DID YOU KNOW?

Nearly 24 years ago, NASA researcher James Hansen said:  The greenhouse effect had been detected.  And it is changing our climate now.  It was at that time the hottest 12-month period scientists had ever seen.

Returning to the present, 2021 was only the fifth or sixth hottest year, even though July was the hottest month humanity has recorded.  Further, the seven hottest years on record have happened in the last seven years.

Further:

Since 1981, average global temperatures have increased at a rate of about 0.18 degrees Celsius (0.32 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade. In the same period, the warming of oceans — which have absorbed about 90 percent of the additional heat trapped by human carbon pollution — has gotten eight times faster.

Finally:

The United States endured at least 20 weather disasters costing $1 billion or more last year, the second most on record, NOAA announced this week. Hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes and floods — almost all of them made worse by climate change — killed at least 688 people and caused at least $145 billion in damage.

Maybe that is why at President Joe Biden's news conference on Wednesday, he said that he would be splitting his Build Back Better agenda into two pieces.  With a world threat as motivation, it now appears that there is more solid support for the $555 billion climate package than all those liberal wish list items.

On other matters to enhance your knowledgeability, Indonesia appears to be on the verge of moving its sinking capital in Jakarta 1250 miles to the northeast  to a jungle area on Borneo, the third largest island in the world, which is is partly owned by Malaysia and Brunei.  Jakarta has a metropolitan population of 30 million. The move will be official in 2024 and take until 2045 at a cost $32 billion.  The country of Indonesia was known as Nusantara in ancient times.  The new capital will use that name.  Indonesia currently has 278 million people and grows at the rate of 2.73 million/year, about twice the total population of Hawaii.

Two other notes.  First, visitors to Indonesia sometimes skip Jakarta for Bali, the vacation spot of the country.  On the top map above, if you draw a line to the south, you will just about find Bali, which is a smallish island.  That distance is 736 miles.  On Bali you will probably stay at a resort near the capital city of Denpasar, which is 600 miles east of Jakarta.

Shown on that same map is Christmas Island.  To the probable surprise of many in Hawaii, there are two of them.  There is also another one in the Pacific Ocean, 1251 miles from Hawaii.  Thus, if you wish to go fishing on Christmas Island, make sure you pick the right one for the other is in Indonesia 7000 miles away.

Did you know that Daniel Radcliffe, also known as Harry Potter, will play Weird Al Yankovic?  Al himself will co-write the script.  This will be a Roku Original.

He is now 62, has sold more than 12 million albums, and recorded 150 parodies.  Earned five Grammy Awards, and a further 11 nominations.  Has played the accordion since the age of 7.  Earned an architecture degree from Cal Poly.

How quick we forget, but did you know that there was a previous attempt, in 1989, entitled UHF?  With the Wierdo was Kevin McCarthy.  Rated 61/77 by Rotten Tomatoes.

Among his big hits were:

• White and Nerdy, a parody pondering whether or not Captain Kirk was better than Captain Picard.
• Like a Surgeon was released in 1985 at the peak of Madonna's career.

• And who can forget:  Eat It.  This was a 1984 spoof on Michael Jackson's 1983 Beat It.  Al's peaked at #12, but reached #1 in Australia, and earned him a Grammy.  Jackson thought it was amusing and blessed the effort.  Guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen.  Here is a 2020 version for charity.  How many stars did you recognize?  Notice that former U.S. Senator?

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