Australia is Engulfed in Flames. Is This the Result of Climate Change?

[Troy]

@Delano, I trust you are your's are safe. However I was wondering it the inferno raging across the country you live in has changed your opinion on climate change.

 

The reason it occurred to me is the U.S.'s coverage, of the Australian coverage, of the unprescenced fires raging across your continent.  Apparently, Rupert Murdoch's media conglomerate is doing everything in its power to push the agenda that climate change is not a factor in the fires.  This led me to believe Murdoch's influence may be -- even unconsciously -- influencing your stance on man.s influence on the climate.

 

Media also made me think about our bets in 45 presidency.  You and @Kalexander2 after losing a bet to me over 45 presidency  doubled down and bet me again thinking he would be booted from office before the end of his term.  It is virtually certainty that he will complete his term, in fact he may win a second.

 

I thought about why a situation they seemed so obvious to me could be seen so differently by you and K2.  Then it occurred to be -- neither of you live in the U.S.  Your perceptions of what is going on here is quite distorted leading you to believe things that folks here would not possibly believe.

 

In much the same way we, in the U.S., are given distorted views of other countries by our own media you are given a distorted view of the U.S.  What do you think?

 

 

[Delano]

Will respond in full later. 

[Delano]

The bet was Trump would be out by Mid January. But I'll check if I said out or in the way out. Clearly you haven't been reading the news. 

 

All of Australia is not on fire. I know people who have been directly effected. Although it's has been smokey and I have seen some falling ash. The fires are about  55miles or 88 km away.

 

It's really hard to get news. A lot of people hey their news from Facebook, bit don't bother to fact check. Although there may be a growing trend to do so.

 

I trust the Guardian , the Onion and Dave Chappelle.

[Troy]

25 minutes ago, Delano said:

Clearly you haven't been reading the news. 

 

Nope, because most of it is not "news." Besides I already know how the country works.

 

28 minutes ago, Delano said:

All of Australia is not on fire

 

I was exaggerating, but 15% of it has already burn up and that is indeed massive! 

 

30 minutes ago, Delano said:

A lot of people hey their news from Facebook, bit don't bother to fact check. Although there may be a growing trend to do so.

 

Yes, it is well known that a lot of folks get their news from Facebook, but there is no indication that they are fact checking in higher numbers. Even if they did, this is increasingly difficult because news sources are not always fact checking they sources are the have an agenda like Rupert Murdoch, FIX News, etc.

 

[Kareem]

I was unaware of these Australia fires before reading this thread. Wonder what is causing them? PG&E, the California electric company, is the direct culprit responsible for many of the fires in that state. Negligence by campers and deliberate acts by criminals cause the rest of them. I honestly can't comprehend any "natural" causes of wildfires. Fires don't just start spontaneously.

 

It's scary seeing a wildfire a mile or less from your property. I've had to evacuate twice in the last five years. It's the price you pay living in remote areas situated between desert and mountain brush.

[Troy]

Ruppert Murdoch is using his media properties to push the claim that the fires are natural. Scientists say the unprecedented scale of the inferno is a direct result of climate change exacebated by man.

[Delano]

The Blue Mountains in NSW is a forest of eucalyptus trees. 

[Kareem]

15 hours ago, Delano said:

The Blue Mountains in NSW is a forest of eucalyptus trees. 

 

Eucalyptus trees are very green. It's common knowledge that the greener the plant, the harder it is to burn. Granted I'm not familiar with Australia climate and seasons. But let's say Australia has fall/autumn like the USA and the eucalyptus trees in the Blue Mountains lose their leaves and the foliage dries out and falls to the ground. Technically that would serve as fuel for fires. But spontaneous combustion requires at least 500 degree Celsius (930 degrees Fahrenheit) temperatures. Even if someone dropped a magnifying glass in those mountains and it landed perfectly so that the sun's rays could shine through it and ignite a few leaves on fire, I doubt that could cause wildfires that rage out of control.

 

Most in this forum know I'm always willing to hear a good conspiracy. But if these fires are being set deliberately by corporations or government, what are they trying to eliminate? What is the goal? @Troy do you have reason to believe Murdoch has something to gain from all this?

[Troy]

@Kareem I'd assume Murdoch like the rest of the other wealthy climate change deniers do so because of financial interest; Investments in oil or other industries that are threatening their wealth.

[Delano]

What percentage of  people do you know using solar power or hybrid cars or just taking public transport. It is not likely the mining and drilling is for fun, it is because demand. WE live in a consumer based society.  While we can point to capitalist and industrialist as the problem, their wealth came from consumer demand. Here is a list of the top ten on the Fortune 500. Perhaps the individual consumer isn'taware of the impact of their economic choices.

 

The Top 10

1Walmart

2Exxon Mobil

3Apple

4Berkshire Hathaway

5Amazon.com

6UnitedHealth Group

7McKesson

8CVS Health

9AT&T

10AmerisourceBergen

[Troy]

Yeah that is the reasoning you find in Murdoch's publications and learn in business schools. 

 

Cigarettes are only made because of demand, toxic mortgages were made then converted into worthless securities because of demand. Africans were kidnapped and sold into slavery because of your so called "demand."

 

Sure, @Delano it is all the consumer's fault.... can't you see beyond the capitalist's rhetoric?

 

 

[Delano]

The biggest problem in the world is ignorance. How many pairs of Nike Air Jordan's do you own?

 

The consumer is marketed to way more than they are educated. 

 

Do Black people need to take any responsibility for any if their counter productive choices? 

 

Like not supporting each other? 

[Troy]

On 1/26/2020 at 3:25 PM, Delano said:

The consumer is marketed to way more than they are educated. 

 

Absolutely!

 

Sure Black people have some responsibility but the powers aligned against us are very, very powerful and effective.

 

You asked how many pairs of Air Jordans do I own. I have never brought a single pair. I clearly remember thinking people were fools for buying them -- paying $100 for a pair while making minimum wage or doing something illegal to get them. But poor kids were heavily targeted. I never really though much of Jordan for lending his name to such an enterprise, but I'm sure it helped him become very wealthy.

 

If we were properly educated we would much less likely fall prey to marketers -- but none of us are totally immune.

 

12 years ago i ditched wall street as you did and have not a full time job since. I know you left that world long before i did. Perhaps it took me longer to come to the same conclusions you did.

 

 

[Delano]

I didn't have a career. I worked out before I left graduate school. That the game wasn't made for my temperament. 

 

I buy the second cheapest phone and the cheapest possible laptop. 

 

I don't consume entertainment, media, brands or fast food. 

[Troy]

I never buy "bleeding edge" technology like the latest phone when if first comes. I never understood people who wait on lines to buy the latest apple phone.

 

I can afford to buy the cheapest laptop is a poor i investment for me.  I tried that once and regretted it as i had to replace after a year purchased a much nicer one and ut was the best investment in technology i ever made.

 

I recently cut back on media myself rarely watch TV. When i do i limit myself to an hour. I read with the extra time.

 

I dont care about brands either. I do eat fast food on road trips or when im out of town, but when im at home i cook.

 

Still I know im not immune, this is why i try to ignore mass media.

[Delano]

You and I are quite similar. Last purchase I bought the cheapest laptop and it ran out of memory. The only series I have seen all the episodes is American Gods. Saw some of the Handmaid Tales and stranger things. 

 

Just avoid HoBO and sHowTime since there is generally one sex scene. Boobies and Butts distract you. 

[Troy]

11 hours ago, Delano said:

HoBO and sHowTime since there is generally one sex scene. Boobies and Butts distract you.

 

That is my one complaint about HBO. they also seem to have a penchant for homosexual sex scences and gratuitious violence. I don't have showtime.

 

You are more of a free spirit a characteristic I admire. I have grown into being a free spirit as I have gotten older, but this comes at a price because American society is not optimized for this characteristic... indeed it is designed to crush it (is that why you are in Australia?)

 

 

[Delano]

Much of my life is an unplanned adventure. But it's been entertaining both to me and others. 

[umbrarchist]

Of course now there is Los Angeles and there was Canada a while back, but then there is Europe: 

 

 

5 yrs

[umbrarchist]

On 1/16/2020 at 1:46 PM, Delano said:

The bet was Trump would be out by Mid January. But I'll check if I said out or in the way out. Clearly you haven't been reading the news. 

And Trump is Back! What FUN!

[Delano]

14 hours ago, umbrarchist said:

And Trump is Back! What FUN!

There is a Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times."

[Troy]

Well, we are certainly an interesting times, but I don’t feel cursed. Maybe that’s because interesting times is all I know.

[ProfD]

The most interesting aspect of the last time POTUS OJ was in office was a global pandemic. 

 

Otherwise, POTUS OJ did not plunge America the country or world into wars, famine, chaos, etc.

 

I believe the next 4 years will be similar to the last time except that white nationalism and white supremacy will be on steroids. 

 

In addition to the above, the man who fancies himself a deal-maker will be using the federal government to 1) shake down other countries and 2) enrich his proponents.