Actually, it's exactly the kind of change I was expecting. Right from the start, I realized that he was very careful not to give even the slightest hint of what kind of change he was thinking of, and presumed that he meant "change for the worse." From all I can see, I was right.

If so, that's age discrimination, something that's forbidden by law.

OK, I'm a white male, but I might be able to qualify because I belong to several minority groups. I'm a veteran. Not only that, I'm a 'Nam vet. Not only that, I have a (minor) service-connected disability. And, of course, I'm a senior citizen. Add all of those together, and Google might be willing to hire me simply because I can be counted as part of four different minority groups. There's only one problem: I'm retired and have no interest in working for them.

How's that web hosting business you're spamming your sig line coming?

Well, I've used it for my own site for a number of years, as have a few of my friends, and we've all gotten good service. And, except for the fact that I get a little bit taken off my bill if somebody follows that link and signs up with them, I have no business relationship with them except as a customer. And, as far as my post being just an excuse to post something, I, at least, prefer to post only when I have something to say.

If you'll just stop and think for a moment, you'll realize that people aren't smashing down 44oz of sugar. They're drinking 44 fluid ounces of a soft drink, sweetened with sugar and/or high-fructose corn syrup. I agree with your basic idea that the US shouldn't try to be a nanny state, but I think that your point comes across better without the mistake.

Thank you. Asked and answered.

Let's not mix apples and oranges here. I was writing only about calculations based on recorded readings of thermometers. And, while I'm thinking of it, do you happen to know how accurate the tree ring records are, when compared to readings from thermometers? I'm not trying to imply that they're inaccurate, it's just that I don't know how much accuracy you can get from those readings and wondered if you might know.

And what effect did this have on the Hudson River, which stopped freezing over at about the same time?

A very ingenious response. It's a shame you spent so much time working out the wrong answer. I take it that you've never heard of the thermocline.

How does dredging the Thames prevent it from freezing? It doesn't have to freeze all the way down, you know, and probably didn't, even when the ice was thick enough for them to hold ice fairs in the winter.

Landfills fill up quickly and use up otherwise useful land...

Not always. Here in Southern California, landfills often start out as canyons or other places that can't be effectively used. When they're full, they're covered with topsoil and allowed to sit until everything is stable, then they're re-purposed as parks, golf courses or some other recreational facility. Of course, not everyplace has that option.

True. Do you know how accurate those methods are, and how that was measured? (This isn't an attempt to discredit your point; I'm just curious.)

Nobody in their right mind is saying that it wasn't cooler 200 years ago; there are enough accounts of both the Thames and Hudson rivers routinely freezing over back then, even if you completely ignore temperature readings. However, thermometers back then were nowhere near as accurate as they are now, and the idea of using those records to get a global temperature that's accurate to .1 degree Celsius from measurements that were, at best, accurate to half a degree is just plain ludicrous.

I don't have any FOF, but I'm retired and even when I was working, I never had a job that required that kind of travel. The last time I flew was back in 2010, to a convention on The Other Coast and back. I honestly don't remember if I had any jet lag in either direction, but when I was going east, it was an overnight flight, which may have helped because I manged to sleep, off and on.

If you're going to write an article about weapons that never made it into production, you really should mention the XF-85 Goblin, a parasite fighter intended to be carried by the B-36 bomber. The Goblin had a combat endurance of only 30 minutes and no landing gear; it was carried in the bomb bay of a specially converted bomber and "landed" by hooking up to a trapeze.