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Thom Hartmann’s ‘Last Hours’ video negated by IPCC AR5

By Anthony Watts | Watts Up With That? | October 13, 2013

From The End is Near department comes this video documentary from lefty talk radio guy Thom Hartmann that claims we are on the verge of a “mass extinction” due to climate change. Only one problem; the IPCC says “no” to his scenario. Ooops.

From the YouTube description, bold mine:

“Last Hours” is the first in a series of short films that explore the perils of climate change and the solutions to avert climate disaster. Each subsequent film will highlight fact-based challenges facing the human race, and offer solutions to ameliorate these crises. The initial short film series will culminate in a feature film to be presented prior to COP21, the 2015 UN Conference on Climate Change in Paris.

An asset for the climate change movement, “Last Hours” will be disseminated globally to awaken modern culture worldwide about the various dangers associated with climate change.

“Last Hours” describes a science-based climate scenario where a tipping point to runaway climate change is triggered by massive releases of frozen methane. Methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, has already started to percolate into the open seas and atmosphere from methane hydrate deposits beneath melting arctic ice, from the warming northern-hemisphere tundra, and from worldwide continental-shelf undersea methane clathrate pools.

Burning fossil fuels release carbon that, principally through greenhouse effect, heat the atmosphere and the seas. This is happening most rapidly at the polar extremes, and this heating has already begun the process of releasing methane. If we do not begin to significantly curtail the use of carbon-based fossil fuels, this freed methane threatens to radically accelerate the speed of global warming, potentially producing a disaster beyond the ability of the human species to adapt.

This first video is designed to awaken people to the fact that the earth has experienced five major extinctions in the deep geologic past — times when more than half of all life on earth vanished — and that we are now entering a sixth extinction. Industrial civilization with its production of greenhouse gases has the ability to trigger a mass extinction; in the extreme, it could threaten not just human civilization, but the very existence of human life on this planet.

The world community and global citizens urgently need to chart a path forward that greatly reduces green house gas emissions. To take action and follow the pathway to solutions to the climate crisis, you can explore this website and you can also sign-up for future updates. Thank you.

It’s the old “methane emergency” meme again.

But here’s the problem.

Apparently Thom never got the memo from the IPCC AR5. Note the third and fourth items in Table 12.4 from the IPCC:

IPCC_catastrophe_table

Definitions for this table can be found in the section “TFE.5: Irreversibility and Abrupt Change” in the draft report. They say:

“Abrupt climate change is defined in AR5 as a large-scale change in the climate system that takes place over a few decades or less, persists (or is anticipated to persist) for at least a few decades, and causes substantial disruptions in human and natural systems.”

But alas, IPCC says Clathrate methane release is very unlikely, and they have high confidence in that assessment. Permafrost doesn’t seem to be much of a problem either, as it doesn’t seem to have the potential for abrupt climate change.

Looks like Thom Hartmann will have to rework his video.

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October 13, 2013 Posted by | Deception, Nuclear Power, Science and Pseudo-Science | , , , , , | 1 Comment

Iran rejects calls to ship out uranium stockpile

Al-Akhbar | October 13, 2013

Iran will not agree to ship out its stockpile of enriched uranium, one of its main negotiators said Sunday ahead of crunch talks with world powers on its nuclear program.

“We will negotiate about the volume, levels and the methods of enrichment but shipping out the (enriched) material is a red line for Iran,” deputy foreign minister Abbas Araqchi told the state broadcaster.

The remarks came on the eve of two-day talks in Geneva, the first meeting between Iranian negotiators and world powers since President Hassan Rohani, a reputed moderate, took office in August.

The red line adds to Tehran’s insistence on what it considers its right to operate a uranium enrichment program on its soil.

Iran currently has a stockpile of 6,774 kilograms of low-level uranium enriched, and nearly 186 kg of medium-enriched material with 20 percent purity, according to latest figures by the UN nuclear watchdog in September.

It also possesses some 187 kg of the 20 percent material converted to uranium oxide for use in fuel plates.

“The Iranian negotiating team will present a specific plan … which we hope will produce results in a logical time period,” Araqchi said.

Araqchi signaled flexibility on other aspects of Iran’s uranium enrichment.

“Of course we will negotiate regarding the form, amount, and various levels of (uranium) enrichment,” he said.

Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif is Iran’s top negotiator with the so-called P5+1 group of the United States, Britain, China, France and Russia plus Germany.

But Araqchi said he will lead the Iranian team in the talks with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and representatives from the P5+1 countries as Zarif will only attend the opening meeting.

He said Iran would “remove all of (the) rational concerns of the other side,” referring to suspicions in the West and Israel that Tehran is pursuing nuclear arms under the guise of a civilian energy program, a claim the Islamic state vehemently denies.

(AFP, Reuters, Al-Akhbar)

October 13, 2013 Posted by | Aletho News | , , , | 1 Comment

US nuclear force facing series of missteps: Report

Press TV – October 12, 2013

The US military’s nuclear force faces a set of serious problems amid the recent firing of two high-ranking nuclear commanders for alleged bad behavior, according to a new report.

A series of missteps in US nuclear bases spell trouble for a nuclear force doubted by some for its relevance, the Associated Press reported on Friday.

The recent setbacks include a failed safety and security inspection at a base in Montana in August, followed by the firing of the colonel there in charge of security forces, the report said.

In May, 17 Minuteman 3 missile launch control officers at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., had been taken off duty over what one officer called “rot” inside the intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) force.

The AP disclosed that launch crews at Minot scored the equivalent of a “D” grade on missile operations. The officer in charge of training and proficiency of Minot’s missile crews was fired in June.

The fired nuclear launch officers were “not taking the job seriously enough,” making their bosses concerned that they did not understand what it takes to “stay up to speed” on nuclear missile operations, the Air Force chief of staff, Gen. Mark Welsh, told Congress in May. What it boiled down to, he said, was a lack of “proper attitude.”

Capping the problems facing the US nuclear force, a two-star US general in charge of the Air Force’s nuclear intercontinental missiles was fired on Friday due to personal misbehavior.

Maj. Gen. Michael Carey was removed from command of the 20th Air Force, which is responsible for maintaining a total of 450 ICBMs at three bases across the US.

On Wednesday, Vice Admiral Tim Giardina, deputy commander at US Strategic Command, which oversees all nuclear war-fighting forces, was also fired for illegal gambling activities.

October 13, 2013 Posted by | Militarism, Timeless or most popular | , | Comments Off on US nuclear force facing series of missteps: Report

Google-bye to privacy? Users’ faces, names and comments are going in ads

RT | October 12, 2013

Following in the footsteps of Facebook, anything you post, like, comment or review on Google or tied-in services can in future be used in product endorsement ads.

It means that starting Nov. 11, when Google’s new terms of service go live, all content (video, brands or products) Google+ and YouTube users publicly endorse by clicking on the “+1” or “Like” button can appear in an ad with that person’s image.

Such “shared endorsements” ads will also appear on millions of other websites that are part of Google’s display advertising network.

Google+ users will have the ability to opt out by turn the setting to “off,” but at the same time it “doesn’t change whether your Profile name or photo may be used in other places such as Google Play.”

“For users under 18, their actions won’t appear in shared endorsements in ads and certain other contexts,” the announcement on Google’s website reads.

Another way to “opt out” is just stop “liking”, sharing and publicly checking-in.

Google’s move follows a similar change Facebook imposed in August. There it is called “sponsored stories.” It works almost exactly the same way – a recommendation made through the social network’s “like” button appears as advertising endorsement on a friend’s Facebook page.

While both companies say the service will be helpful for users, Google’s revised terms of service have again raised privacy concerns.

“It’s a huge privacy problem,” Reuters cited Marc Rotenberg, the director of online privacy group EPIC, as saying.

He has called on the US Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether the policy change violates a 2011 consent order that prohibits Google from retroactively changing users’ privacy settings.

The announcement also was harshly criticized on Google’s profile, with users expressing dismay and disappointment. Some users suggested they might pull down all their current pictures or change profile pictures.

October 13, 2013 Posted by | Aletho News | , , , , , , | Comments Off on Google-bye to privacy? Users’ faces, names and comments are going in ads

Learn History with Philip Zelikow!

corbettreport · October 11, 2013

SHOW NOTES AND MP3: http://www.corbettreport.com/?p=8131

As Philip Zelikow prepares to teach an online history course, we peel back the layers of propaganda from the former Executive Director of the 9/11 Commission. From cover up to predictive programming, we examine the ways that Zelikow helped to shape (and write) the history he’s now teaching.

October 13, 2013 Posted by | Deception, False Flag Terrorism, Full Spectrum Dominance, Timeless or most popular, Video | , , , | 5 Comments

Continued settler harassment and international arrested in Hebron

International Solidarity Movement | October 13, 2013

Hebron, Occupied Palestine – One international was arrested after settlers fenced off the Asseh family home for a second day in a row in Hebron’s Tel Rumeida area.

Yesterday, early Saturday morning, settlers tied a fence across the exit of the Asseh family home with a wire gate to prevent them from leaving for a second day. After the family and internationals removed the gate, settler children threw rocks, water and water mixed with faeces at them. Two Israeli soldiers stood close and did nothing. The police arrived but also took no action despite being informed of what had happened.

Within an hour of the Asseh family and the internationals dispersing, the gate had been reassembled and reinforced. One adult male settler stood over the gate and prevented anyone from passing through or disassembling it. After 20 minutes the Asseh family and internationals finally managed to remove the gate despite repeated physical attacks by the settler. A number of internationals sustained minor injuries. During this, soldiers continued to stand by and do nothing.

Palestinians view the fence around the Azzeh home

Palestinians view the fence around the Azzeh home

The police arrived and first questioned the settler and then two soldiers who were present. After being shown video footage by an international, police demanded that four internationals accompany them to the police station to file a complaint. When the internationals requested to file the complaint later, police became violent and arrested one international. Other internationals were thrown to the ground by police and soldiers who assisted the arrest. The arrested international was eventually released after being questioned in the police station at the illegal settlement of Givat Havot.

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October 13, 2013 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Illegal Occupation, Subjugation - Torture | , , , , , | 1 Comment

Syrian National Council won’t attend Geneva II peace talks

Al-Akhbar | October 13, 2013

A key group within the Syrian opposition National Coalition said Sunday it would not attend proposed peace talks in Geneva and would quit the Coalition if it participated.

“The Syrian National Council, which is the biggest bloc in the Coalition, has taken the firm decision… not to go to Geneva, under the present circumstances (on the ground),” Council president George Sabra, told AFP.

“This means that we will not stay in the Coalition if it goes” to the peace talks in Geneva, he added.

He invoked the ongoing suffering of Syrians on the ground and said his group would not negotiate before the fall of the government.

The international community, led by Russia and the United States, has been pushing for the Syrian government and rebels to attend a peace conference dubbed Geneva II to find a political solution to the conflict.

The proposed meeting has been delayed for months, but Washington and Moscow are now talking about a potential mid-November date for the talks.

The Syrian National Council has long said it will not negotiate until President Bashar al-Assad’s government is toppled.

But Sabra’s announcement, which comes after two days of meetings of the Council’s top leadership, could deal a major blow to the planned talks.

It comes a day before US Secretary of State John Kerry is due in London to meet Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN-Arab League envoy for Syria, to discuss preparations for the Geneva II meeting.

Last month, the Coalition’s president Ahmed Jarba met with UN chief Ban Ki-Moon, who praised his “commitment to send a delegation to the Geneva Conference.”

Ban also urged Jarba “to reach out to other opposition groups and agree on a representative and united delegation,” UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

But the prospect of talks with Assad’s government continues to be deeply unpopular both among members of Jarba’s Coalition and rebel fighters on the ground in Syria.

Sabra fiercely criticized the international community, accusing it of failing to punish Assad after an August 21 sarin attack that reportedly killed hundreds of people in the outskirts of the capital Damascus.

Washington threatened to carry out military strikes in response to the attacks, which the United States and the Syrian opposition blamed on Assad, a charge the Syrian government vehemently denied..

But military action was averted by a US-Russian deal under which Syria is turning over its chemical arsenal for destruction.

“The international community has focused on the murder weapon, which is the chemical weapons, and left the murderer unpunished and forgotten the victims,” Sabra said.

“The regional and international context does not give the impression that Geneva II will offer anything to the Syrians,” he added.

“We will not participate in a conference that is intended to hide the failure of international politics.”

(AFP, Al-Akhbar)

October 13, 2013 Posted by | Aletho News | , , , | Comments Off on Syrian National Council won’t attend Geneva II peace talks