Is Santa Claus really going to lose his home?

“Is Santa Claus really going to lose his home? It appears David Suzuki thinks so. However, the current temperature in Alert, Canada’s furthest north weather station is currently minus 28c. The day before, the high was minus 29c and the low was minus 31c.”

You’re conflating weather and climate. “Global warming” doesn’t mean that everyday the temperature will be 40 above. Global warming refers to trends in the average temperature for a given climate. It’s not even entirely accurate to call it “global warming” because some parts of the world will experience cooler than average temperatures and some will experience warmer than average temperatures. Even a difference of a few degrees can make all the difference in the world. There is already record-breaking melting of Arctic ice.

“One is forced to wonder how, at minus 28c that the snow and ice are melting? Unless David Suzuki has changed the laws of science, water freezes at 0c and seawater freezes at -2c.”

Because, as mentioned above, global warming has to do with climate, not weather. Every summer, more ice melts than usual. Every winter less ice forms than usual. That’s what is meant. Again, no climatologist says that it will be 40 above in the Arctic in the middle of winter. Maybe a greater understanding of the science would be far better than snarkily suggesting that Suzuki has the power to change the laws of science.

And even what you pointed out isn’t even strictly true. Pure water freezes at 0ºC, but only at atmospheric pressure (1 atm or 101.3 kPa). As soon as you add impurities, the freezing point is depressed (which is precisely why we salt icy roads and why saltwater freezes at a lower temperature than freshwater) or if you change the pressure, it will not boil at zero.

As an aside, the freezing point depression can be calculated. ?TF = (KF)(m)(i), where TF is the freezing point depression, KF is a constant that refers to the solvent (can be looked up in any rudimentary chemistry text), m is molality, and i is the van’t Hoff factor. The van’t Hoff factor simply refers to the association or dissociation of a particular solute (which also can be looked up in any rudimentary chemistry text). Salts like CaCl2 (calcium chloride) have a high van’t Hoff factor and so increase the freezing point depression. That’s why road salt is typically CaCl2.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Melting_curve_of_water.jpg

Above is a graph that shows the pressure-dependence of the melting point (which is also the freezing point) of water. If you are unfamiliar with the temperature units, they are in Kelvin. Simply subtract 273 from the Kelvin value to get Celsius (So 273K corresponds to 0ºC). Note that as you increase pressure, freezing point is depressed further.

“One might even be forced to wonder why some consumer organization is not investigating this scheme. Has Suzuki actually spoken to Santa Claus? Does he have a plan to purchase a new home for Santa Claus with the funds raised? Or is this simply a scheme?”

Why does it have to be a scheme? People associate Santa Claus with living at the North Pole up in the Arctic. It’s merely to draw awareness to the fact there is record-breaking ice melting in the Arctic.

“In far too many ways, our society has become increasingly commercialized. But to include fear that Santa Claus is going to lose his home as the David Suzuki Foundation is doing right now is simply shameful.”

How is it commercialization? Suzuki is simply raising awareness (and funds) for global warming. If it were a cause you agreed with, I’m sure it would not warrant an editorial trying to make light of the fact that humans are causing some serious damage to the environment.

I never said anything about science being a cause or a religion. The cause is supported by the science. “The other side of the debate” is composed of “scientists” who have their research funded by companies who would benefit from weaker environmental regulations to save a buck. Look into the dealings of the Koch brothers. Do you really trust a “scientific study” that’s funded by Imperial Oil that comes to the conclusion that AGW theory is bogus? Keep in mind, these studies funded by industry do NOT go through a peer-review process through reputable science journals.

The science of climate change is dependent on an extremely wide range of sources. The scientific method is calculated to rid of such “inaccurate information”. Papers are peer-reviewed. There is no secret scientist cabal to promote AGW theory. Almost every climate scientist accepts AGW theory because the evidence strongly points in that direction.

Likely the money Suzuki is raising would go to fund research grants. I don’t know. Ask the David Suzuki Foundation if you’re that interested.

As well, science isn’t “look and look and look…and never stop”. It’s “observe and theorize and predict”. Nobody “reveres” AGW theory. Why would they? It has drastic consequences on how we do things on Earth. Most sane people would wish it isn’t true. But thankfully, very knowledgeable scientists have been observing, theorizing, and predicting for a long time now and the evidence points towards AGW theory and we can actually work towards solutions before humans cause more damage to the environment.

You speak of mental abuse, but you lie to your children, telling them that Santa Claus exists. You build up in them the notion that some jolly fat man with a white beard and red suit is going to bring them presents, setting them up for the inevitable disappointment and astonishment and shock that Santa Claus is, indeed, not real. How dare you inflict such emotional trauma on your children by telling them such egregious lies? They should be taken away from you at once before you tell them any more traumatic lies. You, sir, should be in prison.

What’s more, you serial child-abuser, you teach your children to lie to each other and extol as if this is a virtue that would make any parent proud. I would be severely disappointed in my children if they were lying, but then again, I was evidently raised with a much stronger moral fibre than you or your children. I was taught that lying is wrong by my parents and mentors.

Indeed, telling children that Santa and his reindeer will perish in a cold watery grave is shameful and will, of course, only be remedied by the notion that one day your children will wake up and realize that their parents, teachers, and all of society lied to them that such a character as Santa Claus even existed.

How dare Suzuki try to raise funds to combat an environmental nightmare? He’s nowhere near an upstanding child-abuser like yourself who lies to children for your own sick, sadistic amusement and what’s more, teach your children to lie to others. You, sir, should be in prison.

What will you tell them next? That if they don’t obey a magic sky-Jew, they’ll roast in Hell, writhing in agony for an infinite afterlife? After all, the entire point of Christmas is the birth of this magic sky-Jew. You probably send your kids to a pedophile priest to be instructed in such psychological trauma. Shameful. You should have your kids taken away from you.

First I am not a sir.
Second I do not really believe in god or the birth being a wonder for the world. I have too many unanswered questions to believe. So no I did not send my sons to a pedophile priest or any other religious based activity.
In our home we celebrate christmas as childrens day. A time for children to be children with hope and fun.
What is wrong with giving children a chance to be childish for a few days, along with the hope of something better to come.
In society today Santa is a better way of explaining to a child who knows his parents can’t afford a gift for them but through the kindness of strangers he wakes up Christmas morning with a present and food in the kitchen.
Isn’t it better to say Santa left this for us than to say we are so poor that strangers brought us food and a gift.
Which would a child understand better and appreciate more. Santa is not going to go to school and tell everyone that you are poor so you are different.
Christmas is about giving of yourself to others.
Christmas is also about loneliness and this is the part that children will discover eventually. Why not let them believe in Santa for a few years before they have to grow up.
Christmas has become a political pawn and that is what Suzuki is exploiting in his campaign. But he has taken it one step too far in my opinion by frightening children.
It has become too commercial which people are complaining about every year but it is the people who have allowed this to happen. They buy into the hype of big gifts and bigger bills. If they stop buying beyond their means christmas would become a more natural celebration.
Santa gives to children and part of the giving is love.

Suzuki, is teaching hate. Hate for people who do not believe as he does. If your parents don’t give me money then Santa will be homeless and his reindeer will drown.

Now you and I both know Santa does not truly exist but children do not and they see in their imagination a person of their dreams is going to die. To a child the imagination is true, just like the monster under the bed, they truly believe in the existance of these imaginary beings.
So using them to scare a child is wrong. No matter what your motives.

May Santa find you on the nice list so he can drop off in your stocking the “Spirit of Christmas”
I think you could use some.

Merry Christmas

Most people by the age of 5 realize that Santa is just a fun sort of myth.
I don’t see the harm in letting children believe in someone who is always kind and full of fun.
They meet the other side of life too soon in my opinion.
But Suzuki is in his 60′s and he seems to believe in that mythical man. Otherwise he would not care if he went homeless and his elves and reindeer are going to drown.

I celebrate childrens day. Christmas day is for children and that is what is celebrated in our home. Kids rule that day and we do things they want.
Christ, religion, wars, crime are not any part of children’s day.

I always thought Suzuki was born in Canada. To me that means he is Canadian not asian, african, british, auzzi, or american. Simply a Canadian.

BTW, I’d love to post a picture of my granddaughter here so you could see how rediculous your calling me a racist is. Her name is Anqi. The english translation is Angel… and she’s my youngest son’s first child. Born in China last year and a little too young to know who Santa is, but I’m working on it…

Like racist mother, like racist son. The notion that you should lie to children to support the economy is cruel and disgusting. You know what other abuse of children supports the economy? Child labour sweatshops: something that too many Chinese children know very well. I guess since it supports the economy, you support that too. One has to wonder where “Anqi” is employed.

Suzuki’s words would have no effect on children if you circus family of serial child abusers did not lie to your children in the first place. Again, your evangelical finger-pointing garners no sympathy from me. No, I will not visit your sadistic blog.

You cannot criticize Suzuki for “lying to children” when you whole-heartedly support his lie in the first place. What a family of hypocrite liars.

Well Kyle, I must admit you put a smile on my face.
I was pretty sure you weren’t going to pay attention to anything I said, and now its been confirmed. For the record I’m a guy.
Now I know you won’t answer these properly, but I have to ask.
First, how does marrying a Chinese woman make me racist? I’m really curious about that one.
Second, by saying that the Chinese will put their kids into sweat shops, doesn’t that make you a racist?
Third, what horrible things happened to you as a child to make you hate Christmas so much?

Anyways, thank you for making me laugh, you have a rare talent.
Merry Christmas
Daniel (Not Danielle)