Paul’s Blog

This post is a little off topic in the sense that it is not specifically about climate change.

This article details how air pollution has been on the decline for decades, yet the media continue to spout doomsday scenarios about the quality of our air and the potential deleterious health effects we are going to suffer. An excellent example of the poor nature of environmental reporting.

Here is a link to an article discussing a study done of Neptune that shows the gas giant heating up as a result of increased solar activity. The authors go a step farther and show that warming on Earth strongly correlates to this same solar output. Is it really too far fetched to think that it might be the sun causing Earth’s climate change and not man? As far as we know, there hasn’t been in increase in SUV’s and coal-fired power plants on Neptune in recent decades, yet Neptune is showing the same type of warming we are seeing here on Earth (albeit with a decade delay due to the larger size and increased distance from the sun).

I have resisted to this point posting about global warming on other planets since the global warming that has been observed on Mars might be attributable to other factors than the sun’s output (sandstorms, albedo changes, etc.). However, this information about Neptune seems to show that solar activity and global warming are strongly linked. The link between warming and manmade CO2 is not nearly as strong. As has been mentioned on numerous occasions, the temperature record seems to show the temperature on Earth going up first, then the carbon dioxide levels rising about 800 years later. Here is some evidence that provides a mechanism for global warming that seems to make much more sense.

Ok, I admit I am getting a bit whizzed up about the “Galactus is going to be a cloud” thing in the new FF movie. However, it did inspire me to sketch this portrait of the “Devourer of Worlds” wielding the Power Cosmic…as usual click on the image to see a larger version.

Here is a Silver Surfer sketch I did in anticipation of the new Fantastic Four movie. However, I have heard that Galactus is going to be portrayed by a storm cloud. Seriously. Is this the best they can do? I envision the movie going something like this.

As usual, click on the image for a larger version.

How ’bout those Warriors? First 8th-seeded team to knock off the #1 seed since the first round went to 7 games in 2003. The first 8th seed to knock off a 67-game winning team. What a great third quarter! Where was Dirk Nowitzki? Can Stephen Jackson shoot or what?

Of course, Baron Davis was incredible, especially playing with a sore leg. I look forward to watching Yao Ming try and lumber up and down the court against these guys if they can get by Utah.