The Earth has been warming for the last 18,000 years as evidenced by the
fact that the average temperature has risen 16 degrees and the oceans have
risen 300 feet. The warming is nothing new. We have yet to reached the
average temperatures experienced during the medieval period. The hottest
know period in the Earths history was the Holocene period some 4- 7k years
ago, long before we were burning fossil fuels. So relax, we are in a normal
warm period despite the fact that some politicians and groups of
environmentalist scream doom to insure their funding and scare up votes from
the uninformed. I was around for the 7 year drought, it lasted from 1950 to
1957. Was it tough?Yes but we all survived. Since that time some of the
historic desert areas of Texas have had to be reclassified as Semi-arid
because of the fact the average rainfall as increase so much. . Carbon
dioxide is a nutrient that all carbon based life depends. Want to increase
the growth rate of plants? Give them more CO2. So again, spend more energy
on adapting and less on needless end of the World pessimism.

Cheers

JEM


"Jonny" wrote in message
link.net...
"Cindy" wrote in message
news
* OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote, On 8/23/2006 10:02 AM:


Pray for a hurricane, we need at least that much rain.

No kidding. :-(

So much for this year being bad for hurricanes!

Yeah right. ;-)

Geez, don't wish 'em on us just because you're not in the firing line...!

You're right of course. And, of course, this is one of the few solutions
for a quick fix to our lack of water problem. The other happened a few
years ago (July, 2001?), when the multi-day deluge overflowed all the
local major rivers in the region. A long term solution, weatherwise, I
don't see happening.

My concern at this point is drinking water, not irrigation for pretty
plants and lawns. Not only for myself, but the rest of the Central Texas
area. The drought may end next week, or extend itself through winter or
more. Latter is not a pretty thought. The last major drought was in 1954.
The difference is the amount of water, due to human population increase,
being drawn from wells, aquifers, and surface water sources. Another
difference, regarding weather, is the high pressure cells just sitting
over the region, preventing rainfall. I've seen no year to year history
on this by the weather service. I don't believe this is an oversight, but
a denial by muting. Politically motivated. See the climate changes
cyclical vs. carbon gas induced (global warming) debate. The weather
service is a U.S. owned service of the U.S. government.

BTW saw, as usual, the local high school football field being sprinkled
at 3:30 p.m here in Wimberley again. My lawn is almost entirely dormant
due to lack of irrigation, live just outside Wimberley proper. A wealthy
landowner had been pumping well water into a sizable pond to keep some
water in it, no visible reason, no horses/cattle are on this property. Am
sure there's similar happening in Austin in surrounding areas. Right now,
its not sustainable.

Any reports regarding local high school and their sports fields, and their
watering times is appreciated. I reported on this past January, and got
flak for local football fields are the exception blah, blah, blah as TX
loves football at this group. Guess what? The football players don't
care about the grass, they just want to play football.


This water problem may end tomorrow. And, as usual, the general
population will continue to use water prolifically, breed and make more
water users. The continued overbreeding is just as bad as wishing the
hurricanes. Both cause death and suffering, as in the long run, its not
sustainable. The difference being, the amount of humans is controllable,
the weather is not. But, what we do to the climate is controllable. Both,
from the population size standpoint, and energy usage from carbon gas
creating electrical plants, and the choices made day to day for energy
usage deriving electrical energy from those plants. All of which affect
the weather in the long term.

Sadly, we as nation may not be able to positively affect the climate.
Reason? U.S. gave and supported China for economic reasons.
(translation: corporate greed) China is building many coal fired electric
plants, and rapidly increasing for demand reasons.

All this is depressing etc., I admit. But emmotional perception doesn't
change a thing, it still exists. Ignoring for emmotional welfare
proliferates the problem in many ways.

Hurricance Katrina hurt alot of people. These people chose, knowingly or
unknowingly. to live in an area that is sinking or just below sea level as
that's where their parents or whatever lived. If you've received the
knowledge, and continue to live in the area, and expect others to help
you, not smart. I can't believe that the majority who choose to stay
there don't know this. MS area is similar, almost a flood plain as the
land rises very slowly from the sea. Rita was different, but, there are
many exceptions similar to those noted above.

Then, there's the "non-existent" global warming. The ice at the poles and
Greenland northern areas may melt, causing the sea level to increase by 30
ft or more, not taking into consideration thermal expansion of the oceans
increasing the sea level even more. If you've taken a drive around the
East Coast and Gulf Coast and paid attention to the homes and businesses,
you would see the potential for major loss of these and human life.

You're right, we shouldn't pray or wish for weather calamities to increase
our fresh water supply as others may get hurt or killed. We should
continue to live as usual, and kill our future.
--
Jonny