Global temperatures driven by US Postal Charges

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Story

Thought this was clever and interesting.

This nonsense really pisses me off.

You don't have to buy-in to the whole story to see the underlying truth. Pointing to particular things that may in fact be inaccurate, while ignoring the larger picture enforces ignorance. To me, joking about this is like joking about genocide or some such. It's just not funny, and in incredibly bad taste.

I'm not referring to the OP, as I have no idea where they stand on the matter, I'm referring only to the article posted and of course to the disturbingly ignorant comments on said article.

Superficially it's amusing. Unfortunately it does remind me that a whole bunch of ignorant Americans actually believe that the only reason carbon dioxide is implicated in causing global warming is because of some recent correlation between its increasing concentration in the atmosphere and that warming.

lighten up

Fault in method:

The postal charge raised in the period given from $0.02 to $0.44 - 22 time. Let say the absolute temperature on earth was 1885 ca. 280K, the temperature would be now 6160K - roughly the temperature on the surface of the sun.

If one undoes the inflation factor on U.S. money the first class postal price has not rise much at all. It is some where between 2 and 3 1940 cents.

ruveyn

I should refer you to my blasphemy thread for things that are actually humorous. This is PPR, to be taken seriously, as it were.

It also annoys me that the forum guidelines allow for you to come in and drop this one-liner, but I can't tell you what I really think. See if you can follow my alliteration. You're a cheeky ....

In general I find your posts quite acceptable and worthwhile but to exclude humor seems to me to be way out of line. At best this site is stimulating and amusing and hopefully, omnivorous.

I suppose my Hulk photoshop shows I have a sense of humor even in PPR. I wasn't even suggesting this topic was inappropriate or should be moved or whatever. I vented in regards to my negative feelings towards this type of humor, that which enforces ignorance, and then some dude I've never even seen in PPR posts that. If you want to piss me off, be brief and sarcastic when I am trying to be serious.

Aside from that, I agree with you, I am generally quite acceptable and worthwhile.

Sorry about the quote screwup. This is the way it should look.

Since no one could take seriously the idea that postal rates controlled the weather it merely struck me as passing strange that the connection could evoke any emotion other than wry amusement.

Last edited by Sand on 05 May 2009, 11:27 am, edited 1 time in total.

Wow.

I thought this was a funny article simply because it shows that it is easy to correlate something like the cost of postage with rising CO2 emission amounts and get the same hockey stick graph. And, the fact that probably the best return for any US investment was to buy postage stamps.

Hope some enjoyed. Not meant to offend but times like these that is impossible.

Yes, there are many ignorant people that are oblivious to the fact that there is more than a correlation - it is established physics that increasing the amount of CO2, methane, and CFCs in the atmosphere does result in a predictable increase in the amount of heat trapped in the atmosphere. Next they will be challenging the notion that wearing a coat can actually increase heat retention in people ... sure, people will tell you that they feel warmer after putting a coat on, but that is a subjective impression based on correlations ... there is no real causal mechanism to suggest that putting a coat on in the summer can make people uncomfortable.

Then I guess I am ignorant then.

Never an opportunity missed to express intellectual superiority.

Thanks

You shouldn't be so sensitive. Ignorance does not imply intellectual inferiority, only that you don't know something. Just dig-up the information you lack (afterall this is the internet), and you'll be better armed next time.

I'm poking fun at myself. I do not think myself ignorant on this subject, not at all. But, to have a discussion or even a joke without the "ignorant" word being used is..at times..difficult here. It is a crutch for debate for some. I will gladly go through life as an "Ignorant American" simply because I do not believe in science that does not translate into the real world. Lab experiments are one thing, all of the cycles and variables of this planet are another. I could provide ample proof but do not want a "joke post" to evolve into another "global warming alarmists" vs. "ignorant people" discussion. It is easy to say someone is ignorant but it seems much more difficult to express views in a way that teaches not alienate. But, this is by design.

No offense taken. Spurious correlations can be humorous, and it is something to consider. The thing is, what is the purpose and effect of the little 'story' you posted?? When doctors were trying to make the case that smoking causes cancer and heart disease, the pro-smoking forces would engage in such stories ... the end result was their claim (which was widely parroted in the population at the time) that statistics could prove anything you want them to mean, or that smoking doesn't cause cancer but it does cause statistics (which are quite unpleasant to the average NT).

I would argue the intended net effect of the story was not to provide any real insight into global warming, but to convince (or reinforce) the idea that global warming is foolish and unsupported, without actually having to deal with the issue itself ... but maybe I am wrong. Not saying that everyone who posts such links is nefarious, (most are quite innocent) ... but what is the bottom line?




Pumping up the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere will trap heat. That much is certain. There are disagreements on how well the oceans buffer the increase, and how rapid or dramatic the changes will be (it is a very non-linear system). But certain questions of physics are not in doubt - 'greenhouse gasses' trap heat in the atmosphere, and humans are dramatically increasing their concentrations.