NASA Study Indicates Antarctica is Gaining More Ice Than It's Losing -

[The_Doc_Man]

Adam: In New Orleans, if you don't drink coffee they immediately know you are an alien, and I don't mean "illegal." A little cafe au lait with beignets is a perfect start to a morning when you are still a working person. Of course, the better start of the morning if you are a retired person is to turn off the alarm completely the night before.

AB: My attention span is variable based on circadian rhythms. I am decidedly NOT a morning person and since college days, never have been such. When I was working on my hobbyist writing, my best composition time started at 10 PM and probably went for about 3-4 hours from there.

 

[Galaxiom]

Adam: In New Orleans, if you don't drink coffee they immediately know you are an alien, and I don't mean "illegal."

In parts of Australia it can be like that with beer.

 

[vba_php]

In New Orleans, if you don't drink coffee they immediately know you are an alien, and I don't mean "illegal."

well u r educating me as i dont know much about New Orleans. The only thing I know about it is what I experienced when i was down there: a lot of drinking and topless girls on the balconies wanting some good times. All found on Bourbon street.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Actually, you have a mixed viewpoint. Some true, a little bit false.

Topless girls waiting on balconies wanting good times: Not topless because that is illegal even on Mardi Gras day. Waiting on balconies wanting good times is true, but waiting on the street outside bars is also true. The police have cracked down hard on the topless part. The topless part being outlawed works in favor of some of the girls who, when you get them home, turn out to not be girls. New Orleans IS a gay-tolerant city for the most part. But they still want to have good times.

Lot of drinking: True. Very sad - but very true. But most of us are "mellow drunks." It isn't industrial in this case, but a lot of folks still do get polluted.

A LONG time ago I used to play music on Bourbon Street. This was my college days and is how I paid my tuition without taking out a back-breaker of a student loan. I stayed with my parents and played the 9 PM-3 AM shift at a bar on Bourbon Street. I was and still am an organist. That may have contributed to my "night owl" habits.

It was a LOT wilder in the 1960s but has become -somewhat- gentrified because of developers converting a lot of the old shops and bars and such to mid-scale and up-scale apartments in the back end of the French Quarter. Closer to Canal Street? Still lively. Closer to Elysian Fields (the other end of the quarter)? Sedate. The folks in that area (the "quarters") pushed the cops to clean up at least some of it and the New Orleans tourist groups were in favor of containing some of the rowdier behavior. I recall when it wasn't quite so controlled and to be honest, don't miss it.

 

[vba_php]

A LONG time ago I used to play music on Bourbon Street. This was my college days and is how I paid my tuition without taking out a back-breaker of a student loan. I stayed with my parents and played the 9 PM-3 AM shift at a bar on Bourbon Street. I was and still am an organist. That may have contributed to my "night owl" habits.

What instrument did you play? I've played the trumpet for 25 years. When I was there I heard and saw many incredibly talented musicians playing in the bars. That's prolly the best place in the country to witness improv artists.

It was a LOT wilder in the 1960s but has become -somewhat- gentrified because of developers converting a lot of the old shops and bars and such to mid-scale and up-scale apartments in the back end of the French Quarter.

This gentrification problem is apparently widespread in the entire country. I've read for years now that the millionairres and billionairres in california are causing the middle class to move out cuz they can't afford the escalating housing prices. I'm sure the real estate agents don't mind the rich living there, but no middle class is terrible for an economy. NYC apparently also has this problem, as the story has been in the news many times. I absolutely hate the winter time, and living in Iowa we have some of the worst winters in the country (but prolly not worse than Wisconsin), and if the CA and FL economies weren't so bad I would definately consider moving to one of them. I don't have enough experience with newer technologies to get a job in silicon valley but FL has some opportunities and I don't they're as choosy as silicon valley is.

 

[isladogs]

That's prolly the best place in the country to witness improv artists.

Probably

but prolly not worse than Wisconsin

Probably not

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Adam, re: asking what instrument... reread the item you quoted. Your answer is buried in the quote.

My home instrument is a Technics F5 organ, which is a "console class" instrument. That means two x 61-note keyboards, one x 25-note pedalboard. This one conforms to MIDI standards though it took me a while to determine that. Among other things, that means it has 127 distinct "voices" (actually, specific instrument sounds). You can probably find out a few things about them if you look up that make and model online. There are a few YouTube videos of someone playing an F5 - but it ain't me. I don't have the means to actually make such a video.

I also play accordion and trumpet, though Hurricane Katrina cost me dearly in terms of my music. I lost a trumpet, an accordion, a Technics F3 organ, and a whole bookcase of music books and loose sheet music to flooding. I did not try to replace the trumpet or the German aggravator, but I found my F5 online - through Craigslist, actually. The organ was cheaper than the cost to move it. And it came from the North Carolina Outer Banks area. The folks who sold it were moving inland to retire in the hills, but they were downsizing and the F5 DOES have a big footprint. So I got it, and two months later one of the big hurricanes went through the Outer Banks. So I guess you could say I got it as a "rescue."

 

[vba_php]

Adam, re: asking what instrument... reread the item you quoted. Your answer is buried in the quote.

I also play accordion and trumpet

ok ok, I missed it. but you did NOT mention that you played accordion and trumpet.

What kind of trumpet did you play? e.g. - Bach, Stradivarius? I had a silver plated strad for many years, which I believe most trumpeters use, but eventually I switched to a brass Bach. I purchased it at the holy grail of music outlets - West Music headquarters in South Bend, IN. I loved that thing, as it sounded very mellow for playing classical music in the orchestra.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

It was technically a cornet, not a full-length trumpet, thought both play as B-flat instruments and have the same range. The cornet isn't QUITE as brassy as a true trumpet. I don't recall the brand name. Wasn't a King, but it WAS a brand that was commonly found in my junior-high school band, because I bought it used from them.

Organ is my best instrument but accordion was my FIRST instrument and trumpet came second in terms of learning.

 

[vba_php]

do you know any famous trumpet players or have any of their music? As far as the cornet goes, Herbert Clarke is my favorite player. I even attempted to play his Carnival of Venice song at a competition once time and botched the hell out of it.

Some trumpeters that I listen to:

John Faddis, Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, Maynard Ferguson, Miles Davis, Louie Armstrong, Alan Vizzuitti.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I once met Al Hirt when he and his 4th wife went on a riverboat cruise and my wife and I were on the same cruise. He was a nice guy, just couldn't keep wives happy. Al played the "Green Hornet" theme, which was a trumpeter's jazzy take on "Flight of the Bumblebee." If you ever heard Al's "Carnival of Venice" you would be impressed, but the "hornet" theme was incredible. In fact, they used it on the TV series AND in the more recent movie.

Al was Julliard-trained and versatile enough to have recorded both pops and classical albums. He passed in 1999. A quick Google search will tell you all you need to know about him. His career peaked in the 1960s following the success of his hit single "Java" but he had other recordings as well.

I also knew the organist for his band, a fellow named Wayne D., and his wife Sherry worked at the bar where I played music through college. Wayne had the "New Orleans Funk" style whereas I was more of a balllad/rock player.

 

[vba_php]

Al played the "Green Hornet" theme, which was a trumpeter's jazzy take on "Flight of the Bumblebee."

I have quite a few recordings of Flight of the Bumblebee, and even attempted to practice it at one point in high school, but I have no recordings of trumpet performances of the tune.

 

[AccessBlaster]

Speaking of hypocrites;

 

[vba_php]

Speaking of hypocrites;

Arnie's a hypocrite? Are you referring to the fact that's he's driving a huge vehicle that can't possibly be environmentally friendly regardless of the modifications?

I didn't follow his tenure as governator, but I've never heard him criticize people for driving large vehicles. Did I miss out?

 

[AccessBlaster]

Arnie's a hypocrite? Are you referring to the fact that's he's driving a huge vehicle that can't possibly be environmentally friendly regardless of the modifications?

That's exactly what I am saying. Just like Leo's yachts and all the private planes attending the eco summits.

 

[vba_php]

That's exactly what I am saying. Just like Leo's yachts and all the private planes attending the eco summits.

do you know who Warren Buffet is? I don't believe he's ever done this crap. From what I've read, he lives in a modest home in Omaha and has for decades. I don't know if he has any vacation homes, but I believe he drives environmentally friendly too. and he's #2 on Forbe's richest billionaiires.

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

I have happened upon this climate change video:-

https://youtu.be/p-dq3JbZdr4

that appears to confirm my suspicions that CO2 just can't be responsible for global warming, due to the insignificant amount of it in the atmosphere.

I'm interested in your constructive and thoughtful rebuttal of sun, solar wind and cosmic rays influence.

Sent from Newbury UK

 

[isladogs]

Tony
I'm well aware that you do not believe in the impact of increased CO2 on global warming as it is a small (though rapidly growing) proportion of the atmosphere

Here are several unrelated analogies which may help point out why this is a fallacious argument. Consider these facts:
The amount of strychnine or arsenic needed to kill someone is very small. And the quantity of Novichok needed is miniscule.
The amount of CFCs and HCFCs is the atmosphere at their peak in the 1980s was tiny but the impact of these on the ozone layer was massive

There is well documented evidence of the effect of various greenhouse gases such as CO2 (amplified by H2O) and CH4.on global warming
It is an undeniable fact that other issues such as variations in solar activity also have an impact.

But that in no way negates from the evidence about the impact of greenhouse gases
Currently we are close to a solar minimum yet global temperatures keep rising.

 

[Steve R.]

Currently we are close to a solar minimum yet global temperatures keep rising.

Please explain the definition you are using for "solar minimum"?

Are you referring to to sunspot activity or the Sun's output of solar radiation?

It appears that there is a degree of interrelationship between sunspot activity and solar radiation. See the article: "Sunspots and climate". How scientifically accurate this article is, is unknown.

All this evokes the important question of how sunspots affect the Earth's climate. To answer this question, we need to know how total solar irradiance received by the Earth is affected by sunspot activity.

Intuitively one may assume the that total solar irradiance would decrease as the number of (optically dark) sunspots increased. However direct satellite measurements of irradiance have shown just the opposite to be the case. This means that more sunspots deliver more energy to the atmosphere, so that global temperatures should rise.

According to current theory, sunspots occur in pairs as magnetic disturbances in the convective plasma near the Sun's surface. Magnetic field lines emerge from one sunspot and re-enter at the other spot. Also, there are more sunspots during periods of increased magnetic activity. At that time more highly charged particles are emitted from the solar surface, and the Sun emits more UV and visible radiation. Direct measurements are uncertain, but estimates are that the Sun's radiant energy varies by up to 0.2% between the extremes of a sunspot cycle. Polar auroras are magnificent in years with numerous sunspots, and the �aurora activity� (AA) index varies in phase with the number of sunspots. Auroras are faint and rare when the Sun is magnetically quiescent, as during the Maunder minimum.

The periodicity of the sunspot number, and hence that of the circulation in the solar plasma, relates to the rotation of the Sun about the centre of gravity of whole solar system, taking 11.1 years on average. Sometimes the Sun is up to a million kilometres from that centre, and sometimes it more or less coincides, leading to different conditions of turbulence within the photosphere. The transition from one condition to the other affects the number of sunspots.

Not only does the increased brightness of the Sun tend to warm the Earth, but also the solar wind (a stream of highly energetic charged particles) shields the atmosphere from cosmic rays, which produce 14C. So there is more 14C when the Sun is magnetically quiescent. This explains why 14C samples from independently dated material are used as a way of inferring the Sun's magnetic history.

Recent research (3) indicates that the combined effects of sunspot-induced changes in solar irradiance and increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases offer the best explanation yet for the observed rise in average global temperature over the last century. Using a global climate model based on energy conservation, Lane et al (3) constructed a profile of atmospheric climate "forcing" due to combined changes in solar irradiance and emissions of greenhouse gases between 1880 and 1993. They found that the temperature variations predicted by their model accounted for up to 92% of the temperature changes actually observed over the period -- an excellent match for that period. Their results also suggest that the sensitivity of climate to the effects of solar irradiance is about 27% higher than its sensitivity to forcing by greenhouse gases.

It is unfortunate that the authors of this article did not factor out the effect of greenhouses gases since the premise of this article based on its title is the effect of sunspots on climate. Greenhouse gasses are irrelevant to this discussion. This makes the findings of the article confusing.

Wikipedia has this article: Solar activity and climate. The Wikipedia article concludes: "Patterns of solar irradiance and solar variation has been a main driver of climate change over the millennia to gigayears of the geologic time scale, but its role in the recent warming has been found to be insignificant."

I did run across other professional research titles where researchers where looking into this topic. But, they required logging into the their sites to read, so I skipped them.

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

You may or may not know that Elon Musk built a Giga factory in China in less than a Year, from the first footings to the first car out of the door!

You may have heard that he wants to build a mega factory in Germany, there's a small problem, there's some trees on the 750 Acre site and the environmentalists are stopping the development because they don't want the trees cut down! Here's a man building electric cars which will go a long way to curbing our carbon dioxide emissions, and the environmentalists are stopping him! You couldn't make it up! This should really be in the joke thread...