I don't need scientists or political idealogues to tell me if climate change is occurring. The same fossil fuels blamed for climate change are creating problems which I can see with my own eyes and that is the evidence I need regardless of "climate change". If you do much landscape photography in the eastern U.S., you have seen vistas where a very unnatural haze exists resulting from the pollution caused by the combustion of coal. We know that we can't see as far from mountaintops in the Smokies as we used to because of air pollution and we know that acid rain resulting from the burning of fossil fuels has negatively impacted plant life in the Smokies. At least there are still mountains in the Smokies. Where I live in KY, many mountains have had their tops blasted of in mountaintop removal mining to get to the deeply buried coal. As photographers, how would you feel if a coal company bombed your favorite nature scene or the area around your home? This happens to the people of Appalachia so that the rest of us can have our "cheap energy". If coal existed under the Grand Canyon or Yosemite, would we blast those areas into oblivion? As photographers and lovers of nature, would this really not bother you, regardless of whether you are conservative or liberal? We should be moving toward alternative energy sources whether or not "climate change" is occurring due to human activity. I will turn 60 years old this week and I have arrived at this viewpoint based on changes I see with my own eyes.

Can you honestly say that there are the same number of posts and the same level of hostility by liberals and conservatives on this site?

Ahem, just Google "Thomas Jefferson rewrite constitution" and you'll find numerous sources.

In 1789, Thomas Jefferson, wrote to James Madison, stating that the Constitution was not perpetual and should be rewritten to serve future generations.

“The earth belongs always to the living generation,” Jefferson wrote. “They may manage it then, and what proceeds from it, as they please, during their usufruct. They are masters too of their own persons, and consequently may govern them as they please. … Every constitution then, and every law, naturally expires at the end of 19 years. If it be enforced longer, it is an act of force, and not of right.”

Just because you don't want to believe this doesn't mean it isn't true!

Thomas Jefferson stated that the constitution should be rewritten every 19 years. His reasoning was that new generations should not be ruled by the departed. Jefferson had the wisdom and foresight to realize that times change and laws must also change. Conservatives who love to refer to the founding fathers never mention this!

So you believe the Heritage Foundation researchers who are funded by oil billionaire Koch brothers...

I know you've never been confused. You always have the real true facts and are never wrong about anything. The rest of us are in awe of your perfection!

I am absolutely amazed at the level of anger, hatred and vile comments directed at liberals, democrats, and Obama on this site. Don't hate me just because I have different opinions than you do. Your level of hated is not good for the country and is not healthy for you!

Since when does the USA let China set the standard for us? What other issues do you want to emulate China about? Also, Americans are per capita the biggest polluters on earth.

Just wondering...what does it indicate about a person if he or she thinks racist jokes are funny?

If you think that the earth doesn't care about governments or their legislation, you should travel to the eastern part of my state of Kentucky. God created mountains that were incredibly beautiful and they are now moonscapes. People who are so much in love with coal should have their areas blasted like war zones and they should drink contaminated water!

To Nessguide:

Please reread my comment because I think you misunderstood it and perhaps I did not express myself well in my satire. I was hoping to point out how ridiculous it is to demonize a teenager for interest in guns, fighting and/or smoking pot. I wish that our teens (and adults) could avoid all three of these interests and the world would be a much better place. But I am a realist and I realize that that is not the world in which we live.

In responding to the original post in this thread, I was hoping to express that the stated "facts" are not quite so factual. It is a huge problem in this country that too many people believe what they want to believe without rationally and objectively considering the evidence from all sides. None of us knows for certain what happened on the night that Trayvon Martin was killed. Only George Zimmerman knows and he has given several versions of the "truth".

I did get quite a kick out of your referral to me as "Repub" - that's a first in my almost 60 years on earth!

I have a question for the real "Repubs" out there. How can you criticize a black youth for an interest in guns when you so promote them to your own children and everyone else?

Reported: Martin’s texts showed that he bragged about his fighting prowess, inquires about guns and that he was known to use marijuana. Not the angelic sweet boy shown in the photos for 17 months.

A teenager seeking information about guns, bragging about his fighting abilities, and smoking pot - he definitely deserved to be shot!

I'm glad I wasn't on the jury because it would have been a difficult decision. We have the several versions of the "facts" presented by Zimmerman at various times. Martin is no longer here to give us his version of the "facts".

I am using Lightroom to organize and edit. I have seen the advantages of shooting in the raw format. I now have many photos which I want to keep, however they are not my favorites and they don't deserve so much space on my hard drive. Is there a way to convert them to .jpg without using the export dialogue. I want them in my computer, but not as big raw files. Thanks for your help as always.

Thanks for looking at my photo and for the complements!

All this talk about the supermoon reminded me of one of my favorite moon shots. This photo was taken while I was backpacking in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Colorado last fall. The area and the moon were amazing!

My Moon Shot