Or, it could prove that there is no such thing! Global WARMING cannot cause more ICE

Global warming boost to glaciers

Global warming could be causing some glaciers to grow, a new study claims.

Researchers at Newcastle University looked at temperature trends in the western Himalaya over the past century.

They found warmer winters and cooler summers, combined with more snow and rainfall, could be causing some mountain glaciers to increase in size.

The findings are significant, because temperature and rain and snow trends in the area impact on water availability for more than 50 million Pakistanis.

Researchers focussed on the Upper Indus Basin, which is the mainstay of the national economy of Pakistan and has 170,000 sq km of irrigated land - an area two-thirds the size of the UK.
Dr Hayley Fowler, senior research associate at the university's school of civil engineering and geosciences, said: "Very little research of this kind has been carried out in this region and yet the findings from our work have implications for the water supplies of around 50 million people in Pakistan."

Water resources
Co-researcher David Archer added: "Our research is concerned with both climate change and the climate variability that is happening from year to year.

"Information on variability is more important for the management of the water system as it will help to forecast the inflow into reservoirs and allow for better planning of water use for irrigation.

"However, information on the impacts of climatic change is important for the longer term management of water resources and to help us understand what is happening in the mountains under global warming."

The findings are published in the American Meteorological Society's Journal of Climate.

Officials: U.S. blocked missiles to Hezbollah from Iran

By John Diamond, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — The United States blocked an Iranian cargo plane's flight to Syria last month after intelligence analysts concluded it was carrying sophisticated missiles and launchers to resupply Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, two U.S. intelligence officials say.

Eight days after Hezbollah's war with Israel began, U.S. diplomats persuaded Turkey and Iraq to deny the plane permission to cross their territory to Damascus, a transfer point for arms to Hezbollah, the officials said.

The episode was detailed by one U.S. intelligence official who saw a report on the incident. It was confirmed by a U.S. official from a second intelligence agency and by a diplomat with a foreign government. They did not want their names used because they were not authorized to discuss the incident.

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Their account illustrates the quiet support the United States gave Israel during the 34-day war, even enlisting help from Muslim nations where acting on Israel's behalf is politically anathema.
Israel and President Bush have accused the Shiite-dominated government of Iran, Hezbollah's primary supplier, of shipping the Shiite militia increasingly sophisticated weapons by way of Syria.

The Iraq and Turkish governments would not discuss the incident. Iran's United Nations mission denied trying to send Hezbollah weapons. The intelligence officials did not provide reports, satellite photos or other evidence to corroborate the sequence of events. Their account could not be independently verified.

The officials described this timeline:
•July 15: Three days after the war began, a source tipped off U.S. intelligence about an imminent shipment of missiles from Iran to Hezbollah.

•July 19: A spy satellite photographed Iranian crews loading three missile launchers and eight crates, each normally used to carry a Chinese-designed C-802 Noor missile, aboard a transport plane at Mehrabad air base near Tehran. Israel says Hezbollah fired a C-802, a precision-guided anti-ship cruise missile, at an Israeli warship off Lebanon's coast on July 14.

•July 20: The Ilyushin Il-76 transport plane left for Damascus, but Iraqi air-traffic controllers denied it permission to enter Iraq's airspace. The Iranian flight crew then requested permission to fly over Turkey. Turkish controllers granted permission — but only if the plane would land for an inspection. The plane returned to Tehran, where the military cargo was unloaded.

•July 22: The plane flew humanitarian aid to Damascus after stopping for inspection in Turkey.
Though the missiles were not visible in the satellite photos, the launchers and specialized crates with distinctive shapes allowed U.S. analysts to identify the missile type, the intelligence officials said.

Asked about the account during an interview Tuesday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said, "We work on these kinds of things all the time." But she added, "I can't comment on specific cases."

The Founding Fathers would be Ashamed

Former Representative Michael Decker admitted in federal court today receiving $50,000 and a legislative job for his son in exchange for supporting Jim Black for a third term as House speaker in 2003.

The former Forsyth County lawmaker, who switched parties from Republican to Democrat, pleaded guilty to a single of charge of conspiracy to extort, commit mail fraud and launder money.

He is to be sentenced Nov. 1. He could get five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The plea agreement read in court today said that Decker met with a Democratic House member to discuss the political deal, but the papers did not name that person. Later, Decker received an envelope containing $38,000 in checks and $12,000 in cash, court documents said. An unnamed Democratic House member delivered the money, whose source was unclear. A prosecutor said that much of the money went into Decker's campaign account.

Decker's support created a 60-60 split in the House, allowing Black to remain as co-speaker. Black, a Mecklenburg County Democrat, in 2003 entered into a power-sharing agreement with Republican Rep. Richard Morgan.

Although Black was not named, he has testified in a Board of Elections hearing that he raised campaign money for Decker after Decker agreed to support him.

Decker reported spending campaign funds on a car and a trip to Florida to pick up the car. He pocketed a $4,000 contribution from Black, and State Board of Elections hearings found that Decker cashed $3,400 in contributions from Black's fellow optometrists that he did not disclose.