Is Global Warming happening and does Man have an impact?

The people that know me, know too well how I have a keen interest in Weather. I am intrigued in extreme weather. I like very Hot weather, I like very cold. This perhaps is because I live in a country that is affected by maritime weather. The jet stream from the atlantic feeds the UK with warm air masses often sent as low pressure. Mild, cloudy, unsettled and wet weather keeps the UK protected from the more harsher, colder easterly weather that she should have considering its location on earth.

Few understand however that I have an interest in weather for a particular reason. I see weather and how it works having a great effect on the world. It affects people, animals and ecosystems naturally. However, what most people fail to recognize that it also has an effect on global economies and if I dare say, the evolution of our civilization.

I don’t pretend to be an expert. However I believe that non-experts can sometimes give the experts a different perspective and often helps complacency. It is easy to be an expert and lose sight of the bigger picture that can often lead to failing to achieve anything. Let’s start by trying to look at the main things that are linked to establishing whether there is Global warming and whether Man is contributing to it?

Weather Forecasting

The first tool in monitoring and predicting outcomes of the weather is Weather forecasting. Sure, there are much more that is done to examine the weather and how our activities impact it. However, currently in the UK we have the Met office that has a responsibility to forecast the weather. The Met office feeds the BBC and ITV with their information in order to broadcast their predictions.

The methods that the Met office use is very common throughout the world. It tries to predict behavior of the weather by a supercomputer that gathers all information such as surface pressure, temperature, precipitation (Water in the air) etc and creates models. The Supercomputer then calculates guesses of several scenarios that can happen. The Weather experts then use their knowledge to try and logically judge the likely outcome. The problem with this method is that this method is purely guessing on symptoms of weather rather than causes. You are more likely to predict the weather correctly if you can determine what caused the symptoms in the place.

There are several Weather Scientists that believe that they can find the cause through activities of the Sun. Piers Corbyn from weatheraction.com is one of those scientists that measures the amount of energy that is sent to earth to predict how the weather is going to react. Piers calculates the amount of energy released in levels 1-5. The higher the number the more reactive the surface pressures are. It is quite difficult for me really to explain so I would suggest you read this up. In essence the moral of the story Piers and others is trying to convince is that the biggest contributor to global weather and warming is the Sun. This is not taken to consideration by methods used by the Met Office.

Impartiality

The Global Warming phenomenon in the last decade has turned into a very politically driven cause. This is quite natural. However, the body used to predict weather for the UK has been given also the responsibility to drive this campaign of Global Warming. The problem here is impartiality. It is quite natural for a body to tweak its results to fit an agenda. If the consensus of the Met office is that global temperatures are increasing and it needs to prove this with the results from it weather predictions then it is very difficult for it to embrace the latter.

The observations I have had of the Met office and BBC forecasting is that the word Mild / Milder is used far too extensively and too easily. Whenever there is a period of milder weather, it seems the MET and The BBC continues to press on the word mild. If it is the latter, they tend to limit the the amount of time the word Cold is used. Last December the UK experienced a milder than usual Christmas. However, looking at the UK as a whole this was not true for the majority of the North of the UK. Also the reason for this mild was down to an unexpected activity of solar sun spots that caused the extra torpedo lows from the Atlantic to the UK giving us a more unsettled, windy warm weather. This changed this February when this activity weakened allowing large High Pressure to form over Europe bring in very cold easterly temperatures. However The BBC was one of the first to jump on the Mild bandwagon once the High Weakened. They even said that winter was now over. This is however too early to predict and also take into consideration that the Met office predictions have been limited to 48hrs and anything further than that is very unreliable.

The problem here is that you have a body championing the political agenda of global warming and not appearing to be independent. This truly a worrying thing! This is worrying because government, business and economies rely on accurate impartial recommendations in order to prepare itself properly.

The effect of the Global Warming agenda

Decisions made by Global Warming experts affect how a country spends money and resources. Policies are created and this can have beneficial but also negative impact on the economy, its people and its environment.

If Global warming exists, are we tackling the issues correctly?

Currently the EU is predicted to spend 250 million dollars to reduce carbon emissions on the belief that Man is contributing to the warming of the planet. Bjorn Lomborg is a leading expert who produced a film called “Cool It”. In this film Bjorn scrutinizes the goal and strategy of Global Warmists Agenda stating that the money is currently in the view of achieving to reduce the earths temperatures by a little as 0.1 degrees. Bjorn cleverly shows that this money can be invested more strategically by focusing on issues that are affected right now not assuming what will in near future. Bjorn concentrates on ecosystems and renewable energy. He strongly believes and argues well that tackling the issue and spending in this way will be more beneficial not only to the environment but also to peoples day to day lives.

Governments create policies and taxes that affect people who contribute and people that benefit from it. If the whole global warming evidence is not accurate then this has truly and unfairly put people, economies and certainly the environment at a disadvantage.

Is Man contributing to Global warming?

Recently the Met office UK published statistics that the World Temperatures have actually decreased since 1997 by 0.8 degrees. This is a problem. This goes against the estimations so far that the Met had predicted. They predicted that temperatures would increase due to the Carbon emissions released by man.

Piers Corbyn is in the view that Co2 naturally increases with the activities of the Sun. The more activities there are on the Sun the warmer the climate becomes and argues that this naturally increases Co2 levels in the atmosphere. Many scientists are in the belief that activities in the Sun is decreasing and the world is likely to be cooling over the next few decades. The counter argument given by the Met Office is that although this may be the case, the damage caused by our CO2 emission will counter the Sun’s effect of cooling.

Conclusion

I believe that we are in a very difficult position. I am not confident that we have truly considered all that affects the earths climate enough to justify policies and expenditures in place that affects countries, economies, people and most importantly the environment. The impartiality of the Met office is not to be desired and should be scrutinized. We have to embrace not condemn other scientific beliefs such as Piers Corbyn’s Solar effect and of others beliefs on weather and climate. This needs to be taken into consideration especially when such serious decisions are made in reaction to it. Bjorn’s approach to tackling the climate, environment and resource issue should be looked up to and a different approach is certainly needed.

Does Man affect climate with Co2? It does increase the amount of CO2 released however to what extent this has to cause the earth to warm up due to the earth’s ability to absorb CO2 and create CO2 itself is another question. What I do believe in is that Man is affecting it’s own capabilities of dealing with the issue correctly due to himself. What is clear to me right now is that we need to rethink the Global Warming issue but more importantly tackle how we deal with the earth’s resource and able to sustain it without causing problems for the whole planet. We can also certainly use the methods by Piers’ predictions to help better for extreme weather but also to understand how climate is truly affected.

Hard work and perseverance pays... We hope!

We are coming to the end of 2011 and what have we achieved and what is left to be done? For me and my Fiancee, this is year was about change, taking risk and compromise. Even when things looked bleak for the country and competition was rife out there, we still succeeded. Sometimes faith along with hard work pays off. Taking responsibility is key to success and this is where a lot of people fail. Far too many people expect the government to take full responsibility for the current economic climate and complain too quickly when things do not go according to plan. Far too many people complain about certain issues such as the countries deficit but when asked to take a cut themselves from lets say their pensions for the greater good of the country, they do not want to do this. They want the economy to get better but are not prepared to contribute. Very sad indeed!

For us as a couple, things are going well and continue to get better. However, there is always a feeling as I'm sure many feel, a risk of worsening economic climate. It's ironic to hear that the Greek government wishes to allow it's people to approve the recent 100bn euro bailout offered. It is clear that the government of Greece wants one thing and its people another. It's quite clear that without the people's will, no government can achieve its' goal. This is the very worrying thing and this is what will not make the bail-out work. It is a very gloomy outlook for the Euro and maybe for the EU.

Greece was offered a referendum on wether to accept the Bail out or not. The UK however was not offered a referendum to amend terms or to leave the EU. I can understand why a government would not want to risk a sensitive time in the Euro right now but it has fundamentally denied its people the opportunity to voice its preference and wish. This is not a clever move. Even seeing Nick Clegg vowing not to allow changes to the EU terms is suicide as currently his party is 8% of the UK vote in the poles. It seems a lot of minorities are shouting loudly at the moment and expect to get their way, Unions, protesters and even looters.

It's a difficult time for many but people need faith and to understand that you do not need to accept what happens around you in order to succeed. We proved this when both of us were facing redundancy and competition from many other unemployed people. Our own initiatives in succeeding with indirectly strengthen our economy. We don't need to solely rely on our government or certainly not Europe! ;)

Hot and Bright masking the Cold and Dreary?

I cannot help but feel I or we are in a middle of an equinox. On one hand there is positive energy fuelling inspiration and overcoming challenges and obstacles. On the other is the threat of destabilisation and anxiety. Am I talking about just me or everyone. I feel it's both.

It's been a challenging, inspiring and successful year so far for me. The circumstances of the general economy has made things much harder but has been a feel of real achievement because of it. Hard decisions had to made and compromises galore. I cannot tell you how many different choices I have had to make and adjust to get here.

It is nice and hot in London already and it is only 8am. It may break the 1985 record to become the hottest day on record. I will have to sleep through it as I've just finished a night shift, but hey! It always seems to be a nice day when other things are gloomy. It like someone trying to balance things out to make things easier.

Reality has it however that things may not be so bright soon. Economic wise, health wise and we could also be facing a heavy winter. Well only time will tell how we all deal with this. I know however that with bad comes the good so hang on in there!



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Location:Featherstone St,Islington,United Kingdom

A battering to the News Corp empire, So what?

So. Did anyone see this coming? Not really. News Corp, an empire with a reputation of being untouchable. News Corp had a lot going for it. It already until now missed potential damage and got away with it. It was ready to take over the remaining share of BSkyB to become an unstoppable force In the whole media world, in the UK at least. It says a lot when even an MP such as Vince Cable was ready to bring Murdoch down. Was it really that strange how he was exposed in expressing his personal aim and then shifted to another parliamentary sector? Hmm.

It was a massive risk for News Corp to take with the continuing hacking of individuals devices and voice mail at the time of great opportunities in convergence for the company and especially when it came close in 2003 to being found out. The newspapers are only 12% of revenue for the company so not really in business terms a risk worth taking.

So what now? It can only get worse as during the investigation process there is bound to be more scandalous practices. Did Rebekha know what was going on? Of course she did! How does a leader not think on where these remarkable leads were coming from for such sensitive and private information?? Quite clearly someone is protecting the escalation of the issue leading to the Murdocs themselves! let us not forget that the actual information supplied could have been state or national secrets, potentially risking the security of the country. Risking individuals lives such as the royals whereabouts!

Anyhow. I don't need to explain which way this will go. I would however say to think about the consequences this may have on other things such as the political landscape, the style of news papers to come and for the satellite tv and communication service sector. Will it be be better or did we really depend on Murdocs Empire to keep the industry innovating? One thing is clear. It has all changed from now on.

Whilst I worked for Ofcom, it was clear to me how sensitive it was to take on cases involving News Corp. Reducing the wholesale price of Sky movies for example took years of consulting and planning due to the fear of a legal revolt at the end of it. Will this be the case in the future? I hope not. No organisation should be able to apply such a pressure to a regulator. It gives them a clear and unfair advantage over other companies. Stifling competition which is only bad news to you, the consumer.

I didn't see any possibility in stopping the BSkyB takeover during this government. The Conservaties like Labour with the Unions need to be on News Corps side. To my relief of such revelations ( but not with what they actually did to the individuals ), the regulators and the government now does not need to fight as hard against News Corp. It is likely to be able to provide all the evidence it needs to justify its decisions. Remember also that News Corp has major shares on broadcasting, journalistic and communication sector in many parts of the world. Could this also spark a revolt that can change the landscape in those countries? Fox news in the USA is one of them and has a direct link with the Republican party, it has a heavily weighted influence over it.

A change is coming. I hope it is a good one!




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Location:London

Fairwell to the 20s!

So it's time for me to say goodbye to my 20s!

Many fear about the thought of turning 30. Not me! Many will even say that it is just a number and nothing changes. It's different for everyone so no-one is right or wrong. For me it is not a fear. For me it is a good way to help with closure. Out with the old, in with the new! A new chapter just like many see it with a new year, new home or a new job. A point in time to be able to reflect, on what's learned, on what's lost and what's gained.

My 20s felt like a strange time. How can I say this when I have not got a lot of comparison yet. Well, I'm just making what maybe a naive assumption that I've gone through a difficult, challenging and somewhat confusing time in my life.

I started my 20s at a very different place. I was in University, going through a boom in the economy and New Labour was in power. Steps, Britney Spears and generally Bubble pop was the only thing you heard, well me any way. It was a time where you were encouraged to take advantage of credit as it was virtually interest free and you didn't have to pay for music as you used Napster to download your music. Broadband was the next big thing and Poly Phonic Ring Tones was a must. These were the good times. Like anything that can be taken in abundance at first has a painful consequence to it in the end. It has a price!! The debt from all that credit to getting used to having those adventures and lifestyle depending on it soon came to a bitter end.

I found it hard to face reality towards the mid of my twenties as I didn't understand why I was "being punished" as I was actually only doing what others did and what my society encouraged me to do. It was a sour pill to swallow. I honestly felt hung over towards my mid-twenties that is only clearing up now. The biggest and most challenging aspects of my twenties came from debt, relationships, work and even health. Trying to deal with just one aspect alone can be quite daunting for anyone in their 20s. It's not likely that anyone in their 20s would have been prepared for it either.

I look back now on the last day of my twenties and don't look at it in a negative way. I am actually quite please and proud of the journey. Some adults will not face the challenges and hardships that I and many others I'm sure in their 20s have faced. To me that is a loss to them as I honestly feel that I was lucky to have learned from my mistakes at an early part of my life. These events will only make the path I chose to take from here on a challenge, an adventure and not a burden. I have still a lot to learn and experience I know but I end my twenties a more certain, stronger, calmer and happier individual than I did at the beginning of my twenties. I found London, a good Career path and most importantly my Fiancee!

So, goodbye to the 20s, it was an experience I will never forget! Let's see what challenges and adventures my 30s will bring! :)

Now the fun starts...

Many find living a budget quite a shock. Those things you took for granted not at your grasp whenever you want anymore. How will you live? Will u be happy? What happens when that new IPhone comes out?

The truth of the matter is that you can do it, more than you think. When you are forced to a budget you find that you can find things you can do without or find things you can still do but cheaper. At first it is a shock but it's even a more pleasant shock when you find out how much un-necessary things you are paying for and can do without. The key I think and have found so far is to put things in perspective and try to realise what really matters and what the priorities are. If you can afford them then you will be happy, even a sense of achievement if you accomplish it.

Many through the country like us are having to face the reality that a shrinking or slow growing economy translates to a not so better living standards for everyone. The important thing to remember is that this is not forever. Think of it as you riding the storm. At the end of any storm, as you know there is a calm and things settle down and the sun comes out. This is what will happen for you.

I am in that scenario now and have had to do the necessary cuts to allow us to ride that storm. I know however that once I am back at work I will be in a much better position. Most probably in the best position I have ever been in. So to me the challenge has it's rewards on the long run and that the short term pinch is exactly that, short term.

There are many things you can do even if you don't need to cut like I do. Simple things like shopping around for your utilities and bulk buying the food shopping. The biggest saving a working professional in an office like I did is to bring in a packed lunch. I used to spend £3.75 on a boots meal deal. I thought that was a bargain. Look at the following figures and see for yourselves that it wasn't really a good deal.

£3.75 x 5 days = £15
x 4 weeks = £60
x 12 weeks = £720

So that's £720 pounds a year. More than enough for an iPad!! You could easily halve that by making your own food.

Some other tips on getting the most from your pound.

If you have to buy the product, try to get it on-line. You can easily compare the prices using google's shopping search. You can also find tonnes of voucher / promotional codes that people post on the Internet that can often give you 10-20 % off. You can also get cash back for a lot of the purchases you make on-line. There are several on-line cash back companies but the best I found and the most reliable was www.topcashback.com. You can also try to collect nectar or club card points that can be converted to vouchers for all-sorts of purchases.

So there you have it. I can give tips for saving until the cows come in but I'm sure you'll find them as I did. Good luck with your savings and I'll keep u posted on my progress.

Good night ; )


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Location:Beckenham, London

A world without Osama Bin Laden, finally!

Many of us would had known of his death today. Many waiting for such a long time for something that seemed never to happen. I woke up to the the headlines this morning, not in shock but to a welcomed surprise. It did seem like all hope was lost to what seemed like a mammoth of a job. Almost 10 years but it finally happened!

It brought back a lot of memories. I was working like a few of my friends were in America during the run-up to the event. I can remember it quite clearly, even the emotions at the time. Working at Ocean City in Maryland. I remember when starting the 4 months adventure to pass the twin towers as we traveled with Greyhound to Ocean City. I remember thinking to myself that I will finally get to see you both in a few months time. Little did I know then that all I would see would be a skeleton of the Tin Towers as you see in the photograph above.

I was woken up to the disaster by my friends at the time in Vancouver, Canada a day after we arrived. I was woken up around 5 :30am and remember thinking that what I saw was a fantastic but sick movie that was going to come out. It took a while until the realisation that this was actually a terrorist attack. A shock that lasted not hours but months ahead.

Yes, I ended my trip in New york but to a totally devastated one. I remember seeing all the American flags around but it didn't have the normal sense of power feel to it but of clear sadness and anger. I took my camera out and tried to capture a story of what I felt and saw. A country, a world shaken by something so un-comprehensible.

Almost 10 years on.... A difficult time already for many countries already coping with the credit crunch and disasters that have already happened this year. However, a silver lining has appeared. Victory for America and hopefully some closure for the families that lost their loved ones to the senseless attack. A new dawn perhaps to prove that you need some faith to work through these times. Hopefully today will be a beginning of a revived hope for many .......