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Instant Expert: Climate Change

Climate change is with us. A decade ago, it was conjecture. Now the future is unfolding before our eyes. Canada's Inuit see it in disappearing Arctic ice and permafrost (see the pictures above). The shantytown dwellers of Latin America and Southern Asia see it in lethal storms and floods. Europeans see it in disappearing glaciers, forest fires and fatal heat waves.

Scientists see it in tree rings, ancient coral and bubbles trapped in ice cores. These reveal that the world has not been as warm as it is now for a millennium or more. The three warmest years on record have all occurred since 1998; 19 of the warmest 20 since 1980. And Earth has probably never warmed as fast as in the past 30 years - a period when natural influences on global temperatures, such as solar cycles and volcanoes should have cooled us down.

I found this site on the web "NewScientist.com" that has a large number of articles covering everything from Climate to Dinosaurs to Computer Viruses. It's a great resource check it out.

Click to visit the site. <----( click here to go to the site )

WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH FEMA

I found this on PBS's message board and thought it summed up last nights PBS show NOW very well.

By: ciudadana

This evening's NOW was good but all too brief. FEMA employees, former and CURRENT speak out about the mess in which the agency now finds itself. They cited the shocking cronyism, the ill-conceived reorganization under DHS, the elimination of proven and effective programs (for ideological reasons), the myopic earmarking of funds for "terrorism" and the fiscal and organizational neglect of other kinds of emergencies (despite the fact that most emergencies are of a non-terrorist nature).

One employee said that after the elections they expected a republican to be appointed to FEMA in 2000 and had no problem with that. They were career public employees and understood it was a political appointment. What was shocking for them was that they appointed someone with NO emergency experience at all! Under Bush's political cronyism, experienced emergency management people who had once been proud to be a part of FEMA began leaving in droves. By the time 'Brownie" came on board there were nearly 500 positions in FEMA that needed to be filled but weren't going to be filled because the funding was quickly being diverted to DHS.

What a frickin' mess. I've worked overseas and have always shaken my head at the stupidity of cronyism and corruption because it breeds ineptitude and government inefficiency and ineffectiveness. While here in the US I might disagree with an administration's policies, for the most part I've usually thought "the other party" would be appointing competent people into key positions (even if their policy decisions sucked). Under this administration, basic competency is at issue! It is the classic symptom of CORRUPTION!

I've said before that some jobs need to be held up to a higher standard and SHOULD NOT BY LAW be filled by friends or supporters. Our lives may depend on it.

Emergency Response Resource Map

Below is a state-by-state listing of emergency response departments and helth agencies. Use these state web sites to find the names of your local officials and other important information about emergency procedures. For example, The California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment maintains lists of "hot spots" for chemical hazards and air pollutants. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has a special Web page dedicated to emergency preparedness.

You can also find great information about the environment right in your neighborhood at Scorecard.org. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has extensive databases and fact sheets on toxic chemicals. The Environmental Protection Agency web site has a community search function. The EPA also provides a special service that tracks the "vulnerable zones" around chemical plants. Enter your street address and receive an email about your neighborhood's chemical safety.

Click to visit the site. <----( click here to go to the site )

PRETTY GOOD JOKE

An Old Farmer's Advice:

* Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?