Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs)...[are]intimately associated with the formation of the ozone hole, which is currently reaching peak size.To be fair, the site is Spaceweather, so I guess they can't be expected to know about the Southern Polar Vortex.
PSCs form when temperatures in the stratosphere become extremely cold, below -78° C. ("Balloon-measured temperatures in the vicinity of the clouds were -86 degrees C," notes Klekociuk.) They spell trouble for ozone; tiny ice crystals and droplets within the clouds provide surfaces where CFCs are converted into ozone-destroying molecules.
I'll say it all again: the ozone hole was discovered in 1956, when we became able to measure the ozone layer, and the phenomenon was explained satisfactorily then. The thinning of the ozone layer has not changed in magnitude over the years regardless of how many CFCs mankind used; 1956 was before CFCs entered widespread use and the magnitude of the thinning of the ozone layer since then has been relatively consistent, with a variance of about 10-30 Dobson units.
And it always recovers. Always.
Argh.
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Whatever attraction or respect I once had for Janeane Garofalo is now gone, because she has advocated putting me in jail.
She's a moron. And those tramp stamps make her look like ass.
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Speaking of morons, Charles Gibson has apparently damaged his own reputation as a journalist.
The media elites in this country think that those of us out here in "flyover country" are a bunch of rubes; but the waning advertising dollars and Arbitron scores show otherwise, I think.
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As for me, I think I need to go see the doctor.
For several days I've had these weird pains in my sides. I had 'em Saturday morning; they went away but came back last night. I thought it might be because I (when I'm doing Softlines) have to reach up quite a bit; but as I sat on break I took a deep breath and felt crackling in my lungs where the pains were.
Pneumonia? From what?
...anyway, most of the time there's no pain, but when it hits it hurts a lot--and the crackling bit is worrisome all by itself. So I guess I'm going to be calling the doctor today.
It'll mean a chest X-ray, of course. *sigh* Oh well; it's only money, right?