What Do We Think About Climate Change

Billy Bowlegs:

 

Why should we boycott Arizona for doing the right thing? And WTF does that have to do with climate change, scientifically or otherwise?

 

You've noisily proclaiming that a scientific theory is false, when you know nothing at all about the actual science involved. And when you're confronted with the fact, you change the subject and start ranting about economics, instead.

My guess is that you know as little about economics as you do about science. And when that has been proven to everyone's satisfaction, you'll change the subject yet again. You'll start ranting about politics, instead.

You can't stop ignorance, folks; it always finds a way.

 

Anyone who wonders why the Apaches wore leather leggings should try walking past some cholla cactus bare-legged....

 

or better yet a few prickly pears hidden in the grass

 

"science involved" - I know what scientific theory is and "consensus" is not part of it. My stupid diploma from an exclusive university is in finance, which is about three classes different than a diploma in economics, liberal arts, chemistry. It's a four year thing, and because of the dumbing down of our population so that nobody gets left behind, it's probably less than what our father's learned in middle school. I don't claim to be a genius - just that I have more sense than you people. I don't claim to be an expert in economics but I know right from wrong (and know it better than many who claim expertise) - consider me your own little Ronald Reagan but without the charisma (there's your key!). I deligate you to watch a valve, get paid excessively to do it and retire with full bennies at fifteen years on Cali largess (soon to be Fed). Your union is in a pickle - Barack needs the votes (as witnessed by the lavish display the other day to impress the illegal Mex (to be soon) voting block, yet your union feels a good union man is the only one that can watch a monitor and remember "righty-tighty". Union truckers vs. treaty with mexico allowing truckers, etc.. Some things are coming down soon! To be sure, for now, "sur-prise, sur-prise, Sarge" Mark and Troy agree on TWO things (illegals and I forget the other). "Golly!"

 

Quick - why a feather in the headband?

 

You are obnoxious, aren't you? As usual, you're making unwarranted assumptions and taking cheap shots--just like you did when you assumed I was a draftee.

I'm a system operations specialist. That's a fancy term for an operating engineer, and believe me--there's more to it than watching that hypothetical valve you're so obsessed with. We have three compressor plants, two auxiliary equipment buildings, cooling towers, surge tanks, air receivers, containment ponds, meter runs, scrubbers...and yes, valves. Except during normal working hours, the operator is the only person on the premises. We're responsible for starting, stopping, adjusting and monitoring compressor units, generators, fin fans, water pumps, etc., scattered over 28 acres.

Describing my job as 'watching a valve' is about like describing a bus driver or trucker's job as sitting around all day. And why do you call my pay 'excessive' for making sure this station pulls and pushes up to 1.2 billion cubic feet a day of natural gas into California (instead of turning into a hole in the ground), since you have no idea what my pay is? The last time I checked my bank account, I wasn't a rich man yet.

I don't work for the State of California. I work for the nation's largest natural gas utility, and it's a division of Sempra Energy--a publicly traded corporation. If you ever get any money, you might look into it as an investment.

I'll have to work thirty five years to earn full retirement benefits, not fifteen. Our pension fund is completely self-funded, and doesn't have a dime of state or federal money in it.

Let's see: you've previously expressed your contempt for any sort of academic, scientist or other well-educated intellectual, as well as for public employees, officials and politicians. And now you're expressing the same utter contempt for blue-collar workers.

That's pretty much a clean sweep; looks to me like you have no respect for anyone at all. I'm betting you don't even like yourself much, or you wouldn't be so resentful of everyone else....

 

I have a friend who does basically the same thing here in Denver and that jobs no joke. Not sure I have much to say for the union but I can sure respect the talent and finesse it takes to keep natural gas flowing at an even pressure through the city. There are peak hours and off hours, spikes and incoming pressure variations, break downs and maintenance as well as picking up where the last shift left off and safety checks and tests.
I know that guy well enough to know he is no slouch and if he does what Im thinking Troy does its a dam hard job. One good screw up and a lot of folks could be in real trouble.

I think we can all at least agree that the basic hardworking guy of whatever nationality or flavor as long as he/she is legal deserves a break from these sell outs we call politicians these days. That tea party land slide is not about dem or republican, its about some positive change and high time for it.

I still say we hang em all by the ropes they imported from China
dem or republican

anyway I might add that it would be nice to sit and down a few pints one and all some day
regardless of the crap we argue about

my two cents
hell I'll even buy Jim a drink if he is the drinkin sort

anyway
back to arguing

sorry for the interuption
B

 

Prove it. Put up or shut up.

 

Sounds like your friend is in the distribution end of things, Boston. I'm in the transmission end. His job is to spread the gas out to the people who need it through a network; my job is to get it to him. You might envision high-pressure transmission pipelines as the freeways and highways of natural gas supply, and distribution systems as the city streets and local roads.

I used to be a pipeliner. But in the station I deal more with keeping the equipment running, to feed large, high-pressure gas lines (up to 36" dia and 850 lbs/sq in). I keep track of gas quality (to make sure there aren't dangerous levels of RSH in it, for example), and inject odorant if the levels fall. And I monitor pressures and valve stations, from the Colorado River across the desert past Palm Springs.

The operators with the really interesting jobs are the ones in our storage facilities. Those are old oil fields that we use as huge storage reservoirs, where they compress and inject the gas back into the ground under extremely high pressure--and retrieve it through wells when we need it, just like the original gas and oil were extracted.

 

I rather doubt it Mark. My undergraduate university is not a particularly exclusive or elite school, and here is what they currently require for a BS in chemistry.

Chemistry (required): 52 semester hours
Other math and science (Required): 23 semester hours
Additional math and science (recommended but not required): 9 semester hours

By the way, when the program above specifies math, it is starting at calculus and going up from there. Lower level math classes (college algebra, trigonometry, etc.) are considered remedial and do not fill the requirement.

I highly doubt that your program in finance would have within a few classes of meeting the requirements for a BS in chemistry. (By the same token, a chemistry program is probably not within a few classes of meeting the requirements for a finance degree.) If I am wrong and your finance degree was within a few classes of meeting the requirements for a chemistry degree then your university, whether exclusive or not, deserves no respect for its academics. More likely its requirements for a chemistry degree are pretty close to those of the university where I got my BS.

 

hmm I guess we dont talk shop much when we hang out cause he and I both like fly fishing and there is not much talkin when we are on the river, or now that I think of it do we talk shop much at all in the car on the way to wherever either.

who knows but it sounded similar so I thought I'd mention it. Thing is its a talent if you ask me. Sorta like playing an instrument from the way he describes it when we do talk shop. Which fortunately is not often. Oh well my bet is both ends don't have room for sleeping at the switch.

I still want to hear Hoyts response to his being called out on these alleged predictions that went aerie.

my take is old Hoyt has a good sense of humor and a bad sense of science
its a lot like a balanced ecosystem

oh well I dont actually care at this point and I'd still buy a round if the opportunity arose

 

mark and BS in chemistry, together in the same sentence...?

Sounds like a fair assesment to me.

 

He cannot. He knows only too well there's no such thing. The same goes for the no global warming theory.