Classic Albums: Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell (1980)

In 1980, Black Sabbath was on the brink of extinction after their two previous lackluster efforts, Technical Ecstacy and Never Say Die! Did not measure up to their previous classics. With new vocalist Ronnie James Dio replacing the legendary Ozzy Osbourne, the band began working on a new album, soon to be known as Heaven and Hell. This is one of the greatest metal albums of all time in my opinion. It kicks off with a fast paced near "thrasher" in "Neon Knights", followed up by the epic "Children of the Sea". Considering the circumstances, an album that kicks off like this is almost unheard of. Geezer's punching bass is featured throughout the record and is featured prominently during the bluesy "Lady Evil". The title track is perhaps one of the greatest Sabbath songs ever made and a true classic indeed. "Die Young" is another notable song and is similar to "Neon Knights" in its pacing (besides the chorus) and features a haunting intro before the song kicks in. Overall, this album is one of the greatest metal album of all time. The band was in top form during this time period, with Bill Ward keeping great rhythm behind the drums, Tony Iommi's solo & riff showcase and Ronnie James Dio's over-the-top vocal delivery.

Global Warming Update 3/9/2011

Today's global warming update is about how a new study shows that the if the current warming trend continues, the coral reefs could be destroyed by 2050. The researchers say that temperature and acidity in the ocean are higher than "any other time in at least the last 400,000 years."

The researchers say that the warmer ocean temperatures are causing coral bleaching and that coral bleaching leads to weakening and increased mortality. They have also said that the "outlook is grim".

The report states that coral reefs are "harbingers of change", and that increased stresses they are experiencing are a wake-up call for humanity.

Here is a an excerpt from the report: "Coral reefs are currently experiencing higher ocean temperatures and acidity than at any other time in at least the last 400,000 years. If we continue down this path, all corals will likely be threatened by mid-century, with 75 percent facing high to critical threat levels."

This new report is far more detailed than the previous report (released in 1998) titled "Reefs at Risk". The planet's state has only gotten worse since 1998. so it is no surprise. There is more agriculture, a focus on natural resources, deep sea drilling. Because of these human activities, coral reefs are more vulnerable than they ever have been. One key factor is the increased amount of greenhouse gases that plague our atmosphere.

Here is an excerpt from the article discussing coral bleaching:

"Extreme bleaching events kill corals and less extreme events weaken them, impacting their ability to reproduce, reducing growth rates and calcification, and making them vulnerable to disease.
By 2030, according to the report, projections indicate approximately half of all coral reefs on the planet experiencing thermal stresses great enough to cause severe bleaching events in most years. By the 2050s, this number is expected to rise to more than 95 percent.
Increased levels of carbon dioxide in the oceans has reduced saturation levels or aragonite, a compound necessary for coral reefs to build their skeletons. Within 20 years, less than half of the planet’s reefs are projected to be located in waters with levels of aragonite ideal for coral development. By 2050, that number drops to around 15 percent of reefs located in areas with sufficient aragonite to help promote coral growth. "

As you can see, this is a serious issue. Hopefully this coral bleaching does not get out of hand too soon

Source and full article: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/304395

Global Warming Update 3/8/2011 #2

My second update for today is about how if we try to prevent global warming now, it will benefit future generations.

We already know that global warming is happening and that approximately 5% is caused by humans. What we need to do is lessen that number (or at least not increase it) so that the future of our earth do not have a polluted mess that was left by the people of today. Measures like driving more fuel efficient cars, conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and many others will help, but not everyone is willing to do those things. They will help out future generations in the long run. After all, we would be saving our own children if we did these simple measures everyday. The 5% caused by humans would be reduced greatly and our planet would be much more sustainable for animals as well. For example, people will destroy animal habitats and sometimes not even consider the animals and leave the animals homeless. Because we still need resources from these habitats, I believe that people should at least consider the needs of these animals and build them a habitat before destroying their habitat for resources.

For more information on how to save the future generations from a polluted earth and a (mostly) global warming free future, please check out the following websites:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Global-warming--our-help-to-save-our-future-and-nature
http://www.wikihow.com/Take-Action-to-Reduce-Global-Warming

You can also visit past posts about the 10 things to do to save global warming

Global Warming Update 3/8/2011

My first of two global warming updates for today is related to both global warming and how a "tiny nuclear war" to stop global warming. NASA scientists and researchers. Because of "nuclear winter" that occurs after a nuclear war, the entire earth would cool down, and the temperature would drop by 2.25 degrees for 2-3 years. The temperature would still be .9% lower than before the nuclear war after 10 years. For example, if we dropped 100 Hiroshima-level bombs with 15, 000 tons of TNT, researchers predicted that the resulting fires would kick up roughly 5 million metric tons of black carbon into the upper part of the troposphere (lowest part of earth's atmosphere), and the carbon would then absorb solar heat which would therefore cause climate change!

This is not a good thing however, as humans would most likely all die from this nuclear war. Not the best way to end global warming, that is for sure.

Here is the source for my information: http://www.tinygreenbubble.com/eco/environmental/item/1639-we-just-need-a-tiny-nuclear-war-to-reverse-global-warming

Global Warming Update 3/7/2011 #3

This one could perhaps be the most puzzling and intriguing of all of my posts. This is about a study conducted by the University of Michigan, and it states that people are more likely to believe climate change than global warming.

As the study shows, 74% of the 2, 267 adults believed climate change was a real problem, compared to just 68% who believed global warming was a real problem. Another difference was with the people who identified themselves as republicans. 60% of republicans believed that climate change was real, compared to just 44% believing global warming exists. This just goes to show that a simple wording difference can change peoples opinion on a certain topic.

here is the full article: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2011/03/americans-climate-change-global-warming/1

Global Warming Update 3/7/2011 #2

Here is the second Global Warming Update of today. The topic of this update is related to a story on how a emperor penguin colony suddenly vanished on an island off the West Antarctic Peninsula. There are people who point to global warming as the cause of this incident.

There are researchers who are not sure if the penguin colony died off or if they just relocated, and that there is a lack of information regarding emperor penguins.

Here is a quote from the article I found this out from (posted at bottom)

"The one site in Antarctica where we have seen really big changes is the West Antarctic Peninsula," Philip Trathan said. For much of the 20th century, this region has warmed at an unprecedented rate, particularly in recent decades, the researchers write in a study published Feb. 28 in the journal PLoS ONE.

A station that is 40 kilometres away has shown an increase in air temperature . Also, according to a report by the Journal of Geophysical Research, from 1979-2004, sea ice began to advance 54 days later and retreated 31 days earlier.

You can read the full article here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41953114/ns/us_news-environment/

Global Warming Update 3/7/2011

Global Warming: Man-Made or Natural

I, as many people though that Global Warming was caused by artificial or man made things such as Greenhouse Gases, car emissions and over-consumption of energy. But, there are some natural causes as well. There have been times in the past before man made inventions harmed our atmosphere that the earth's average temperature has fluctuated.

Here are some facts from a 2007 article proving climate change

* Average global temperatures have risen about 0.5°C in the past century.
* Glaciers have melted and retreated dramatically.
* Ecosystems around the world are being altered.

Why is this happening exactly? Is it just nature? Or is it what we think it is, that human kind is destroying our planet bit by bit.

Changes like this have been happening for 18, 000 years and since the Earth emerged from the Ice Age. So why are we concerned now, and we were not concerned then? Probably because we have so much access to information regarding climate change.

Studies show that over the past century, 95% of the warming is indeed caused by natural causes, something us humans cannot prevent. We, however still contribute 5% of the warming and that is not a good thing. It is something we need to manage and control before that 5% becomes an even larger number and we "destroy" our planet even more.

Here is the article that got me thinking down this path in the first place: http://www.isa.org/Content/ContentGroups/News/20071/March33/Global_warming__Natural_or_man-made_.htm