Aloha Daze

Happy New Year! For my vacation this year, I left Hawaii to visit friends and family in Dallas, Texas.

So, just to clarify… I left 78 degree weather for the ice box that was Dallas.

But I did enjoy the first White Christmas in about 80 years in Dallas. And – of course – the visits and down-time.

Also, a real appreciation for tropical temperatures. ‘Cause, baby, it’s COLD in Big D!

RLR

People always look at me strangely when I say that line (”Stop global cooling! Burn a tree today!”)

Now, I have reason to say it more often. From Michael R. Fox Ph.D., at HawaiiReport.com:

The year 2008 marked the tenth consecutive year of no global warming. This is not widely reported or known. In fact the Earth has been cooling for the last 6 years.

I just love it when real smart people have a bad case of “wait a minute… something ain’t right.” Like these:

1. “I am a skeptic. … Global warming has become a new religion.” – Nobel Prize winner for physics Ivar Giaever.

2. “Anyone who claims that the debate is over and the conclusions are firm has a fundamentally unscientific approach to one of the most momentous issues of our time.” – Solar physicist Dr. Pal Brekke, senior adviser to the Norwegian Space Centre in Ohio.

3. “It is a blatant lie put forth in the media that makes it seem there is only a fringe of scientists who don’t buy into anthropogenic global warming.” – U.S. government atmospheric scientist Stanley B. Goldenberg of the Hurricane Research Division of NOAA.

4. “After reading (U.N. IPCC Chairman) Pachauri’s asinine comment (comparing skeptics to) Flat Earthers, it’s hard to remain quiet.” – Climate statistician Dr. William M. Briggs.

5. “All those urging action to curb global warming need to take off the blinkers and give some thought to what we should do if we are facing global cooling instead.” – Geophysicist Dr. Phil Chapman, an astronautical engineer and former NASA astronaut, serving as staff physicist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

6. “The (global warming) scaremongering has its justification in the fact that it is something that generates funds.” – Award-winning paleontologist Dr. Eduardo Tonni, of the Committee for Scientific Research in Buenos Aires and head of the Paleontology Department at the University of La Plata.

7. “Earth has cooled since 1998 in defiance of the predictions by the U.N.-IPCC. … The global temperature for 2007 was the coldest in a decade and the coldest of the millennium … which is why ‘global warming’ is now called ‘climate change.’” – Climatologist Dr. Richard Keen of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Colorado.

Read the whole thing:
2008: Another Grim Year for the Global Warmers

RLR

A brief electrical storm was all it took to knock the power out across the Hawaiian island of Oahu tonight. (I’m posting from remaining battery life in my laptop.)

This probably wouldn’t receive any sort of national attention. Hey, it’s just that 50th state. Nevermind them.

Except…

oops… Obama is still on the island.

Think it’ll make national news now?

I’ll try and make any updates from PDA or via Qik video entries. Otherwise, we’re all OFFline on the island.

RLR

It is my sad duty to report that Michael Crichton has died at the young age of 66.

I’ve been a very, very big fan of Crichton for years after my dad introduced me to the author in the years before “Jurassic Park” was a movie. After reading “Park,” I went on to find and read every novel that Crichton had ever written. I regret that I haven’t made the time to read the last couple of his novels – “State of Fear” and “Next.” Certainly that is something I need to correct.

For more on the life of the man with many talents, visit the Michael Crichton website [which seems to be currently down] at MichaelCrichton.net, or the WikiPedia entry.

Thanks for the great stories, Michael. You’ll be missed.

RLR

Yes, it’s true. Global Warming is to blame for just about everything.

And now… The next time you feel sick, tell the boss you can’t come to work today. Global Warming gave you a cold!

RLR

In Hawaii legend, rain is considered a blessing from the gods.

On Black Friday – the Friday after Thanksgiving – the people of Hawaii celebrated the win of the University of Hawaii Warriors football team, as they won the WAC championship at Aloha Stadium for the first time since they joined the WAC twenty-nine years ago. It was, arguably, the best game in the history of the University.

Minutes later, in Honolulu, the showers that were forming came together, and the rain fell.

The blessings were well received by everyone.

RLR

Hurricane Dean up to a category 5? Ouch. Look out, this one may hurt.

Am I the only one thinking that New Orleans has dodged a bullet? Can you imagine the damage that would be inflicted if Dean were to hit New Orleans?

At least that would give the conspiracy theorists something to do. They could blame President Bush for steering another hurricane to New Orleans. The city mayor and state governor could play the game of “I have no common sense” again, while Senator ColdCash would be borrowing a boat to retrieve his bribe money.

The city would lose. The people would lose. The state would lose.

No real winners. But somehow the liberal Dems would find a way to blame President Bush for it all.

Or maybe they’ll just blame Karl Rove. Yeah. Must be Rove. Or Rush Limbaugh. (Rush runs the country anyway, right?)

See? I could be a liberal nutroot Democrat! All I have to do is see conspiracies everywhere by the Bush Administration, ignore facts and common sense, and harp about global warming. Simple!

RLR