Pet peeves

[trysail]

One Of The Big Ones

Snow in April. Why, why, why?

Now you've gone and done it, Monique. You've inspired me to write about one of the "big ones" (as in PET PEEVES). I have purposely avoided doing this before because I am, apparently, one of ten people in the world who holds the opinion that I do- and I am acutely aware that folks have been lynched for less reason, a fate I have no intention of tempting.

Nonetheless, here goes: GLOBAL WARMING IS A THEORY. It is not fact. Contrary to the loud assertions of a certain well-known former Vice-President, contrary to the endlessly repeated media reports, and contrary to the public's brainwashing, there is no scientific consensus. The data are not conclusive. I am sick and tired of the media's constant blaring and repetition of a flat-out inaccuracy.

"Not dumb" people like Michael Crichton and William Gray, Ph.D. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_M._Gray ), have said the same thing. In fact, a lot of "not dumb" people have said it. So why does the media continue to report it as accepted fact? Why? Why? Why? Everytime I hear some dumbass local reporter or Charles ("No Einstein") Gibson, or the Beeb (the Beeb, for god's sake! Can you believe it? What has the world come to?) glibly blame global warming for this or that, my blood pressure rises and I start screaming at the offending radio, television, or webpage. (I don't bother when it's NPR or PBS, having assumed right from the git-go that they were a lost cause).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_scientists_opposing_global_warming_consensus

Should I expect this to happen every time a bunch of otherwise unemployable English majors are asked to evaluate science? God help us all!

Please note that I am not suggesting that I know, one way or another, whether the THEORY of global warming is correct. I don't. I do know that there is absolutely no balance in the reporting or any effort to provide balance, whatsoever.
______________________________________________________________

Home Page- NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies – Surface Temperature Analysis
http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/station_data/

Punta Arenas, Chile
http://data.giss.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/g...py?id=304859340004&data_set=1&num_neighbors=1

Alice Springs, Australia
http://data.giss.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/g...py?id=501943260004&data_set=1&num_neighbors=1

Clyde, NWT, Canada
http://data.giss.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/g...py?id=403710900006&data_set=1&num_neighbors=1

Christchurch, NZ
http://data.giss.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/g...py?id=507937800000&data_set=1&num_neighbors=1

Kamenskoe, Siberia
http://data.giss.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/g...py?id=222257440004&data_set=1&num_neighbors=1

Rome, Italy
http://data.giss.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/g...py?id=623162390011&data_set=1&num_neighbors=1

Paris, Le Bourget
http://data.giss.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/g...py?id=615071500001&data_set=1&num_neighbors=1

For a pictorial refutation of rising sea levels see:
http://www.john-daly.com/
It shows a picture taken in 2004 of a mark made by Captain Sir James Clark Ross on Tasmania, that marked mean sea level in 1841. The photograph was taken at low tide on 20 January, 2004. The mark is 50 cm across; and the tidal range is less than a metre.

As you can readily see, there has been no significant change in sea level for the last 165 years.

 

[Daizie]

Trysail I share some of the same opinions about this that you do. However, I think George Carlin summed it up best when talking about Global Warming and "us" saving the planet.

http://www.habitablezone.com/flame/messages/420992.html

 

[bluebell]

It's not really about global warming, it's just about quote-stealing.

I am, apparently, one of ten people in the world who holds the opinion that I do

Me too:

I like the cold.
(Sorry, Mo. You can have your own little pocket of warmth if you want.)

 

[Lorali82]

I think the cold snap finally killed my ants. Other than that, it sucks.

 

[Ekserb]

I have purposely avoided doing this before because I am, apparently, one of ten people in the world who holds the opinion that I do- and I am acutely aware that folks have been lynched for less reason, a fate I have no intention of tempting.

You're not going to be lynched for voicing this opinion, but you are about to be castrated for thinking this is the first time you've brought it up.

Post #797 and post #1046 in this thread are suspiciously similar to your latest rant. Almost copy-and-paste similar.

(Let it not be suggested that I don't do my research - I had to go through the last twenty pages of this thread to find the posts I've linked to in this reply.)

 

[monique1971]

I rather wish I had not brought up that most innocuous of topics, the weather. Because every time we get into the global warming subject, I can feel my blood pressure rising.

<deep calming breaths>

Repeat mantra: do not get into pointless debates on Lit...do not get into pointless debates on Lit.

I am going to go look at some naked people now.

 

[trysail]

Mercy

You're not going to be lynched for voicing this opinion, but you are about to be castrated........for thinking this is the first time you've brought it up........[posts] are suspiciously similar to your latest rant. Almost copy-and-paste similar.

(Let it not be suggested that I don't do my research - I had to go through the last twenty pages of this thread to find the posts I've linked to in this reply.)

I rather wish I had not brought up that most innocuous of topics, the weather. Because every time we get into the global warming subject, I can feel my blood pressure rising.

<deep calming breaths>

Repeat mantra: do not get into pointless debates on Lit...do not get into pointless debates on Lit.

I am going to go look at some naked people now.

Ekserb, you are right and I stand guilty as charged. But, but, but, ...... castration? Isn't that a little extreme? In a plea for mercy and moderation, I must point out that this thread is, after all, about Pet Peeves- and, demonstrably, this is near the top of my list. May I be permitted the dignity of hemlock, rather than the axe, the knife, the rope, a firing squad, or the sword?

Monique has the right idea (as is so frequently the case); I, too, am going to go look at some images of naked women while I've still got time.

 

[Daizie]

You're not going to be lynched for voicing this opinion, but you are about to be castrated

Ekserb, you are right and I stand guilty as charged. But, but, but, ...... castration? Isn't that a little extreme?

No castration without representation!

 

[bluebell]

Hubba hubba

No castration without representation!

Too bad Johnnie Cochran is dead.
Whoever will fill in for the Cochster?

 

[bluebell]

Yet another nonsensical late-night ramble

I'm bouncing off the walls tonight.
For some reason I feel like taking advantage of every courtesy that all the nice people in my life have ever extended to me. Just to see what happens.

You know, like calling someone's personal cell phone at 1:19 in the morning; they gave you the number in case you ever really needed it.

Or the friend who keeps the phone by her bedside just in case anyone ever has to call (and one already did tonight at 11 pm...me. But I want to do it again!), at any time of the night, and for any reason.

Or going and knocking on the door crying (for some inexplicable reason) to the people you know who live just around the corner from you who said they would always be available should you need anything.

I so want to do all these things right now.
My peeve is that I'm too damn nice to actually do it all.

 

[Ekserb]

I love this thread.

For grins, I dropped back a few weeks and re-read some of the early stuff. Priceless.

And now for something completely different:
http://homepage.mac.com/pdbreske/PICT2141.jpg

 

[bluebell]

As he flew, Mervin repeated to himself "There is no worm in an ink well, there is no worm in an ink well..."

 

[Ekserb]

Okay, what the fuck is up with all the vampires and dungeons and dragons shit on here? Is this fairy tale lifestyle so pervasive in our society or is Lit an internet hangout for shut-ins?

Everybody seems to think they're cool if they like to pretend to drink blood or maybe fantasize about being a hero with a grand horse and a six-foot-long sword riding to save the damsel in the castle keep.

"I just want to be different. Just like everybody else!" Yeah, whatever. I love how these people "hate labels," yet they are so blatantly obvious about their gothic lifestyle that a blind man could see their parents wondering where they went wrong. The dyed jet-black hair and pasty-white skin, black clothing, leather armbands, black eyeliner, body piercings everywhere, tattoos with some pseudo-tribal design around their neck. Oooo, what rebels.

The great irony of it all is the more they try to differentiate themselves from "the norm," the more they fit peg-like into the round hole they so desperately want to avoid.

Oh, wait. I'm sure everyone here is different. I mean really different. It's not like they're trying to fit in with a crowd or anything.

Fucking posers.

I fucking dare someone to point out that D&D and goth are two different lifestyles. Go ahead. I double-dare ya.

By the way, Grindhouse is good.

 

[MsTexas]

People who have their asses gapeing open as an av

Makes me wanna throw up

 

[monique1971]

Okay, what the fuck is up with all the vampires and dungeons and dragons shit on here? Is this fairy tale lifestyle so pervasive in our society or is Lit an internet hangout for shut-ins?

I think it's fairly widespread. Since you only ever trace a limited route between your home, workplace and South Beach, you probably don't see much of society's diversity. Imagine all the things you'd experience if you actually went someplace that wasn't congregated by models. (I know, I know, why would you want to do that? I'm just sayin'.)

Everybody seems to think they're cool if they like to pretend to drink blood or maybe fantasize about being a hero with a grand horse and a six-foot-long sword riding to save the damsel in the castle keep.

I had a lab partner in college who refused to touch anything metal because she had "elven blood." (Note: she was assigned me at random; I would not have chosen to saddle myself with this.) I was like, "You're kidding, right?" Ever notice how much scientific equipment is made out of metal? Oh well. I learned the material much better than she did, because I set up all the experiments and did the work. Then again, I doubt that elves believe in science, either.

I fucking dare someone to point out that D&D and goth are two different lifestyles. Go ahead. I double-dare ya.

Haha!

 

[ShyGuy68]

Why do people have to bump threads where the poster haven't posted in more than 6 months!

Come on people, check the dates of the thread starters last post, before bumping a thread that old.

 

[MsTexas]

Why do people have to bump threads where the poster haven't posted in more than 6 months!

Come on people, check the dates of the thread starters last post, before bumping a thread that old.

Because it makes you mad?

 

[Daizie]

By the way, Grindhouse is good.

Agreed.

 

[Ekserb]

More driving peeves

Saw this one a couple days ago:

I'm in my work truck and the car in front of me slams on his brakes. I'm barely managing to keep from hitting him and I see the truck behind me smoking his own tires as he attempts to avoid hitting me. We all manage to stop without incident, and when I come to the reason we were all nearly killed I see a minivan parked in the middle of the fucking road. I stared for a few seconds because I just couldn't believe what I was looking at. I decided that I wasn't going to put up with this shit any more so I pulled over to the side of the road and turned on my hazard flashers.

I walked up to the driver's window and found ... NO ONE IN THE CAR. It was just sitting there with a crumpled hood, apparently from rear-ending another car. No driver. No other car. Nothing. The worst part was it wasn't even fully in its own lane - it was mostly in the left lane, but sticking out into the middle lane just enough to cause the traffic in that lane to swerve to miss it.

I pulled out my cell phone as I placed my traffic cones. Just then the driver walked out of the nearby McDonald's and yelled across the street that it was her car. I asked why she left it in the middle of the street and told her that she was causing a huge safety hazard. She said the police told her to leave it there, although I find this excuse highly dubious. I rolled my eyes and got back to my phone call.

Before I could get the dispatcher on the line, a cop pulled up in the opposite direction and asked what was going on. I explained the situation and he agreed that this was ridiculous and unsafe. He pulled around behind my truck and blocked traffic. Within a few minutes and after another driver offered to help push the car off the road, we had managed to get this fucking van out of traffic and call for a tow truck. The cop thanked me and I went on my way.

The driver didn't say a fucking word.

Maybe some of you are reading this and thinking, "Well, the police did tell her to leave it there." Look, if they had asked her to leave her daughter in the middle of the street I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have done it, so we can assume that she wouldn't do as she was told if she felt it wasn't in her own interest, but because she doesn't give a shit about any other people on the road, she did the worst thing possible and left her two-ton vehicle in the road where other drivers could slam into it and get themselves injured or killed.

Mother fucking cunt bitch whore. I hope she dies.

 

[MsTexas]

Saw this one a couple days ago:

I'm in my work truck and the car in front of me slams on his brakes. I'm barely managing to keep from hitting him and I see the truck behind me smoking his own tires as he attempts to avoid hitting me. We all manage to stop without incident, and when I come to the reason we were all nearly killed I see a minivan parked in the middle of the fucking road. I stared for a few seconds because I just couldn't believe what I was looking at. I decided that I wasn't going to put up with this shit any more so I pulled over to the side of the road and turned on my hazard flashers.

I walked up to the driver's window and found ... NO ONE IN THE CAR. It was just sitting there with a crumpled hood, apparently from rear-ending another car. No driver. No other car. Nothing. The worst part was it wasn't even fully in its own lane - it was mostly in the left lane, but sticking out into the middle lane just enough to cause the traffic in that lane to swerve to miss it.

I pulled out my cell phone as I placed my traffic cones. Just then the driver walked out of the nearby McDonald's and yelled across the street that it was her car. I asked why she left it in the middle of the street and told her that she was causing a huge safety hazard. She said the police told her to leave it there, although I find this excuse highly dubious. I rolled my eyes and got back to my phone call.

Before I could get the dispatcher on the line, a cop pulled up in the opposite direction and asked what was going on. I explained the situation and he agreed that this was ridiculous and unsafe. He pulled around behind my truck and blocked traffic. Within a few minutes and after another driver offered to help push the car off the road, we had managed to get this fucking van out of traffic and call for a tow truck. The cop thanked me and I went on my way.

The driver didn't say a fucking word.

Maybe some of you are reading this and thinking, "Well, the police did tell her to leave it there." Look, if they had asked her to leave her daughter in the middle of the street I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have done it, so we can assume that she wouldn't do as she was told if she felt it wasn't in her own interest, but because she doesn't give a shit about any other people on the road, she did the worst thing possible and left her two-ton vehicle in the road where other drivers could slam into it and get themselves injured or killed.

Mother fucking cunt bitch whore. I hope she dies.

How can you compare leaving a car in the middle of the road to a child?

 

[Ekserb]

How can you compare leaving a car in the middle of the road to a child?

Easy. She leaves her kid in the road and someone swerves to avoid the child, then the next car doesn't have enough time to react and runs over the kid, killing her.

Or ... she leaves her car in the road which someone swerves to avoid, then the next car doesn't have time to react and slams into the parked vehicle, killing the driver and passenger of the moving car.

In either case, we have dead people.

Or maybe that cunt could have avoided either situation by driving her car into the nearby parking lot and getting it the fuck out of the fucking roadway.

I compare dumb people to inanimate objects all the time. I know sometimes it's easy to confuse the two, but trust me, the inanimate object knows the difference.

 

[bluebell]

I love this snippet. It makes me happy.

I compare dumb people to inanimate objects all the time. I know sometimes it's easy to confuse the two, but trust me, the inanimate object knows the difference.

I myself have had several therapy sessions with some stray boxes of rocks, and a post or two, and can vouch for the above statement.
How they cried.
Conversely, I've never had a really good chat with anyone who fully 'fessed up to their own stupidity. Except myself, and that's because no one else would listen.

 

[Lorali82]

Some people who live down the street from me occasionally let their dog run around loose in the neighborhood. Which is fine. He's cute and friendly and could probably use the exercise. But today he got into my curbside trash. Apparently he was interested in some week-old cantaloupe rinds and some cat barf saturated paper towels. Those were fun to pick up.

 

[monique1971]

Some people who live down the street from me occasionally let their dog run around loose in the neighborhood. Which is fine. He's cute and friendly and could probably use the exercise. But today he got into my curbside trash. Apparently he was interested in some week-old cantaloupe rinds and some cat barf saturated paper towels. Those were fun to pick up.

Yuck!

I'm not a big fan of letting dogs run loose in the neighborhood. All too often it turns into "dog hit by a car."

 

[Lorali82]

Yuck!

I'm not a big fan of letting dogs run loose in the neighborhood. All too often it turns into "dog hit by a car."

Fortunately, the condition of the streets in my neighborhood make it difficult to drive any faster than 3 mph. It's more likely that he'll get hit by one of the several freight trains that barrels through each day.