ChrisWeigant.com

Space Rocks

[ Posted Tuesday, October 11th, 2022 – 16:02 UTC ]

That title is, of course, a play on words. Just like every other kid who grew up in the Space Age, I have always found space to be rather cool. Watching astronauts walk on the moon is one of my earliest memories, in fact. But if that's truly what I was imparting here -- just an enthusiasm for mankind's forays into the void -- it would have been exclamatory: "Space Rocks!" Instead, it has a more literal meaning, without any verb implied. Because space isn't exactly "full" of rocks wheeling around out there, but there are enough of them that one of them could threaten Earth at some future point. If the space rock was big enough, it could even cause an "extinction-level event," much like the impact which wiped out the dinosaurs. There's even a whole movie genre devoted to the problem: from the 1950s When Worlds Collide to the more-modern Deep Impact and Armageddon to the more recent (and much more cynical) Don't Look Up.

An impact from an asteroid or comet is rather unique in the realm of natural disasters, because unlike earthquakes or hurricanes or tornados, if the circumstances were right it might be possible to prevent the disaster. And today NASA announced that their first-ever attempt to test a system for doing so was (you'll excuse the pun) a smashing success.

Here's what they just announced, from a New York Times report:

NASA took aim at an asteroid last month, and on Tuesday, the space agency announced that its planned 14,000 mile-per-hour collision with an object named Dimorphos made even more of a bull's-eye shot than expected.

That winning strike was the first of its kind. "We conducted humanity's first planetary defense test," said Bill Nelson, the administrator of NASA, during a news conference, "and we showed the world that NASA is serious as a defender of this planet."

In November 2021, NASA launched the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, mission, shooting a refrigerator-size spacecraft toward a small asteroid. Scientists had created DART to destroy it.

On Sept. 26, the spacecraft smashed into a small asteroid, which defenders of Earth hoped would adjust its orbit. This strategy could protect the planet from incoming asteroids or comets. One small shift in a space rock's trajectory could, someday, mean one giant sigh of relief for humankind, if it pushes an asteroid off a collision course with Earth.

The mission's target, Dimorphos, was a diminutive space rock, just more than 500 feet wide. It was and still is harmless, posing no risk to Earth. Before DART's impact, Dimorphos orbited a larger asteroid called Didymos every 11 hours and 55 minutes. An onboard camera took pictures of the fast-approaching asteroid on the day of the crash. As the spacecraft approached, the asteroid's surface filled the screen, boulders coming into focus before the transmission cut out. DART and its camera had smashed into the very surface it was showing.

The spacecraft not only connected with Dimorphos, it altered the space rock's orbit, shortening its trip around a larger asteroid by 32 minutes.

That time shift was exactly what the DART mission aimed to accomplish. Scientists hoped the collision would push Dimorphos closer to Didymos and speed up its orbit, and they have been crunching data and taking more observations of the double-asteroid system to understand how effective this particular defense mechanism was. Scientists, according to Mr. Nelson, would have considered DART a huge success if it had only shortened Dimorphos's orbit by 10 minutes. The reality -- around three times that shift -- delighted the team that managed the mission.

"If an Earth-threatening asteroid was discovered and we could see it far enough away, this technique could be used to deflect it," Mr. Nelson said.

In other words, it worked. Spectacularly well. Which isn't really too much of a surprise, since it is pretty basic physics. The spacecraft was rather small, but the speed at which it was travelling was high, so it had a major effect. A bullet doesn't weigh all that much, but when fired from a gun it can do great damage from afar, to put it another way.

The more modern of the movies dealing with asteroid threats all incorporate this theme into their storyline (although some of them completely misunderstand the physics involved, preferring spectacle over basic science). If you can get to the killer asteroid early enough, you can shove it out of its path and set a new trajectory for it -- thus causing it to miss any collision with Earth. But the key phrase there is early enough. And please don't think of nuclear bombs blowing an asteroid up, because while that may look good on a Hollywood screen all that's really needed is a gentle shove sideways.

Think of a billiard ball rolling across a pool table, heading straight for a corner pocket. If you were allowed to flick something very light -- say, a cotton ball -- at the pool ball during its path (to shove it just a tiny little bit sideways), you might or might not be able to make it miss the pocket. A cotton ball doesn't have much mass, but only a small change in trajectory might be enough. If you hit the pool ball only a few inches from the pocket, though, it likely wouldn't change course enough to prevent it from going in. If, on the other hand, you could flick your cotton ball and hit the pool ball when it was still three or four feet from the pocket, even a very small change in its trajectory would build up over the greater distance and likely prevent the shot from going in. Remember that no matter what NASA shoots at a planet-killing asteroid, it is going to be a lot smaller and less massive than the asteroid itself. So for the plan to be successful, the impact would ideally have to happen millions of miles away from Earth.

Which means a lot of time, and a lot of preparation. The trip to the Earth's moon takes astronauts three days, after all, and it is only a quarter of a million miles out. The more lead time possible, the greater the chance of success, because it would mean hitting the asteroid much further out.

The first thing that would be necessary, of course, is finding such asteroids in the first place. And they're hard to spot. Some are very dark, making visual observation difficult (picture a lump of coal covered in coal dust and a Krispy Kreme donut shiny with glaze, both orbiting the Earth -- obviously, that donut is going to be a lot easier to spot than the black lump of coal). Scientists are indeed now trying to map out as many asteroids as possible -- especially any that are very large and/or could cross Earth's orbit and threaten the planet. The further out any dangerous asteroid is spotted means a lot more time to prepare a defense against it.

Ideally, to truly have a planetary defense at the ready, you'd have to have pre-constructed spacecraft which were specifically designed to impact asteroids. This wouldn't be all that tough to engineer, since in essence all that matters is that you hit the asteroid you are aiming at. A big lump of cement would fit the bill just fine, as long as it had a guidance system to ensure the collision happens exactly as planned. You'd also have to have rockets standing at the ready, so an asteroid-intercept spacecraft could be launched as soon as possible after the danger is confirmed.

All of that is a lot to ask, and is a long way from becoming reality. It could easily be done, however -- just look at all the nuclear weapons that stand ready for launching at any possible moment. That technology has been deployed for more than half a century, by multiple nations. Given enough effort (and enough money) a similar system could be built and maintained for planetary defense.

And yes, to give a nod to Hollywood, the existing system might even work, given the right circumstances. A nuclear weapon might do the job, if it was detonated to the side of an asteroid heading for Earth. Not "inside the asteroid" or "shot straight at the asteroid," but just off to the side -- so that the explosion would do the same thing as an impact, and shove the rock sideways off course. You don't have to blow it up, you just have to give it a good nudge, in other words. And a powerful nuke, detonated at precisely the right time, might actually work.

What NASA just did is impressive, because it is a "proof of concept." They showed (once again) that, yes, basic physics works just fine out in space, and also that they have the capability to hit a very small rock from very far away with great speed and precision. By doing so, humanity for the first time ever altered the course of a heavenly object. With enough planning and enough funding, they could indeed develop a system to keep Earth safe from marauding space rocks.

For the first time in all of history, we can now confidently state that what happened to the dinosaurs doesn't have to happen to us. And that is cosmically impressive. One might even say humanity rocks!

-- Chris Weigant

 

Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant

 

42 Comments on “Space Rocks”

  1. [1] 
    Michale wrote:

    O... FRAKIN' MG!!!!!!

    Season 1 Episode 4 of Quantum Leap..

    OFFICIALLY MIND BLOWING!!!!

    Jean Luc, you have GOT to get caught up on Quantum Leap!!!! :D

  2. [2] 
    Michale wrote:

    For the first time in all of history, we can now confidently state that what happened to the dinosaurs doesn't have to happen to us. And that is cosmically impressive.

    The asteroid that was hit was a very small asteroid with an infinitesimally small orbit around a larger asteroid. I think I read that the asteroid struck has 12-hr orbit around the larger asteroid. The larger asteroid has an orbit around our sun of wha??.. Decades?? Centuries??

    But I grudgingly concede that actually hitting the asteroid was a technological feat of human ingenuity..

    But we are a LONG way from altering the course of an asteroid the size of the dinosaur killing asteroid..

    'Sides.. It's MUCH better to build a colony on a planet-killing asteroid and install a series of ZPM driven engines and alter the course of the asteroid into a stable orbit our our sun, while at the same time mining the asteroid for the treasures of valuable metals and such the asteroid contains..

    Win-Win.. :D

  3. [3] 
    Michale wrote:

    Now that I have my due diligence out of the way, I really have to ask..

    Does anyone REALLY believe that Fetterman has a chance to win his Senate race??

    Fetterman still has ‘a hard time understanding’ conversations, NBC News correspondent reports

    Democratic Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman has given only four nationally televised interviews since suffering a stroke in May

    NBC News correspondent Dasha Burns reported Tuesday that John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, still has "a hard time understanding what he’s hearing" ahead of the midterm elections.

    Burns appeared on MSNBC’s "Katy Tur Reports" to preview her exclusive interview with the lieutenant governor, which will air in its entirety on Wednesday. Both Burns and Tur noted that this would mark the first time that Fetterman has sat down for a one-on-one interview with a reporter since his stroke in May.

    Regarding the stroke, Burns commented that the interview itself showed Fetterman struggling to have verbal conversations.
    https://www.foxnews.com/media/fetterman-still-hard-time-understanding-conversations-nbc-news-correspondent-reports

    Let's face reality here, people.. Fetterman comes across as mentally challenged.. A fact that will become apparent in the 25 Oct debate..

    It's pretty much assured that Doc Oz is going to win the PA race...

    Yea, yea, yea.. I am a heartless and cruel asshole, right??

    But I am not saying anything that YA'ALL (and the entirety of the Democrat Party) wouldn't be saying if a stroke had struck down a GOP'er running for the Senate..

    Chew on that for a while.. :^/

  4. [4] 
    Michale wrote:

    I guess it's true.. MC *has* ran away and hidden himself because the GOP Red Tsunami is back in busines..

    Bumper.. He was fun to have around..

    Ah well, life (and Weigantia®) goes on.. :D

  5. [5] 
    Michale wrote:

    "Crime is an issue that Democrats have to speak to. I think there was a missed opportunity there from Mandela Barnes. When he talked about the insurrection, I think that was a little disconnected from what people in Wisconsin are feeling. I mean, crime is up in Milwaukee.

    "That's what people are thinking about with their fears when they're when they go out their door, less than the insurrection honestly."
    -Jen Psaki

    Democrats HAVE spoken to the crime issue..

    And what they are saying is DEFUND, DEMONIZE, DEMORALIZE THE POLICE!!! and LENIENT SENTENCES FOR VIOLENT CRIMINALS!!! and NO BAIL FOR VIOLENT CRIMINALS!!!...

    So, the American people know FULL WELL what Democrats think of the crime issue..

    It's one of the biggest reasons why Democrats are going to get uber nuclear biblically shellacked in 29 days.. :D

  6. [6] 
    Michale wrote:

    Question for the Peanut Gallery..

    How many of ya'all spoke out against the Democrat Party's DEFUND, DEMONIZE, DEMORALIZE THE POLICE policies when those policies began????

    {{cchhhiiirrrrpppp}} {{cccchhhhirrrrrppppp}}

    None.. Zero... Zilch... Nada...

    NO ONE here spoke out against the DEFUND, DEMONIZE, DEMORALIZE THE POLICE policies of the Democrat Party..

    Why is that??

    Because everyone here is a Democrat first and foremost.. And an American a very very VERY distant second..

    As is the vast majority of the entirety of the Democrat Party..

    Which is exactly why the aforementioned uber nuclear biblical shellacking is going to be visited on the Democrat Party in the very near future.. :D

    Ya'all know I am dead on balls factually accurate on this..

    Hence the silence that has descended upon Weigantia®..

    I get it, I really do.. I feel for ya'all.. Well, a couple of ya'all at any rate.. :D

  7. [7] 
    Michale wrote:

    Outraged Biden Team Vows Consequences for Saudis Over OPEC Cuts...

    Biden Vows to Punish Saudis But Struggles to Calibrate Response
    https://finance.yahoo.com/news/outraged-biden-team-vows-consequences-212305891.html

    OOOooooooo... "Consequences", eh??

    What "consequences" could Dementia Biden come up with??

    In a snit, Dementia Biden is going to go down to only ONE knee instead of both knees?? :eyeroll:

    Anyone with more than 2 brain cells to rub together could have predicted that the Saudis (and everyone else in the middle east (sans Israel)) would be pushed into the waiting arms of the Russians because of Dementia Biden's and the Democrat Party's avowed policies of totally destroying the credibility of the United States world wide..

    I mean, look at the facts??

    Dementia Biden came into office with America being fully and 1000% energy independent.. Not only energy independent but one of the largest exporters of fossil fuels..

    And, in two short years, Biden and the Democrats have TOTALLY and COMPLETELY frak'ed that...

    NOW, Biden has to bend the knee to all the tin-plated dictators with delusions of god-hood in an effort to obtain from them what we already HAD in abundance..

    Hell, Biden is crawling to frakin' Venezuela begging for oil.. :eyeroll:

    Now I axe ya...

    If YOU were the leader of Saudi Arabia et al.... Would YOU want to associate with a country that has such a moronic and senile and dementia-ridden leader!??

    Of course not..

    In EVERY aspect possible, Dementia Biden and the Democrats have frak'ed up this country beyond all recognition..

    The ONLY glimmer of hope is that President Trump gets re-elected and back into the Oval Office where he belongs..

  8. [8] 
    Michale wrote:

    But getting back to Fetterman...

    Why won't Fetterman release his medical records??

    Democrats (and Weigantians®) were ALL about demanding a plethora of records from President Trump..

    So, where is ya'all's demands to Fetterman to release all his requested records???

    Hmmmmmmmm???

    Ahhh yes... Different standards for Democrats than for Republicans ya'all have... :^/

  9. [9] 
    Michale wrote:

    Hell, even WaPoop and the NY GRIME are on the same page as Doc Oz....

    THEY are demanding that Fetterman release his medical records.. THEY are saying that Fetterman obviously has something to hide..

    Ya'all just HAVE to know that, when WaPoop and NY GRIME and the entirety of the GOP are on the same page...???

    Democrats are in REAL trouble...

    Ya'all just GOTS to know that, eh??

  10. [10] 
    Michale wrote:

    Democrats beware, a red wave is coming because voters know they're not better off since Biden took office

    When voters cast their ballots in the midterm elections they should ask whether Biden and Democrats have made life better or worse

    Are you better off than you were four years ago?

    That was the question Ronald Reagan famously asked Americans in his one and only debate with Jimmy Carter in the fall of 1980. Soon thereafter, voters responded with a thunderous "No!" and turned the Democrat incumbent president out of office. Reagan won in a landslide, capturing 44 of 50 states.

    Right now, just a month from a midterm election that will determine which party will control Congress, GOP candidates should ask that same question, asking voters to think about where we were two years ago, and where we are now.
    https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/democrats-beware-red-wave-coming-because-voters-know-not-better-off-biden-took-office

    And THAT is exactly the question that the GOP needs to ask the American people..

    And Democrats simply CAN'T answer it??

    Because the factual answer simply destroys ANY chance of the Democrats making a decent showing on 8 Nov...

    The question or, more accurately, the ANSWER to that question will completely decimate all the Democrat candidates' chances of winning..

  11. [11] 
    Michale wrote:

    Perhaps the most telling sign is a recent Gallup poll in which people were asked which party can better handle the issue most important to them. Respondents picked Republicans over Democrats 48% to 37%, the highest margin earned by the party since 1946 and, according to political analysts, a strong indicator that the GOP will take both houses of Congress in November.

    GOP wins the House.. CHECK..

    GOP wins the Senate.. CHECK..

    All the facts are there, people.. :D

  12. [12] 
    Michale wrote:

    Ex-Texas police officer who shot teen eating hamburger in McDonald's parking lot arrested

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/10/11/san-antonio-police-officer-james-brennand-arrested-shooting-teen/10472906002/

    Another perfect example of cops being prosecuted to appease the court of public opinion..

    Yes, the LEO violated some police SOP.. But these were minor infractions that, all things being equal, should result in extra training days..*

    Certainly not being fired.. And DEFINITELY not being prosecuted...

    This was a good shoot.. Period..

    This is EXACTLY why the Democrat Party = The Cop Hate Party...

    * My analysis is based on all the available facts.. It's possible (I'll even allow LIKELY) that there are facts I am not privy to that would alter my analysis of the determination that this was a good shoot.

  13. [13] 
    Michale wrote:

    The FACTS about John Fetterman...

    ‘No life’ in Braddock, the Pa. town Senate wannabe John Fetterman claims he saved

    Meanwhile, records show he skipped at least 53 borough council meetings after his first three years in office, peaking at 11 no-shows in 2011 and nine in 2015, according to borough records obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

    Fetterman has also faced sharp criticism for being an advocate for Pennsylvania’s public schools while failing to pay tens of thousands of dollars in taxes on time to the Woodland Hills School District. The school district placed more than 30 tax liens against Fetterman for unpaid property taxes from 2006 to 2019 and sued him twice. He took six years to pay them off.

    No one in Braddock begrudges Fetterman for coming from wealth, or that his parents paid his salary until he was 49 years old. After all, being mayor pays just $150 a month. What they mind is him pretending to be something he is not: a doer.
    https://nypost.com/2022/10/11/inside-braddock-pa-dying-town-john-fetterman-claims-he-saved/

    John Fetterman is a liar.. Pure and simple...

    Doc Oz is going to be the next Senator for PA...

  14. [14] 
    Michale wrote:

    Regarding the Walker fiasco..

    Ya'all say there is "PROOF" of the claims...

    Fine...

    Show me the proof and have the accuser publicly verify her identity AND the proof..

    Until THAT happens, all ya'all have is a bunch of innuendo, rumors and bullshit...

    Which is pretty much par for the course with Democrats..

    If this anonymous accuser is being factual, she has nothing to fear..

    The fact that she is remaining anonymous proves she is full of kaa-kaa...

    And Raph Warlock is STILL a scumbag slumlord who collects rent from the government and STILL evicts people..

    Georgia will go to the GOP...

    :D

  15. [15] 
    Michale wrote:


    END OF WATCH

    Deputy Sheriff Matthew Kirrman
    Union County Sheriff's Office, Tennessee
    End of Watch: Sunday, October 9, 2022/B>

    And remind the few...
    When ill of us they speak..
    That we are all that stands between..
    The monsters and the weak...

  16. [16] 
    Michale wrote:

    NYC man released without bail for McDonald's ax attack arrested again and released without bail

    'I'm not psychotic," 31-year-old Michael Palacios said after being released without bail for the ax attack

    A 31-year-old New York City man who was arrested and released without bail last month after terrorizing McDonald’s patrons with an ax was arrested again this week for graffiti, stealing a bike and evading police, and was again released without bail.

    Michael Palacios was approached by police Sunday evening after being spotted spraying graffiti in Brooklyn, prompting him to snatch an expensive bike from a nearby coffee shop and lead officers on a chase before eventually being arrested, New York Post reported.

    The bike, valued at $3,500, was damaged during the chase, the New York Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital. The department says Palacios was found in possession of graffiti paraphernalia, and authorities suspect he is also responsible for another graffiti incident in Queens in June.
    https://www.foxnews.com/us/nyc-man-released-without-bail-mcdonalds-ax-attack-arrested-again-released-without-bail

    The Democrat Party

    The Pro Criminal Party

    It's carp like this is the reason why Democrats are gonna get shellacked..

    29 Days :D

  17. [17] 
    Michale wrote:

    Debunking the Climate Myths of Hurricane Ian

    Fact: climate change did not boost Ian’s strength

    Over the past week, media across the world have proclaimed climate change as the cause of Hurricane Ian’s unusual ferocity. Perhaps no outlet has been more supportive of this flawed narrative than MSNBC News which began its September 28th interview with Canadian atmospheric scientist Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, “it is clearly the case that climate change is making storms like this one stronger.”

    Hayhoe, chief scientist with the Nature Conservancy and professor at Texas Tech University, supported this, saying: “climate change is exacerbating them [hurricanes]… making them worse, like putting them on steroids. … Climate change is truly loading the weather dice against us putting us all at risk.”
    https://www.realclearenergy.org/articles/2022/10/10/debunking_the_climate_myths_of_hurricane_ian_858216.html

    Global Warming is a political/ideological con..

    The facts are clear..

  18. [18] 
    BashiBazouk wrote:

    Michale [17]

    Global Warming is a political/ideological con..

    Well, your side certainly is. The "RealClear" world is right wing and has become more so since 2017. We follow their polls as it is an aggregate of polls that we can go to each polls site and confirm the data. The rest varies in quality...

    Your article is written by: Tom Harris and is Executive Director of the International Climate Science Coalition. Which is described on wikipedia as:

    The ICSC calls itself "a non-partisan group of independent scientists",[5] but has been described as having "less to do with science than with public relations".[6] Geochemist and National Science Board member James Lawrence Powell[7] contrasts the mission and principles of the ICSC with those of the American Geophysical Union. In Powell's opinion, the ICSC is a "denier organization" that "know[s] the answers and seek[s] only confirmation that they are right. One group of minds is open; the other closed".[8]

  19. [19] 
    Michale wrote:

    Well, your side certainly is. The "RealClear" world is right wing and has become more so since 2017.

    Not factually accurate.. Both sides of the political spectrum are available at Real Clear..

    And it has been the GO TO for polling as long as Weigantia® has been in existence..

    Finally, it's the ONLY OFFICIAL Weigantia® objective and unbaised news source..

    So, no matter how you want to spin things, you are not factually accurate..

    Your article is written by: Tom Harris and is Executive Director of the International Climate Science Coalition. Which is described on wikipedia as:

    And all of your "facts" come from Left Wing rags, hysterical ignorant Democrats and a whole host of other dubious sources..

    What's yer point??

    Until such time as the Global Warming morons actually start believing their own BS themselves.. Have you given up using electricity, Bashi?? Still driving your energy guzzling car, eh? :eyeroll:

    The facts of the Global Warming con are clear for all to see..

    Come talk to me when Global Warming morons stop driving around in their SUV convoys and flying around in their private jets, eh? :eyeroll:

  20. [20] 
    Michale wrote:

    Heh Stacey BIG LIKE Abrams is back-pedaling like crazy!!! :D

    Stacey Abrams says election comments taken 'out of context,' suggests potential limitations on abortion

    Abrams spoke with Fox News Digital following a rally with supporters in Gwinnett County, Georgia

    ATLANTA – Democratic Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams is pushing back on the recent criticism she's faced on the campaign trail regarding her stance on abortion, as well as previous comments surrounding the results of the 2018 gubernatorial election that she lost to incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.

    In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital following a rally with supporters in Gwinnett County, Georgia, Abrams objected to what she referred to as "artificial time constraints" when it came to putting limits on abortion, but suggested she might support some limitations on later-term abortion when she reiterated previous statements that she supports women having the ability to make a decision regarding pregnancy alongside their doctor "up until the point of viability."

    She also argued that her comments about the 2018 results, specifically that it was "rigged" and "stolen," were taken "out of context."
    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/stacey-abrams-election-comments-taken-out-of-context-suggests-potential-limitations-abortion

    What a load of BS... It's not surprising ya'all Democrats buy into this load o' carp... :^/

    But it IS interesting to note that now, even Stacey BIG LIE Abrams supports restrictions on abortion...

    She joins me and every other Weigantian® in supporting abortion restrictions.. :D

    VINDICATION!!!! Thy name is Michale.. :D

  21. [21] 
    Michale wrote:

    "I accepted the results in 2018. And the premise of the question always presumes that I did not accept the results. Despite the cherry-picking and the decontextualization of what I've said, at the top of my speech I said that I acknowledged that Governor Kemp was the governor of Georgia."
    -Stacey BIG LIE Abrams

    One has to wonder how long BIG LIE's nose grew after that totally bullshit claim.. :D

  22. [22] 
    Michale wrote:

    “In sum, a strategy must recognize what is possible. In climate research and modeling, we should recognize that we are dealing with a coupled non-linear chaotic system, and therefore that the long-term prediction of future climate states is not possible.”
    IPCC Third Assessment Report
    Chapter 14
    Section 14.2.2.2

  23. [23] 
    BashiBazouk wrote:

    Finally, it's the ONLY OFFICIAL Weigantia® objective and unbaised news source..

    Says who? You? I've noticed the right wing shift... As I said the polling is just an aggregate and the data has been checked. It's well laid out and convenient. Does not mean the rest of the site is the same quality.

    So, no matter how you want to spin things, you are not factually accurate..

    The only thing "factually accurate" is your misuse of "facts" and "factually accurate"...

    And all of your "facts" come from Left Wing rags, hysterical ignorant Democrats and a whole host of other dubious sources..

    No, my points come from hard science organizations and papers written by real scientists.

    Until such time as the Global Warming morons actually start believing their own BS themselves.. Have you given up using electricity, Bashi?? Still driving your energy guzzling car, eh? :eyeroll:

    Yawn. I live higher than the oceans will rise and in the PNW where my energy is mostly hydroelectric...

    [22]
    This old chestnut? Really? I completely trashed this last time you posted a mere two weeks ago.

    You read the full chapter I posted, right? So you understand the context? Oh, that's right, you don't do that...

  24. [24] 
    Michale wrote:

    Says who? You?

    Says the moderator of Weigantia... It's right up there under MY LINKS..

    "DOI!!"
    -Vannilope Von Schweetz, WRECK IT RALPH

    The only thing "factually accurate" is your misuse of "facts" and "factually accurate".

    Yea.. That's yer claim.. And it's STILL not factually accurate.. :D

    No, my points come from hard science organizations and papers written by real scientists.

    Yea.. The "scientists" that say the world is going to end in 12 years.. :eyeroll:

    What YOU have is nothing but Democrat "science" which everyone knows is nothing but thinly disguised Democrat activism..

    There are literally tens of thousands of REAL scientists that PROVE the Global Warming theory is simply propaganda..

    Yawn. I live higher than the oceans will rise and in the PNW where my energy is mostly hydroelectric...

    Liar... It's half hydroelectric.. Yet the machines must be serviced by people who, guess what?? DRIVE to work polluting the atmosphere...

    No matter how ya wanna spin it, Bash.. You are part of the problem you CLAIM exists..

    This old chestnut? Really? I completely trashed this last time you posted a mere two weeks ago.

    Yea.. SURE ya did.. :eyeroll:

  25. [25] 
    BashiBazouk wrote:

    Yea.. The "scientists" that say the world is going to end in 12 years.. :eyeroll:

    Lying again? Let see the link...

    There are literally tens of thousands of REAL scientists that PROVE the Global Warming theory is simply propaganda..

    And yet you never seem to link to any of their papers. Why is that?

    Liar... It's half hydroelectric.. Yet the machines must be serviced by people who, guess what?? DRIVE to work polluting the atmosphere...

    Close enough. We are moving in the right direction. A step at a time as it's not a binary choice.

    Yea.. SURE ya did.. :eyeroll:

    I posted the chapter. That was all that was needed. If you can't handle the reading, well...

  26. [26] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    You do know that every time you refer to Biden as having dementia, it only highlights how desperate you must be to deflect from how much worse Trump is mentally, right?

    And why is it that any one who disagrees with Trump is immediately attacked by his supporters? Ya'll really do worship him, don't you? Patriotic my ass... you have no problem fantasizing about a future civil war because you think you'll be rewarded somehow. Truth is that Trump hates folks like you except for the fact that you are willing to worship him and give him the attention and the money that he so desires. But he doesn't respect you or care for you or your loved ones anymore than he cares for his kids that he doesn't want to bang.

    As for Walker, you asked in previous comments if it was impossible for him to have changed his opinion about abortion over time and wasn't that called growth... or something to this effect. The problem isn't that Walker has changed his opinion on the issue of whether abortion is right or wrong... it's that he believes he should have the right to make that determination for other people! If he doesn't believe in abortion, then he doesn't have to pay for one and can choose to pay child support instead! What's one more child who doesn't have a father figure in his life, right? But it isn't his place to say whether or not someone else should have access to a medical abortion. Nor is it your place, or my place to make that decision for someone else.

    Same goes for the care of trans- children. Your party has decided to focus on the most vulnerable children who are already the most likely to commit suicide or self-harm for their age group. I read a heartbreaking article talking about how OK has threatened to cut gov't funding for hospitals that provide medical treatments for trans children. The father of one 14 year old was quoted as saying that his daughter had struggled with suicide for years before they were able to get her in treatment at the hospital near them. Since starting treatment, she hasn't harmed herself or even talked of suicide. She was getting better. Now, they hope they can find a hospital in another state close by for they fear this might cause her to become suicidal again. Your law protects kids HOW? Every major medical association has put their support behind these treatments and programs aimed to help trans kids. Further proof that ya'lls claims of being "Pro-Life" is bullshat.

  27. [27] 
    Michale wrote:

    And yet you never seem to link to any of their papers. Why is that?

    I have.. On MANY occasions.. So much so that ya'all whine and complain how much I post.. :eyeroll:

    Close enough. We are moving in the right direction. A step at a time as it's not a binary choice.

    So you concede you lied.. I accept your concession..

    I posted the chapter. That was all that was needed. If you can't handle the reading, well...

    Did you post anything that shows IPCC reversing itself on the claim that long term predictions are impossible??

    No, you did not..

    Ergo.. Your wrong or your lying..

  28. [28] 
    BashiBazouk wrote:

    I have.. On MANY occasions.. So much so that ya'all whine and complain how much I post.. :eyeroll:

    You have on only a few occasions and I have trashed many of them...

    So you concede you lied.. I accept your concession..

    Not intentionally...

    Have you backed up your lies? Got that link I posted that "the world is going to end in 12 years". No? That makes you a lair as well. Well that and many other posts...

    Did you post anything that shows IPCC reversing itself on the claim that long term predictions are impossible??

    Yes. Same thread.

    No, you did not..

    Ergo.. Your wrong or your lying..

    No, you just can't handle reading...

  29. [29] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    There are literally tens of thousands of REAL scientists that PROVE the Global Warming theory is simply propaganda..

    Any that don't work for a non-profit or lobbying group for the Big Oil? There were lots of scientists and medical researchers that claimed smoking didn't cause cancer, too. They all worked for or received their grant money from The Tobacco Institute.

    The other day you ranted on and on that, "Humans CANNOT control the planet's climate... This is FACT...

    Which was strange since no one was making that argument. You telling us what we are arguing when we've never made such claims is you telling us that you cannot deny what we are truly arguing. No one is talking about us controlling the climate like it's a thermostat. But we are able to effect our climate. There are factors that we can do something about to help with climate change.

    The funniest thing about the whole "climate change" and "global warming" debate is that it did not start out as a disagreement or a partisan issue. There was a time back in the 80's and early 90's when Big Oil was very clear that they understood that they had to help change how their product was effecting our environment... and both Republicans and Democrats were in agreement that they needed to work together if we wanted to fix the problem. Then they saw how the Tobacco industry was nailed with massive jury verdicts in the billions of dollars for the damage that their products caused. They realized that they too would one day face law suits seeking money for the damage that their product caused the planet. So they changed course from acknowledging the issue and working towards trying to make things better... to paying others to attack and deny it is a problem -- while still publicly, but quietly, admitting that it is a real problem and promising that they are working towards correcting it. Seriously, go to BP's or Shell's websites and you'll see their "commitment" to green energy initiatives.

  30. [30] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    "Did you post anything that shows IPCC reversing itself on the claim that long term predictions are impossible??"

    Sorry to butt in, Bashi, but if I might say something...

    The IPCC didn't reverse itself. Because they are correct in what they were saying. Michale, you pointed to a bunch of the predictions that were made 35 or 40 years ago and laughed that they got it wrong! Of course they did, because their predictions did not account for man changing their ways at anytime in the future.

    Those predictions were warning what would occur IF man continued doing exactly what they were doing at that time and never changed their ways. Had man continued down that path and completely ignored climate change warnings for the last 35 years, we'd probably be close to what those predictions called for.

    That is why they IPCC cannot say with any real certainty what long term predictions would look like because we do not know what we will be willing to do to combat it. We can only have long term predictions of what will occur if we continued doing ONLY what we are doing in this moment to combat it and never change it for the next 35 years... but why would we ever think we won't make changes as things get worse or when new technologies and methods are developed?

    Again, you manipulate what is being said to fit your argument without recognizing that you are only hurting yourself by following their propaganda.

  31. [31] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Whoops, meant this to be my closing paragraph but missed it...

    “In sum, a strategy must recognize what is possible. In climate research and modeling, we should recognize that we are dealing with a coupled non-linear chaotic system, and therefore that the long-term prediction of future climate states is not possible.”
    IPCC Third Assessment Report
    Chapter 14
    Section 14.2.2.2

    That does not say that short-term predictions of future climate states is not possible. They definitely are!

  32. [32] 
    BashiBazouk wrote:

    ListenWhenYouHear-

    The two big problems with climate science is the juicy papers are behind paywalls, though that is slowly changing, and science reporting always pushes the theoretically possible over the likely. Models are designed to understand how various forces effect the overall climate. They can't and are not trying too predict exactly what the temperature will be in 2030. Instead for each variable they will model out the likely scenario if that variable increases a little, a lot, none at all, or is reduced. One can always find a model that is "wrong" when taken out of context of what the model was designed for. Conversely one can also find a model that is balls on accurate (as I have posted before). There are a lot of models. The important part is did the variables behave as expected when the model turns out to be right. That's the science. Then some science journalist comes along trying to grab page views. The model or models of a study will have ranges and the upper range will look big and scary so lets lead with that instead of what the paper says is likely. The models might give an upper range of 4 degrees over the next ten years (pulling numbers out of the air) but the paper says the most likely is a 1.5 degrees over the next 10 years and spawns the headline: climate could increase as much as 4 degrees over the next 10 years. Technically true but misleading. Usually about 2/3 down the story is a small blurb of what those behind the models really think is likely...

  33. [33] 
    Michale wrote:

    Russ,

    The IPCC didn't reverse itself. Because they are correct in what they were saying.

    Thank you, Russ..

    Bash... I accept your concession..

    That does not say that short-term predictions of future climate states is not possible. They definitely are!

    Yea.. It's called the daily weather report..

    :eyeroll:

  34. [34] 
    Michale wrote:

    Apologies, guys..

    I shouldn't pick on ya'all so much..

    At least ya have the courage to show up... :D

  35. [35] 
    BashiBazouk wrote:

    Bash... I accept your concession..

    Why would I concede when I am not wrong? Read the section you refer to. The entire section, not just the part of the paragraph that the site you copied and pasted from took out of context...

  36. [36] 
    Michale wrote:

    In other words, spin.. Trying to spin the bad news to make it not so bad..

    It's clear and unambiguous Even RUSS says so..

    “In sum, a strategy must recognize what is possible. In climate research and modeling, we should recognize that we are dealing with a coupled non-linear chaotic system, and therefore that the long-term prediction of future climate states is not possible.”
    IPCC Third Assessment Report
    Chapter 14
    Section 14.2.2.2

    And Russ would cut off his right nut before he would agree with me..

    NO ONE can predict future climate states with ANY level of accuracy..

    So, all of ya'all's hysterical END OF THE WORLD Global Warming predictions are nothing but kaa-kaa...

    I say so..

    Russ says so..

    RealClear says so..

    IPCC says so..

  37. [37] 
    Michale wrote:

    What I say???

    People are leaving the Democrat Party by the MILLIONS..

    Tulsi Gabbard scorches 'woke' Dems, takes aim at Kamala Harris: 'Perfect example of everything wrong' with DC

    Gabbard tells Brian Kilmeade former Dem colleagues have reached out in solidarity as she leaves party

    Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard continues to torch the "woke" Democratic Party after announcing her exit Tuesday, calling out party leaders for "undermining" Americans' freedoms.

    "I made the decision to leave the Democratic Party alone because of the fundamental problems with this woke ideological leadership in the party," she said Wednesday on Brian Kilmeade's radio show.

    "My commitment, my oath, my loyalty is to our country. And it's always been country first. And to be associated with a party that is driven by this woke insanity, essentially opposing and undermining our freedoms, is not something that I could do any longer."

    Gabbard, who notoriously slammed Vice President Kamala Harris during a Democratic presidential debate in 2019, doubled down on her criticism during the interview with Kilmeade, calling out Harris' "double standard" on key issues, including drug prosecutions.

    "Kamala Harris is a perfect example of everything that is wrong with Washington and the Democratic Party of today," she said.
    https://www.foxnews.com/media/tulsi-gabbard-scorches-woke-dems-takes-aim-kamala-harris-perfect-example-everything-wrong-dc

    Tell it Tulsi!!!! Say it like it is!!!! :D

  38. [38] 
    Michale wrote:

    OK I'll admit it.. I miss MC and JM..

    I loved it when they made lame arguments that I pounded into sand..

    I miss that.. :D

    "Waaaa No one wants to play wid me!!"
    -Jim Carrey, ACE VENTURA WHEN NATURE CALLS

    heh

  39. [39] 
    Michale wrote:

    There's even a whole movie genre devoted to the problem: from the 1950s When Worlds Collide to the more-modern Deep Impact and Armageddon to the more recent (and much more cynical) Don't Look Up.

    For the record, ARMAGEDDON was the best of the asteroid-impacts-earth movies by far..

  40. [40] 
    BashiBazouk wrote:

    In other words, spin.. Trying to spin the bad news to make it not so bad..

    No spin, just a lack of reading comprehension on your part, or willingness to even try. If it's that clear why can't you complete the paragraph?:

    In sum, a strategy must recognise what is possible. In climate research and modelling, we should recognise that we are dealing with a coupled non-linear chaotic system, and therefore that the long-term prediction of future climate states is not possible. The most we can expect to achieve is the prediction of the probability distribution of the system's future possible states by the generation of ensembles of model solutions. This reduces climate change to the discernment of significant differences in the statistics of such ensembles. The generation of such model ensembles will require the dedication of greatly increased computer resources and the application of new methods of model diagnosis. Addressing adequately the statistical nature of climate is computationally intensive, but such statistical information is essential.

    Which taken in total corresponds to what I was saying in [32].

  41. [41] 
    Michale wrote:

    None of that refutes or gives question to the part of the IPCC report that I quoted..

    All the part that you quoted says is "we can make some wild ass guesses and that's the best we can do.."

    Face reality Bash...

    No one but hysterical Democrats care about Global Warming anymore..

    It doesn't even rate on the PRIORITY ISSUES list...

    It's a Democrat con and everyone with more than two brain cells to rub together knows it..

    The simple fact you haven't given up your petroleum based products or activities PROVES that even YOU don't believe the global warming BS...

    It's just another lame Democrat activist albatross hanging around the necks of the dead/dying Democrat Party...

    OK Ni Ni....

  42. [42] 
    BashiBazouk wrote:

    I see a lot of dismissing and no backing up. Why is that?

    Example: No one but hysterical Democrats care about Global Warming anymore..

    Can you back this up with numbers? Preferably that includes the entire world? It is a world problem you know.

    I haven't given up petroleum based products because until a significant part of the population do the same, there is little point. If the population will not do what's right, then triggering a crisis sooner is likely to fix the problem better than half measures causing a long term chronic decline. That said, I do support moving away from petroleum and do what I can. The left is not going to disappear from society homesteading it without electricity or transportation just to appease your ego. That would be the opposite of solving the problem.

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