I hear you on that. We still hold to the joke of meteorological forecasts listing a percentage of rain/snow and then adding 50% to that. Example, the weather guy/gal calls for 20% we add on 50% making it 70% and we figure anything over about 60% and we'll see stuff coming down. Not so much a joke I figure though as it's a common sense and bit of objective truth in that "it will either rain/snow, or it won't you got a 50/50 % chance either way."
That scientist was likely the one in the video I posted, Ivar Giaever. He did retire because he could not allow his integrity to besmirch itself by carrying the can of the official party line of the doom and gloom, he had actually started to look into it and found it all *cough*bullshit*cough*. He had asked one of his colleagues that was versed in carbon monoxide studies to examine claims CO2 was depleting the atmosphere. The guy came back and said by comparison and extrapolation the CO2 we create in total including cars, trucks, everything is like lighting a match in a huge 12 by 12 foot room and blowing it out. It's not enough to cause well, notable damage.
That is not to say I think "oh gee, well let's us go out and raze the Earth then!" I think no such way at all. I believe in trying to tread as light as able because well I'm living. That in itself is a gift be it simply cosmic joke or by hand of Divinity it's still quite an honor if you think about it. Such a thing inspires me, at least, to have an appreciation of what helps life and living. I look around and see Nature and the Earth do that. So yes, I like to revere those a bit. Not saying I'm a full on tree huger or saint of conservation but I do make some effort.
In short, George Carlin keeps being proven correct more so and more so, imho. On that note I will say I curse the Ashkenazim Jews and Pharisees. They are the scourge of the Earth in my view and that view is not anti-Semitic if one uses the proper definition of the term and not the belabored Ashkenazim Jew definition, it's a large world of difference in perception and subjectivity. Pharisees can all go choke and die on the usury they charge the poor, in fact they can keep their fiat money and its game. Tired of feeling owned and having a gun put into my face, but I'll stay pacifist & muddle through, not gone that fer round yon bend as is said.
Bah, better go rack. Up later than I thought for. Y'all run 'er slow.
Easily one of the funniest people I've ever had the pleasure of listening to or watching. Occasionally his buddy Gerard Butler would be on the show, and they'd get going fast with their scots accents, and then it became challenging again. But I figure it's sort of a moral imperative that I at least make an effort to understand scots speech, being married to a guy with the last name Duncan. 
Every region in America has its own accent/colloquialisms (a MUCH wider area!!!), but it doesn't really signify anything in terms of status -- those who need to speak publically usually make some effort to soften their accent, to sound a bit more educated and polished (or maybe it's just an artifact of their education, being exposed to a broader collection of different accents), but that's not 100% across the board -- just look at Jimmy Carter! He sounds very educated and genteel, but very definitely with a south-Georgia accent. One thing I've noticed, though: in places where most of the immigrants were English from anyplace even close to London, the R's are not pronounced, just as y'all don't say them -- but here in North GA, and in other places where most of the immigrants were Irish or Scots, the R's are very definitely pronounced... in fact, we kinda look at those who don't say their R's as being a little retarded, or with a speech impediment at the very least.