Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 9:33PM

Dishwashers and Global Warming

By DAN ROBINSON

Editor/Photographer

After ten years of dealing with the task dreaded by millions of single guys everywhere - washing dishes - I'm finally getting a dishwasher this week. Made possible by financial Christmas gifts from my Mom, Dad and Grandmother, this machine will revolutionize my kitchen routines (or lack thereof). I will be installing this myself, as the process is fairly simple. Besides, the cost to have a professional do it will be more than the dishwasher itself. After gutting and completely renovating my bathroom last year, I'm fairly confident in my modest plumbing abilities. I've already cut out the section of cabinets where it will go (I'm pretty good at busting holes in walls and the like) and will hopefully have this thing delivered and working by New Year's.

Changing the subject, I'm going to use my blog to go 'on the record' about my stance on global warming. I feel compelled to say something since a 'global warming crisis' is being trumpeted endlessly by the media. While I'm no PhD, I am competent enough in weather and climatology to have an educated opinion on the issue.

My official position on global warming is 'we don't know yet'. We do not have enough evidence to say with certainty whether 'global warming' in its 'crisis' context is actually happening or not. I feel it is irresponsible for anyone to draw final conclusions that it is happening (as most of the media is reporting with a 'sky is falling' urgency). It is true that in recent years, recorded global temperatures, on average, have been increasing. No one is disputing that. The question remains whether or not man is responsible and whether or not this warming is simply a benign natural fluctuation. Throughout the known history of the earth, fluctuations in climate have been a constant reality. We've had well-documented ice ages and warmups (large and small) throughout the millenia. There is simply not enough evidence that man is responsible for global warming as opposed to the natural climate cycle of earth. While I certainly support more research on the subject, I don't think it is wise to jump to conclusions to the point of causing public mayhem and instituting costly energy policy changes. (And no, I don't work for the oil or coal companies!)