Is the Earth striking back?

[Viburnum]

Both Iceland and the United States exalt democracy as a social achievement worthy of lasting an eternity. Yet the latter's unprecedented strength has derived not just from enlightened government, but from the release of its own hot clouds: exhaust from its vast industries, fleets and mechanized agriculture.

As we have learned, these gases form an invisible barrier that, like a greenhouse's glass ceiling, keeps reflected heat of the sun from escaping our atmosphere. The denser that gaseous barrier grows, the hotter things get and the faster glaciers melt.

As they flow off the land, we are warned, seas rise. Yet something else is lately worrying geologists: the likelihood that the Earth's crust, relieved of so much formidable weight of ice borne for many thousands of years, has begun to stretch and rebound.

As it does, a volcano awakens in Iceland (with another, larger and adjacent to still-erupting Eyjafjallajokull, threatening to detonate next). The Earth shudders in Haiti. Then Chile. Then western China. Mexicali-Calexico. The Solomon Islands. Spain. New Guinea. And those are just the big ones, 6+ on the Richter scale, and just in 2010. And it's only April.

Excerpt from CNN

There you have it, folks: Volcanos? Global Warming. Earthquakes? Global Warming. Strife in Africa? Global Warming. AIDS? Global Warming. Global Warming was even directly responsible for Patches Kennedy's latest DWI.

[Dayman]

Earthquakes happen every day whether we know it or not. Volcanism happens every day. This isn't something new, it's just a fad in reporting since the Haiti earthquake.

[Viburnum]

Earthquakes happen every day whether we know it or not. Volcanism happens every day. This isn't something new, it's just a fad in reporting since the Haiti earthquake.

The summer before 9-11, it was shark attacks. Happened at the same rate as normal, but it sure felt good to work oneself into a tizzy over it.

[seand]

You guys forgot about H1N1 was going to wipe out half the population for that hot minute. Instead it was just yet another seasonal flu in terms of deaths.

[Viburnum]

You guys forgot about H1N1 was going to wipe out half the population for that hot minute. Instead it was just yet another seasonal flu in terms of deaths.

Of course it depends on what age you are, but I remember sitting in an auditorium and being told: "Look at the person on your left, and the person on your right. In ten years, one of the three of you will be dead from AIDS."

... I wonder which one of those two bought the farm...

[Melrose]

WTF?!?! Who the hell told you that and what the Kee-rist is wrong with these people?

[BeckyJ]

Of course it depends on what age you are, but I remember sitting in an auditorium and being told: "Look at the person on your left, and the person on your right. In ten years, one of the three of you will be dead from AIDS."

... I wonder which one of those two bought the farm...

WTF?!?! Who the hell told you that and what the Kee-rist is wrong with these people?

I was in college at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, but I remember being told that this would wipe out a good portion of the human population. It was the accepted panic news at the time. No planning for medical advances in that scenario.

[Viburnum]

WTF?!?! Who the hell told you that and what the Kee-rist is wrong with these people?

I'm not going to name the Principal, but my understanding is that it was based on Orca Windbag and best selling Author Gene Antonio.
It was fairly widespread at the time, but as with most social hoaxes, it falls away as time passes.
Truth, usually wins out.