Mini Ice Age Coming

Remember that global warming from a few years ago? "The science is settled!" declared Al Gore as he rang up million of dollars in anti-global warming efforts while contributing a carbon footprint the size of Alaska to the world. Or all those scientists calling people who questioned the science "doubters" and troglodytes and all manner of low life rapers of Mother Earth? All of this in the complete absence of any sort of warming for seventeen years now.

Looks like the "settled science" is still a bit.....unsettled:

• You might want to reconsider boxing up your winter clothes for too long. A new study says the Sun's 'heartbeat' could slow down within 15 years, plunging the Earth into another "mini ice age."
  
  Professor Valentina Zharkova of Northumbira University presented her new model of predicting solar activity of the Sun to the National Astronomy Meeting in Llandudno on July 9, which predicts activity will fall by 60 percent during the 2030s to resemble conditions last seen during the Maunder minimum ("mini ice age") that began in 1645.
  
  According to the published findings by the Royal Astronomical Society, the Sun's activity varies over a cycle lasting around 10 to 12 years, and is colloquially known as a 'heartbeat.' But every heartbeat is a little different, says the RAS, and none of the previous models that looked only at the Sun's deep convection zone have had fully explained fluctuations.

And that's just the Channel 7 re-reporting of other stories. Here's Science Daily. Or The Daily Mail. These things run in cycles - you know, like lake levels?

• Government agencies say water levels in Lake Michigan have been replenishing at an unprecedented rate since hitting a record low two years ago.
  
  Experts say Lake Michigan has risen more than 3 feet since January 2013. The Chicago Tribune reports that the resurging waters mean relief for commercial shipping and recreational activities, but they also can contribute to erosion at beaches and shoreline properties.
  
  Some of the Great Lakes, the world’s largest source of freshwater, have experienced below-average levels for years. But much of the Great Lakes Basin recently has been rejuvenated by rain-induced runoff, higher amounts of precipitation, lower temperatures and ice cover from the past two winters.
  
  In addition to Lake Michigan, Lakes Superior and Huron also have seen significant gains.

Someone far wiser that us said recently, we'll start believing global warming is a big deal when the people screaming loudest start acting like it's a big deal. Anyone else noticed the distinct lack of 100 degree heat indices lately? In mid-July?

Hey, you know what else seems to run in cycles? Crime rates. Homicide numbers. It could be related to the sun....or incarceration rates. Has anyone checked to see if a whole bunch of persons predisposed to violence have been released recently? Or reside in a system where release is encouraged rather than stringent sentencing?