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newstfionline · 3 years

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Saturday, March 27, 2021

Texas death toll from February storm, outages surpasses 100 (AP) Texas officials on Thursday raised the death toll from February’s winter storm and blackouts to at least 111 people—nearly doubling the state’s initial tally following one of the worst power outages in U.S. history. The frigid weather also was blamed for dozens of more deaths across other Southern states including Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama. The majority of the Texas deaths are associated with hypothermia, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. And the dramatic number of new victims is still a potential undercount, as officials continue investigating deaths that happened around the time the storm knocked out power to more than 4 million customers in Texas. Many homes went without power or drinkable water for days after subfreezing temperatures, failing power plants and record demand for heat pushed Texas’ electric grid to the breaking point.

Former Mexican governor admits he took millions in bribes: U.S. prosecutor (AP) A former Mexican governor told a U.S. court that he took bribes in Mexico adding up to more than $3.5 million and used the money to buy real estate in the United States, a federal prosecutor said on Thursday. Tomas Yarrington, who governed the state of Tamaulipas from 1999 to 2005, admitted on Thursday to a charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering, acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Jennifer Lowery said in a statement. Yarrington faces up to 20 years in federal prison. The former governor was arrested in Italy in 2017 while traveling under an assumed name and was extradited to the United States in 2018.

Fresh Latin American lockdowns (Foreign Policy) Latin America’s vaccination champions, Chile and Uruguay, are among countries that announced new COVID-19 restrictions this week in response to surging cases. Uruguay cancelled public school classes through April 2 and closed nonessential government buildings until April 12; on Thursday, Chile began enforcing a strict quarantine, with groceries only allowed via delivery for regions home to more than 13 million people. In Brazil, which lost a record of more than 3,000 people to the virus in a single day this week, city governments across the country have announced new closure periods for nonessential businesses.

Bolsonaro under fire as Brazil hits 300,000 virus deaths (AP) Mere miles from Brazil’s presidential palace, the bodies of COVID-19 victims were laid on floors of hospitals whose morgues were overflowing. Lawmakers fielded calls from panicked constituents across the country, where thousands awaited intensive care beds, and they had no effective health minister to turn to Sunday. Brazil was in political disarray as it surpassed 300,000 deaths from the virus Wednesday evening. Foes and even some allies are pleading with the president to change course to stem a recent surge of daily deaths accounting for almost one-third of the total worldwide.

Migrant arrivals to Europe lower but deaths remain high (AP) The number of migrants and asylum-seekers who reached Europe in 2020 is the lowest it has been in the past decade, according to a report released Friday by the United Nations migration agency. But deaths and disappearances on sea routes remain alarmingly high with only a small fraction of bodies recovered and victims identified. Of the 93,000 people who entered Europe irregularly last year, roughly 92% did so via the Western, Central and Eastern Mediterranean Sea, as well as through the Atlantic Ocean off West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands, often on unseaworthy boats. The sea routes are lethal. The International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project has confirmed the death or disappearances of nearly 2,300 people last year. This number is higher than in 2019 when 2,095 victims were recorded and slightly lower than in 2018 which had 2,344.

France’s lockdown vice? Cheese (Reuters) French households feasted on cheese last year as they turned to home cooking and sought gastronomic comfort during coronavirus lockdowns that shuttered the restaurant trade. The amount of cheese purchased by French shoppers for at-home consumption increased by more than 8% in 2020, compared with just 2% the previous year, according to figures from farming agency FranceAgriMer and market data firm Kantar. That was part of a shift in food consumption in many countries last year as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, with households initially bulk buying staples like pasta and flour, and later settling into home-eating habits with extra purchases of products like butter. In France, mozzarella saw the steepest rise in demand among major cheese categories, with a 21% volume jump, followed by a 12% increase for raclette—a winter favourite eaten melted with potatoes and cured meats.

Ghani’s peace counterproposal (Foreign Policy) Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has formally rejected the new U.S. peace plan that calls for the formation of an interim government. Instead, he intends to announce an alternative plan that calls for early elections within six months, so long as the Taliban agree to a cease-fire. Ghani’s proposal is wholly unrealistic. Elections in Afghanistan take longer than six months to plan, and Afghans residing in areas under Taliban control—19 percent of roughly 400 districts—would be unable to vote. Intense violence would pose major challenges to turnout nationwide, and Ghani’s cease-fire precondition wouldn’t be met by the insurgents. They would demand much more than an election process that they already reject. Ghani likely intended to express protest against Washington’s plan rather than propose a genuine policy initiative. The Taliban have already rejected the proposal.

Bangladesh celebrates 50 years of independence (Foreign Policy) Bangladesh marks the 50th anniversary of its independence on Friday, and the country is celebrating in style. The revelry contrasts sharply with the bloody events that led to Bangladesh’s independence. When Pakistan became independent in 1947, present-day Bangladesh was one of its provinces, known as East Bengal and later East Pakistan. It bristled at its marginalization by the Pakistani government, and it advocated for more autonomy. With U.S. backing, Pakistan’s military sought to suppress nationalist sentiment and unleashed horrific levels of brutality in March 1971. Bangladesh declared its independence, and war raged into early December 1971, when India’s military invaded in support of the breakaway region. Pakistan surrendered two weeks later, formalizing Bangladesh’s independence. The exact scale of war casualties remains unknown: Estimates of the number of people killed range from 300,000 to 3 million. Fifty years after independence, Bangladesh has much to celebrate. It has been one of the world’s greatest economic growth stories, with average economic growth increasing steadily every decade since 1980. Its exports have risen by about 80 percent over the last 10 years, in dollar terms. Last October, the International Monetary Fund projected that its domestic GDP per capita in 2020 would exceed India’s.

Thailand approves quarantine waiver for tourists, orders more vaccines (Reuters) Thai authorities on Friday agreed to allow foreigners inoculated against the coronavirus to travel to its biggest holiday island without undergoing quarantine, and announced a new order for five million more doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine. With arrival numbers plummeting this past year, tourism-reliant Thailand is racing to secure vaccines for its population and reopen the country to foreigners in a pilot project for vaccine passports. “If we can inoculate 50% to 60% of the population we can open the country safely and move the economy and tourism forward,” senior health official Kiattiphum Wongraijit said.

China hits British lawmakers with new sanctions as spat with U.S. allies intensifies (Washington Post) China’s tit-for-tat sanctions war with the West escalated Friday as Beijing fired back against more than a dozen British politicians and entities that include the Conservative Party chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee amid growing international furor over Xinjiang and allegations of forced cotton production. The move came in response to joint Western sanctions against Chinese officials in Xinjiang earlier this week over their alleged role in the region’s human rights abuses. Britain, Canada, the United States and the European Union joined on Monday to announce travel bans and asset freezes against Chinese officials, including the former head of the Communist Party’s political affairs committee in Xinjiang. China vowed retaliation and this week announced sanctions against European politicians and researchers. Beijing followed up Friday by targeting British members of parliament. The British individuals and entities had “maliciously spread lies and disinformation” and they and their immediate family members would be banned from entering China or doing business with China, China’s Foreign Ministry said. The sanctions spat has been part of a momentous week in China’s foreign relations, with far-reaching implications. It has thrown the future of an investment deal between two economic giants—China and Europe—in doubt. It has shredded goodwill between China and the West, with Chinese diplomats and state media publicizing the Holocaust in Europe and slavery in the American South as examples of Western countries’ human rights records.

N Korea confirms missile tests as Biden warns of response (AP) North Korea on Friday confirmed it had tested a new guided missile, as President Joe Biden warned of consequences if Pyongyang escalates tensions amid stalled nuclear negotiations. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said the two “new-type tactical guided projectiles” accurately hit the target off the eastern coast on Thursday. Photos on the website of the North’s main Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed a missile lifting off from a transport erector launcher amid bright flames. Japanese officials said both weapons tested Thursday were ballistic missiles, which are prohibited by U.N. Security Council resolutions. According to South Korean officials, North Korea fired two other missiles on Sunday but they were likely cruise missiles, which are not banned.

Inside the secret data cell infiltrating jihadist networks (Le Monde/France) Over the past several years, the United States and 27 other countries have been quietly collaborating on an enormous, secret data cell aimed at fighting jihadist groups all over the world. Hidden from view in the quiet heat of Jordan, a vast data war is being waged. Ground zero is an American military base in the heart of the Hashemite kingdom, where for the past five years, a silent tracking system has been developed based on meticulous archives. The goal of this painstaking project? Identifying and consolidating the traces of every kind of jihadist fighter to pursue them in any way possible—including in the courts. This extraordinary project was long run by the Pentagon and kept completely under wraps. While it remains a confidential operation to this day, it’s been mentioned briefly by official sources across the Atlantic and by a few intelligence unit insiders in European media. Yet the undertaking was never disclosed to the public in detail. Today, Le Monde can reveal the origins and the modus operandi of what is known under the code name “Operation Gallant Phoenix” (OGP). The information held in the OGP is no ordinary data. It’s what specialists call “proof of war.” Essentially, this refers to any trace left on the web, social media or the field by jihadist groups, or anything found on their person when they are taken prisoner. Initially focused on al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) soldiers in the Iraqi-Syrian zone, the Gallant Phoenix network now encompasses all of their affiliates, stretching across Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya and elsewhere in Africa.

Israel’s Shadow War With Iran Moves Out to Sea (NYT) The sun was rising on the Mediterranean one recent morning when the crew of an Iranian cargo ship heard an explosion. The ship, the Shahr e Kord, was about 50 miles off the coast of Israel, and from the bridge they saw a plume of smoke rising from one of the hundreds of containers stacked on deck. The state-run Iranian shipping company said the vessel had been heading to Spain and called the explosion a “terrorist act.” The attack on the Shahr e Kord this month was just one of the latest salvos in a long-running covert conflict between Israel and Iran. An Israeli official said the attack was retaliation for an Iranian assault on an Israeli cargo ship last month. Since 2019, Israel has been attacking ships carrying Iranian oil and weapons through the eastern Mediterranean and Red Seas, opening a new maritime front in a regional shadow war that had previously played out by land and in the air. The Israeli campaign, confirmed by American, Israeli and Iranian officials, has become a linchpin of Israel’s effort to curb Iran’s military influence in the Middle East and stymie Iranian efforts to circumvent American sanctions on its oil industry. But the conflict’s expansion risks the escalation of what has been a relatively limited tit-for-tat.

Trains collide in southern Egypt, killing at least 32 (AP) Two trains collided on Friday in southern Egypt, apparently after someone activated the emergency brakes, killing at least 32 people and leaving 108 injured, Egyptian authorities said. Dozens of ambulances rushed to the scene in the southern province of Sohag, according to a statement by Egypt’s heath ministry. The wounded were transferred to four nearby hospitals. Their injuries included bone fractures, cut wounds and abrasions, the statement said. Egypt’s Railway Authorities said the accident happened when someone activated the emergency brakes of a passenger train that was headed to the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. The train stopped abruptly and was struck from behind by another train. The collision caused two cars from the first train to flip over. Egypt’s railway system has a history of badly maintained equipment and poor management. Official figures show that 1,793 train accidents took place in 2017 across the country.

Faulty cogs and their consequences (NYT) In our digital age, we can forget how fragile—and analog—the interconnected networks threading our world can be. But then there are moments when a faulty cog spins loose, the gears moving the heaving apparatus of the global economy shudder and we realize how suddenly things can go awry. That’s sort of what has happened in the Suez Canal, where a cargo tanker the size of a skyscraper found itself still marooned on Thursday. It has essentially choked off a narrow artery that sees the passage of about a tenth of all global shipping. A Dutch salvage company working on freeing the ship, the MV Ever Given, said it could take “weeks” to pull it loose from its beached landing—an unprecedented blockage in recent years. Meanwhile, at least 150 ships attempting the crossing from Asia to Europe, or vice versa, are facing delays. Those tankers, carrying everything from oil and cement to consumer goods and live animals, are trapped in a traffic jam whose trickle-down effects could reach every corner of the planet.

Ethiopia says Eritrea agrees to withdraw troops from Tigray (AP) Ethiopia’s prime minister said Friday that Eritrea has agreed to withdraw its forces from the Tigray region, where witnesses have described them looting, killing and raping civilians. The statement by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office comes after intense pressure from the United States and others to address the deadly crisis in Tigray. Abiy’s statement after a visit to Eritrea said that Ethiopian forces will take over guarding the border areas “effective immediately.” Abiy only in the past week has acknowledged the presence of soldiers from Eritrea, long an enemy of the Tigray leaders who once dominated Ethiopia’s government.

#headlines #news

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janetchavezcom · 5 years

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25 Interesting Facts About Iceland

Fascinating Facts About Iceland

Iceland Facts

If you’re looking for cool facts about Iceland, you won’t believe some of this stuff! Did you know Icelanders leave their babies outside, they like to eat rotten sharks, and there’s an app to prevent dating your cousin?

Tourism has exploded recently, and the Nordic island country of Iceland now entertains more than 2 million visitors annually.

This is no surprise considering that Iceland’s diverse topography enables people to visit beaches, glaciers and waterfalls, along with going whale watching and a rare opportunity to see the mysterious Northern Lights.

But there are many other fascinating facts about Iceland to discover too. Here are 25 interesting things about the Land of Fire and Ice that you may not have known before! Plus some general information that can be useful for planning a trip.

Feel free to share these facts at your next cocktail party, to make you look smart.

Intriguing Facts About Iceland

1. There Aren’t Many People

If you’re like me, you love traveling to places that aren’t overly crowded. Iceland is definitely good for this, as long as you steer clear of the Reykjavik area. The population of Iceland is only 339,462, with more than a third of those people living in the capital city. Iceland is almost the size of Kentucky, which has 4.4 million residents. (Source: WorldOMeters)

2. Iceland Is An Eco-Friendly Country

I was very impressed to learn that the vast majority of Iceland’s power supply comes from geothermal and hydro energy. In other words, this is a country that has clean power and a small carbon footprint. Iceland’s scientists are currently working on a way to harness more geothermal energy as part of a plan that could change the entire world. (Source: Time Magazine)

3. They Believe In Elves & Trolls

Surveys indicate that 54.4 percent of the nation believes in the existence of invisible elves & trolls, with many others being at least open to the possibility. I didn’t see any evidence of these creatures during my trip to Iceland, but you never know what you might find. (Source: The Atlantic)

4. McDonald’s Doesn’t Exist In Iceland

Once upon a time, you could dine at one of Iceland’s few McDonald’s restaurants. This changed in 2009, and the Golden Arches don’t appear set to make a return at any point in the near future. I was pleased by this fact, but don’t worry; there are several other fast food chains in Iceland. (Source: The Reykjavik Grapevine)

5. Iceland Is One Of The Safest Countries

Coming from the U.S., I was pleasantly surprised by how rare violent crimes are in Iceland. How rare, you ask? The country was completed rocked by an unprecedented number of murders in 2017: four. In a typical year, there’s an average of 1.6 murders and a very low instance of other violent or drug-related crimes. (Source: The Guardian)

6. Only 2 Percent of the Country is Forestland

This interesting fact is also one of the few things about Iceland that’s not idyllic. Before the Vikings plundered Iceland, 40 percent of the nation was covered in trees. Now, that number is only 2 percent, although reforestation efforts are underway. (Source: Treehugger)

7. There Are 30 Active Volcanoes

I’m fascinated by volcanoes and was excited to see some of them during my trip to Iceland. There are approximately 130 total volcanoes, and 30 of them are active. Scientists have gotten so good at predicting volcanic eruptions that the risk to residents and tourists is minimal. (Source: Guide to Iceland)

8. Iceland Is Mosquito-Free!

Mosquitoes can make life miserable at times in the U.S., so I was thrilled to find out that Iceland is one of the world’s few mosquito-free environments. No matter what time of year you visit, you won’t have to worry about these pests. It’s surprising that the population of Iceland isn’t higher for this one reason alone. (Source: The New York Times)

9. Icelanders Love Books

I’m a big reader and felt very welcome in Iceland as a result. The country loves books so much that they celebrate every December with the Christmas Book Flood. It’s traditional for families to exchange books and spend most of Christmas reading them. (Source: NPR)

10. There Are No Traditional Last Names

When a child is born in Iceland, they don’t get the same last name as either of their parents. Instead, their last name is derived from their father or mother’s first name. Musician Björk provides us with a good example. Her father’s first name is Guðmundur. Björk’s full name is Björk Guðmundsdottir, which means daughter of Guðmundur. (Source: Culture Trip)

11. Hollywood Movies Are Very Popular

When I wanted a taste of American life, I simply had to go to the movies. Icelanders love Hollywood films, which makes it easy to find several popular movies at every theater. (Source: Iceland Magazine)

12. Iceland Is An Egalitarian Society

Iceland takes the idea of equality very seriously. It’s considered to be the most feminist country in the world and also has a long history of being very accepting of the LGBTQ community. Additionally, only 3 percent of the country falls outside the middle class. (Source: The Guardian)

13. Temperatures Are Usually Mild

I don’t like spending a lot of time in the heat. Iceland was a perfect choice for summertime travel as the average high temperature is only 57 degrees Fahrenheit. The overnight average summer low is 44 degrees, so it never gets too cold, either. (Source: Weather Spark)

14. Babies Nap Outside Alone

You probably won’t have to worry about listening to a baby cry inside any restaurants in Iceland. It shocked me at first, but it’s a common practice to leave babies outside in their strollers. You’ll see this all over the country, including after the temperature drops below freezing. (Source: The Reykjavik Grapevine)

15. People Swim Outside In The Winter

One thing that’s really useful about having geothermal water is that you can go swimming no matter how cold it is outside. There are also outside hot tubs that maintain a temperature of at least 86 degrees Fahrenheit at all times. (Source: Culture Trip)

16. You Can Visit A Very Odd Museum

Before I went to Iceland, I’d never imagined that there would be an entire museum dedicated to penises. Even odder, the collection of 200 penises on display at the Phallological Museum supposedly includes specimens from mythological creatures such as trolls. (Source: Slate)

17. There Are No Trains In Iceland

Travelers are often used to riding the rails, but that’s not going to happen in Iceland. Because the country doesn’t have a public railway, I had to rely on taxis, planes and buses. Be sure to book taxis in advance whenever possible. (Source: Lonely Planet)

18. Homemade Ice Cream Is Everywhere

Iceland’s unofficial national sweet treat is definitely ice cream. People wait in long lines for it daily, regardless of weather conditions. After trying some of their homemade ice cream, I can see why; it’s delicious! (Source: Nordic Visitor)

19. Iceland Once Hunted Male Witches

Iceland may seem idyllic in many ways, but the country does have a dark history. Just like the U.S. and many parts of Europe, Iceland went through a period of witch hunts from 1654 to 1690. Only one woman was prosecuted as a witch during this time because men were the primary targets. (Source: What’s On)

20. Iceland Elected The First Female President

As previously mentioned, Iceland leads the world in feminism. Unsurprisingly, the country was also the first to elect a female president. Icelanders also elected an openly gay woman as their prime minister in 2009. (Source: The Guardian)

21. Iceland Is A Youngster

In terms of landform, Iceland is the world’s youngest country. Going along with this fact, Iceland was also the last European nation to be settled. However, don’t be fooled by Iceland’s youthfulness as it’s still approximately 25 million years old. (Source: Go Icelandic)

22. Most Of The Country Is Uninhabited

Due to Iceland’s unique topography, only 20 percent of it is actually inhabited. Many of the uninhabited areas can be visited, but I highly recommend registering your plans with ICE-SAR first. This is the best way to get help if something goes wrong. (Source: Island.is)

23. Iceland Has No Military

Iceland doesn’t have a military and has only fought in one conflict. The Cod Wars were a power struggle with Great Britain for exclusive fishing rights to the water within 200 miles of Iceland’s shoreline. Iceland won after attacking their enemy’s fishing nets with scissors. (Source: Atlas Obscura)

24. Icelandic Students Learn Three Languages

Icelandic students are taught their native language, along with English and Dutch. It’s estimated that at least 80 percent of young students can understand basic English, and some people claim that as many as 98 percent of adults are fluent in multiple languages. I had no problems communicating with everyone I encountered in Iceland. (Source: Statistics Ireland)

25. There’s An App To Prevent Dating Your Cousin

Because Iceland’s population is so small, there’s a slight issue with everyone being related. This can be a problem in the local dating scene. So there’s a smartphone app called Íslendinga-App that lets Icelanders check if they are related or not. The company’s slogan is “Bump the app before you bump in bed.” I thought this was pretty funny! (Source: MentalFloss)

No matter what you’re interested in, you’re likely to find it in Iceland. The stargazing is breathtaking, the local cuisine is unusual and locals are often happy to share one of the area’s entertaining legends and myths.

TRAVEL PLANNING INFORMATION FOR ICELAND

Book A Flight: Learn how I find the cheapest airline flights Rent A Car: RentalCars.com is a great site for comparing car prices Find A Hotel: My tips for booking affordable accommodation Protect Your Stuff: WorldNomads.com can insure your trip & gear Iceland Travel Guide: Lonely Planet Iceland Suggested Reading: The Little Book Of Hidden People

READ MORE FROM ICELAND

My Golden Circle Day Trip Guide Helpful Tips For Driving In Iceland 7-Day Iceland Ring Road Itinerary Iceland’s Best Photography Locations

Are you planning a trip to Iceland? What do you think about these Iceland facts? Drop me a message in the comments below!

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

from Tips For Traveling https://expertvagabond.com/iceland-facts/

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decaffeinatedlightluminary-blog · 7 years

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A Very Convenient Lie

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A Very Convenient Lie

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Global Warming is hailed as the new cause for this generation to fight against, to unite us all to save the world from. But is this a genuine threat to our world or is this just another scientific fad that is being over popularized by the media. In my opinion the only thing getting hotter is the rhetoric. Today the theory of global warming is taught much the same way that the theory of evolution has been taught; from the basis that it is an accepted fact, not just one of many scientific theories. The main figurehead of the global warming movement is widely recognized as former Vice President Al Gore, who gained notoriety for his docudrama An Inconvenient Truth. This article will address not only the alleged facts of the film, but also the motivations behind the making of this film and the blatant hypocrisy that is Al Gore.

Global warming has little to do with saving the planet, and much more to do with controlling the population through taxation and fees. The cornerstone of the global warming argument is a report published in 1995 by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (I.P.C.C.), supported by over 2,500 scientists it reports that the global warming we are seeing today may not be natural. Governments around the globe have referenced this report to guide policy affecting everything from our use of “fossil fuels” to taxes and fees. In the United Kingdom “green taxes” have been imposed netting the government over £21.9 billion in revenues in 2005. (Watson, 2007) The State of California has added an $11.00 per-year fee on registering late model cars, trucks, and SUV’s. This fee is in order to fund “alternative fuel research” with 17 Million new cars sold in California each year and the law affecting cars over six years old or newer. Now California stands to make billons in new revenue thanks to the global warming hysteria. This hysteria is supported by the weather, according to the alarmist if it is unseasonably warm; it’s because of global warming, if it’s too cold that’s global warming too. Hurricanes, tornados, earth quakes, and all other natural occurring acts of nature have all been tied to global warming according to the doomsters. Radicals like Al Gore would like to raise energy prices so high that many of Americas working poor would not be able to afford at in the winter, when pressed on this real issue his response is “It’s going to save you money, and it’s going to make the economy stronger.” (Shogren, 2007) Global Warming is more about expanding governmental powers, then saving the world.

In the 1970’s the scientific consensus was that the world was quickly being plunged into a new ice age Time and Newsweek magazines printed articles about the impending ice age that was going to freeze the majority of the United States and Europe. Newsweek’s story The cooling world published in April 1975 was urging governments to start long term economic planning and stockpiling of supplies. The alarmists point out how thousands died in a heat wave in France and blame global warming caused by human accelerated climate change as the reason for this tragedy. However, climate change was not cited when a cold snap killed 25,000 people in the UK soon after (Monckton, 2007). In a span of thirty years, the world has gone from an impending ice age to a state of global warming. A recent article in National Geographic magazine points out that 36 million years ago the earth was far hotter than our current temperatures (Shea, 2008). The preachers of the new faith of climate change seem to forget the fact that the earth has historic patterns of warm and cold cycles, not brought on by man.

Al Gore and other alarmists are profiting both politically and financially from the creation of the global warming catastrophe, and what of this scientific consensus. If you read the book or watch the film An Inconvenient Truth, you would think that all scientists agree that the world is warming. However many have rejected the idea Indeed, many scientists now say that there has been no discernible human effect on temperature at all (Monckton, 2007) .

The much quoted I.P.C.C. report and the backbone of the Global Warming religion shows a total increase of just 0.6 degrees in the entire 20th century. The fact is that the entire globe is not rising at a steady temperature; regions of the world are actually cooling. Greenland has cooled at a much faster rate, and at a shorter time period then the I.P.C.C. reported rise of 0.6 degrees. Cooling at a rate of 2.2 degrees per decade since measurements started in 1987, Greenland may be the most compelling evidence that there is some form of clement change happening unfortunately for Al Gore it is trending in the wrong direction (Petr Chylek, 2004).

In my opinion, the best evidence that global warming is more about creating hysteria and revenue generation is that there are countless intellectuals, scholars, and politicians that have compelling evidence against global warming, and they are not selling DVD’s. “The best evidence supporting natural causes of temperature fluctuations are the changes in cloudiness, which correspond strongly with regular variations in solar activity. The current warming is likely part of a natural cycle of climate warming and cooling that’s been traced back almost a million years. It accounts for the Medieval Warm Period around 1100 A.D., when the Vikings settled Greenland and grew crops, and the Little Ice Age, from about 1400 to 1850 A.D., which brought severe winters and cold summers to Europe, with failed harvests, starvation, disease, and general misery” (Singer, 2007)

Dr. John Christy, professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Alabama at Huntsville said: “I remember as a college student at the first Earth Day being told it was certain that by the year 2000, the world would be starving and out of energy. Such doomsday prophecies grabbed headlines, but have proven to be completely false” (Stossel, 2007).

The United Nations I.P.C.C. report according to Gore says that “The vast majority of scientists agree that global warming is real, it’s already happening and that it is the result of our activities and not a natural occurrence. ” However when you read the report it says that a group of scientists stated that “this era of global warming is unlikely to be entirely natural in origin” (I.P.C.C., 1995). But what does Al Gore have to gain from this manipulation? Power, fame, influence, what sparked Al Gore to become the environmentalist? It was not his love of nature, and clean technology.

Al Gore has been profiting from the environment for a number of years, as matter of fact his family has a long history of working with the environment. Most of it has been extracting oil and minerals out of the ground, while destroying the surrounding environment he loves so dearly. The Gore family trust has owned as much as a quarter of a million to one million dollar in Occidental Oil Company stock (Silverstein, 2000). “Nowhere is Al Gore’s environmental hypocrisy more glaring than when it comes to his relationship with Occidental (petroleum). While on the one hand talking tough about his “big oil” opponents and waxing poetic about indigenous peoples in his 1992 book “Earth in the Balance,” the Elk Hills sale and other deals show that money has always been more important to Al Gore than ideals.” Elk Hills is tied to the most famous bribery scandal in U.S. history, the Tea Pot Dome Scandal of 1922. Tea Pot Dome was the name of one of the oil fields that Albert Fall was bribed into leasing to Pan-American Petroleum (the company now known as ARCO), the other was Elk Hills. “Gore succeeded where Albert Fall failed in selling the Navy’s 47,000 acre reserve to Occidental Oil 75 years later; giving Occidental an 87 percent increase in the first quarter of 1997 and causing the Gore family stock to sky rocket” (Mesler, 2000).

While Al Gore and his cronies tell Americans and the world that conservation is the key to slowing global warming; he and his wife live in a 10,000-square foot home in Nashville, Tennessee, this home consumes 20 times the energy of an average American home (Williams, 2007). Al Gore also maintains a 4,000-square-foot residence in Arlington, VA, and a third home in Carthage Tenn. (home of the families Zinc mine). “While there are green energy programs in both Tennessee and Virginia that cost just a few extra pennies per kilowatt hour, public records show that Gore has yet to sign any of his properties up for such programs. Gore seems have failed at even convincing his own party to go green as the Democratic National Committee also has yet to pay the additional two pennies a kilowatt hour (as of 2006)” (Schweizer, 2006).

The Gore family home in Carthage is also home to one of the dirtiest zinc mines in the United States, and Al Gore was receiving $20,000 per month up until 2003 from Pasminco Zinc a company that has been cited for polluting the nearby Caney Fork River. Al Gore has profited over the lifetime of the mine to the tune of over $570,000. Now the mining did stop in 2003, but not because Gore was upset about the environmental impact, the mineral rights lease ran out. In a letter Gore wrote to Pasminco he said, “We would like for you to engage with us in a process of ensure that the mine becomes a global example of environmental best practices”. Gore was silent for nearly thirty years of mining while Pasminco Zinc released toxic substances into local waterways (Theobald, 2006). In all that time Al gore never spoke out against the mine, never worked to clean it up, never refused the money, in the end he did was he always does, he wrote a letter. Actions do speak louder than words.

For many global warming is defining this generation, it is being touted as the new evil we should rise up and conquer. But this is not Communism or a Fascist Nazi party imposing its ideals on our allies. It is a theory touted by men who will profit from it. We as Americans should strive to be more informed and find out the reason why men like Gore are so intent on pushing this theory…Because it is profitable and has netted Al Gore not only renewed political relevance, but a Nobel peace prize, and redemption for his presidential campaign loss. While we should be good stewards of this earth, we should also beware of false truths, global warming has become the new religion of the socialist movement and it has dangerous implications for our country and world.

Resources:

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Shea, N. (2008, February) Hot Penguin, National Geographic Magazine.

William, N (2007, February) Gores Personal energy Use is his own “Inconvenient Truth” Tennessee Center for Policy Research.

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Newsweek. (1975, April 28). The Cooling World. Newsweek , p. 64.

Petr Chylek, J. E. (2004). Global Warming and The Greenland Ice Sheet. Climatic Change Kluwer Academic Publishers. , 201-221.

Schweizer, P. (2006, December 7). Gore isn’t quite as green as he’s led the world to believe. USA Today .

Sheehan, J. M. (1996, July). United Nations’ Experts Doctor Evidence. Retrieved November 23, 2007, from Our Civilisation: http://www.ourcivilisation.com/aginatur/hot.htm

Shogren, E. (2007, March 22). Al Gore Testifies Before Congress on Global Warming. NPR , pp. 13-16.

Silverstein, K. (2000, May 22). Gore’s Oil Money . The Nation .

Singer, S. F. (2007, March 19). A Review Of ‘The Great Global Warming Swindle’ . Retrieved November 24, 2007, from Our Civilisation: http://www.ourcivilisation.com/aginatur/swindle.htm

Stossel, J. (2007, April 20). The Global Warming Myth? Retrieved November 24, 2007, from ABC News: http://www.abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3061015

Theobald, B. (2006, April). Environmentalist Gore allowed zinc mine. Retrieved November 23, 2007, from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-18-goremine_N.htm

Watson, S. (2007, September 4). The Global Warming Tax Scam Kicks In. Infowars.net .

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