True Sportsmanship

Not too long ago there was a ladies high school basketball game where one team won 100-0.  The winning coach had no class, as his goal was not just to win but to score 100.  Well, here is a different basketball story that is also from the high school ranks.  I am not going to write about it, as the two links I am providing more than do justice to the story.  I will just say that sportsmanship is alive and well in Illinois and Wisconsin.  If my kids ever play sports I pray that they have a coach like Dave Rohlman.

Enjoy the best sports story I have heard in a couple of years.

Link 1

Link 2

Happy Birthday Ronald Regan

Today is Ronald Reagan's'es'* Birthday.

Happy Birthday Mr. President.

On a brief side note, it may also be my birthday today, since I was born on the same day as Reagan but 68 years later. If you are still looking for a gift, here is a website for your consideration: Icon 4X4

I would prefer a FJ 45 from them, but will take any model you purchase.

Please note that I do not promise to give a gift back on your birthday of equal value.

*the odd punctuation is added for my wife, since she abhors mistakes made with punctuation and speelin'. This may be because she came in third in the state spelling bee many many years ago.

Addition to the Al Gore post on Mercury and Venus

I forgot to mention the fact that Venus is three times hotter than Mercury.  Well, that is true and false.

The temp of Venus is usually in the ballpark of 740 degrees Kelvin.  

The temp of Mercury is the more variable temperature.  See, at night it can get down to 100 degrees Kelvin.  But during the day, Mercury gets to 720 degrees Kelvin. If you average the temperatures you can get it to sound like Venus is 3 times hotter than Mercury. 

But those are just the averages. 

It is true that Mercury flucuates because it has no atmosphere (it is small and the solar wind keeps it from having much atmosphere) and Venus stays warm due to its atmosphere.  But to say that Venus is three times warmer makes it sound like Mercury is always cold.  720 degrees Kelvin equals out to almost 840 degrees Farenheit. So it is hot.  And it is hot because it is close to the sun.  

Being 43 million miles from from a giant ball of nuclear fusion will do that to you.

Al Gore talks to the Senate

So late in January, Al Gore spoke before the Foreign Relations Committee on global warming.  Why to the Foreign Relations Committee?  Good question. Environment and Public Works would make more sense you might think, but you have to think a bit more politically and less logically. Richard Lugar is the ranking Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee.  And he believes in anthropogenic (man made) global warming.  On Environment and Public Works the ranking Republican is James Inhofe, a man that has been a thorn in Al Gore's side for years.  So Al goes to speak with friends, instead of someone that may ask him a difficult question.

Now for some excerpts of what the silly man (Gore) said.  Gore tries to scare us (again) by going into detail regarding the amount of CO2 in our atmosphere, and then comparing it to Venus. Well, I am no scientist but his statement is plain silly by any method of logic.  Here is a quote from Gore:

"The difference is that the average annual temperature on earth is 59 degrees and on Venus it's 855 degrees and it rains sulfuric acid, not the kind of weather forecast you would like to wake up to. Not because Venus is closer to the sun, it's three times hotter than Mercury that is next to the sun. It is the CO2 and this illustrates why it is a problem to follow a global strategy to pull out as much carbon out of the atmosphere as quickly as possible and burning it in ways that leave it in the atmosphere."

Ok, so here goes some basic logic for you.  Yes, Venus is hotter. Part of the reason is that it is closer.  Part of the reason is the CO2.  But here are some CO2 facts for you.  965,000 parts per million of the Venusian atmosphere is CO2.  If that percent occurred here on Earth, it would certainly be very hot. But the percent on Earth?  Oh, about 380 parts per million.  That works out to be .038%.  That is the number that he is concerned about.  Because before the Industrial Revolution the number was about 280 parts per million. So for our planet to be as warm as Venus we only have 964,620 parts per million to go!  Obviously we are not going to get there anytime soon.  Or ever, to be perfectly honest.  Besides, if it is gases that sequester solar energy and create the greenhouse effect, water vapor is more common (about 8000 parts per million) and acts similarly to co2 as far as warming is concerned.

To finish, look closely at the picture I put on of Gore in his office. Notice the three computer screens that are on, as well as the TV. Very energy efficient. Don't worry though, the carbon has been sequestered.  

In the atmosphere.