What Climate Change?!

I'm sure many Californians right now are saying, 'where is global warming?' I have an answer: it's already here. And although you may not feel it in the temperatures and general conditions as of late, look up the definition of 'weather' and 'climate' and reconsider.

For those in the rest of the United States, the case for global warming might be easier to make. As the country swelters, and as crops dry up from the Great Plains to the steppes of Asia, people are coming to terms with the reality of higher temperatures worldwide and their immediate consequences. While many lobbyists and the politicians they have in their pocket will tell you otherwise, stop and think for a moment. 2010 has been, on average, the hottest year on record, second only to 2005, third to 1998. Notice a trend?

In spite of this and regardless of his promise to act on this ever-threatening problem, Obama's White House has given in to pressure and opted for a better score in the popularity contest rather than the right choice on the issue. As the planet cooks—to borrow Paul Krugman's phrase—the Obama administration falters on its promise to deliver what it had pledged to pursue during the campaign. And, although a lot of good legislation has passed in the past year and a half—despite Republican obstructionism might I add—it is worth reminding everyone that it was not as strong as it could have been or need have been.

Unfortunately for us and our posterity, the climate bill will not even get the luxury of a dilution in the Senate. Obama needs to think this through again, unless he wants to alienate Democratic and progressive voters in the upcoming and in the 2012 elections.

On Cap-and-Trade

Though a bit late, I have to share an op-ed by Paul Krugman from the 24 September edition of The New York Times. According to him, the next fight after healthcare will be climate change and the government's (that is, our collective) efforts to curb and possibly reverse it.

He warns that there will be those who will argue outright that global warming is a myth, but the most poignant of his points is that, despite what we will be told and led to believe, the cost of the cap-and-trade bill will be minimal.

The Pontiff Speaks...

... and in his words, nonsense abounds.

Nonsense such as blaming people of no faith for our environmental woes:

Is it not true that inconsiderate use of creation begins where God is marginalized or also where is existence is denied? If the human creature's relationship with the Creator weakens, matter is reduced to egoistic possession, man becomes the "final authority," and the objective of existence is reduced to a feverish race to possess the most possible.

Is he on something?! Because I'd like a free sample of it....

What about the millennia of Judeo-Christian principles teaching us that the Earth and everything in it is for our use because we're god's chosen creatures?

I think the pope and his coterie might just be losing it....

Global Warming Caught on Camera

Despite what Glenn Beck will tell you, cooler summer temperatures do not translate into cooler global temperatures.

As the video below shows through time-lapse pictures of strategically placed cameras, global warming is a global event to the reality of which all of us need to warm up... no pun intended.

Health & Science Update

According to scientists, activities such as running create chemical changes in your body that contribute to your state of being. Running, in other words, can give you a high. And if you stop running, you are susceptible to bouts of depression and other symptoms typical of withdrawal from drugs.

This is for all the global warming skeptics: ocean water temperatures are on the rise. The change is more noticeable toward the poles, forecasting an accelerated melting of the polar ice-caps, which is predicted to dramatically raise water levels around the world.

Talk about extreme cosmetic surgery! How about we break your bones, keep separating them as they fuse, and make you gain 5 cm in the process? Apparently, many Siberian women are lining up for this.

Earth suddenly feels less special now that we have discovered that extraterrestrial environments support organic molecules vital to life such as the amino acid glycine, which was recently found to be present in a comet.

If you have ever blamed your parents for your drinking problem, now you have more of a reason to do so. Certain gene variants in monkeys make them more predisposed to drinking. Yes, they gave monkeys alcohol for this experiment.

Stem cell research seems even more promising now that we can refine and target its benefits through the use of magnetic nanoparticles injected in stem cells and which are then guided throughout the body by using magnets, thus easily targeting problematic areas.

Does psychological stress affect your allergies? Yes—it can both worsen and prolong allergic reactions.