An Inconvenient Truth - Al Gore climate change film

Arts & Sciences Science & Nature
21

Meanwhile, as the black is white, white is in fact black struggle rages . . .

HG

Climate at ‘tipping point’: Blair
October 30, 2006 - 3:57PM
Britain will pressure Australia and other countries to join an expanded EU carbon trading market on the back of a new report warning of the dire economic consequences of global warming.

Tony Blair has called the document “the most important report on the future” he’s ever received as British Prime Minister.

The report, due out today (tonight AEST), is expected to say that climate change threatens to cost more than either of the 20th century’s world wars, or the Great Depression.

Blair, writing in The Sun newspaper, said the report’s conclusions were unequivocal: “We are heading towards catastrophic tipping points in our climate unless we act.”

22

OOps!..another voice from the wilderness chimes in…

[quote]At 2 TV Stations in Maine, What Al Gore’s Movie Says Isn’t News
By JOSEPH B. TREASTER, Published: October 30, 2006

How important is global warming in Maine? Not important enough for local television.

Michael Palmer, the general manager of television stations WVII and WFVX, ABC and Fox affiliates in Bangor, has told his joint staff of nine men and women that when “Bar Harbor is underwater, then we can do global warming stories.”

“Until then,” he added. “No more.”

Mr. Palmer laid out his policy in an e-mail message sent out during the summer. A copy was sent to The New York Times. Mr. Palmer did not respond to a phone message left with an employee of the stations nor to an e-mail message. But a former staff member confirmed the e-mail message that went out during the summer after the stations broadcast a live report from a movie theater in Maine where Al Gore’s movie on global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth,” was opening.

Mr. Palmer began his e-mail message: “I was wondering where we should send the bill for the live shot Friday at the theater for the Al Gore commercial we aired.”

Mr. Palmer said he wanted no more stories broadcast on global warming because: “a) we do local news, b) the issue evolved from hard science into hard politics and c) despite what you may have heard from the mainstream media, this science is far from conclusive.” Mr. Palmer said in his e-mail message to his operations manager and two women who served as a news anchor and a reporter that he placed “global warming stories in the same category as ‘the killer African bee scare’ from the 1970s or, more recently, the Y2K scare when everyone’s computer was going to self-destruct.”

Dr. James Hansen, the director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies at Columbia University, said in an interview yesterday that the station’s policy on coverage was irresponsible.

“If you wait until Bar Harbor is underwater, it’s too late,” Dr. Hansen said. “It won’t be just Bar Harbor that is underwater, but many places around the globe including parts of Florida, Bangladesh and the Nile Delta.”

Dr. Hansen said the nonpartisan National Academy of Sciences made it “very clear that this is a real issue and we need to address it very promptly.”

Dr. Hansen added that “fortunately, there is more than one” source for information on global warming around the country and that he assumed “that the people of Maine will have at their disposal other sources of information.” - JOSEPH B. TREASTER
New York Times register-only site[/quote]

23

I am really not sure what the point is. TC, are you saying we should ignore the issues presented in this documentary because of the opinions of a group of NZ scientists (where did Kiwis suddenly get credibility with you?) or because a local TV station in Maine chose to not air it?

Wow. Must mean the whole documentary is shit after all.

Do you intend on seeing this documentary TC? IF you have a problem in paying to go see it, let me know. I will gladly give you the opportunity gratis. And popcorn.

24

[quote=“Truant”]I am really not sure what the point is. TC, are you saying we should ignore the issues presented in this documentary because of the opinions of a group of NZ scientists (where did Kiwis suddenly get credibility with you?) or because a local TV station in Maine chose to not air it?

Wow. Must mean the whole documentary is shit after all.

Do you intend on seeing this documentary TC? IF you have a problem in paying to go see it, let me know. I will gladly give you the opportunity gratis. And popcorn.[/quote]Truant -
No where have I said that a person should not view or read anything presented, by algore or other wise, on this topic.
Quite the contrary. I have made it clear, at least I thought it was clear, that a person should read all the material presented on this matter before swallowing the hook.
Is that a ‘bad’ thing to suggest? Do you have a problem with hearing more than one opinion or the opinions and material from those who have counter-opinions to the algore line?
I have no immediate plans to view this film. But I didn’t see any of the Mike Moore films either. Time lost - never regained and all that…
:sunglasses:

Oh…and I think you’ll be hard pressed to find where I have made a derogatory post about Kiwi’s or Kiwi scientists. Hmmm…I think I quoted them heavily previously and the insults came from “your” crowd about Kiwi scientists and their presented material…isn’t that a hoot!

Rather than disparaging them for their actions…how about looking at and addressing why they are taking the actions they are taking?

25

As for that kiwi scientist, there does seem to be a serious set of non-believers down NZ way. I know the academic, Denis Dutton who runs Arts and Letters Daily loves putting up ocunter climate change guff on his site, which is otherwise rather liberal.

Here’s an article he’s highlighting now:

And yet, didn’t the island of Niue, a NZ protectorate (I think), become abandoned a few years back after a tropical storm? There was something about climate change in that tale, from ( a hazy) memory.

HG

26

[quote=“TainanCowboy”][quote=“Truant”]I am really not sure what the point is. TC, are you saying we should ignore the issues presented in this documentary because of the opinions of a group of NZ scientists (where did Kiwis suddenly get credibility with you?) or because a local TV station in Maine chose to not air it?

Wow. Must mean the whole documentary is shit after all.

Do you intend on seeing this documentary TC? IF you have a problem in paying to go see it, let me know. I will gladly give you the opportunity gratis. And popcorn.[/quote]Truant -
No where have I said that a person should not view or read anything presented, by algore or other wise, on this topic.
Quite the contrary. I have made it clear, at least I thought it was clear, that a person should read all the material presented on this matter before swallowing the hook.
Is that a ‘bad’ thing to suggest? Do you have a problem with hearing more than one opinion or the opinions and material from those who have counter-opinions to the algore line?[/quote]
Not at all, infact, send me all the info you have. I am genuinely interested in this issue, and while I do have a problem in the ‘need’ to use a former candidate as the frontman for this film (I would be interested to see the stats on Republicans who have seen it, for example) I still firmly believe there is a strong message in it. Of course, much of the film is based on expert opinions. Opinions. There will always be someone out there who will disagree with either an expert opinion, or even blatant FACTS such as hard data.

[quote=“TainanCowboy”]I have no immediate plans to view this film. But I didn’t see any of the Mike Moore films either. Time lost - never regained and all that…
:sunglasses:
[/quote] That is pretty disappointing, but not surprising. I pride myself in having an open mind and trying to look at various points of view. It’s an attempt at a balanced life.
But ‘Time Lost’? Good gawd man, if time is your biggest concern, maybe 80mins away from the IP forum arguing with people like me who ‘don’t know what they are talking about’ might give you the time you need.

I am not saying you are. Huh? Insults? What?

[quote=“TainanCowboy”]Rather than disparaging them for their actions…how about looking at and addressing why they are taking the actions they are taking?[/quote] My point exactly, that is why you should go and see the Al Gore film…then, you will have some creditibility to argue it’s the wrong approach. You just flat out told me you refuse to go to that or other documentaries such as 9/11, yet have strong opinions on their content. Weird man…oh yeah, time lost, that’s right. If you had NO opinion on this, that would have more credibility.

I just think it is a shame you are a Naysayer, undermining an attempt at awareness of a global problem that the US is THE major contributor of. But I am sure there are millions like you, eager to tell others how crappy the information being presented is, having never seen it yourself. Probably the same millions who support the lust for Iraqi oil rather than investing the money in cleaning up the environmental mess. Oh but wait, the US cleans up everyone else’s mess don’t they?

Are you saying we have nothing to be concerned about?

27

I’d say YOU need to worry about your popcorn truant!

My opinion is that yes, of course, we should try to make our air and water and land cleaner. Yet human beans seem better at spontaneously adapting than consciously changing their behaviors.

It’s uphill both ways.

28

Somebody sneered dismissively at the idea that global warming was caused by fat people. While that is, of course, not entirley fair it probably is fair to point out that a lot of greenhouse gasses are created with the sole benefit of allowing people to eat too much.

Here’s how it works…

  1. A lot of land is plowed under to provided land for agriculture.

  2. Corn and wheat and such is grown on that land.

  3. The corn and wheat are harvested and fed to cows, pigs and chickens who breathe, sweat, move around and take regular dumps, sometimes into troughs located near their posterior.

This process involves a lot of lost calories. Indeed on the land used to feed all those pigs, cows chickens etc you could grow enough food to feed twenty times as many people.

Then of course there are the processes involved in producing, storing, shipping, preparing all those extra calories that people don’t actually need in any form. All the beer, wine, sugar, pop tarts, pumpkin flavored carbohydrate sticks, beer sausages, egg tarts, chocolate covered bananas, cherry parfaits, cheesy donut balls soaked in rancid frying fat etc etc.

Basically we are laying waste to the environment largely because we like to eat too much junk and drive around aimlessly thereby destroying both ourselves and our earth in the process.

29

[quote=“Truant”][quote=“TainanCowboy”]Rather than disparaging them for their actions…how about looking at and addressing why they are taking the actions they are taking?[/quote] My point exactly, that is why you should go and see the Al Gore film…then, you will have some creditibility to argue it’s the wrong approach. You just flat out told me you refuse to go to that or other documentaries such as 9/11, yet have strong opinions on their content. Weird man…oh yeah, time lost, that’s right. If you had NO opinion on this, that would have more credibility.

I just think it is a shame you are a Naysayer, undermining an attempt at awareness of a global problem that the US is THE major contributor of. But I am sure there are millions like you, eager to tell others how crappy the information being presented is, having never seen it yourself. Probably the same millions who support the lust for Iraqi oil rather than investing the money in cleaning up the environmental mess. Oh but wait, the US cleans up everyone else’s mess don’t they?

Are you saying we have nothing to be concerned about?[/quote]Truant -
Aw gee…just when I thought we had something…something special…you have to go and start with the same tired old cliches…the same old inappropriate generalizations…the same ol, wel the same old same old…oh well…I guess I’ll have to go and naysay some more and pollute another country while stealing their resources, imposing “my” religion and just generally wreaking all round havoc on their pure & pristine environment and social situation…Hmmm…who shall I destroy now?..Its so great to be omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent.

(I better dress good 'cause if I gonna be Impotent I gots ta look Impotent!..old joke)

30

just in, off the US media portal to the world:

Warming ‘could bring 1930s havoc’
cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/10 … index.html

TC, yes, it is getting old isn’t it? I guess that’s what happens when people get so sick of the arrogance displayed by ‘experts’ such as yourself who refuse to even consider the information at hand based on a political leaning.

I’d have a great deal of respect for you if you took a look, and then poo poo’ed it all you wanted…

31

[quote=“TainanCowboy”]OOps!..another voice from the wilderness chimes in…

[quote]At 2 TV Stations in Maine, What Al Gore’s Movie Says Isn’t News
By JOSEPH B. TREASTER, Published: October 30, 2006

How important is global warming in Maine? Not important enough for local television.

Michael Palmer, the general manager of television stations WVII and WFVX, ABC and Fox affiliates in Bangor, has told his joint staff of nine men and women that when “Bar Harbor is underwater, then we can do global warming stories.”

“Until then,” he added. “No more.”

Mr. Palmer laid out his policy in an e-mail message sent out during the summer. A copy was sent to The New York Times. Mr. Palmer did not respond to a phone message left with an employee of the stations nor to an e-mail message. But a former staff member confirmed the e-mail message that went out during the summer after the stations broadcast a live report from a movie theater in Maine where Al Gore’s movie on global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth,” was opening.

Mr. Palmer began his e-mail message: “I was wondering where we should send the bill for the live shot Friday at the theater for the Al Gore commercial we aired.”

Mr. Palmer said he wanted no more stories broadcast on global warming because: “a) we do local news, b) the issue evolved from hard science into hard politics and c) despite what you may have heard from the mainstream media, this science is far from conclusive.” Mr. Palmer said in his e-mail message to his operations manager and two women who served as a news anchor and a reporter that he placed “global warming stories in the same category as ‘the killer African bee scare’ from the 1970s or, more recently, the Y2K scare when everyone’s computer was going to self-destruct.”

[b]Dr. James Hansen, the director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies at Columbia University, said in an interview yesterday that the station’s policy on coverage was irresponsible.

“If you wait until Bar Harbor is underwater, it’s too late,” Dr. Hansen said. “It won’t be just Bar Harbor that is underwater, but many places around the globe including parts of Florida, Bangladesh and the Nile Delta.”

Dr. Hansen said the nonpartisan National Academy of Sciences made it “very clear that this is a real issue and we need to address it very promptly.”
[/b]
Dr. Hansen added that “fortunately, there is more than one” source for information on global warming around the country and that he assumed “that the people of Maine will have at their disposal other sources of information.” - JOSEPH B. TREASTER
New York Times register-only site[/quote][/quote]

So secretly, Tainan Cowboy is for this movie and trying to show how the people who are policiticizing it are ignorant?

:ohreally:

TC, you sneaky bastard, you. You almost had me fooled that you were willing to remain as ignorant as a 15th century Pope screaming that the world was not in fact round despite scientific proof to the contrary. Although I am not too big on your method to encourage people to see this movie by making them think they are dangerously ignorant for not doing so, it is nice to see you do have some sense after all. :wink:

32

Saw and only felt moved by the thought of polar bears swimming 60 miles only to have the last laugh on them. Seriously, there was something about that tragic idea that made the whole film click for me, so that was about 30 or 40 minutes into it.

Otherwise, at times I was ready to fall asleep. I often felt the spirit of Fred Smith rolling his eyes when ever the democrat in Gore was showing how the Republicans are ‘futzing’ up things because they won’t listen to the scientists. Then other times, I just wished Gore would have saved the grand Apple-designed (did they have anything to do with the funding? And why is it that when Apple computers are in film or TV their logo is in your face?!?!! At least in this movie I felt like the 1st 15mins was showing me how easy and fun it is to use an Apple :unamused: ) speech and just ran back and forth across :yay: the stage and screaming “The sky is falling and I have scientific proof. Wanna see?!?!? Wanna See?!??” :snore:

One impression I got was that it was a divine plan, and Gore’s life purpose, to be doing this work. Given how he stresses how he exposed to this at such an early age. So, I guess losers do win. He’s in his ‘glory’- actually doing more of probably what needs to be done than he could have if he had won the election.

The second impression I was left with is that, we’re all in this together. And how important human life is interlinked. The spiritualist in me is waiting for the intellectualists to get this.

33

OK, good news everyone. Global warming is not being caused by greenhouse gases after all. The warming planet is one of the signs of Jesus Christ’s imminent return for Judgment Day.

Gore’s ‘Truth’ given cold reception in Seattle
Father gets schools to demand balance on global warming

Blaine Harden, Washington Post
Friday, January 26, 2007

[i]…Hardison, a parent of seven in the southern suburbs of Seattle, has himself roiled the global warming waters. It happened early this month, when he learned that one of his daughters would be watching “An Inconvenient Truth” in her seventh-grade science class.

“No you will not teach or show that propagandist Al Gore video to my child, blaming our nation – the greatest nation ever to exist on this planet – for global warming,” Hardison wrote in an e-mail to the Federal Way School Board.

The 43-year-old computer consultant is an evangelical Christian who says he believes that a warming planet is “one of the signs” of Jesus Christ’s imminent return for Judgment Day.[/i]

sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f … NPGM61.DTL

34

you’ll find macs are in more TV shows and films than their overall market share because they are the standard machines in that field. the movie makers use them as they are used to them. they are also widely used in science… maybe 50% of scientists in many fields use them by preference. especially fields that do a lot of computer modelling, like climatology, as the mac can run Unix pprograms that are usually run on mainframes (slower of course than a supercomputer, but same program environment)

here you have the intersection of these two groups of people, so of course you will see many macs.

anyway, have you got a problem with the mac? using one is not like crossing to the dark side. they are very user friendly machines, and just as powerful as PCs, despite some techno weenies protestations.

why is their logo in your face? it is on the outside of the machine, and glows when you turn on the computer so you know it’s on. where is the issue with that? dell logo etc is just as much on the outside, but less noticeable as they are everywhere. kind of like noticing a lamborghini when you are surrounded by daewoos.

35

If Al Bore had spent more on screen time focusing on the science and less riding in limosines and first class air transport and trying to look profound it would be easier to take him seriously. Guys a dick.

36

[quote=“Truant”]Saw it last night, and I believe it should be compulsory viewing. The sooner it is on TV or available for free download the better IMHO.

It’s presentation of information that should be listened to. I am not surprised in the least that opponents and sceptics are nay-saying this because Al Gore is presenting it, however, the facts are pretty concerning if those people can get their heads out of their asses for a second and listen.

climatecrisis.net/
[/quote]

Been available on eMule for a few months now.

37

Here is the eMule link…

ed2k://|file|An.Inconvenient.Truth.DVD. … M4ERGZGM|/

38

Nope. Not one bit. In fact, I am :pray:ing for the day when I can drop kick my PC with Bill Gate’s WOW! fawkin factor into his behind.

39

Gore just won the Oscar for best doco for Inconvenient truth. Regardles of your political leaning, surely you would have to acknowledge an outstanding effort in promoting a very deserving cause.

What a remarkable man. :notworthy:

HG

40

Yeah, but I still rate his inventing the Internet as the best accomplishment to date! :slight_smile: