http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/index/ en inamays@gmail.com Copyright 2008 2008-07-18T19:32:00-05:00 http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/food_for_thought/ http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/food_for_thought/#When:19:32:00Z Witty image provided by Salena. News, Political, Random, Useless 2008-07-18T19:32:00-05:00 http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/in_the_name_of_a_hoax_part_v/ http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/in_the_name_of_a_hoax_part_v/#When:16:44:00Z Originally posted on my blog at http://www.candyforidiots.com. Let me just set the record straight on my views of Global Warming. I believe that there is such a thing as climate change. We see it four times a year with our seasons. Throughout the history of earth, we see evidence in Ice Ages, etc. We see natural cycles and patterns that are irrefutable. I believe that it’s absolutely possible that our earth is going through a climate change right now, and that our planet might indeed be warming. However, I refuse to believe that mankind is responsible. I have a fundamental problem with the “science” of Global Warming. Any scientific reasoning or experiment begins with something called a hypothesis. A hypothesis is defined as “a proposition, or set of propositions, set forth as an explanation for the occurrence of some specified group of phenomena, either asserted merely as a provisional conjecture to guide investigation (working hypothesis) or accepted as highly probable in the light of established facts.” A proposition is defined as, “the act of offering or suggesting something to be considered, accepted, adopted, or done.” The idea of man-made global warming is currently a hypothesis. It has been proposed as a reason, or excuse as to why the temperatures on our planet are rising. However, what’s being spoon-fed to us every day is that man-made global warming is scientifically proven and that if we don’t act now, our planet will be iriversably impacted. It is not proven. It’s not even close to being proven. For something on this scale, you will need generations and generations of data to even advance your hypothesis, let alone make a scientifically declared statement about the supposed fact. Science can’t get it right. In the wake of hurricane Katrina, scientists were spewing the fact that global warming was causing these ”mega hurricane’s”. [9/23/2005] Some people are pointing to global warming, saying that our use of fossil fuels has helped to heat up the planet and its seas, producing much stronger hurricanes. Three new reports authored by prominent scientists—published in the journals “Nature” and “Science”—bolster that theory’s credibility. “There’s good evidence to show that Category 4 and 5 storms indeed are becoming more common and a bigger part of the overall pictures of the hurricanes in the world,” said Kevin Trenberth, a scientist at the government-funded National Center for Atmospheric Research. Trenberth is the author of one of the papers, which links stronger hurricanes to warmer seas and global warming caused by humans. Global warming, he says, has caused increases in sea levels and in the temperature of the oceans, which increases water vapor in the atmosphere and provides fuel for massive storms. That story was from almost three years ago. In three years, we haven’t had a hurricane hit the United States. And in three years time, science is doing a 180° on the issue. Global warming isn’t to blame for the recent jump in the number of hurricanes in the Atlantic, concludes a study by a prominent federal scientist whose position has shifted on the subject. Not only that, warmer temperatures will actually reduce the number of hurricanes in the Atlantic and those making landfall, research meteorologist Tom Knutson reported in a study released Sunday. Ever since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, hurricanes have often been seen as a symbol of global warming’s wrath. Many climate change experts have tied the rise of hurricanes in recent years to global warming and hotter waters that fuel them. ...They attribute the recent increase to a natural multi-decade cycle. Science can’t even figure out what in the hell causes hurricanes. Whether it’s warm water, cold water, luke-warm water, they don’t know! In three years time, our logic behind what type of weather causes hurricanes has completely flip-flopped! How in the hell are we supposed to listen to these scientists, who are working on only a couple of decades of data to formulate a reason as to why our temperatures are rising? Why are we allowing our government to discuss legislation aimed at reducing our carbon footprint in the hopes of cooling the planet? But wait people, I’m simply not done yet… Average global temperatures in 2008 are forecast to be lower than in previous years, thanks to the cooling effect of the ocean current in the Pacific, U.N. meteorologists say. The World Meteorological Organisation’s secretary-general, Michel Jarraud, said it was likely that La Nina, an abnormal cooling of sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, would continue into the summer. I thought our pollution is causing the temperature in the oceans to rise, thus causing the ice caps to melt? Or are the oceans dictating what our temperatures are? Who is lying to us? Which data should we take seriously? Who has the proof? My point here people is that before you go out an buy a hybrid car in the guise of global warming, take a step back. You know the old saying “you can’t believe everything you hear”? Well, don’t believe everything you hear when it comes to global warming. Because if you listen closely, you’ll hear a lot of different reasons, which contradict each other, for the same thing. Science doesn’t know why our temperatures are warming, or cooling, or staying the same. They don’t know what causes it. They have ideas and they have predictions, but the best that they can come up with is a hypothesis. A proposition. Global policy set by the United Nations and governments all around the world (including ours) is being shaped by something I believe is naturally occurring, something totally unproven, and that should perk up your ears and should cause you to raise your voice. News, Political, Random, Useless, Weird 2008-05-19T16:44:00-05:00 http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/temporary_dictator_of_america/ http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/temporary_dictator_of_america/#When:18:07:00Z Originally posted on my blog at http://www.candyforidiots.com. I found a post over at RachelLucas.com and thought I’d play along. The point is, if you were elected temporary supreme dictator of America, what laws would you pass, appeal, etc, and they would say in place after you left office. Let’s start, shall we? 1) Since the primary purpose of the Federal Government is to protect the citizens of this great land, I would double the size of the current military (yes, double) and double their salary’s. I would place about a quarter of all armed services on the borders (north & south) to eliminate illegal immigration. 2) I would build the double-layered fence along the border of Mexico, which is already law, and I’d also spring one up on our northern border, too. 3) I’d eliminate the Federal income tax, and go back to tariff’s and taxing imports and exports as our primary source of federal revenue. 4) Since #3 is going to bankrupt the country, I would eliminate 99.999% of all federal programs and allow the states to make their own decisions as to how they want to run their state, not the country. Because a large centralized government always leads to fascism/communism eventually. 5) I would IMMEDIATELY allow the expansion of drilling for natural resources (oil) in the United States, regardless of the geographical location, and I would also end the suspension of building refineries. Also in my energy policy, I would allow for the creation of at lease 500 Nuclear Power Plans all across the United States. 6) The Constitution will be reviewed by me, and I will elaborate on what our founding fathers actually meant in their writings and my further explanation will be law. Specifically the second amendment. And when an amendment is passed to negate a previous amendment, they’re simply going to cross each other out. How silly is it to have an amendment on the books, and then another one saying that the first one is null and void. Just get rid of the stupid thing. Geez! 7) Our educational system will be completely overhauled. Teachers will be paid based on their results. If the results don’t meet certain expectations, they will be fired. Parents will be responsible for their children’s results, too. If a child fails to graduate, his parents will be fined and incarcerated for up to 2 years. The child who failed will then be required to pay back the government for all of the money it cost to have them educated as he enters the work force. 8) There will be an abolishion of the minimum wage. People should be paid according to their abilities, and that’s it. Also, there will no longer be bankruptcies. You will be forced to pay back the money you owe people, or your wages will be heavily docked until that is completed. 9) Our foreign policy will focus on peace and order throughout the world, specifically pertaining to the protection of our allies. We will no longer be involved with the United Nations and most of our international aid will be ceased until the country we are providing that aid to conforms to a decent country, such as ours. You might say, “What about the children???” Yeah, what about them? If a country is starved because we’ve stopped giving them aid, then they will rise up and take their country back and establish a country with morals and standards and goals, and produce a better quality of life. Then we will help them with aid, technology, etc. We will stop supplying and financing regimes. 10) And finally, all hippies will be deported. I just don’t like hippies. They stink and drive stupid scooters. Well, that was fun! What do you think of my supposed rule? News, Political, Random, Useless, Weird 2008-05-08T18:07:00-05:00 http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/believe_not_god_is_in_your_heart_child_but_rather_youre_in_the_heart_of_god/ http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/believe_not_god_is_in_your_heart_child_but_rather_youre_in_the_heart_of_god/#When:20:04:00Z For those of you who aren’t aware, most of the bloggers on this website are related.  Our grandfather, Billy Joe Webb, passed away on April 26, 2008.  If you would like to read more about it, and read some of our favorite memories of him, there is an awesome post on n0ia’s site. Go read it when you get a chance. Make sure to check out the comments as well.  News 2008-05-05T20:04:00-05:00 http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/life_is_wonderful/ http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/life_is_wonderful/#When:13:06:01Z Tomorrow is going to be one of the highlights of the year for me.  I am going to see one of my favorite artists perform.  That’s right-- tomorrow evening I will be gazing upon the wonder that is Jason Mraz… *sigh*… I’ve seen him perform a couple of times, but it’s been several years since the last time so I am extremely excited.  Geoffrey and I are leaving Chatty around noon tomorrow, travelling to Jacksonville to pick up our friend Jessica, then heading over the the ATL to hang out and chill before the big show.  Rachel and Jada will be meeting up with us at some point.  I am so elated, I can’t even express it in words.  This is as close as I can get ------> SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  So anyway, I hope everyone else has a fun Wednesday planned, but I fear it will never compare to mine.  Later! Music 2008-04-22T13:06:01-05:00 http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/delta_officially_sucks/ http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/delta_officially_sucks/#When:19:40:00Z Originally posted on my blog at http://blog.neelyandjohn.com. Don’t get me wrong, I support a private companies choice to run their businesses as they see fit and I will never deviate from that ideal. However, while I support their right to make choices, I won’t support their decisions by giving them my business. There have been several airlines in the past few weeks which have closed their doors due to bankruptcy.  Skybus has gone under, Mesa Airlines is on the verge of a bankruptcy, ATA Airlines has gone under, and pretty much every major airline is hiking prices and fee’s to compensate for the price of fuel. While I don’t want to get into global warming in this post since my previous entires pretty much point out my position on the myth, I do want to point out that the global warming craze is one of the major factors for rising fuel prices. Ethanol, a product used to reduce the amount of fossil fuels used in oil production, is making the cost of jet fuel rise, as well as food prices, but that also is a whole other post… The point is, gas is high, fuel is high, and jet fuel is REALLY high right now. What does the largest airline in the country do, in such a horrible economic time such as this? Well, this email I received from Delta pretty much explains their stewardship...Subject: Carbon Offset x 2 Body: Let’s match green for green. To celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd and in partnership with The Conservation Fund, we will match all carbon offset donations made via delta.com during the month of April. It’s easy to offset your carbon emissions when you purchase a ticket at delta.com. And, 100% of the donations will benefit The Conservation Fund’s Go ZeroSM program, which plants trees to fight climate change. This is just one part of our Force for Global Good initiative that strives to protect the world we fly everyday. Visit delta.com for all your travel needs—near and far. Take advantage of our Best Fare Guarantee and book your next flight (while avoiding up to $25 in booking fees!). You also can reserve hotel rooms or car rentals, sign up for real-time flight information and check in online. Then visit our Delta Blog to see “under the wing” and behind the scenes as we share stories on ideas, changes and our people. I’m not so blind to know that this is simply a PR scheme and that Delta is catering to the ignorant who are apart of the global warming hysteria. However, Delta just came out of bankruptcy, is in a great position to get back on their feet, and they are literally wasting money by matching carbon offsets. If you’re not familiar with what a carbon offset is, let me tell you. The idea is for people who account for a lot of green house gas emissions and who feel just plain awful about the way they terrorize mother nature, can purchase these magical credits to account for their depraved lifestyles. So how exactly does this idea affect the change that we need to save the planet? Let’s explain it a little further… A company will sell you a carbon offset, or a billion, they don’t care. The more they sell, the richer they are. Well, say your carbon footprint is 13.5 tons of green house gas emissions each year (which is on the high end). Say mine is only 5 tons per year. I can sell you the 7.5 tons I’m NOT USING OR NEVER WOULD HAVE USED so that you can feel better about yourself and so that you never technically go over “footprint”. If you’ll notice, you never actually did anything whatsoever to help save our planet. You’re still emitting the exact same amount of green house gases you would have emitted otherwise, only you were a complete and total moron because you paid someone else so you could do it. Hello? The real problem, however, more than Delta’s complete idiotic campaign to match your complete and idiotic act of actually purchasing these carbon credits, is that all three presidential candidates believe in this farce and want the United States to purchase these offsets from other countries who don’t exactly emit as much pollution as we do. Again, the same concept applies. The US emits about 20% of the earths total carbon emissions. Mexico, South Africa, Iran, Indonesia, and France only emit a combined 7.6% of the earths total carbon footprint. France, using 1.4% total can tell the US that, “hey, we’ll cut our emissions to 1% and sell you the remaining .4%.” What happens is France raises their taxes on corporations, fuel, consumption, etc. in order to lower their emissions by driving up the prices of everything, and the United States raises taxes so that we can afford to purchase these carbon credits and output more emissions. The point is, you are doing literally NOTHING to curb carbon emissions and you are doing everything to raise prices of goods, raise taxes, and create more government control over your life. I travel extensively in my line of work, and I fly a lot. I will avoid flying Delta at all costs because of their stance in this issue. They could invest this money by making sure their planes are safer by hiring more technicians to repair planes, which adds jobs to the economy and provides better safety for those who fly in their planes. Instead, they’re WASTING their money purchasing the equivalent of magic beans, to grow massive stalks, to reach the fictional giants on top of the clouds. News, Political 2008-04-10T19:40:00-05:00 http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/3_d_video_gaming_tv_watching_is_now_apon_us/ http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/3_d_video_gaming_tv_watching_is_now_apon_us/#When:20:36:01Z thanks to awesome technology, we are now able to play games, watch movies and tv even if the tv show you’re watching wasn’t recorded in a 3-D format. you can view this awesome technology on a plasma tv that is “3-D ready”. read about it here! http://ddd.com/technology/techapp_tv.html News 2008-04-09T20:36:01-05:00 http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/and_im_holding_on_holding_on/ http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/and_im_holding_on_holding_on/#When:15:00:00Z And I figure that I, figure that I just might make it.  Hopefully, you are enough of a Mraz fan to recognize his wonderfully penned lyrics.  No doubt Amy and Geoff caught on at the mere title of my post!  And to both of you I say : 20 days until our fantastical trip to here his melodious voice! On to my post...I’m holding on and catching a ride over to BCBS!  I’ve accepted a Configuration Analyst position (in the Miller building) doing support and making updates for one of their newer Claim Management systems.  I’m very excited to do something new but sad to be leaving GENEX.  I’ve been with GENEX for 8 years - most of my adult life.  My co-workers have pretty much watched me grow up.  So, I’m sad and happy.  I’m actually going to stay on part-time at GENEX to train my replacement.  The extra cash is gonna be niiiiice.  Hopefully, I’ll work both jobs for at least 1 month.  I now have the daunting task of writing up EVERYTHING that I do (with instructions on how someone else can do it) and cleaning up our shared network drive.  Fun stuff!!!  Here’s to moving on… PS.  Could I possibly change anything else in my life?  I’m just wondering… News 2008-04-03T15:00:00-05:00 http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/ok_we_were_robbed_of_an_amazing_thing/ http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/ok_we_were_robbed_of_an_amazing_thing/#When:22:06:00Z by far the BEST invention EVER! notice the kid imitating a zombie having a seizure around the 16 second mark! UPDATE: the same company that invented this suck toy also invented Tiddledy Winks. News 2008-03-27T22:06:00-05:00 http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/im_married/ http://morethanuseless.net/index.php/site/im_married/#When:20:44:00Z I’m married! Thanks for everyone’s well wishes and love! See you guys in a week! News 2008-03-17T20:44:00-05:00