Rating: Summary: This may not be a scientific writing... Review: In fact, as the authors point out, there are not enough scientific evidence available from the last several millions of years to support or unsupport the hypotheses of the magnitude as presented in the book. However this is not the reason to dismiss this title as a mere fiction. The point is it makes us aware that the global warming is not simply about average surface temperatures going up, but about the radical changes of global weather patterns and what may probably happen as the trend keeps going and how soon.
Rating: Summary: Highly Recommended work Review: It definetely was a very good and throughtful work. However, I think it is a bit unorganized - they jump from one subject to another so it's sometimes hard to stay on top of what they are talking about. The end of the book, however, is very organized and sums up all what is explained throughout the preceding chapters. The authors clearly show, what the effects of Global Warming are, why it is true and they speak of very plausible evidence. The one problem is that they do not always quote where their data comes from. I think that a reader who is not really informed on the subject may become doubtful of their facts. I, as someone who has been interested in the subject for quite a while and have done a lot of researching, have no doubt in the validity of their arguments.If you decide to read this book (which I STRONGLY) recommend, I suggest that you read a few other books before coming to this one, they are "Our Angry Earth" by Isaac Asimov and Frederik Pohl and "The Mars Mystery" and "Fingerprints Of The Gods" by Graham Hancock. These books give deeper insight into the subjects that are discussed in "The Coming Global Superstorm" as well as talking about other related issues.
Rating: Summary: More fear and paranoia Review: Art Bell and Whitley Strieber have bought the philosophy of Global Warming hook line and sinker. The eruption of Mount Saint Helens did more damage to the environment than all of mans affect in thousands of years of using fossil fuels. There appears to be a warming trend, but appearances can be deceiving. Asphalt or concrete parking lots and highways, and brick or concrete buildings create a heat sink effect. they absorb heat from the Sun, and release the energy after the sun sets. With urban sprawl, and the interstate highway system they are encroaching on the weather stations set up by the NWS (National Weather System), and these stations are providing faulty readings. If you have questions or comments; E-mail me. Two Bears. Wah doh Ogedoda (We give thanks Great Spirit)
Rating: Summary: Close, but no cigar Review: I was extremely impressed by THE COMING GLOBAL SUPERSTORM. As the authors remark, they aren't themselves professional scientists, but clearly they've done their meteorological paleontological, evolutionary, and ecological homework. This book, which is certainly a tour de force of speculative fiction -- for it discusses a hypothetical future, rather than present or past reality, and so far, thank God, is _only_ fiction -- outlines the real-world processes by which our civilization, our species, and even, perhaps, most vertebrates now alive on Earth might be quickly destroyed, processes that culminate in a literally world-class storm the like of which is unknown in the historical record. Frightening hints of such storms are, however, part of the paleontological record, associated with the Great Extinctions that have driven the evolution of life on Earth over hundreds of millions, even billions of years. The authors present a great deal of evidence to show that we may be in fact on the brink of _triggering_ such a superstorm ourselves, and urge us to take a large tuck in our industrial and other environment-destroying activities in order to head it off, if that is possible. There were some problems I had with this book. I wasn't bothered by the authors' lack of scientific credentials; they are honest about that, and have done their homework well in spite of that, and do not stoop to tabloid journalism. But from time to time they dropped the ball as far as nomenclature went, e.g., referring to whole biological classes such as Aves (birds) or superclasses (Archosauria) as "genuses," errors which aren't that hard to avoid. But such things are minor. What they overlook -- the same error too many well-meaning "defenders of Earth" make all the time -- is that our living world _is_ a living world, as biologists Lynn Margules, James Lovelock, et al., have made clear. True, living organisms must avoid too much damage to their bodies in order to live to ripe old ages, and we have damaged the earth terribly. But all things die eventually, even planets, and what happens in the meantime? The "famous four F's" of biology -- Feeding, Fighting, Fleeing, and Reproduction -- mandate that in the end, we either reproduce or go extinct, either cooperate with our Selfish Genes or undergo the Second Death of genetic extinction. This must be as true of worlds as organisms on our own scale. And what does it take for a planet to reproduce? It requires a strange, poetic outlook of the sort that craves the stars, and the rifling of the Will necessary to fix our gaze so firmly on them that we will get there no matter what. It takes a vast, high-tech civilization of the sort we ourselves have built, which in turn requires an enormous burgeoning of the population which occupies the niche of "reproductive enabler" of that world. It requires, in short, the very scientific, technological, religious, and Magickal endeavors that have done so much mischief to our species, other species, and our world -- because without those, we can't get ourselves and our earthly cousins to the stars. Earth is like a diabetic woman who has been told that if she gets pregnant she will die, who wants to have a baby so badly she's willing to risk it. Unlike all other species on our world, which all contribute to her well-being via their niches or jobs in her grand economy of materials and energies, we fill the niche of her reproductive equipment, at least potentially. yes, we might kill her in the process of doing that -- but if _some_ of her species does _not_ do that, she dies barren and sterile, a victim of the Second Death of genetic extinction. It's a trade-off, children: we _might_ kill Mother Earth by enabling her to have offspring among the stars -- but if we avoid doing that in order to heal the wounds we've made in her, we will almost _certainlty_ condemn her to extinction, because even if a major impact like the one that took out the dinosaurs or bigger doesn't finally do for her, in about 100 million yearsm, thanks to the ever-increasing energy output of the sun, she will be incapable of supporting the sort of life that can do the job we're supposed to. So it's high time we establish a permanent presence in spacwe. Then, perhaps, we can devote our energies to healing our world. But this is the only way we can keep her spirit and genes going into the indefinite future, after she dies of whatever causes, natural or otherwise. So we'd better dare the sueprstorm -- or cinch our extinction and that of the Earth and all her life for sure.
Rating: Summary: don't waste your time Review: this is an infuriating book. the subject is timely and important, but the authors have such a cavalier regard for facts that they undermine their whole thesis. they are so wrong on so many checkable details i wound up throwing the book across the room. clearly, a meretricious and sensational effort to capitalize on people's fears rather than engage in a serious discussion of a serious topic. better to grind your way through articles in Nature than give even a minute to this book.
Rating: Summary: The Coming Global Superstorm Ought to Go! Review: I like Whitley Strieber's books, but this one should not have been written. Surprisingly, it is poorly written and vague. The book is scary- warning of a possible weeks or month's long blizzard covering most of the Northern Hemisphere and killing an untold number of people and animals in the process. The premise is global warming is melting the ice caps sending fresh water into the world's oceans and adversely affecting the ocean currents which in turn cause the earth's climate to change. Mr. Strieber and Mr. Bell are not scientists and it shows. Facts are in very short supply in this fast-reading book. There are no references or bibliography to support their case. Avoid this one if you're prone to depression- Mr Strieber hasn't lost his ability to terrify. It's too bad- with a little more research and a few rewrites this book could have made a contribution.
Rating: Summary: Global Warming Is A Crock Review: The discussions of past catastrophes were somewhat interesting (I just found the hardcover on remainder) but global warming is and always has been a political fiction. Streiber should stick with alien encounters, and Art Bell should stick with Long John Nebel style radio. He's good at it. Try these in addition or instead: Floods, Famines, and Emperors: El Nino and the Fate of Civilizations by Brian M. Fagan Catastrophe: A Quest for the Origins of the Modern World by David Keys Voices of the Rocks by Robert Schoch (a big fave of mine, although he too brings up global warming, briefly)
Rating: Summary: pseudo-scientific dreck Review: This book contains all the hallmarks of the worst pseudoscience: no references or clear citations, misnomers galore (the Sphinx is NOT a monolith, which implies it is made of a single (mono) stone (lithic), the works cited are by well-known and thoroughly debunked authors like graham hancock. (they make me give it one star -- no zero option)
Rating: Summary: Save your $ - wait for the movie! Review: This book reads like a poorly-edited screenplay for a crummy disaster movie. If it's that kind of entertainment you want, then fine. If, however, you're after a credible treatment of an important issue, then steer clear of these authors. The style is sloppy and repetitive, and it seems sensationalism is valued over serious research. A quote from p.216 says it all: 'The two of us are amateurs'.
Rating: Summary: Global Supersnore Review: If you're like a lot of readers, and you've been watching the news headlines about north pole ice melting, and increasingly harsh weather conditions, then you're looking for a book on global warming and it's possible effects. You're looking for a book that will tell you what scientists are saying; what tests they're doing; what indications they're looking at. You're looking for a book that will educate you a little without putting you to sleep. Well, THIS AIN'T THE BOOK! The author is a radio talk-show host, not a science writer, and the book is about as educational as. . .a radio talk-show! There is no attempt to explain; only to scare the reader. The level of real information is about as thin as the ice at the north pole! I was going to give the book to my aging stepfather, who listens to talk radio; but on second thought, I think I'll put it in my next garage sale- he'd never fall for this book.
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