i dont know if we have an unusual trend or not either. maybe it is a natural cycle is the way i am leaning, from the stuff i have seen. with that in mind i am no scientist and you could call me a 'joe twelve-pack'.
personally, i don't care for all the granola munching moonbeam lovin' tree huggers and there carbon credit save the earth crap. the earth has survived worse things than what we humans can throw at it. as a species here, are time is limited on the grand scale of things.
no, i am not a global warming denier. i believe it is a real. we do have some pretty concrete evidence of how warm the earth was 65 - 90 mya. i have no idea about gas diffusion and all that fancy stuff. however, 0ver 65 mya dinosaurs were frolicking in a tropical climate 300 miles from the north pole.

http://www.blm.gov/ak/st/en/prog/culture/dinosaurs.html

the following linkus thingie has references to co2 levels and there probable cause.

http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF10/1024.html

now, before we all get our panties in a bunch and shout out about continental drift in what not, i have a couple of scientific looking maps for you.

http://www.scotese.com/K/t.htm

and you have to scroll down half way for the map on this one, the article also talks about the ocean-cycles too

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/education/climate_change/greenhouse_earth.html

and if you really want a good laugh, watch penn & tellers episode on recycling for some insight on the carbon credit scamola.
i dont know how anyone has a frame of reference on whether the weather/temperature today is unusual when you have 4.5 billion years of data to examine for trends.
i think we should just shift the calender to accommodate the later start of summer and winter.
al gore is a tool.

good stuff...

i am not so clever, obviously.

finally, a rational, well thought out comment that is on topic and offers a solution.

there is nothing more to add to this discussion.

i tried "boobs"- not only did bing show me more boobs, but there was a greater variety.
i just scrolled down and they just kept coming...

big ones
little ones
flapjack style
silicone sweater meats
brown
white
even mocha swirl jugs...
it was a multi-ethnic soiree of bazoombas
and a couple of acts of fellatio for good measure.

bing wins tits up!
of course this was purely scientific and should not be tried at home.

so..i am not the only one.
i thought of that stupid 'chandler bing' character from that insufferable 'friends' show...
ughhh....

sorry to reply to my own post -
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.eiu.jupitersrole/
that is a link to a short video-Jupiter: Earth's Shield

i was under the impression that Jupiter was our protector, isn't that prevalent theory in science today? didn't Carl Sagan talk about this in Cosmos?
unless drugs have totally fried my brain- isn't Jupiter's mass (gravitational pull) what causes the huge asteroid field between Mars and Jupiter?
i had better dust off those Cosmos tapes and find my bong...

that's some funny shit. sprayed a gin and tonic on my display.

you have made my week end good sir.

hey - i got a buddy who swears that ME was the best and wants me to install it on his new shiny laptop.
laughed in his face. on second thought i should have.
he's a tool.

in the US you have a buttload of rights. however, the one right you don't have is not to be offended. someone who reacts with violence to someone else's words has bigger problems. for instance, anger control, self esteem issues, etc...

this bunch of "cool kids" are obviously not too cool if they are harassing another. that has nothing to do with free speech.

WWJD?
why turn the other cheek.

the biggest flaw was thinking that it would not be sold/traded or stolen for food/shelter/medicine or weapons. those are the biggest needs of the third world. those children could give two shits about the evils of microsoft or the enlightenment of foss. don't get me wrong, in theory it is/was a great idea, however, things like basic education, minimal healthcare, shelter and security are needed before a child needs a laptop.