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Why should I believe the Harvard astrophysicist? She is, after all, among the academic elite that Williams and Stossel are spending so much time blasting.
I guess it just depends on which academic elite you choose to listen to.
Here is a column by Dr. Walter Williams I found very interesting. Especially
about the Global Warming some on this forum are so fond of. Wonder
why Gore didn't mention these points.
Help for Americans
By Walter E. Williams
Jun 7, 2006
John Stossel, ABC's "20/20" anchorman, has a recently released book about the various untruths we accept, many from the media and academic elite. The book is appropriately led "Myths, Lies and Downright Stupidity."
Being a longtime media insider, Stossel is well positioned to talk about the media's gross lack of understanding that often becomes part of the conventional wisdom. Stossel gives many examples; let's look at a few.
We're sometimes presented with television scenes of starving people, and it's often blamed on overpopulation. Ted Turner warned, "There are lots of problems in the world caused by too many people." News articles warn of "the population bomb" and the "tidal wave of humanity," and people call for subsidies for birth control.
Stossel says that one writer, worrying about Niger, said that birthrates must be reduced drastically or the world will face permanent famine. Viewers and readers are left with the idea that the problem is the number of people, but that's nonsense. Niger's population density is nine people per square kilometer; however, population density in the United States is 28 per square kilometer, Japan 340, the Netherlands 484, and Hong Kong 6,621. One would have to be brain-dead to argue that high population density causes poverty and starvation. A better argument is oppressive and corrupt governments.
Outsourcing destroys good jobs, and the new jobs created are inferior hamburger-flipping jobs. This myth is created by the likes of CNN's Lou Dobbs, who said, "This country has lost the ability to feed and to clothe itself, to build its own automobiles, to provide its appliances, its electronics, its computers." CNN correspondent Lisa Sylvester chimes, "The United States has been hemorrhaging manufacturing jobs."
First, since 1992 there's been a loss of 391 million jobs; however, during those years, America created 411 million new jobs, for a net gain of 20 million. A Dartmouth University Tuck School of Business study found that companies that send jobs abroad ended up hiring twice as many workers at home. Most new jobs created are higher-paid.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that two-thirds of the 30 fastest-growing occupations require high-skilled workers such as environmental engineers, software engineers, and service jobs in education and health care. As to the gripe about the loss of manufacturing jobs, I wonder how many textile workers ever wished to themselves, "I hope my little girl grows up to be a sewing machine operator"? I'm guessing their wish is their little girl becomes a nurse, a teacher or an accountant, all service jobs.
Hardly a day goes by without some kind of warning that mankind's use of fossil fuels, especially in the U.S., is causing global warming. Stossel looks at the numbers. Half of this century's global warming happened between 1900 and 1945. Stossel asks, "If man is responsible, why wasn't there much more warming in the second half of the century? We burned much more fuel during that time."
By the way, if there's global warming, it might be a godsend. According to Harvard astrophysicist Sallie Baliunas, added carbon dioxide helps plants grow. Warmer winters give farmers a longer growing season, and the warming might end the droughts in the Sahara desert.
There's another consideration. For the past 800,000 years, there have been periods of approximately 100,000 years called Ice Ages, followed by a period of 10,000 years, a period called Interglacial, followed by another Ice Age. We're about 10,500 years into the present Interglacial period, namely, we're 500 years overdue for another Ice Age. If indeed mankind's activity contributes to the planet's warming, we might postpone the coming Ice Age.
John Stossel's "Myths, Lies and Downright Stupidity" exposes the false basis for the public fright often caused by an uninformed media and academic elite. Exposure is precisely what's needed because politicians use public fright as a means to gain greater control over our lives.
Dr. Williams serves on the faculty of George Mason University in Fairfax, VA as John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics.
Copyright © 2006 Townhall.com
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Find this story at: http://www.townhall.com/opinion/colu...07/200020.html
Why should I believe the Harvard astrophysicist? She is, after all, among the academic elite that Williams and Stossel are spending so much time blasting.
I guess it just depends on which academic elite you choose to listen to.
They also invented nukes drugs and porn.... (Academia)...
Hometown, I thought you were from New York? Galveston,By the way, if there's global warming, it might be a godsend. According to Harvard astrophysicist Sallie Baliunas, added carbon dioxide helps plants grow. Warmer winters give farmers a longer growing season, and the warming might end the droughts in the Sahara desert.
oh an astrophysicist is an expert on the effects of global warming, btw
global warming = goodbye h-town, corpus christi, galveston, for example
does that mean the mosquito's will move further inland?
Hey Sallie maybe just telling you there are other consequences to global warming other than all those
dire consequences your favorite fellow, Gore, is preaching.
At least she has some credentials. What are yours?
Why should I believe her? Professor Williams just told me to distrust the media and academia. Why her?
I don't think he was telling you to believe her. He was just making
the point that no one bothered to cite her in any article in the main
stream press. His point being, I think, that the
media only gives you one side of the story, not the complete story.
I do. He's essentially saying that Stossel's book exposes much that is simply untrue. Williams bases his agreement with Stossel on the studies and opinions that he chooses to credit. In effect, he's saying that Stossel's right about the misinformation of the media and here's the proof to show that. But his own proof comes from the very circles that he says are perpetuating misinformation. If so, why then should one believe Williams' sources? Just because Williams says so? I mean, why is Walter Williams a credible source for determining what studies should be disregarded in talking about global warming? He's a professor of economics, not a scientist of any stripe. What the does he know about good science versus junk science?
There's an interesting theory that says small-particle pollution is masking many of the predicted effects of global warming. Some of the more compelling evidence was gathered during the groundings after 9/11.
Here's a link if you want to check it out.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sun/
I read that and about died. What the ? Sure, we'll have food in the Saharan desert. 99% of our technology is based upon current weather patterns, including the current locations of cities - it would be devastating in terms of lives lost and finances, but it's okay. The Saharan has food.By the way, if there's global warming, it might be a godsend. According to Harvard astrophysicist Sallie Baliunas, added carbon dioxide helps plants grow. Warmer winters give farmers a longer growing season, and the warming might end the droughts in the Sahara desert.
oh an astrophysicist is an expert on the effects of global warming, btw
global warming = goodbye h-town, corpus christi, galveston, for example
Should we really cheer that air pollution may contribute to global-dimming? Ok, so the earth won't be so hot so fast, but we'll all still be dead.There's an interesting theory that says small-particle pollution is masking many of the predicted effects of global warming. Some of the more compelling evidence was gathered during the groundings after 9/11
Shhhhhhh. We wouldn't want logic to seep into this thread.
Are you really that weak? If so how in the world do you live in Texas with
temps reaching 113 some summers. Funny part about that dan, it is not
that unusual. Has been happening ever since I was young'n. And that has
been a few years.
Wonder what we are going to do about the mean old volcano spewing all
the junk in the air. Any suggestions dan?
^^I understand we now have more forestland than ever in this history of our
country. And did you know that there are those that say trees contribute to
the polution of our air?
I'm not cheering anything, dumbass. If the theory holds true, the particulate pollution controls put into effect recently will lessen the dimming and accelerate global warming. I guess you'll be happy then.
Where the did you hear that? Clearing forests has an immediate effect on the atmosphere because the carbon stored within the trunk is immediately released into the atmosphere. The larger the tree, the more carbon it stores. That's the only negative effect on air pollution, except that the tree is no longer able to process the carbon released into the atmosphere as food.
All I know is that at this moment, as your lungs are pumping oxygen into your blood stream, you have a 30% chance that it came from the tropical rainforest tree. At the current rate of clearing, within 100 years those trees will be gone. That's 30% of the world's oxygen just gone.
But trees aren't important. They are the problem.
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