Neiman Marcus can't top this

How would you like your very own space shuttle? Apparently NASA is selling the retired ones for $42 million a piece. Talk about a gift of a lifetime! I don't think anything could top getting one of those under the tree.

Global temperature data and graph

Here is an interesting site, well, maybe if you're a geek anyway. It does have a cool graph though (see below, you can click on it for a larger version). At any rate, the key is at the very end. Notice how it looks like the global warming trend appears to have ended and now, even though the average temperatures are higher than the baseline, they're trending down. Of course, if global warming theories are correct, this is only temporary and we'll see the warming trend resume soon. On the other hand, if the recent rise in temperatures prior to ~1997 was an anomaly, we'll see cooling continue for awhile. Either way, it's a bit early to tell one way or the other. For that reason, now is not the time to spend gazillions of dollars trying to fix something we don't even understand just because someone cries wolf.

Ready for a worldwide government?

According to this, it could be possible. Is this the reason they're pushing the global climate change nonsense and now this new global financial crisis--to get people to think in terms of a global government? Near the end it uses the European Union as an example and says this:

In general, the Union has progressed fastest when far-reaching deals have been agreed by technocrats and politicians – and then pushed through without direct reference to the voters. International governance tends to be effective, only when it is anti-democratic.

That's all we need. Politicians deciding it's in the best interests of the populace without asking them directly. Hopefully the checks and balances we have in this country will hold the tide long enough to keep this nonsense from happening.

Now we need to regulate dirt

According to this article:

The findings are significant because soils are by far the world's largest source of carbon dioxide, producing 10 times more carbon dioxide each year than all the carbon dioxide emissions from human activities combined.

So, how are we supposed to regulate dirt? It obviously needs to be dealt with if we're ever to combat global warming.

October the hottest on record (or not?)

Can we trust data from NASA if the head of the agency is in the tank with the whole idea of global warming? According to this article, there are questions whether they are getting the data right or not. Initially they said this most recent October was the hottest on record. Then some skeptics looked at the data and noticed a bunch of numbers were exactly the same as what was reported in September.

It's things like this that make you go, "hmm...."

Chernobyl - a photo essay

Here's a site I found a number of years ago. It is operated by a photo-journalist who lives in Ukraine I believe and has put together quite a website with photos and commentary about the Chernobyl disaster and also some interesting information from some WWII battlefields. If you have some time, I highly recommend browsing around there. She also offers some books she has put together of photos for sale. Over all, it is simply a fascinating site.

Aliens caused global warming

The analogy I don't necessarily agree with, but the point is still true in this article. It's not science if it is consensus and a consensus based on models that at best may be flawed and at worst may be manipulated is certainly not science.