Climate scientists used to say that up to 14 years without ''an upward trend'' in temperature would still be consistent with their climate model but that if the lull lasted longer they may have to revise their forecast.
Later the critical period of ''no upward trend'' was changed from 14 years to 15 years without any reason for the change.
Now that the lull in warming has lasted more than 15 years, they are saying that a long period ''without an upward trend'' is a time bomb because the longer it continues the greater will be the severity of global warming once it resumes.
In other words, we must fear warming and we must also fear no warming.
CHA-AM JAMAL
Cheats don't prosper
Regarding Eric Bahrt's letter ''Lance is only human'' (PostBag, Bangkok Post Sunday, Jan 27).
Mr Bahrt lives in an overly cynical world which increasingly thinks everybody is shady. Not so, and there are many examples. Honesty is actually increasingly seen as a competitive advantage in business.
Through the internet, social media, email, Twitter and other media, people communicate more than ever on who, and what products and services they can trust.
The more we interact, the more transparent things inevitably become and so dodgy behaviour is singled out _ faster than ever before.
If you want to succeed in this new connected world, you will need to have your customers see you as dependable, credible, responsive, open and, yes, honest.
If not, word will get around faster than ever before and your credibility capital will be spent _ perhaps once and for all.
Cheats and rogue behaviour are increasingly and exponentially singled out through the vast digital media.
People as well as companies in the new hyper-connected world have to be seen first and foremost as trustworthy.
If not, media asteroids may knock the lesser into near extinction through the label of untrustworthy cheats.
Honesty is the new social and business credibility capital du jour.
PAUL A RENAUD
Honesty the best policy
Eric Bahrt admonished us for feeling disgusted with Lance Armstrong when, in his view, all sportsmen dope anyway.
First, sport would not have thrived, even become more globalised, if his presumption is correct. Fortunately, most people still believe that one cannot hide the truth forever.
Second, all the runners-up in the seven Tour de France races that Lance Armstrong won must have felt robbed of their chance of glory. If one is decent, one should weep for them.
Third, granted that some sportsmen use drugs and do not get caught, few would have been so meticulous as Armstrong in fooling the anti-drug agencies for so long, and so consistently.
The truth is always revealed by those around a cheat who still have enough sense of decency to feel disgusted and blow the whistle.
If one thinks deeply enough, honesty is still the best policy in life. One may lie to others, but if one is brought up well, one cannot lie to oneself.
SONGDEJ PRADITSMANONT
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