutes Neues Jahr!

Happy New year to you mr german speaking dude.

Quoting Articuno:

Happy New year to you mr german speaking dude.

\

lol. im learnin german, figured i thwo that in

Quoting SPLbeater:


i sure aint doing anything special to 'go green' i dont and will not buy CFL lights

I will not buy an electric car, and/or anything in a vehicle to help the envoirment

I could care less about the EPA

just earlier me , brother dad and grandfather were out burning a brushpile. after the flames died down(was 15ft high) we had a smoke plume so high and so thick we couldnt see the stars, or the nearby trees. me and my bro was like "eat this al gore!"

is there any logic in this post? I can't find any. That's too bad.

I declare Cyclone Benilde...lame! so long Benilde, have fun with the dry air and increasing wind shear!

Quoting TomTaylor:
is there any logic in this post? I can't find any. That's too bad.

Tom, it's new year's eve, were not supposed to be logic. :)

Quoting BobWallace:


Well, we could lead the way. We think of ourselves as the nation that puts itself forward to fix the world's problems, do we not? Why should we hold back this time?

Then we might want to realize that other countries are already pulling ahead in the effort to cut greenhouse gases. Several European countries are ahead of us. Even China is doing more than we are.

Finally, there's no requirement that we live in tents or ride bikes. We can keep on living in comfortable homes and driving cars, we just have to change the ways we power our lifestyles.

Wind is already a cheap way to make electricity and it will get cheaper. Solar prices are falling rapidly. Geothermal is affordable. Hydro is cheap (and we have thousands of existing dams that can be converted to produce electricity). We'll need some affordable storage but we're developing it.

Electric cars are much cheaper to drive per mile. We just have to get the price of batteries down which will happen with larger scale manufacturing. Right now close to 100% of us could do most of our driving with electricity with EVs and PHEVs and cut our oil use by over 75%.

--

Oh, BTW, the developing world just signed up to do their part. It happened a few days ago during the Durban conference.

That "Why should we when the developing countries aren't" excuse no longer holds water....

You are kidding yourself.

Quoting BeCoolOrBeCastOut:
The Mayans also believed that the planet Earth was sitting atop of a gigantic crocodile

they also ate each other and there enemies too

Quoting Articuno:

Tom, it's new year's eve, were not supposed to be logic. :)

prime example of why tom has been on the ignore list for a month. bad attitude year round, never lets up.

Quoting PensacolaDoug:




You are kidding yourself.

In what way?

Quoting SPLbeater:


there was one day me and my fam was on de way home from doin the church bulletin, and all of a sudden traffic stopped and there was a head on collision in front of us. if we had been down the road 15 seconds earlier, it would have been us.

The cause? heh, some idiot was coming UP the EXIT ramp and slammed into an SUV. both drivers died. the car that got hit skidded over to the shoulder, and slowly caught fire. driver died in the fire

OK, so you do realize that cars drive around with gallons of flammable liquid in their tanks and it can catch on fire.

Electric cars may bring some danger to the driver, but it's not likely to be as much as what we already deal with in our ICEVs. Remember, the Volt battery fire happened three weeks after the wreck and only because someone failed to follow procedures and drain the battery voltage. It happened because over time the battery coolant dried and created a path for a short.

Draining gas tanks and disconnecting batteries is standard practice in storage yards where wrecked vehicles are taken.

Quoting BobWallace:


OK, so you do realize that cars drive around with gallons of flammable liquid in their tanks and it can catch on fire.

Electric cars may bring some danger to the driver, but it's not likely to be as much as what we already deal with in our ICEVs. Remember, the Volt battery fire happened three weeks after the wreck and only because someone failed to follow procedures and drain the battery voltage. It happened because over time the battery coolant dried and created a path for a short.

Draining gas tanks and disconnecting batteries is standard practice in storage yards where wrecked vehicles are taken.

you aint on the same page as me. you get hit head on, or real hard where ever then stupid batteries are at, they aint invincible. they gon bust, crack or somethin.

Bottom line, if every ther person in earth wanted me to git an electric car, i still wouldnt

Europe gon get another one?

Report: Chinese man dies of highly virulent strain of H5N1 flu
Posted on December 31, 2011
By the CNN Wire Staff
December 31, 2011 -

(CNN) -- A 39-year-old man in southern China died Saturday from what appears to be a contagious strain of avian flu, state media reported Saturday.

The man -- identified by Xinhua as a bus driver with the surname Chen -- was hospitalized in Shenzhen on December 21 as he battled a fever. He tested positive for the H5N1 avian influenza virus, the provincial health department said in a statement, according to the official news agency.

The man had not traveled out of the city of Shenzhen, nor did he have direct contact with poultry in the month before he came down with the fever, according to the department.

Shenzhen borders Hong Kong, where more than 17,000 chickens were ordered culled on the same day that Chen was hospitalized. That decision came after a chicken carcass tested positive for avian flu.

The territory's director of Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation declared the Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market an infected place, the government said then in a statement.

Farmers were told they could not send chickens to the market for 21 days.

The Hong Kong government said it was working to trace the origin of the chicken, which was infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. But, as of December 21, authorities did not know the source.

Meanwhile, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has since suspended supplies of live poultry to Hong Kong, according to Xinhua.

As of mid-December, the World Health Organization calculated that 573 people had been infected -- and 336 had died -- after coming down with the H5N1 avian influenza virus since 2003. Twenty-six of those deaths had been in China, with the largest number of fatalities, 150, occurring in Indonesia. Vietnam and Egypt had more than 50 deaths each.

This summer, the United Nations warned of a possible resurgence of the virus -- which peaked in 2006, at one point infecting people in 63 countries -- saying there are indications a mutant strain may be spreading in Asia.

A variant strain of H5N1 -- which can apparently bypass the defenses of current vaccines -- had appeared as of late August in Vietnam and China, reported the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

The group noted that the strain's movement around Vietnam threatened Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Japan and the Korean peninsula. By then, eight people in Cambodia alone had died this year after becoming infected this year, the agency added.

In addition to the health impact, the avian flu outbreaks have also come at a steep economic cost -- with the United Nations estimating earlier this year that it had contributed to the killing of over 400 million poultry and caused losses estimated at $20 billion.

FWIW, I have released my Preliminary report on Tropical Storm Don....Head on over to my blog to view it, and others that I have written (not many yet).

grrr...dern neighbors launching huge fireworks...why they cant do it at 7 when most ARENT sleeping? idk

Happy New Year WU FRIENDS! Excellent fireworks display Aussie. Much more impressive than the neighbors so far. But they're giving it their all. They're not supposed to in the city limits but it is the first time they could be sold since the drought started so who's gonna tell? Smooth weather tie in there. Lol. Nothing but the best wishes for all in 2012. And be kind. Ya never know when we may need each other. :-)

well, im going to go watch Episode 6 of Tour Of Duty. be back in bout 40 45 mins

Stupid fireworks, making our dogs whine and go crazy...*Sigh, why didn't they do 'em earlier?

SUDDEN IONOSPHERIC DISTURBANCE: Today around 1320 UT, a wave of ionization swept through the high atmosphere over Europe after sunspot AR1389 unleashed another M2-class solar flare. "There was a very clear sudden ionospheric disturbance on my VLF radio instruments," reports Rob Stammes, who sends these data from the Polar Light Center in Lofoten, Norway:

"The sun is below the horizon where we are located north of the Arctic Circle," says Stammes. "This event shows we still have some contact with the sun."

NOAA forecasters estimate a 40% chance of more M-flares during the next 24 hours. There is also a 5% chance of X-flares.

Spaceweather.com

Happy New Year!!!!!

Quoting TropicalAnalystwx13:
Stupid fireworks, making our dogs whine and go crazy...*Sigh, why didn't they do 'em earlier?

...you'd hate to be my neighbor.
Happy New Year!

Quoting TropicalAnalystwx13:
2012 Baby!

Not for me..... still have 2 hours left in 2011.....

Happy New Years Everyone!!!!

Quoting TropicalAnalystwx13:
Stupid fireworks, making our dogs whine and go crazy...*Sigh, why didn't they do 'em earlier?

I feel your pain. :P I have my doggie under my feet from fear and I run over him with my chair whenever I move. :/

My dog's all chill he's not even barking.

My first rain shower of 2012:

The Mayan's seem oh so closer now..

2012 is here. WUnderful.

Quoting WeatherNerdPR:
My first rain shower of 2012:

lol already?

Quoting Articuno:

lol already?

It happened last year, too.