Damned sunspots
Danbob
I had no idea. Stumbled across it today on the web and apparently
we're going through very low sunspot activity right now. And
apparently that usually coincides with much colder weather.
Apparently they even had a mini-ice age occur in the middle ages
because of low sun spot activities.
Damn - one more thing to worry about. Of course, the asteroid may hit
us before we freeze to death and they do say that the caldera at
Yellowstone is bulging like a bastard and we could have a super
volcano fry us, so maybe it's nothing to worry about.
Sunspots . . . who'd a thunk it?
valeriapalmer
Heck, they've known for a decade that we might be heading into something
like the Maunder Minimum. In fact, I remember hearing about it back in
the 70s.
During the little Ice Age, the Thames froze so solid that they had fairs
on the ice (now remind yourself that the Thames is a tidal river,
brackish as far up as London and think about how bloody cold it would be
for the people to be able to go out and play and roast an ox out on the
ice)...
In the Roman era, conversely, Britain's climate was so mild that there
were vineyard producing creditable wine all along the southern stretches
of the island ...
Man has, I suspect, much less influence on climate than he imagines.
It's a convenient hanger for the Humans BAD movement though.
H
important. Next thing you know, you will wake up & find out that your
wife is married to a conservative.
H.
valeriapalmer <valeri...@earthlink.net> wrote:
--
Harmon is "at mac dot com"
Danbob
I hate to confess my ignorance, but I had never, ever heard of this
until yesterday. I went into the study and said, "Carol, did you know
the sunspots are disappearing?" And she put her book down for a
minute and said, "Yes." And then she went on reading.
Oh. Okay.
Here's a link an astronomer friend of ours sent to me, showing the
actual activity:
http://www.ips.gov.au/Solar/1/6
So, if this mini ice age happens, what are we going to do to keep the
poor polar bears from freezing?
Danbob
> Dan, you better watch out. You are behaving like actual facts are
> important. Next thing you know, you will wake up & find out that your
> wife is married to a conservative.
>
> H.
>
>
> --
> Harmon is "at mac dot com"
Well, I guess choking on forest fire smoke for 2 and 1/2 months
because some eco-nuts think you have to burn the forest down to save
it will do that.
The thing that's really coming across to me in all of this research is
how incredibly short sighted, historically, some of these people are.
They're looking at the heavy fuel loads in the forest and saying,
"Yes, we caused this through our ill advised policy of actually
putting fires out." And the forest service has only existed for 90
years. Do you think they actually started gathering data about fuel
loads back in 1910? It would be much more reasonable to say that the
brush build up is a result of droughts or a naturally occurring cycle
of beetle infestation, but NO, we caused it in 90 short years.
valeriapalmer
Make them sealskin overcoats?
Danbob
With little leopard skin mittens, perhaps.
H
> >
> > Make them sealskin overcoats?
>
> With little leopard skin mittens, perhaps.
No no no. It's leopard skin pillbox HATS. Please recall your Bob Dylan.
Danbob
Hey Harmon,
Okay - pop Dylan quiz - in what song from his pre-electric/acoustic
folk singing period did Dylan use the phrase, "Oooo wee, pretty scary?"
H
> Okay - pop Dylan quiz - in what song from his pre-electric/acoustic
> folk singing period did Dylan use the phrase, "Oooo wee, pretty scary?"
I Shall Be Free Number 10, but I think it was Wowwee, at least on the
album. Maybe Oooowee in performance. Kind of a non-traditional talking
blues - i.e., the musical frame was traditional, but the words veered
off in Dylanese.
Danbob
I don't know but I've been told
The streets of heaven are lined with gold.
I ask you how things could get much worse,
If the Russians happened to get up there first.
Wowee, pretty scary . . .
I think you're right. Wowee is definitely more Dylan. I must have
been thinking of Sea Cruise for some reason.
H
> I must have
> been thinking of Sea Cruise for some reason.
That one hit me, too. Actually, I can imagine Dylan doing a Sea Cruise
Ooowee in live performance. Deadpan, too. It strikes me that he has a
bit in common with The Great Stone Face.
Danbob
Apparently he drove Ed Bradley nuts during their interview. Bradley
finally said, "Come ON, man - say something."
Another strange little Dylan anecdote - during his amphetamine days
he'd decided to write a book and he'd written reams and reams, as
speed freaks tend to do. Then, when he was convalescing from his
motor cycle accident, they suggested he edit it and put it into final
form. So, he spent several weeks with it and finally contacted his
editor to say that he had NO idea what he'd been talking about and
couldn't decipher it.