Not so fast landbeyond. You are incorrect about what other scientists and climatologists are saying right now and perhaps are unaware of recent data updates. You may wish to review the 2013 iPCC report which is one of the most conservative international and internationally recognized panels on climate change globally. The Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change's forcast has been drastically modified sine their sobering predictions in 2007 (based on data accrued in 2005?

Of note is their forecast for potential reduction in human population by 65% or more by 2040 and the potential for eradication of over 75% of the world's species in a few decades if we did nothing.

What is both terrifying and alarming is that this very conservative group is trying to put the most optimistic spin on the events in the next 4 decades and THIS forecast is the BEST AND MOST HOPEFUL they have come up with.

You can download the IPCC ANALYSIS as a pdf file.

That report IGNORES the positive feedback loop of methane gas releasing from the Arctic Ocean in 2010 and the change in both volume and size of the vents as reported by NASA in 2013. The marine vent size was voted as significant in both numbers and size in 2010 with many as large as 30cm wide. Last year, NASA. Recorded from space, a vent that was over 150 km. (yes, kilometers). Wide.

Methane release in large volumes has been feared and serves as a bellweather for runaway global warming.

I am not sure of how accurate McPherson's timetable is, and since the dates of certain catastrophes have been shortened to occur within decades, as opposed to centuries, we may be facing our own extinction. IF this is even remotely possible, several things are almost 100% certain:

1. For the sake of social stability, the public will never be told because even short term stability will be preferable to panic and self sabotage.

2. Governmental bodies will attempt to put the most benign spin on events (to minimize panic and protect yhose short term interests soooo business as usual)*

3. Many people will not connect the dots and will be in denial. ( the alternative is too scary and horrific to believe)

4. Propaganda which focuses on distraction and misinformation and capitalizes on denial will be the rule not the exception... And the masses will buy this until foodstore shortages and/or cilmatic catastrophes become much more blatant (as in occurring in the West such as Europe, North America? (distractions= war, conflict, disease and famines anywhere except the West)

5. Scientists will acknowledge that the bellweather sign of the Arctic ocean being ice floe free in September is routinely occurring. **

6. even if the sky is falling or catching fire, or the earth is gapping open or sea levels rise, the majority of people will neither be able to grasp or accept the idea of human extinction. It is much to horrible to contmplate.

______________________________________________________________________________

THINGS TO KEEP WATCHING

1. Countries abandoning their pursuit of oil. (because they have more immediate worries like foodstores and water). why are we abandoning Iraq again?

2. Increase in methane release and even more errratic weather patterns

3. Nonsensical retrement of government officials and their subsequent move out of their countires

4. People with means deciding to buy property and land in the Southern hemisphere (like Paraguay)

5. People of means getting or seeking dual citizenships ESPECIALLY TO AUSTRALIA OR NEW ZEALAND

6. Emptying store shelves, decrease in well known and seemingly stable brands of product

7. Increase in mass murders, mass shootings and murder suicide incidences ( self and species driven termination)

8. exponential increase in land prices where land is arable and rainfall at present is plenty.

9. Censor or decrease in climate related apocalyptic movies. ( this includes modifying allowed media to be either comedic like"2012" or incongrous like World WarZ----this is because inciting the masses to panic is a crime, entertaining or defusing disaster movies to trivialize is acceptable?

* the most benign spin on things is still over 50% of human population destroyed within less than 10 - 20 years)

**the ARCTIC ocean is predicted to be free of ice floes by September 2015--- this is about 65 years sooner than previously predicted.

Finally, if denial is comfort and ignorance is bliss, then if Guy McPherson is correct or even close, many people will certainly be alive to have the mother of all "what the _______". Moments.

Please excuse my typos I am on my ipad.

DAM -- I used the gini coefficient to show some of the complexities in understanding economies. For example, a simple concept like a maximum income is not one of the components of a vibrant economy. I cannot begin to explain the details of the gini coefficient. You should just look at the beauty of the equations in wikipedia. I did create a spreadsheet to compute it for various trials and errors.

Some of the limit values of the gini coefficient could be informative. If one is computing the Gini coefficient for income, then a value of zero would mean everyone has the same income. If the value is one, that means that one person has all the income.

OU -- You lose the bet by 5 years.

If one describes how much better a particular country is for certain things, e.g. healtcare, that does not mean one wants to move there that means we should copy their policy for our country.

Another thing, unless you are very rich no other country wants you.

Back on topic, I have to agree with Thom. Not only with suicide but just general health I think he is right on target. Let's face it even if you are determined to ride out a dismal time certainly you are just not going to care as much about your own general health as you would during good times. That puts a tremendous strain on any health care system and it is unnecessary. We need to be more conscious in this country about the overall affect our governing organization has on the well being of its citizens. It is, after all, in the best interest of everyone.

Hi guys. Sorry I've been gone so long but my system went down over the weekend and it took me this long to troubleshoot and repair it.

ChicagoMatt ~ Thanks for the reference to Jacob's book. It sounds truly interesting and I'm going to have to check it out first chance I get. Someone should really consider making it into a movie. Bill Maher comes to mind. He'd probably jump at the chance.

Palindromedary ~ I thought you might enjoy post #40. Great stuff to throw back into the face of the Burble thumpers. Also, thanks for all the dirt on Walt Disney. You sure are an information blood hound. Well done!

chuckle8 ~ I think it might really help if you explain the "gini coefficient". I probably could do my own google search; however, I'm too burned out from troubleshooting, moving furniture and swapping cables to have the energy right now. Besides, you brought it up. If I'm clueless to what that is Kend probably is too.

Aliceinwonderland ~ I know how you feel. Usually a good walk in the park clears my head in these matters. Then I usually come back refreshed and with less anger then when I left. It's hard to trip on some of the thoughtless things some people say on this blog after listening to birds sing for an hour or so.

Kend ~ Speaking of thoughtless things I haven't forgot about you. You and your friends seem to be rallying up a lot of aggression and resentment with your less than profound comments. Also, you seem to be skimming over many responses and then asking the same dumb questions over and over again. Very annoying to say the least. Perhaps you skimmed over post #40. Did you know that it is perfectly acceptable within Biblical law for us Americans to purchase you as a slave? That's right! You might want to watch yourself if you don't want to find yourself making us breakfast in bed and scrubbing the stains out of our underwear. But, then again, you seem to have no problem with hard work at slave wages... You might just enjoy it and find it very rewarding!!

Freedom of speech should be recognized as an individual right. (Like totin' a gun?) Everyone has one mouth and the quality of the ideas they express can be judged within a democratic debate. If money is considered speech, he who has the most money has the most speech. There is no longer a level playing field in which a democracy can function because some ideas can win, not on their merits but due simply to their volume. (Will the person who thinks political ads inform you, please raise your hand?)

The American Junta? - - You guys might like this timely political parody, which really covers all current issues... from racism to realism, it's all here - - This is a novella that I wrote that places Obama versus Putin in a political storm with a military conclusion. - - ("..finally, an American Coup d'Etat..") - - http://kvisit.com/S38ScAw - - "America at the Tipping Point" - - In an ironic twist, the Russians use Snowden's NSA information to spy on Obama. Finally, in the end, the powers that be... the junta... are so desperate for real change, that they try to make a "Faux-conservative" out of Hillary, and an evil and duplicitous Queen is anointed, but she's controlled by the equivalent of a privy council... The Second-Constitutional-Convention is finally outlined in the last chapter, with a return to a true Representative form of government. If I were Tom Clancy, the action would have been better. In any event, I'm proud of the way that I wrote the political intrigue, and I believe that I captured the true natural sleaziness of the inside-the-beltway crowd...Enjoy.

Long URL - -

http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/6759007/america-at-the-tipping-point-522k?da=y

Chuck, do you really think these guys (Kend & Matt) are worth so much effort? Seriously. Like this comment of Matt's, for example: "I was just looking for a dollar amount on maximum incomes to see if I was getting close; to see if I should start feeling guilty yet." Does that sound to you like someone interested in serious discussion, or engaging in anything remotely akin to thought-provoking discourse? Ditto "OU's" so-called "mythical enemies". If you truly believe your efforts aren't wasted, then have at it my friend! But when these people say the same things over and over like Kend, or make stupid, dismissive comments like Matt & OU just to ridicule and belittle us, and trivialize what we have to say (or twist it to mean something completely ludicrous), well Chuck, that's my cue to bail from the conversation and look for more fertile ground. Of course I realize we all have different tolerance levels for the kinds of bullshit these people dish out here. But I've about had my fill of it. - AIW

To the men who get all cocky about how much wealth they have accumulated...just wait till the divorce and alimony and child support bursts your bubble.

Quote kend: Do you think Disney would be what it is if Walt was taxed 90 %. I don't think so.

In 1923 Walt Disney, along with his brother Roy, pooled their money together to set up a cartoon studio in Hollywood.

In 1923, the Top Federal Income Tax Rate was 43.5% for regular income and 12.5% for capital gains.
---------------------------
In 1939, several of his movies were great successes and he was able to build a new campus for the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, which opened for business on December 24, 1939.

In 1939, the Top Federal Income Tax Rate was 78% for regular income and 30% on Capital Gains.
---------------------------
In the early 1960s, the Disney empire had become a major success, and Walt Disney Productions had established itself as the world's leading producer of family entertainment.

In 1960, the Top Federal Income Tax Rate was 91% for regular income and 25% on Capital Gains.
---------------------------
Walt Disney died in 1966.

In 1966, the Top Federal Income Tax Rate was 70% for regular income and 25% for capital gains.

Chi Matt -- Why do you ignore my responses and then say things like

Quote Chi Matt:I was just looking for a dollar amount on maximum incomes to see if I was getting close

It would be nice if paid some cursory response to my comments.

Thanks Kend. I'm not trying to convert anyone though. Our opinions only really matter one day every two years, not counting primaries. And for me, personally, it doesn't matter at all. It's not like elections are really up for grabs in Chicago.

I was just looking for a dollar amount on maximum incomes to see if I was getting close; to see if I should start feeling guilty yet. I sure don't think my wife and I make our money on the backs of the working poor. But maybe, in some indirect way, we do. But it's kind of like environmentalists who still have to pollute to live - there is no viable alternative.