Global warming is worse than even environmentalists had imagined a few years ago. The alarming news is that all over artic regions the permafrost is melting. Permafrost is defined as anything that has been frozen for two years or longer. Now permafrost that has been around for 1000s of years is melting. The problem is that permafrost contains organic matter that freezes CO2 gases, presenting a greenhouse gas time bomb; once warming reaches a certain level it begins to feed into a viscious loop: more permafrost melts, more CO2 is released, more warming occurs and so on. Climatologist generally refer this as the Tipping Point

Climate change is here to stay. The argument about whether or not it exists is a needless exercise. We need to accept its reality and plan accordingly. Know this: whatever we do now will not reverse the effects. The carrying capacity of all nations will be affected within the next ten to twenty years as more land becomes unusable. Who gets to live where under what conditions will be a political mess we do not have the tools for. So yes, IT IS all about equality, human rights and general fairness.

But don’t take my word for it. Here are links that illustrate the issue better than I ever can:

The Guardian
The New Scientist
Chinese Controled Media: Znet
KTVA-TV Anchorage, Alaska
English Version of German Mag, Spiegel

I have macroeconomics this quarter, a class that I need but because I have been warned that the prof is an asswipe I’ve put off taking the class till the last possible moment. The warnings were true, and I spent today being told that global warming doesn’t exist and if it does it probably won’t be as bad as they say it will. Huhm, my geology prof who actually studied the receding glaciers in Greenland may disagree with him on that one (and just to be an absolute intellectual elitist snob- the geology prof went to Harvard, shove that up your conservatively clenched ass Dr. Hubert!)

Anyways, I am not much of an environmentalist not because I don’t are about our planet but because my schtick is more along the lines of human rights, feminism, poverty, etc. So when politicians who have a decent environmental record (anything is better than “clean coal”) have something to say- I’m down with their spouting.

Besides, it’s Al Gore. Remember, we voted for him once. Maybe again. I can’t help but think that a Gore/Obama ticket in 2008 might just be what we need to unfuck the donkey. So go watch the trailer for this film that he made. Looks pretty cool to me.

A Prayer for the Stressed!

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I cannot accept,
and the wisdom to hide the bodies of those people I had
to kill today because they pissed me off.

And also, help me to be careful of the toes I step on
today as they may be connected to the ass that I may have
to kiss tomorrow.

Help me to always give 100% at work….
12% on Monday
23% on Tuesday
40% on Wednesday
20% on Thursday
5% on Fridays

And help me to remember…..
When I’m having a really bad day,
and it seems that people are trying to piss me off,
that it takes 42 muscles to frown and
only 4 to extend my middle finger and tell them to bite me!

Amen

Click pic for more

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WARMINSTER, Pa. — The leaders of the Republican and Democratic committees in Warminster are calling for the resignation of GOP Supervisor Fred Gold, who sent an e-mail with a photo of a topless woman promoting Jan. 15 as “Breast Appreciation Day.”

The e-mail that accompanied the photo asked, “Beats … Martin Luther King Day, doesn’t it?”

Democratic chairman Joseph Bowes Jr. and Republican chairman Jim Messina described the e-mail as insulting to women and blacks.

“It embarrassed the party. It embarrassed me,” Messina said.

Bowes called it “offensive on many levels.”

Gold sent the e-mail from his personal account, and apologized if anyone who received or saw it was offended.

“I certainly don’t think I did anything immoral or unethical,” he said. “To resign because of this, I don’t think so.”

Of coures he doesn’tget it, b/c he doesn’t get it. Nothing like offending both women and blacks at the same time. Hey, at least he’s efficient!

Being that I am the Red Queen with vast editing powers and the ability to dictate (not dick take- though I can do that too) and decree- I hearby decree that Thursdays shall be funny days. It’s the day before Friday, we are all tired and poor by Thursday and have drunk our share of cheap booze throughout the week in order to escape the increasingly bad news from our government.

So I say Thursdays shall be funny!

HRH, The Red Queen

On that note- Gud from the Ministry of Unknown Science!

RG is right we have been v. serious lately so:

Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn’t seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other man pulls out his phone and calls emergency services.

He gasps to the operator: “My friend is dead! What can I do?” The operator in a calm, soothing voice replies: “Take it easy. I can help. First, let’s make sure he’s dead.”

There is a silence, then a shot is heard.

Back on the phone, the hunter says, “OK, now what?”

If you have ehard it before, you don’t have to laugh!

The must-read oped yesterday from David Ignatius:

“The Bush administration has demonstrated, in too many ways, that it’s better at starting fights than finishing them. It shouldn’t make that same mistake again. Threats of war will be more convincing if they come slowly and reluctantly, when it has become clear that truly there is no other choice.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/11/AR2006041101078.html