dune

And what if the fox is just clipped, runs away and suffers a slow death? Just so long as your social prejudices are allowed you're not bothered. This is what it all boils down to. People like you don't care about the countryside or animal welfare, you've just got big chips on your shoulders and you see hunting as pursuit for the upper classes.

Oh dear. Just accept the fact that country pursuits are supported by most people, and an overwhelming majority of countryside people. You're the crank here. Take pheasant shooting. There would be no pheasants if it wasn't for shooting. Latest poll: Do you think that banning hunting and the subsequent requirement to police the ban is a good use of police resources? No 62% Yes 33% Don’t know 4% Do you think that animal rights activists should be allowed to take the law into their own hands for the purpose of protecting wild animals? No 85% Yes 13% Don’t know 2%

I'd never have guessed you'd be in the same camp as the great unwashed leftie sabateur types.

The fact that hunting is fun is just a bonus. That fact remains that it is more humane than gassing, snaring or shooting. Would you rather foxes be controlled by a method other than hunting, that isn't as humane, just to satisfy your prejudice?

the met office prediections of hot summers and mild winters were supposed to be because of global warming. It's hilarious how the goalposts keep getting moved.

In the annoying teen category along with Mikey and Saintandy.

No, because it doesn't serve a purpose. Hunting does.

You've yet to answer how you would rather control vermin like foxes?

Humans are omnivores. It's natural to eat meat. So you're abnormal in that respect, but I can understand why you'd be upset about intensively farmed meat. Hunting is a natural and humane method of vermin control, the same as pheasant breeding and shooting is the kindest way to produce and kill food. The fact that it is fun to shoot pheasants seems to be what annoys people like you.

As the climate is now cooling it's up to clubs/local authorities to take steps to keep the country running. There will be times when it snows that much that games will have to be called off, but games shouldn't be called off (at least in the top two divisions) because of frozen pitches.

Be careful, you're getting very close to going into the tedious posters thread.

Having a life is all too easy the amount of time you get off work.

I take it you are a vegetarian, or are you a hypocrite?

LOL. I thought the last cold winter that never happened, the barbeque summer that never happened, and this mild winter that hasn't happened was going to be because of global warming. Now the climate is cooling (and it is cooling) is because of global warming and burning fossil fuels. You couldn't make it up.

Weren't you out supporting the Essex hunt? Great video from 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyZse2Pa4Es

It's the thrill of the chase, not the kill, that is fun.

And not an anti to be seen, just local people enjoying seeing countryside traditions maintained.

Would you prefer gassing, snaring, or shooting? With hunting there are two outcomes, it lives or it dies quickly. That is humane.

Foxes need to be controlled.

It's falling, as much as you'd love it to be rising (to prove a point) and I would love it to be rising (because global warming is better than global cooling for the UK)

You have such a chip on your shoulder.

It didn't collapse. We gave it away.

If you look at the graphs 1997 was a spike and since then there has been no rise, but a slight fall which suggests that the cyclical climate pattern has now peaked and we are heading for another natural cooling period.

What complete rubbish. A typical Townie view. Hunting is a humane method of controlling foxes.

1. The PDO has a regular cyclic pattern with alternating warm and cool modes every 25-30 years 2. The PDO has accurately matched each global climate change over the past century and may be used as a predictive tool. 3. Since the switch of the PDO from warm to cool in 1999, global temperatures have not exceeded the 1998 high. 4. Each time the PDO has changed from one mode to another, it has stayed in that mode for 25-30 years; thus, since the switch of the PDO from warm to cool in 1999 has been entrenched, it will undoubtedly stay in its cool mode for another several decades. 5. With the PDO in cool mode for another several decades, we can expect another several decades of cooling. In 2000, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicted global warming of1° F per decade and global warming of about 10° F by 2100. The red line on the graph below is their predicted temperature curve for 2000 to 2050. Note that by 2010, temperatures should be 1° F warmer than in 2000. That didn't happen so their climate models failed to predict even 10 years ahead. The blue curves of projected cooling are based on the past PDO patterns for the past century and temperature patterns for the past 500 years. Three possible scenarios are shown: (1) global cooling similar to the global cooling of 1945 to 1977, (2) global cooling similar to the cool period from 1880 to 1915, and (3) global cooling similar to the Dalton Minimum from 1790 to 1820. The possibility of temperatures dropping to the level of the Dalton Minimum is suggested by the recent passing of the sun from a solar grand maximum to a solar grand minimum similar to that of the Dalton Minimum. The unusually long sun spot cycle 23 and the solar magnetic index suggest that a solar minimum similar to the Dalton is very possible. A fourth possibility is that we may be approaching another Maunder type minimum and another Little Ice Age. Time will tell which curve is correct. IMPACTS OF GLOBAL COOLING That global warming is over, at least for a few decades, might seem to be a relief. However, the bad news is that global cooling is even more harmful to humans than global warming and a cause for even greater concern because: 1. A recent study showed that twice as many people are killed by extreme cold than by extreme heat. 2. Global cooling will have an adverse effect on food production because of shorter growing seasons, cooler growing seasons, and bad weather during harvest seasons. This is already happening in the Midwestern U.S., China, India, and other places in the world. Hardest hit will be third world countries where millions are already near starvation levels. 3. Increase in per capita energy demands, especially for heating. 4. Decrease in the ability to cope with problems related to the population explosion. World population is projected to reach more than 9 billion by 2050, an increase of 50%. This means a substantial increase in demand for food and energy at a time when both are decreasing because of the cooling climate. CONCLUSIONS Numerous, abrupt, short-lived warming and cooling episodes, much more intense than recent warming/cooling, occurred during the last Ice Age, none of which could have been caused by changes in atmospheric CO2. . Climate changes in the geologic record show a regular pattern of alternate warming and cooling with a 25-30 year period for the past 500 years. Strong correlation between solar changes, the PDO, glacier advance and retreat, and global climate allow us to project a consistent pattern into the future. Strong correlation between solar changes, the PDO, glacier advance and retreat, and global climate allow us to project a consistent pattern into the future. Projected cooling for the next several decades is based on past PDO patterns for the past century and temperature patterns for the past 500 years. Three possible scenarios are shown: (1) global cooling similar to the global cooling of 1945 to 1977, (2) global cooling similar to the cool period from 1880 to 1915, and (3) global cooling similar to the Dalton Minimum from 1790 to 1820. Expect global cooling for the next 2-3 decades that will be far more damaging than global warming would have been.