Kirsten Powers Demagogues on Religious Liberty, Again:
Another little marker on how far we have "progressed" as a nation. When Clinton signed a similar bill in '93, there was no outcry. Many states already have very similar laws on the books and nothing like the shrill howlers would indicate "might happen" has happened.
So if you are a Christian you MUST photographs at a gay "wedding" if you are in the photography business, or a baker must do the cake ... etc, etc. I think we all know that a Muslim, or likely any other person or church that refused their facilities or whatever will get a pass. We don't call things ANTI-Christian in the MSM **YET**!
The simplest idea would be "private businesses can serve whatever customers they decide to serve for whatever reason" ... you see these signs all the time "we reserve the right to refuse service for any reason". Perhaps the potential customer is filthy stinking dirty, perhaps they are loud mouthed and obscene, perhaps they don't meet some standard of attire. The operative situation in a country that supported personal liberty would be that the business owner is forgoing a customer, and if he cuts out certain groups of customers that reduces his potential market, thus costing HIS bottom line!
There used to be a country called the United States of America that held this view.
I'd argue the situation is EXACTLY the same for smokers! I happen not to smoke, and I very much like the fact that I'm not bothered by smoke, however I firmly believe "today they came for the smokers, but I was quiet because I was not a smoker". I believe that the cornerstone of the nation that was once America was that we respected the rights of others to hold views THAT WE DIDN'T AGREE WITH!
We clearly are no longer that nation. So much so that in '93, Slick Willie himself would have been a "racist extremist"!
Now I'm sure that the Slickster has fully "evolved" to whatever way "progress" is blowing today, so the only thing he would stand up for is whatever is in the best interest of he or his "wife" (political partner) getting the most money and power. For the rest of us though, the very few remaining that want to believe that our lives have more value than the excrement that the flies seem to be buzzing to today, we need to at least give the facts as to how fast we are sliding a look!
'via Blog this'
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Keeping the Communist Faith
Hearken to Harkin | Power Line:
One of the things I loved about NPR in the '80s was their breathless reporting of the joys of life in Cuba or the USSR. From their descriptions, it is hard to imagine how any USSR residents would ever think of taking down the wall.
In the linked articles we have a US Senator espousing the results of healthcare in Cuba as stated by THEIR figures! Why, what could go wrong? When a Socialist tells you "If you like your healthcare, you can keep it", why would one not believe them??
Here is an pictoral example with N Korea in the Tyrannical role:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-korea-shrouded-in-darkness-in-stunning-new-photo-from-space-station/
Does a visual do it?
I find China to be the most chilling modern state -- sort of totalitarianism with a curtsey to Communism, taking the competitive parts of Capitalism, and leaving out most of the Nanny State aspects of Socialism and Communism. It remains to be seen if they have arrived at the economic and political stew that works in the 21st century. Right now it would appear so!
There is a broad set of the electorate and the elected that will pine away for the great dream of Socialism and Communism no matter how the disastrous results pile up. True leftist faith is never swayed by the deaths of 100's of millions of people or anything else.
'via Blog this'
One of the things I loved about NPR in the '80s was their breathless reporting of the joys of life in Cuba or the USSR. From their descriptions, it is hard to imagine how any USSR residents would ever think of taking down the wall.
In the linked articles we have a US Senator espousing the results of healthcare in Cuba as stated by THEIR figures! Why, what could go wrong? When a Socialist tells you "If you like your healthcare, you can keep it", why would one not believe them??
Here is an pictoral example with N Korea in the Tyrannical role:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-korea-shrouded-in-darkness-in-stunning-new-photo-from-space-station/
Does a visual do it?
I find China to be the most chilling modern state -- sort of totalitarianism with a curtsey to Communism, taking the competitive parts of Capitalism, and leaving out most of the Nanny State aspects of Socialism and Communism. It remains to be seen if they have arrived at the economic and political stew that works in the 21st century. Right now it would appear so!
There is a broad set of the electorate and the elected that will pine away for the great dream of Socialism and Communism no matter how the disastrous results pile up. True leftist faith is never swayed by the deaths of 100's of millions of people or anything else.
'via Blog this'
5 Ways Socialism Destroys Societies - John Hawkins
5 Ways Socialism Destroys Societies - John Hawkins - Page full:
Short, sweet, excellent and correct!
'via Blog this'
Short, sweet, excellent and correct!
'via Blog this'
Weimar Amerika
Articles: Our Weimar Republic:
Just because comparisons with Nazi Germany are often wrong doesn't mean they are ALWAYS wrong!
'via Blog this'
"As Weimar Germany slid to Nazi Germany, another disturbing trend was the reduction of the national legislature to irrelevance. In the last years of Weimar Germany, President Hindenburg began ruling Germany by emergency decree. On the pretext that the Reichstag could not operate, the executive branch of Weimar Germany simply began acting without legislative consent."Excellent article. Just because you are not paranoid doesn't mean everyone ISN'T out to get you!
Just because comparisons with Nazi Germany are often wrong doesn't mean they are ALWAYS wrong!
'via Blog this'
Mammograms Not Settled Science
Charles Krauthammer: The myth of ‘settled science’ - The Washington Post:
The proud claim of science was once that it was not, nor could be "settled". The settled was the domain of religion, which held claims on that which is eternal, vs science which was confined to the physical, the temporal, that in which change is certain and "there is nothing new under the sun". (or at least REALLY new ... each generation and each new fad is SURE that what they have found is "new")
On mammograms, our haste to "do something" is entirely understandable -- we all have at least a mother who we love dearly, and breast cancer is a very real risk. We WANT to be able to do SOMETHING to feel more secure, and if cancer does come to call, we want to be able to say "we did all we could".
Is that motivation the same with climate? "Well, we HAVE to do SOMETHING!"??
I don't believe so, I believe it is more the case that having a religion is critical to man, and post 60's, a lot of younger folks have been looking for a "new one", so in Charles words, they have gone "whoring after new gods".
"Now we learn from a massive randomized study — 90,000 women followed for 25 years — that mammograms may have no effect on breast cancer deaths. Indeed, one out of five of those diagnosed by mammogram receives unnecessary radiation, chemo or surgery."The news that mammograms may not really help isn't all that shocking for anyone that has been around for a few turns of the earth. We have seen coffee, wine, various fats, grains and a host of other food items shift back and forth from being identified as near certain causes of early demise to being proverbial fountains of youth. If your product is on the outs, just wait around, it may be an elixir soon ... or vice versa.
The proud claim of science was once that it was not, nor could be "settled". The settled was the domain of religion, which held claims on that which is eternal, vs science which was confined to the physical, the temporal, that in which change is certain and "there is nothing new under the sun". (or at least REALLY new ... each generation and each new fad is SURE that what they have found is "new")
On mammograms, our haste to "do something" is entirely understandable -- we all have at least a mother who we love dearly, and breast cancer is a very real risk. We WANT to be able to do SOMETHING to feel more secure, and if cancer does come to call, we want to be able to say "we did all we could".
Is that motivation the same with climate? "Well, we HAVE to do SOMETHING!"??
I don't believe so, I believe it is more the case that having a religion is critical to man, and post 60's, a lot of younger folks have been looking for a "new one", so in Charles words, they have gone "whoring after new gods".
But whoring is whoring, and the gods must be appeased. So if California burns, you send your high priest (in carbon -belching Air Force One, but never mind) to the bone-dry land to offer up, on behalf of the repentant congregation, a $1 billion burnt offering called a “climate resilience fund.”'via Blog this'
Reality Wrong Again
The 'Fairness' Fraud - Thomas Sowell - Page 2:
"Who is to blame" may be similar for the "progressive".
Sowell covers "fairness" yet again in his inimitable style. "Progressives" assume that they know how things SHOULD be, so when reality doesn't meet their preconceptions it MUST be somebody elses fault.
"It's not my fault" is another classic liberal line. In fact, one pretty much just needs to listen to a pre-school playground to understand liberal thought:
-- "It's not fair"!
-- "I'm going to tell"!
-- "Gimme" !
-- "She/he is cheating"!
-- "I can't"!
Perhaps understanding "liberals" is much easier than it sometimes seems?
'via Blog this'
"In other words, the fact that reality does not match the preconceptions of the intelligentsia shows that there is something wrong with reality, for which somebody must be blamed. Apparently their preconceptions cannot be wrong.""First, do no harm" is a good short conservative maxim.
"Who is to blame" may be similar for the "progressive".
Sowell covers "fairness" yet again in his inimitable style. "Progressives" assume that they know how things SHOULD be, so when reality doesn't meet their preconceptions it MUST be somebody elses fault.
"It's not my fault" is another classic liberal line. In fact, one pretty much just needs to listen to a pre-school playground to understand liberal thought:
-- "It's not fair"!
-- "I'm going to tell"!
-- "Gimme" !
-- "She/he is cheating"!
-- "I can't"!
Perhaps understanding "liberals" is much easier than it sometimes seems?
'via Blog this'
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
How Leftists Fly
GOP Crocodile Tears Over Jobs | RealClearPolitics:
Since natural laws don't apply on the left, they simply grab their bootstraps and pull ... and then they fly! If you don't believe they fly, you are obviously a "denier" and should perhaps have your taxes audited!
See, the Republicans are complaining that the CBO says that raising the minimum wage will cost 500K jobs. They believe in the old time economics where each person employed has to bring in enough money to cover their wages, government mandated taxes, possible government mandated benefits or fines like BOcare, PLUS add enough profit to the bottom line to make it worthwhile to hire them.
In the modern Democrat universe however that is "foolish". Even though we have been following their policies since '09, and really '07 when they took over congress, we have 8 million LESS people employed than we did in '07!!!
But here is how they propose to "improve the economy" via the bootstraps from here:
If only Democrats would become so convinced of their wisdom that they would jump off a cliff tugging on their bootstraps one by one until somebody had a "learning moment"!
'via Blog this'
Since natural laws don't apply on the left, they simply grab their bootstraps and pull ... and then they fly! If you don't believe they fly, you are obviously a "denier" and should perhaps have your taxes audited!
See, the Republicans are complaining that the CBO says that raising the minimum wage will cost 500K jobs. They believe in the old time economics where each person employed has to bring in enough money to cover their wages, government mandated taxes, possible government mandated benefits or fines like BOcare, PLUS add enough profit to the bottom line to make it worthwhile to hire them.
In the modern Democrat universe however that is "foolish". Even though we have been following their policies since '09, and really '07 when they took over congress, we have 8 million LESS people employed than we did in '07!!!
But here is how they propose to "improve the economy" via the bootstraps from here:
The first thing to do is extend the long-term unemployment benefits that expired at the end of last year. According to the CBO -- whose word, apparently, is now holy writ among Republicans -- this simple measure would add 200,000 jobs, perhaps as many as 300,000.Then ...
The CBO has estimated that canceling the across-the-board reductions in federal spending known as "sequestration" would preserve 900,000 jobs a year.and top it all off ...
That gives us more than 1 million jobs to replace the 500,000 lost from hiking the minimum wage. But Republicans wouldn't want to stop there. To maximize employment, putting as many people to work as possible, the GOP should obviously begin designing a new economic stimulus package, much like the stimulus Obama convinced Congress to approve five years ago.
According to the CBO, the $800 billion stimulus -- much maligned by Republicans as a waste of money -- created or saved an average of 1.6 million jobs per year from 2009 through 2012. Now that most of the money is spent and the impact of the stimulus is waning, clearly it's time to give job-creation another boost.Got that??? We have EIGHT MILLION LESS people employed than we did at the top of the last cycle, with millions more americans in the workforce, at least partially due to the policies that Democrats think are "helpful", and the way to get more jobs is to just spend more and more government money! You CAN fly by pulling on your bootstraps!!
If only Democrats would become so convinced of their wisdom that they would jump off a cliff tugging on their bootstraps one by one until somebody had a "learning moment"!
'via Blog this'
Chutzpah and Economic Numbers
US Constitution, Article 1, Section 7:1
"All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills."
I've seen a few "facts" floating about about how great a job BO is doing! All sorts of numbers about deficit reduction, economic improvement including jobs, etc. It reminds me of how he has the chutzpah to take credit for oil production going up on his watch. In the real world, our increased oil production is 100% the result of hydraulic fracking in shale which BO has much to do with as I do. Actually less, since he has tried to stop it, regulate it, and has stopped the Keystone pipeline.
If you have been listening a little too credulously to MSM outlets (it is easy to do, we ALL soak in it!), you may need to refresh your memory. Bill Clinton for example DID NOT "balance the budget". A short perusal of the Constitution plus a slight remembrance of the howling as Republicans "cut" (reduced the rate of GROWTH) in Medicare, plus took other "mean, hard hearted and cynical" actions on the budget that overall SLIGHTLY reduced the rate of GROWTH in government spending, PLUS (and most importantly) releasing the productivity of the American people and creating growth in the economy. One of the things I loved about Reagan was that he constantly reminded us that the engine of all good things is economic growth, not government!
The combination of the MSM controlling the story line, and the general poor memory and natural desire to believe the current narrative allows 90% of the population to live in an MSM wonderland where Slick Willie or BO fights valiantly against the evil Republican forces trying to CUT TO THE BONE (reduce the rate of GROWTH) in spending on Medicare, Military benefits, Food Stamps, Head Start for wonderful innocent little children, all because of their inherent evil and the fact that they are beholden to awful profit seeking business!
Then, when nothing bad happens because of the "cuts", "sequester", "shutdown", etc, and the economy starts to show signs of life, who pops up like a Jack-in-the-box saying "I did it, I did it!!" but the President. Naturally, if the president has a "D" next to his name, the media gets all gushy about HIS success!
If it is an "R" however, they have usually already been pushing hard on an economic and tax agenda that the media found "draconian", so when the economy improves, "it just happened" ... which in BOTH cases is more true than not, since the best thing government can generally do is get the hell out of the way!
Both Slick Willie and BO ought to be INCREDIBLY grateful for their Republican Congress. Without it, Slick would never have had what he and the MSM trumpets as his singular achievement -- BJs with pizza in the Oval Office, oh wait, I meant "his" balanced budget!
BO would not have had the impressive feat (for him) of seeing the unemployment number below 7%!! WOW!! (it was under 5% in '07). Of course we are not talking about the labor participation rate that is the worst now that it has been since the '70s!
Don't expect the MSM (or BO) to be applauding the results of the Republicans feeble attempts to slow the rate of growth in the federal spending juggernaut anytime soon.
"All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills."
I've seen a few "facts" floating about about how great a job BO is doing! All sorts of numbers about deficit reduction, economic improvement including jobs, etc. It reminds me of how he has the chutzpah to take credit for oil production going up on his watch. In the real world, our increased oil production is 100% the result of hydraulic fracking in shale which BO has much to do with as I do. Actually less, since he has tried to stop it, regulate it, and has stopped the Keystone pipeline.
If you have been listening a little too credulously to MSM outlets (it is easy to do, we ALL soak in it!), you may need to refresh your memory. Bill Clinton for example DID NOT "balance the budget". A short perusal of the Constitution plus a slight remembrance of the howling as Republicans "cut" (reduced the rate of GROWTH) in Medicare, plus took other "mean, hard hearted and cynical" actions on the budget that overall SLIGHTLY reduced the rate of GROWTH in government spending, PLUS (and most importantly) releasing the productivity of the American people and creating growth in the economy. One of the things I loved about Reagan was that he constantly reminded us that the engine of all good things is economic growth, not government!
The combination of the MSM controlling the story line, and the general poor memory and natural desire to believe the current narrative allows 90% of the population to live in an MSM wonderland where Slick Willie or BO fights valiantly against the evil Republican forces trying to CUT TO THE BONE (reduce the rate of GROWTH) in spending on Medicare, Military benefits, Food Stamps, Head Start for wonderful innocent little children, all because of their inherent evil and the fact that they are beholden to awful profit seeking business!
Then, when nothing bad happens because of the "cuts", "sequester", "shutdown", etc, and the economy starts to show signs of life, who pops up like a Jack-in-the-box saying "I did it, I did it!!" but the President. Naturally, if the president has a "D" next to his name, the media gets all gushy about HIS success!
If it is an "R" however, they have usually already been pushing hard on an economic and tax agenda that the media found "draconian", so when the economy improves, "it just happened" ... which in BOTH cases is more true than not, since the best thing government can generally do is get the hell out of the way!
Both Slick Willie and BO ought to be INCREDIBLY grateful for their Republican Congress. Without it, Slick would never have had what he and the MSM trumpets as his singular achievement -- BJs with pizza in the Oval Office, oh wait, I meant "his" balanced budget!
BO would not have had the impressive feat (for him) of seeing the unemployment number below 7%!! WOW!! (it was under 5% in '07). Of course we are not talking about the labor participation rate that is the worst now that it has been since the '70s!
Don't expect the MSM (or BO) to be applauding the results of the Republicans feeble attempts to slow the rate of growth in the federal spending juggernaut anytime soon.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Florida 2014, Carnival Paradise Cruise
FL 2014 - Photo Stream:
Sitting on our balcony at the Lani Kai in Fort Meyers Beach Florida trying to capture a bit of our 2014 "spring break".
We left Rochester and West Bend last Friday, Feb 14 with Marla's mother Evie along. I had a rough day driving through sketchy road conditions with a Buick with not so good summer tires. We saw a semi and a number of cars and trucks in the ditch or worse, but we made it through to about 70mi N of St Louis where Marla took over on better roads. We made it to Cape Girardeau Missouri. When we got up in the AM it was 16 degrees, and we still saw some snow until about 70 miles N of Memphis.
We stopped in Memphis for some killer BBQ at Tom's ... ribs, brisket, pork, the works. Very solid, featured on DDD. We made it all the way to Tallahassee Sat night and I was glad we didn't have to do the trip down in 2 days. Had a nice seafood meal at Barnacle Bills.
Made the easy run to Tampa Sunday. Had a great PM meal at Bahama Breeze sitting on the deck in 72+ degrees -- third time I've eaten there. Business to Verizon at Temple Terrace, stayed across the road on a previous winter retreat. I love their plantain.
Hopped on the Paradise Monday and had an easy and fun ride to Grand Cayman ... mostly 80s, sunny, just soaking it up. Picked up some Glenrothes scotch for $45 a bottle ... $90+ in Rochester. We ended up getting 4 liters of alcohol on the trip, declared it (along with a cuban cigar), but customs just put the declaration on a spindle and said "Welcome Home". We must not have that smuggler look!
We did a tour of the Mayan ruins in Cozumel with a driver that made Mexico sound like a socialist paradise while we were driving through neighborhoods that reminded me of the Bronx in the early '80s ... they looked like there was a war and Mexico lost. Guess there was. The Socialists won!! He also had an infinite respect for the Mayans -- did his best to make human sacrifice and killing any kids born that were less than perfect as "culturally advanced". Perhaps Hillary will bring him in to head HEW.
Marla then let me retire to the "Owl Sanctuary" (Hooters) since even she was put off by getting accosted by the hawkers at the Mexican restaurants nearby. The girls didn't speak english very well, but they seemed to have sort of a universal communication capability -- plus free wi fi, which for old guys is about as important as anything. Marla stopped by a couple times to dump more items, and when the table collapsed it was time to head for the ship.
Nice run back to Tampa, slow port entry due to fog in the AM, but no big deal since we were not catching a plane. Picked up the rental and headed down here to our Lani Kai.
The hotel is sort of stuck in the 1950s ... not fancy at all, but reasonably clean. 40 yds to the beach on sand that is like talcum powder. The sun can beat on it but your feet don't burn. $2.50 Bloodys from 8 - noon, killer rum runners for $5 during happy hour 4-6. Great wings, shrimp, crab omlet, etc up on the swinging hammock dining deck on the 6th floor. Lots of laid back live and XM oldies rock and Jimmy Buffet ... with a little Chili Peppers, Cheryl Crow, etc thrown in.
Marla is working this week ... and I'm DEFINITELY NOT! One of the benefits of IBM remote work these days.
Three more days in Paradise and then it is back to the reality of sub-zero nights. Oh well, we DO miss the kitties, and no doubt there will be some level of excitement to get back home!
'via Blog this'
Sitting on our balcony at the Lani Kai in Fort Meyers Beach Florida trying to capture a bit of our 2014 "spring break".
We left Rochester and West Bend last Friday, Feb 14 with Marla's mother Evie along. I had a rough day driving through sketchy road conditions with a Buick with not so good summer tires. We saw a semi and a number of cars and trucks in the ditch or worse, but we made it through to about 70mi N of St Louis where Marla took over on better roads. We made it to Cape Girardeau Missouri. When we got up in the AM it was 16 degrees, and we still saw some snow until about 70 miles N of Memphis.
We stopped in Memphis for some killer BBQ at Tom's ... ribs, brisket, pork, the works. Very solid, featured on DDD. We made it all the way to Tallahassee Sat night and I was glad we didn't have to do the trip down in 2 days. Had a nice seafood meal at Barnacle Bills.
Made the easy run to Tampa Sunday. Had a great PM meal at Bahama Breeze sitting on the deck in 72+ degrees -- third time I've eaten there. Business to Verizon at Temple Terrace, stayed across the road on a previous winter retreat. I love their plantain.
Hopped on the Paradise Monday and had an easy and fun ride to Grand Cayman ... mostly 80s, sunny, just soaking it up. Picked up some Glenrothes scotch for $45 a bottle ... $90+ in Rochester. We ended up getting 4 liters of alcohol on the trip, declared it (along with a cuban cigar), but customs just put the declaration on a spindle and said "Welcome Home". We must not have that smuggler look!
We did a tour of the Mayan ruins in Cozumel with a driver that made Mexico sound like a socialist paradise while we were driving through neighborhoods that reminded me of the Bronx in the early '80s ... they looked like there was a war and Mexico lost. Guess there was. The Socialists won!! He also had an infinite respect for the Mayans -- did his best to make human sacrifice and killing any kids born that were less than perfect as "culturally advanced". Perhaps Hillary will bring him in to head HEW.
Marla then let me retire to the "Owl Sanctuary" (Hooters) since even she was put off by getting accosted by the hawkers at the Mexican restaurants nearby. The girls didn't speak english very well, but they seemed to have sort of a universal communication capability -- plus free wi fi, which for old guys is about as important as anything. Marla stopped by a couple times to dump more items, and when the table collapsed it was time to head for the ship.
Nice run back to Tampa, slow port entry due to fog in the AM, but no big deal since we were not catching a plane. Picked up the rental and headed down here to our Lani Kai.
The hotel is sort of stuck in the 1950s ... not fancy at all, but reasonably clean. 40 yds to the beach on sand that is like talcum powder. The sun can beat on it but your feet don't burn. $2.50 Bloodys from 8 - noon, killer rum runners for $5 during happy hour 4-6. Great wings, shrimp, crab omlet, etc up on the swinging hammock dining deck on the 6th floor. Lots of laid back live and XM oldies rock and Jimmy Buffet ... with a little Chili Peppers, Cheryl Crow, etc thrown in.
Marla is working this week ... and I'm DEFINITELY NOT! One of the benefits of IBM remote work these days.
Three more days in Paradise and then it is back to the reality of sub-zero nights. Oh well, we DO miss the kitties, and no doubt there will be some level of excitement to get back home!
'via Blog this'
Ice Age Preview
Stunning Ice-Covered Great Lakes Seen from Space (Photo) | LiveScience:
The picture in the linked article gives a nice visual of one of the reasons why ice over most of the planet is the standard earth climate (it's white), and the last 7-10K years is a somewhat unusual warm period relative to the last 500K and likely last 3.5 million years.
This link gives a bigger picture with the salient image being:
Note that in this NOAA graph:
Certainly my biases are affected by looking at such data in the 70's, when "90% of the scientists" thought were WERE at that point, but it wasn't nearly so politicized.
What we have seen the past couple of years COULD be a harbinger of that slip. The record late spring snow, shivering the last weekend in July with a high failing to reach 60, ice building at both poles, and now cruising toward a record number of below zero nights here in N America with massive snow cover.
The solar cycle is heading down, and it appears that every 100K years it goes especially low. The amount of white in the N hemisphere goes up (as the Great Lakes picture shows) and as that article mentions, that has wider effects -- later spring, cooler summer.
It tends to build on itself, and since our natural climate is NOT "1951-1980", but rather those squiggles you see on the chart between the yellow band anomalies, it is a fairly quick move to cold. We could well be strongly into it in the 30ish years a lucky me would have to still be around.
But I could well be wrong. That chart is just "more data". Even if my theory is correct, we could well be a few thousand years away, since even though the yellow bands are pretty regular, a lot of that ice core data only goes back 500K years, which means THAT yellow band must have been warmer and longer. Data is a cruel thing -- our human perspective and our time perspective in particular is so inappropriate to many aspects of our world, that humility is the primary element of scientific wisdom.
Perhaps "97% of scientists" need a bit of a cool down to recall that overarching fact?
'via Blog this'
The picture in the linked article gives a nice visual of one of the reasons why ice over most of the planet is the standard earth climate (it's white), and the last 7-10K years is a somewhat unusual warm period relative to the last 500K and likely last 3.5 million years.
This link gives a bigger picture with the salient image being:
Note that in this NOAA graph:
- The cyclical nature of solar impact on the N hemisphere is shown. Note what is happening to it now.
- The cyclical nature of one of our best proxies for global temp (antarctic ice cores) shows that about 130K years ago the globe was likely close to where we have been in the last 10K years on the warm side. With like 100K years of relatively cold between, being our "normal climate".
- The chart shows that increase in CO2 in roughly 100K cycles is also normal, so we are appear to be where one would expect the next cold cycle to begin.
Certainly my biases are affected by looking at such data in the 70's, when "90% of the scientists" thought were WERE at that point, but it wasn't nearly so politicized.
What we have seen the past couple of years COULD be a harbinger of that slip. The record late spring snow, shivering the last weekend in July with a high failing to reach 60, ice building at both poles, and now cruising toward a record number of below zero nights here in N America with massive snow cover.
The solar cycle is heading down, and it appears that every 100K years it goes especially low. The amount of white in the N hemisphere goes up (as the Great Lakes picture shows) and as that article mentions, that has wider effects -- later spring, cooler summer.
It tends to build on itself, and since our natural climate is NOT "1951-1980", but rather those squiggles you see on the chart between the yellow band anomalies, it is a fairly quick move to cold. We could well be strongly into it in the 30ish years a lucky me would have to still be around.
But I could well be wrong. That chart is just "more data". Even if my theory is correct, we could well be a few thousand years away, since even though the yellow bands are pretty regular, a lot of that ice core data only goes back 500K years, which means THAT yellow band must have been warmer and longer. Data is a cruel thing -- our human perspective and our time perspective in particular is so inappropriate to many aspects of our world, that humility is the primary element of scientific wisdom.
Perhaps "97% of scientists" need a bit of a cool down to recall that overarching fact?
'via Blog this'
Sunday, February 23, 2014
The Kamikaze Caucus
Kim Strassel: Another Misguided Cruz Missile - WSJ.com:
Good article on the circular firing squad that is doing it's best to scuttle the Republicans slim hopes of taking the Senate.
CONSERVATIVES are to be the party of principle first, but it has never been all that clear what the Republican Party in America is. The Democrats have always been the party of "POWER by whatever means necessary baby!!!".
Republicans have made runs at "justice" ... ending slavery, giving blacks the vote, ensuring the they were actually allowed to vote, etc, based on principle. All those efforts faced staunch opposition from Democrats.
"Progressives" have been a major force in both parties -- Teddy Roosevelt being the big Republican "progressive". "Progressive" is another oxymoron like "liberal", the best definition is paternalism enforced by the state. Prohibition was an example of a "progressive" project, as was eugenics, forced sterilization for the "less fortunate". The National Socialists in Germany were unabashedly "progressive", but when they didn't turn out to be so wonderful, the term "liberal" was stolen from the ACTUAL liberals -- or "libertarian" wing of the more conservative parties.
So Republicans have always had an "identity problem" -- while the media likes to claim they are the party of the "rich", that is definitely not so ... the vast majority of the wealthy in this country are Democrats. Including CEOs, Hollywood Stars, media personalities, Sports Stars, Wall Street Tycoons, and of course Lawyers.
In gambling, the big rule is "the house wins". This is also true in politics, and "the house" is made up of 90%+ Lawyers -- State and Federal, but of course the big money folks are also part of "the house" -- they prefer a government controlled playing field where their risks are bailed out by the government and their rewards can be taxed lightly or not at all. (they are HUGELY in favor of income earning folks in the $40-$500K range paying VASTLY more taxes)
That is why we find when a Democrat tries to appoint people they are all 10's, 100's of thousands or more out of whack on taxes. The IRS is part of the corrupt system that rewards the friends of the the ruling party and punishes it's enemies. Being the right level of Democrat freind means that you are exempt from things like high taxes -- you are a freind, taxes are for the enemies to pay!
Reagan formed a coalition that is very damaged now, and as this article points out, teetering. The Tea Party is an unabashedly upper low and ACTUAL "middle class" movement -- meaning folks from around $40K INCOME to say "< $500K" in INCOME. The media and the Democrats, but I repeat myself, get VERY angry about folks like that having the gall to think!
Note, I said INCOME, not WEALTH!!! Because of the income tax, we live with a good many fantasies in this country. Reagan formed a coalition of that "income middle class" + elderly and religious folks that still cared about values at that time. The Democrats like to call people that make $150, $200, $300K ish "rich". A few years of that maximum level of income is "nice", and if one watches their Ps and Q's, lives WELL below the lifestyle level one would "think" such an income would buy, invests wisely and has some luck, you might be able to have something.
Most people don't -- they borrow heavily all the way up the scale, spend a lot on cars, vacations, etc, and maybe invest in a lot of popular products that primarily make investment people wealthy. Then the plant closes, the market crashes, the housing prices drop, etc, etc, and they are back in the "needs assistance" class -- which is what the system the Democrats set up is exactly as planned!
The Democrats have used abortion, gay marriage, added government assistance and programs and vastly increasing amounts of public employment (much of it via contracting) to lock in their power base solidly. Romey was wrong about the 47% takers vs makers ... it is more like 53% primarily takers. Doesn't mean they don't work, and don't work hard, but they believe that the same "house" that is owned by lawyers, wall street, hollywood, the super rich, etc is actually going to make their lives better.
The party of power could care less about the benefit of anyone but themselves, least of all those that are willing to be the "controlled" -- sometimes known as "the sheeple" part of their voting block. Over 90% of the blacks, over 70% of the women, over 70% of those that receive some sort of government "benefit" -- rising of course with BOcare. Those that consume a diet full of public education and mass media that either never thought they had a shot, or have lost faith for more than being wards of the state are way too afraid to question the hand that (for now) feeds them.
So we kill the general competitiveness and innovation of the nation by increasing the transfer from the small business owner and the $40-$500K income level as well as future generations -- making sure that they know their future is hopeless before they ever even get out of school.
To the extent that the ruling class cares, which in general they don't, their belief is that they will be able to ride out the implosion -- sure, many of the sheeple that voted them in might live in absolute squalor and death, but by that time they will have fully institutionalized the kind of corrupition we see under BO.
The Republicans are now a rump party. W was our last faint hope, but he was too much of the old line patrician kind of R like his Dad, and not nearly the kind of communicator that was needed. We screwed the pooch with the '06 election and it has been downhill from there. I see nobody on the horizon capable of transmitting the relatively simple message that the vast majority of Americans have been completely duped, and those that look around a bit are just waiting for the inevitable final fall.
It becomes hard to know what to cheer for -- a Republican win that might stave things off a very tiny bit, another Republican rout that would return us to the '07-'09 kind of free fall, or just some treading water, which is the most likely. Very very few even have a remote handle on the seriousness or our situtation, and games like Cruz is playing are very much rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
'via Blog this'
Good article on the circular firing squad that is doing it's best to scuttle the Republicans slim hopes of taking the Senate.
CONSERVATIVES are to be the party of principle first, but it has never been all that clear what the Republican Party in America is. The Democrats have always been the party of "POWER by whatever means necessary baby!!!".
Republicans have made runs at "justice" ... ending slavery, giving blacks the vote, ensuring the they were actually allowed to vote, etc, based on principle. All those efforts faced staunch opposition from Democrats.
"Progressives" have been a major force in both parties -- Teddy Roosevelt being the big Republican "progressive". "Progressive" is another oxymoron like "liberal", the best definition is paternalism enforced by the state. Prohibition was an example of a "progressive" project, as was eugenics, forced sterilization for the "less fortunate". The National Socialists in Germany were unabashedly "progressive", but when they didn't turn out to be so wonderful, the term "liberal" was stolen from the ACTUAL liberals -- or "libertarian" wing of the more conservative parties.
So Republicans have always had an "identity problem" -- while the media likes to claim they are the party of the "rich", that is definitely not so ... the vast majority of the wealthy in this country are Democrats. Including CEOs, Hollywood Stars, media personalities, Sports Stars, Wall Street Tycoons, and of course Lawyers.
In gambling, the big rule is "the house wins". This is also true in politics, and "the house" is made up of 90%+ Lawyers -- State and Federal, but of course the big money folks are also part of "the house" -- they prefer a government controlled playing field where their risks are bailed out by the government and their rewards can be taxed lightly or not at all. (they are HUGELY in favor of income earning folks in the $40-$500K range paying VASTLY more taxes)
That is why we find when a Democrat tries to appoint people they are all 10's, 100's of thousands or more out of whack on taxes. The IRS is part of the corrupt system that rewards the friends of the the ruling party and punishes it's enemies. Being the right level of Democrat freind means that you are exempt from things like high taxes -- you are a freind, taxes are for the enemies to pay!
Reagan formed a coalition that is very damaged now, and as this article points out, teetering. The Tea Party is an unabashedly upper low and ACTUAL "middle class" movement -- meaning folks from around $40K INCOME to say "< $500K" in INCOME. The media and the Democrats, but I repeat myself, get VERY angry about folks like that having the gall to think!
Note, I said INCOME, not WEALTH!!! Because of the income tax, we live with a good many fantasies in this country. Reagan formed a coalition of that "income middle class" + elderly and religious folks that still cared about values at that time. The Democrats like to call people that make $150, $200, $300K ish "rich". A few years of that maximum level of income is "nice", and if one watches their Ps and Q's, lives WELL below the lifestyle level one would "think" such an income would buy, invests wisely and has some luck, you might be able to have something.
Most people don't -- they borrow heavily all the way up the scale, spend a lot on cars, vacations, etc, and maybe invest in a lot of popular products that primarily make investment people wealthy. Then the plant closes, the market crashes, the housing prices drop, etc, etc, and they are back in the "needs assistance" class -- which is what the system the Democrats set up is exactly as planned!
The Democrats have used abortion, gay marriage, added government assistance and programs and vastly increasing amounts of public employment (much of it via contracting) to lock in their power base solidly. Romey was wrong about the 47% takers vs makers ... it is more like 53% primarily takers. Doesn't mean they don't work, and don't work hard, but they believe that the same "house" that is owned by lawyers, wall street, hollywood, the super rich, etc is actually going to make their lives better.
The party of power could care less about the benefit of anyone but themselves, least of all those that are willing to be the "controlled" -- sometimes known as "the sheeple" part of their voting block. Over 90% of the blacks, over 70% of the women, over 70% of those that receive some sort of government "benefit" -- rising of course with BOcare. Those that consume a diet full of public education and mass media that either never thought they had a shot, or have lost faith for more than being wards of the state are way too afraid to question the hand that (for now) feeds them.
So we kill the general competitiveness and innovation of the nation by increasing the transfer from the small business owner and the $40-$500K income level as well as future generations -- making sure that they know their future is hopeless before they ever even get out of school.
To the extent that the ruling class cares, which in general they don't, their belief is that they will be able to ride out the implosion -- sure, many of the sheeple that voted them in might live in absolute squalor and death, but by that time they will have fully institutionalized the kind of corrupition we see under BO.
The Republicans are now a rump party. W was our last faint hope, but he was too much of the old line patrician kind of R like his Dad, and not nearly the kind of communicator that was needed. We screwed the pooch with the '06 election and it has been downhill from there. I see nobody on the horizon capable of transmitting the relatively simple message that the vast majority of Americans have been completely duped, and those that look around a bit are just waiting for the inevitable final fall.
It becomes hard to know what to cheer for -- a Republican win that might stave things off a very tiny bit, another Republican rout that would return us to the '07-'09 kind of free fall, or just some treading water, which is the most likely. Very very few even have a remote handle on the seriousness or our situtation, and games like Cruz is playing are very much rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
'via Blog this'
Unapolagetic and Weightless
And Now for Something Completely Different | Power Line:
I agree with PL, Kate Upton weightless is TRUE innovation!
Isn't it great that on the left, the people they approve of are supposed to be PROUD of WHO THEY ARE!!! Like a "minority" like "women" who are actually a majority, can be PROUD ... well, unless they are too proud of how they look, too "perfect", maybe too white, too wealthy, or too Christian ... or "randomness forbid", conservative!!!
The left is very much like the Amish or the Medieval Catholic Church. If you agree with their dogma, you have a right to "their view of happiness" ... which includes a special kind of scolding pride. If you have any disagreements with their views on everything from eating, drinking, how you look, to where you shop, what you do for a living, what kind of car you drive, etc, etc, you darned well better be APOLOGETIC!!
Gay - Proud. Gun owner - Apologetic! Poor drug user - Proud. Wealthy conservative - Apologetic!
Muslim with wife in burka behind you - PROUD! Christian sitting with family in church - APOLOGETIC!
and so it goes.
'via Blog this'
I agree with PL, Kate Upton weightless is TRUE innovation!
Isn't it great that on the left, the people they approve of are supposed to be PROUD of WHO THEY ARE!!! Like a "minority" like "women" who are actually a majority, can be PROUD ... well, unless they are too proud of how they look, too "perfect", maybe too white, too wealthy, or too Christian ... or "randomness forbid", conservative!!!
The left is very much like the Amish or the Medieval Catholic Church. If you agree with their dogma, you have a right to "their view of happiness" ... which includes a special kind of scolding pride. If you have any disagreements with their views on everything from eating, drinking, how you look, to where you shop, what you do for a living, what kind of car you drive, etc, etc, you darned well better be APOLOGETIC!!
Gay - Proud. Gun owner - Apologetic! Poor drug user - Proud. Wealthy conservative - Apologetic!
Muslim with wife in burka behind you - PROUD! Christian sitting with family in church - APOLOGETIC!
and so it goes.
'via Blog this'
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Abusing Sub-Human Mongrels
Nugent Apologizes for Calling Obama 'Subhuman Mongrel':
I'm quite certain that "sub-human mongrels" .... whatever they are, and wherever they may be found, were just as put off as Chimps, Nazi's, Shrubs, Village Idiots, Incurious George, Cheney Sock Puppets, Bush Baby's, etc, etc when just about every hollywood personality and media pundit was having a field day beating up on W.
Ted Nugent apologizing?? Seriously? What sort of standard is this? Are going to have Rap Stars, Keith Oberman, Chris Mathews or James Carvelle apologizing for similar or worse statements?
Not likely.
It might be nice if wondrous decorum was the standard of the body politic, but such has NEVER been the case in the US. In fact, unless one is going to set up a Stazi, SS, or KGB there is no hope for such decorum anywhere. Of course if you DO set up such an organization, even if it kills millions and incarcerates millions more, the set of people either saying (or being accused of saying) "something derogatory" is limitless.
Such was the reason that we had a 1st Amendment and formerly BOTH sides of the political spectrum in the US took a VERY dim view of things like the IRS enforcing political will, the NSA doing political snooping, folks that make movies that are not complimentary about "dear leader", or as we saw last week, the FCC deciding to "ask media folks about their biases".
Our left is now in such ascencion that they feel the need to silence those that fail to bow to their majesty -- while of course their own rhetoric is free and even encouraged to be as nasty as whatever whim strikes them at the moment. Does one expect the North Korean leadership to censor their own speech?
Earthy freedom has never been about smooth, nice, tidy and "respectful".
When today's MSM says "the dialogue is coarse", they mean that there are still people that are not on bended knee to their self-declared superior intellect and morals, and deign to say so in direct terms. They have no qualms at all at using the most vile slurs possible against those people, but they definitely want that opposition SILENCED!
'via Blog this'
I'm quite certain that "sub-human mongrels" .... whatever they are, and wherever they may be found, were just as put off as Chimps, Nazi's, Shrubs, Village Idiots, Incurious George, Cheney Sock Puppets, Bush Baby's, etc, etc when just about every hollywood personality and media pundit was having a field day beating up on W.
Ted Nugent apologizing?? Seriously? What sort of standard is this? Are going to have Rap Stars, Keith Oberman, Chris Mathews or James Carvelle apologizing for similar or worse statements?
Not likely.
It might be nice if wondrous decorum was the standard of the body politic, but such has NEVER been the case in the US. In fact, unless one is going to set up a Stazi, SS, or KGB there is no hope for such decorum anywhere. Of course if you DO set up such an organization, even if it kills millions and incarcerates millions more, the set of people either saying (or being accused of saying) "something derogatory" is limitless.
Such was the reason that we had a 1st Amendment and formerly BOTH sides of the political spectrum in the US took a VERY dim view of things like the IRS enforcing political will, the NSA doing political snooping, folks that make movies that are not complimentary about "dear leader", or as we saw last week, the FCC deciding to "ask media folks about their biases".
Our left is now in such ascencion that they feel the need to silence those that fail to bow to their majesty -- while of course their own rhetoric is free and even encouraged to be as nasty as whatever whim strikes them at the moment. Does one expect the North Korean leadership to censor their own speech?
Earthy freedom has never been about smooth, nice, tidy and "respectful".
When today's MSM says "the dialogue is coarse", they mean that there are still people that are not on bended knee to their self-declared superior intellect and morals, and deign to say so in direct terms. They have no qualms at all at using the most vile slurs possible against those people, but they definitely want that opposition SILENCED!
'via Blog this'
No Right to be Shameful (or Shameless)
Opinion: Arizona's shameful 'right to discriminate' bill - CNN.com:
The insanity of "banning discrimination" lets one glimpse the abyss of meaninglessness. If one is unable to discriminate, how would one decide what was discrimination??? If all is the same, with no ability to discriminate, then all is nothing.
In the real world, you would not be able to even conceive of such a fallacy ... you would not be able to discriminate the letters from the white background, and even to write in some language is clearly a choice, and therefore a form of "discrimination".
In the mostly imaginary political world however, it is EASY -- and "productive", in fact, it is the essence of politics prior to the creation of the Constitution, known today as "the Chicago Way". Separate your enemies from your friends and punish the one and reward the other!! Those that think like you, have an "approved color" or creed are naturally immune to "discrimination", or sanctions for discriminating against others!! They have the power, they make the rules!
As this column says, they get to decide what the "right" side of history is, and to sanction those that are in disagreement with their dogma. Simple!
Christianity had it's "Spanish Inquisition", and one would have thought that after all the 20th century ideological examples --- Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Pol Pot, etc, that American leftism could have avoided this path.
Apparently not. Let's ban gravity, pain, death and ugliness as well.
'via Blog this'
The insanity of "banning discrimination" lets one glimpse the abyss of meaninglessness. If one is unable to discriminate, how would one decide what was discrimination??? If all is the same, with no ability to discriminate, then all is nothing.
In the real world, you would not be able to even conceive of such a fallacy ... you would not be able to discriminate the letters from the white background, and even to write in some language is clearly a choice, and therefore a form of "discrimination".
In the mostly imaginary political world however, it is EASY -- and "productive", in fact, it is the essence of politics prior to the creation of the Constitution, known today as "the Chicago Way". Separate your enemies from your friends and punish the one and reward the other!! Those that think like you, have an "approved color" or creed are naturally immune to "discrimination", or sanctions for discriminating against others!! They have the power, they make the rules!
As this column says, they get to decide what the "right" side of history is, and to sanction those that are in disagreement with their dogma. Simple!
Christianity had it's "Spanish Inquisition", and one would have thought that after all the 20th century ideological examples --- Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Pol Pot, etc, that American leftism could have avoided this path.
Apparently not. Let's ban gravity, pain, death and ugliness as well.
'via Blog this'
A Brave Weather Soul
Winter Outlook 2013-’14: Mixed signals, mostly ‘average’ winter overall? | Updraft | Minnesota Public Radio News:
"It takes a brave soul to forecast a colder than average winter overall for Minnesota given the long term trends."
We know why it takes a "brave soul", but WHY do we accept that? We now know that 2013-214 is in the top 10 winters on record for sub-zero nights in MN ... and still piling them up. This "indicator" has been used over and over ... and is used in this article to claim that "MN is the fastest warming state".
We also know that this winter (and to some degree last winter) are not likely to be used as data indicating that longer term predictions may be wrong. While "sub zero nights being rare" was trumpeted as "proof of climate change", we now will just hear silence about those previous strong pronouncements (for at least a year or so).
And for all but "brave souls", even mentioning what we have and are experiencing is a sign that one might be a "denier" ... and one CERTAINLY would not want to be one of THOSE!!!
To deny the sacredness of modern "settled science" is HERESY -- perhaps one will need to be "re-educated".
Man ALWAYS has a religion -- that which he considers sacred and beyond question. The meme that created the most successful civilization in the history of the world was that it was MUCH better to hold matters that are beyond science -- ultimate meaning, purpose, limits of human knowledge, morality, etc in religious awe, so we would be better equipped to just "go with the data", "no bravery required" on issues of short term mortal physical stuff, and save religious awe for that which is truly transcendent!
Hint ... converting temperature to the level of the sacred gives just a tiny hint as to our current degree of "lost".
'via Blog this'
"It takes a brave soul to forecast a colder than average winter overall for Minnesota given the long term trends."
We know why it takes a "brave soul", but WHY do we accept that? We now know that 2013-214 is in the top 10 winters on record for sub-zero nights in MN ... and still piling them up. This "indicator" has been used over and over ... and is used in this article to claim that "MN is the fastest warming state".
We also know that this winter (and to some degree last winter) are not likely to be used as data indicating that longer term predictions may be wrong. While "sub zero nights being rare" was trumpeted as "proof of climate change", we now will just hear silence about those previous strong pronouncements (for at least a year or so).
And for all but "brave souls", even mentioning what we have and are experiencing is a sign that one might be a "denier" ... and one CERTAINLY would not want to be one of THOSE!!!
To deny the sacredness of modern "settled science" is HERESY -- perhaps one will need to be "re-educated".
Man ALWAYS has a religion -- that which he considers sacred and beyond question. The meme that created the most successful civilization in the history of the world was that it was MUCH better to hold matters that are beyond science -- ultimate meaning, purpose, limits of human knowledge, morality, etc in religious awe, so we would be better equipped to just "go with the data", "no bravery required" on issues of short term mortal physical stuff, and save religious awe for that which is truly transcendent!
Hint ... converting temperature to the level of the sacred gives just a tiny hint as to our current degree of "lost".
'via Blog this'
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