Larry wrote:
"OK, so what DID cause the Little Ice Age in the middle of the smoke
stacks during the height of the coal-fired industrial revolution??

Solar activity

Solar activity events recorded in radiocarbon.During the period
1645–1715, right in the middle of the Little Ice Age, solar activity as
seen in sunspots was extremely low, with some years having no sunspots at
all. This period of low sunspot activity is known as the Maunder Minimum.
The precise link between low sunspot activity and cooling temperatures
has not been established, but the coincidence of the Maunder Minimum with
the deepest trough of the Little Ice Age is suggestive of such a
connection [22]. The Spörer Minimum has also been identified with a
significant cooling period during the Little Ice Age. Other indicators of
low solar activity during this period are levels of carbon-14 and
beryllium-10 [23]. The low solar activity is also well documented in
astronomical records. Astronomers in both Europe and Asia documented a
decrease in the number of visible solar spots during this time period.


[edit] Volcanic activity
Throughout the Little Ice Age, the world also experienced heightened
volcanic activity. When a volcano erupts, its ash reaches high into the
atmosphere and can spread to cover the whole earth. This ash cloud blocks
out some of the incoming solar radiation, leading to worldwide cooling
that can last up to two years after an eruption. Also emitted by
eruptions is sulfur in the form of SO2 gas. When this gas reaches the
stratosphere, it turns into sulfuric acid particles, which reflect the
sun's rays, further reducing the amount of radiation reaching the earth's
surface. The 1815 eruption of Tambora in Indonesia blanketed the
atmosphere with ash; the following year, 1816, came to be known as the
Year Without A Summer, when frost and snow were reported in June and
July in both New England and Northern Europe."

While this is one discussion I don't want to be a part of, I do remember
way-back when the newscasters used to report on solar sunspot activity
(complete with pictures) on the evening news, and its current and
projected influence on the weather. And as for the person who wrote
something about not believing that these so-called climate researchers
have a financial stake in pushing global warming, you really need an
education about how government money works. The global warming issue is
a huge money machine with a crapload of very greedy mouths to feed, and
it is no different in that respect than our current medical system or
any number of other corrupted groups out there looking to feed in the
grant trough. Researchers who get grant money are clearly and easily
influenced by money and whatever the grantor wants, they usually get. It
is very rare when a *scientific* reseacher who gets grant money does
pure uninfluenced research. And BTW, I have seen numerous programs on
Discovery and other channels about Volcanos and there have been many
references to their enormous and lasting influence on the earth's
weather. Recently there was an announcement on the news about the ozone
"hole" getting smaller due to the recent reduction of airborne gases
from the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo (sp?) a few years ago. There is
clearly much more going on in this world than most people can grasp, and
most scientists are looking at their own little world through a
microscope and reporting politics as *science*. Flame away, I am
deleting the rest of this thread anyway.