OK, I've read the State of the Union address and I saw nothing new. It's the same old rehashed stuff the President has said before. He stated some outright falsehoods, the biggest one being that unemployment is lower than it has been since just before the Great Recession. The actual unemployment rate, meaning the inclusion of those whose unemployment benefits have run out or have taken jobs that pay far below what many earned before, is almost three times higher than the 'official' rate. Nice try, Mr. President. He is going to raise taxes on the “rich” to pay for even more social programs that will do nothing but eat up taxpayer dollars and give nothing in return. It's right out of the Tax and Spend handbook.
You say everything is better than it was, but 60% of Americans disagree with you. It's not better for far too many Americans, specifically Middle Class Americans. Much of what you've done to fix things helped the very richest and the very poorest, but it screwed over the everyone in between. That isn't progress, Mr. President, that's willful destruction of an entire class of people, the backbone that made America great.
He also used I/I've/Me/My only 79 times during his speech, a record low for him, but still more than 10 times the number used by his four previous predecessors during their SOTU speeches.
1/20/2015
1/18/2015
Thoughts On A Sunday
There are all sorts of things happening around Lake Winnipesaukee, yet the only thing anyone is paying attention to or talking about is the playoff game between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts this evening.
Never mind that I had a small accident that damaged the garage at The Manse. (Note to self: don't wear the big-ass snow boots when driving the trusty F150, even if all you're doing is pulling it into the garage.)
The virtually unrestricted of Muslim immigrants and their refusal to assimilate was a formula for disaster. All one has to do to see the bad effects of that is Sweden, where the crime rate has skyrocketed, particularly sexual assaults, almost all of which were committed by unassimilated Muslim men.
Two questions brought up about this consultant:
I wonder what the teachers unions have to say about that?
That Romney is considering a third run for the Oval Office has generated some buzz, particularly since everything he predicted would happen in regards to the economy, foreign relations, and terrorism has come to pass. But I think he may be past his 'expiration date'. On the other hand Ronald Reagan didn't win until his third run for the White House.
With the EPA pushing new mandates and deadlines that are impossible to meet, more generating capacity is going offline just as demand is increasing. With shrinking capacity margins it may be only a matter of time before demand exceeds supply and utilities will be forced to employ rolling blackouts, something we usually see in Third World nations, not here. Then again the EPA has become less about protecting the environment and more about taking more control of the populace be strangling our energy supplies. Then again we've known the EPA is a rogue agency under control of no one. It ignores court decisions, congressional regulations, and even some executive decisions.
Maybe it's time to defund the EPA and start with a clean sheet of paper to create a new EPA that is severely limited in its scope and understands that it exists at the discretion of Congress.
I certainly understand the UKIP's stand in regards to the EU bureaucratic strangulation of the economy. They see the UK being slowly wiped away by unelected government officials in another country and they're having none of it. Frankly I would welcome them into a NAFTA-like agreement that opens the entire North American market to them and the UK market to us. They would likely do better considering the North American market is much larger than the EU market and not burdened by nearly as much bureaucratic inertia as in the EU.
Unlike some forms of heating, woodstoves require more maintenance. In this case I've had to remove the air tubes and fire bricks at the top of stove's interior to clean out the accumulated ash. Without this bit of work the stove won't heat as efficiently as it did at the beginning of the heating season. So once during the winter, usually during the January thaw, I let the stove go cold and clean out the not so easily reached parts to remove the accumulated ash. It also allows me the time to apply more adhesive to the door gasket to ensure it remains in place for the rest of the heating season.
Never mind that I had a small accident that damaged the garage at The Manse. (Note to self: don't wear the big-ass snow boots when driving the trusty F150, even if all you're doing is pulling it into the garage.)
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Hearing the news about the crackdown and arrests of terrorist sleeper cells across Europe evokes only one response from me: It's about time.The virtually unrestricted of Muslim immigrants and their refusal to assimilate was a formula for disaster. All one has to do to see the bad effects of that is Sweden, where the crime rate has skyrocketed, particularly sexual assaults, almost all of which were committed by unassimilated Muslim men.
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A 25-year old “Gender & Migration Consultant” working for the city of Boston was fired by the mayor after she took part in the I-93 protests that blocked traffic into the city the other morning.Two questions brought up about this consultant:
What the hell is a “Gender & Migration Consultant” from Finland doing working for the city of Boston?Indeed.
Don’t we have enough Barnard graduates with useless degrees born in America who can do this job?
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Glenn Reynolds comments upon a Washington Post article that reports a majority of children in public schools are in poverty, stating that “[T]he WaPo has missed the big story — it’s not that so many students are poor, it’s that the non-poor students, and parents, are exiting the public schools.”I wonder what the teachers unions have to say about that?
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That the US is not building more really tall skyscrapers is not a sign of American decline, but rather an indicator of maturity, specifically when it comes to performance versus cost, according to Coyote Blog.Many of these super-tall building projects make little economic sense, but are completed to validate the prestige of emerging nations, like teenage boys comparing penis sizes.Performance over pretty is a good metric for any kind of economic activity.
I discussed this in the context of rail a while back at Forbes. In that case, it seems everyone thinks the US is behind in rail, because it does not have sexy bullet trains. But in fact we have a far more developed freight network than any other country, and shift of transport to rail makes a much larger positive economic and environmental impact for cargo than for [passenger] rail. It comes down to what you care about -- prestige or actual performance. Again choosing performance over prestige is a sign of maturity.
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I watched Senator Rand Paul (R -KY) on our local TV station's Close Up program and I have to say I think he has a good view about what is needed in the way of a GOP presidential candidate, and it isn't the 'same old, same old' the GOP has put up over the past two election cycles.That Romney is considering a third run for the Oval Office has generated some buzz, particularly since everything he predicted would happen in regards to the economy, foreign relations, and terrorism has come to pass. But I think he may be past his 'expiration date'. On the other hand Ronald Reagan didn't win until his third run for the White House.
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Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) describes herself as “always an outsider”, but looking at her history I'd have to say that's a delusional viewpoint. While she is keeping the pressure on Hillary and the Democrats in regards to 2016 and the Obama Administrations close ties to Wall Street, she is not really an outsider but a stealth insider. She just hides it better than most.***************
While the EPA is tasked with protecting the environment, will it be the cause of a increasingly unreliable electrical grid as it forces more of our power generation stations offline?With the EPA pushing new mandates and deadlines that are impossible to meet, more generating capacity is going offline just as demand is increasing. With shrinking capacity margins it may be only a matter of time before demand exceeds supply and utilities will be forced to employ rolling blackouts, something we usually see in Third World nations, not here. Then again the EPA has become less about protecting the environment and more about taking more control of the populace be strangling our energy supplies. Then again we've known the EPA is a rogue agency under control of no one. It ignores court decisions, congressional regulations, and even some executive decisions.
Maybe it's time to defund the EPA and start with a clean sheet of paper to create a new EPA that is severely limited in its scope and understands that it exists at the discretion of Congress.
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While both the wealthiest and poorest Americans have fared better over the past few years under Obama, the middle class has taken it on the chin and isn't likely to fare any better of over the rest of Obama's term. It explains why Obama's lost the middle class.One of the emerging ironies of the Obama presidency, in fact, is the sagging fortunes of the American middle class while those on either end — rich and poor alike — have arguably fared better under Obama.As much as Obama claims he's trying to help the middle class, his actions have been proving just the opposite. But that's not surprising considering a strong middle class is anathema to his beliefs because they don't need him or his cradle to grave help and therefore not beholden to him. That's why he really doesn't care about them because the poor are easy to please and the rich will give him all kinds of money. The middle class will give him nothing so he has no need of them.
It’s no surprise, then, that Obama is most popular with the lowest earners, with an approval rating of 52% among people earning less than $2,000 per month. That’s the highest approval rating of four income brackets. Obama’s lowest marks come not from the wealthy, as conventional wisdom might suggest, but from middle earners with incomes between $5,000 and $7,499 per month, who only give Obama a 44% approval rating.
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David Starr comments upon the possibility the UK may leave the EU should the United Kingdom Independence Party, or UKIP, gain enough seats in Parliament in the upcoming elections.I certainly understand the UKIP's stand in regards to the EU bureaucratic strangulation of the economy. They see the UK being slowly wiped away by unelected government officials in another country and they're having none of it. Frankly I would welcome them into a NAFTA-like agreement that opens the entire North American market to them and the UK market to us. They would likely do better considering the North American market is much larger than the EU market and not burdened by nearly as much bureaucratic inertia as in the EU.
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With somewhat warmer temperatures forecast for the next few days I've taken the opportunity to let the Official Weekend Pundit Woodstove to go cold, allowing me to perform some needed maintenance.Unlike some forms of heating, woodstoves require more maintenance. In this case I've had to remove the air tubes and fire bricks at the top of stove's interior to clean out the accumulated ash. Without this bit of work the stove won't heat as efficiently as it did at the beginning of the heating season. So once during the winter, usually during the January thaw, I let the stove go cold and clean out the not so easily reached parts to remove the accumulated ash. It also allows me the time to apply more adhesive to the door gasket to ensure it remains in place for the rest of the heating season.
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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the lake has mostly frozen over, freezing rain is making the roads slick, and where I'm making final preparations to watch the Patriots-Colts game.1/17/2015
Fox News Viewers Are More Informed Than The Left Wants To Believe
I am constantly amazed at the obsession the Left has with Fox News. Despite their claims that it is thoroughly biased and close-minded, more than few on the Left have made the observation that Fox does air contrary views while the balance of the MSM does not.
But that the Left decries Fox's 'bias' proves that more than a few of them are watching it, unlike CNN and MSNBC.
Kevin Williamson delves into this issue, deconstructing a PunditFact 'study' that was neither a study or in anyway unbiased and the many Alternet claims about Fox's viewers and just how stupid they are to believe a number of “outrageous” things that they believe are in error. However Alternet's beliefs are themselves proven to be in error. Here are a few Williamson mentions.
No surprise there.
But that the Left decries Fox's 'bias' proves that more than a few of them are watching it, unlike CNN and MSNBC.
Kevin Williamson delves into this issue, deconstructing a PunditFact 'study' that was neither a study or in anyway unbiased and the many Alternet claims about Fox's viewers and just how stupid they are to believe a number of “outrageous” things that they believe are in error. However Alternet's beliefs are themselves proven to be in error. Here are a few Williamson mentions.
91% believe that the stimulus legislation lost jobs. [Some highly credentialed academic economists believe exactly that; economists at large remain sharply divided on the effect of the stimulus.]Williamson goes on to show how poorly Alternet interpreted the study they cite as proof that “Fox News makes you stupid,” attributing much of it to confirmation bias, meaning they ignored anything that disagreed with their beliefs.
72% believe that the health reform law will increase the deficit. [It almost certainly will, if you believe the Congressional Budget Office and the (ho, ho!) Government Accountability Office. Here, Fox News viewers were hardly alone: The majority of respondents answered the same way.]
49% believe that income taxes have gone up. [They have -- the top rate in 2009 was 35 percent; it’s now 39.6. Assuming that 39.6 percent is still more than 35 percent, 49 percent of Fox News viewers are bulletproof here; one wonders why the number isn’t higher.]
No surprise there.
1/15/2015
Yet Another Victim Of Institutional Cowardice
The whole “campus rape” meme got old very quickly, particularly since it has been hurting a lot of innocent people. The whole thing has been blown out of proportion, with much of the justification for the actions taken by colleges and universities based upon a poll that even those who ran it understood was flawed because most of the participants were self-selected. The study was limited to two public schools and was never meant to be used as the basis of an overreaching and, in the end, unconstitutional policy from the Department of Education.
The result has been the railroading of numerous college students, specifically male college students, charged with sexual assault and disciplined or expelled based solely upon an accusation with absolutely no corroborating evidence, no investigations, no means for the accused to defend themselves, without even the appearance of due process. This has left an increasing number of colleges the targets of lawsuits filed by those students summarily 'convicted by accusation'. However that hasn't stopped them from continuing with their persecution of students based entirely upon their gender.
The latest victim of this witch hunt atmosphere is an autistic student who hugged and kissed another student on the top of her head that he had mistaken for a friend of his. His punishment for the mistaken identity?
Expulsion.
It was an honest mistake. No one was harmed, molested, mussed up, or raped. But that doesn't make a bit of difference. So a special needs student has seen his academic studies terminated because the college isn't brave enough to call it an honest mistake and to let it be.
People need to be fired from this supposed institution of higher education because they are incapable of being able to discriminate between a case of mistaken identity and a sexual assault.
Morons.
The result has been the railroading of numerous college students, specifically male college students, charged with sexual assault and disciplined or expelled based solely upon an accusation with absolutely no corroborating evidence, no investigations, no means for the accused to defend themselves, without even the appearance of due process. This has left an increasing number of colleges the targets of lawsuits filed by those students summarily 'convicted by accusation'. However that hasn't stopped them from continuing with their persecution of students based entirely upon their gender.
The latest victim of this witch hunt atmosphere is an autistic student who hugged and kissed another student on the top of her head that he had mistaken for a friend of his. His punishment for the mistaken identity?
Expulsion.
It was an honest mistake. No one was harmed, molested, mussed up, or raped. But that doesn't make a bit of difference. So a special needs student has seen his academic studies terminated because the college isn't brave enough to call it an honest mistake and to let it be.
People need to be fired from this supposed institution of higher education because they are incapable of being able to discriminate between a case of mistaken identity and a sexual assault.
Morons.
1/13/2015
Are We Going To Become A European "Gimmedat" Nation?
Our leftist brethren must be reminded now and then that even though they admire European socialism, even as it's running out of other people's money, is that America is not Europe, and no amount of cajoling, manipulating, and outright threatening the American public is going to change that.
America has no history of respect or trust in government, a history of defiance of the State, no history of serfdom, no homogeneity at all. And except for the (fortunate, in retrospect) Africans sold by their brethren and the Muslim slavers into slavery to Americans, America's traditions are based on its eager settlers, pioneers, and immigrants and are all about "leave me alone."Too much of European socialism and its ersatz American cousin are more about the “Gimmedat” nation, where government beneficence is seen not as something bestowed by a caring government but as something owed to the recipient without the need to actually contribute anything towards the benefits they receive. Again the problem is that eventually such a system runs out of the money its been taking from the productive members of society and the “Gimmedat” nation collapses.
JFK spoke for all immigrants with his "Ask not..." speech, which stood in bold contrast to the Euroland of his time and, perhaps, in contrast to some of America today. As we say, America was not made for sissies, but for the few and the brave. Not for farm animals.
1/11/2015
Thoughts On A Sunday
It's been relatively quiet here at The Manse. It's been just the regular chores needing doing, and that's suited me just fine.
We did go have breakfast with the WP Mom down at one of our favorite local eateries, something we haven't been able to do very much over the past year.
In this case Dr. Terry Hughes, professor emeritus of earth sciences and climate change at the University of Maine, feels free to speak his mind about climate alarmism and the financial incentives driving it.
(H/T Maggie's Farm)
I guess as long as it's only black people killing other black people, it's perfectly OK with the Lame Stream Media.
Minnie and Miss have similar arrangements with me, though occasionally Cole, Henry, and Pip will also hop up on the bed and settle in for sleep. That makes it interesting some mornings because I'll have as many as six cats on the bed, making it difficult to get up.
That the jihadists are trying to kill free speech pisses off Anonymous more than just about anything else. If they can kill off the jihadists means of communicating with their followers by the Internet, it may lessen their ability recruit.
More power to 'em.
It's funny, too.
BeezleBub and I discussed this and he his thoughts on the matter took a somewhat different tack, that being that if it did indeed become free, then those without jobs who do not avail themselves of the opportunity to learn a new trade or earn a degree should lose any government benefits they're collecting. It has to be a carrot and stick approach otherwise there's no real incentive to better one's self.
But then we know the whole thing is nothing but a front, a cheap way to make Obama appear beneficent knowing it will never come to be. Then again, that's how he's been since he took office – make great promises but carry through with very few of them. It's easy to make promises, particularly when there's no intention of keeping them.
(H/T Pirate's Cove)
Chuck should learn to keep his mouth shut when he doesn't know what he's talking about. But then that's never been his strong suit.
We did go have breakfast with the WP Mom down at one of our favorite local eateries, something we haven't been able to do very much over the past year.
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Tom Maguire delves into Islam, al-Sisi's speech calling for Islamic reformation, and the New York Times finally taking notice, though it is still clueless.***************
It's amazing what happens when one has nothing to lose.In this case Dr. Terry Hughes, professor emeritus of earth sciences and climate change at the University of Maine, feels free to speak his mind about climate alarmism and the financial incentives driving it.
Apparently when science professors retire, they finally get to say what’s really on their mind.How long have those of us amongst the “We're NOT all gonna die” camp been saying this?
“You will never read or hear any of this from the scientific and political establishments,” [said Hughes]. “I’m now retired, so I have no scientific career to protect by spreading lies.”
He said he thinks dire global warming predictions are really all about lassoing federal research funding and votes.
“Too many (the majority) of climate research scientists are quite willing to prostitute their science by giving these politicians what they want,” the glaciologist added.
(H/T Maggie's Farm)
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The New England Patriots defeated the Baltimore Ravens yesterday, 35-31, advancing them to the AFC championship. They'll be playing the Indianapolis Colts next week at home.***************
We hear about the murder of French citizens and police officers in France by Islamic extremists, but not a word about the massacre of 2000 people by the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram in Baga, Nigeria. They destroyed the town and 16 other surrounding villages and there hasn't been a mention by the MSM in the US except for Fox News.I guess as long as it's only black people killing other black people, it's perfectly OK with the Lame Stream Media.
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Bogie tells us of the sleeping arrangements she and her cats, Tory and Fuzzy, have. That both of them appear to like settling down with their 'ma' was a peasant surprise for Bogie.Minnie and Miss have similar arrangements with me, though occasionally Cole, Henry, and Pip will also hop up on the bed and settle in for sleep. That makes it interesting some mornings because I'll have as many as six cats on the bed, making it difficult to get up.
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It appears the hacker group Anonymous is seriously pissed off at the jihadists for the Charlie Hebdo attack and has vowed to shut down every jihadist website it can find in response.That the jihadists are trying to kill free speech pisses off Anonymous more than just about anything else. If they can kill off the jihadists means of communicating with their followers by the Internet, it may lessen their ability recruit.
More power to 'em.
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Skip Murphy gives us a visual that certainly explains the applicability of certain college degrees in today's job market.It's funny, too.
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Reliapundit has a take on Obama's proposal to make community college 'free': “It's not about what's affordable for students or the federal government. It's about proposing something that will make the GOP look mean when they oppose it.”BeezleBub and I discussed this and he his thoughts on the matter took a somewhat different tack, that being that if it did indeed become free, then those without jobs who do not avail themselves of the opportunity to learn a new trade or earn a degree should lose any government benefits they're collecting. It has to be a carrot and stick approach otherwise there's no real incentive to better one's self.
But then we know the whole thing is nothing but a front, a cheap way to make Obama appear beneficent knowing it will never come to be. Then again, that's how he's been since he took office – make great promises but carry through with very few of them. It's easy to make promises, particularly when there's no intention of keeping them.
(H/T Pirate's Cove)
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David Starr reminds us that Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) really sucks at economics and business, particularly in regards to the Keystone XL pipeline. We must remember this is the same Chuck who caused a California bank to fail overnight by incorrectly stating it was in trouble, triggering a run on the bank and withdrawals of over a billion dollars in deposits.Chuck should learn to keep his mouth shut when he doesn't know what he's talking about. But then that's never been his strong suit.
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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where winter continues, the woodstove is running 24/7, and we'll have to break out the snowblower again.1/09/2015
A Bad Day
It wasn't a great day today.
Nothing went wrong at home, always a blessing.
But I had to do something I never thought I would have to do at one of the organizations with which I am involved.
I had to fire a friend.
While I understood the necessity, at least academically, I felt like I was the poor sod heading up the steps of the gallows to a certain doom.
It's never easy to be the cause of a major disruption in someone's life, particularly if it hits them out of the blue with no warning. But sometimes it must be done. I now understand the adage about being a boss that my dad told me years ago: Be friendly but don't be a friend to the employees. (I don't agree with that, but I certainly appreciate the logic behind it.) It certainly makes it harder when it becomes necessary to take an action like firing a friend. I can understand why some businesses will hire a so-called hatchet man to do the deed – it's easier for the boss, but the employee still has their life turned upside down in an instant.
Sometimes it sucks being the guy in charge.
Nothing went wrong at home, always a blessing.
But I had to do something I never thought I would have to do at one of the organizations with which I am involved.
I had to fire a friend.
While I understood the necessity, at least academically, I felt like I was the poor sod heading up the steps of the gallows to a certain doom.
It's never easy to be the cause of a major disruption in someone's life, particularly if it hits them out of the blue with no warning. But sometimes it must be done. I now understand the adage about being a boss that my dad told me years ago: Be friendly but don't be a friend to the employees. (I don't agree with that, but I certainly appreciate the logic behind it.) It certainly makes it harder when it becomes necessary to take an action like firing a friend. I can understand why some businesses will hire a so-called hatchet man to do the deed – it's easier for the boss, but the employee still has their life turned upside down in an instant.
Sometimes it sucks being the guy in charge.
1/07/2015
What Good Are Climate Models When They Get The Math Wrong?
Considering the temperatures outside The Manse are well below zero at the moment, it seems almost contradictory to be writing about global warming. But I'll make an exception in this case.
And “this case” deals with the simplistic nonsense that is the climate modeling used by the warmists to 'prove' we're all doomed unless we take drastic action. (More often than not the actions they want us to take will impoverish everyone...except them, and force us to live under a green dictatorship.)
While the modeling software we use is very sophisticated, the components in the models are represented by a limited number of parameters, far less than are used in climate models. The electronic parameters are well understood and have been refined over the years, and still the modeling software will get it wrong (though not grossly wrong).
The climate model software should take into account many more parameters, many of which are poorly understood, yet we are supposed to believe they're right. The biggest problem with the models?
They get the math wrong.
The models are seriously defective and should not, under any circumstances, be used to predict the future climate. This also implies they should also not be used to create climate policy because the predictions are crap. In other words, they got the math wrong. If my math was as wrong as theirs, I would be fired. Too bad they haven't been.
And “this case” deals with the simplistic nonsense that is the climate modeling used by the warmists to 'prove' we're all doomed unless we take drastic action. (More often than not the actions they want us to take will impoverish everyone...except them, and force us to live under a green dictatorship.)
As an engineer, my first experience of a computer model taught me nearly all I needed to know about models.I have used and continue to use modeling software much like that to simulate the performance of circuits we use in our designs. It is always understood the models are an approximation and may not reflect the actual performance of the circuit. That's why we build prototypes to test the design under real world conditions.
Some people suggested I make use of the acoustic coupler to input my design and optimise it with one of the circuit modeling programs they had devised. The results were encouraging, so I built it. The circuit itself was a dismal failure.
Investigation revealed the reason instantly: the model parametrised parasitic capacitance into a simple single value: the reality of semiconductors is that the capacitance varies with applied voltage – an effect made use of in every radio today as the ‘varicap diode’. for small signals this is an acceptable compromise. Over large voltage swings the effect is massively non linear. The model was simply inadequate.
While the modeling software we use is very sophisticated, the components in the models are represented by a limited number of parameters, far less than are used in climate models. The electronic parameters are well understood and have been refined over the years, and still the modeling software will get it wrong (though not grossly wrong).
The climate model software should take into account many more parameters, many of which are poorly understood, yet we are supposed to believe they're right. The biggest problem with the models?
They get the math wrong.
Most of engineering is to design things so that small unpredictable effects are swamped by large predictable ones. Any stable design has to work like that. If it doesn’t, it ain’t stable. Or reproducible.It also doesn't help that our climate is a semi-chaotic system, something that is extremely difficult to model. More often than not many of these models average the hell out some of the data inputs which has the (supposedly) inadvertent effect of minimizing some of the feedback mechanisms, particularly the negative feedback mechanisms. This can result overestimating the effects of the positive feedback or the sensitivity of some factors, like CO2. Hence you come up with model results that do not match the real world data. What should that tell us?
That leads to a direct piece of engineering wisdom: If a system is not dominated by a few major feedback factors, it ain’t stable. And if it has a regions of stability then perturbing it outside those regions will result in gross instability, and the system will be short lived.
So called ‘Climate science’ relies on net positive feedback to create alarmist views – and that positive feedback is nothing to do with CO2 allegedly: on the contrary it is a temperature change amplifier pure and simple.
If such a feedback existed, any driver of temperature, from a minor change in the suns output, to a volcanic eruption must inevitably trigger massive temperature changes. But it simply never has. Or we wouldn’t be here to spout such nonsense.
[Climate is] a massive non linear hugely time delayed negative feedback system. And that’s just water and ice. Before we toss in volcanic action, meteor strikes, continental drift. solar variability, and Milankovitch cycles…
The miracle of AGW is that all this has been simply tossed aside, or considered some kind of constant, or a multiplier of the only driver in town, CO2.
When all you know is linear systems analysis everything looks like a linear system perturbed by an external driver.
When the only driver you have come up with is CO2, everything looks like CO2.
Engineers who have done control system theory are not so arrogant. And can recognise in the irregular sawtooth of ice age temperature record a system that looks remarkably like a nasty multiple (negative) feed back time delayed relaxation oscillator.
The models are seriously defective and should not, under any circumstances, be used to predict the future climate. This also implies they should also not be used to create climate policy because the predictions are crap. In other words, they got the math wrong. If my math was as wrong as theirs, I would be fired. Too bad they haven't been.
1/04/2015
Thoughts On A Sunday
The snow started falling some time late last evening/early this morning, leaving a few inches behind. Not that it will prevent anyone from going anywhere. The temperatures later in the day are expected to be close to 50ºF, assisting with any melting. However the temperatures are expected to plunge into the single digits overnight and be in the lower 20's and upper teens fof the rest of the week.
It's good thing we got the rest of our firewood put away yesterday.
Taxing the heck out of the wealthiest citizens didn't generate much but a small percentage of the revenues Socialist President Francois Hollande had believed and the plan is being abandoned.
Some folks can't be told so they have the learn the lesson the hard way.
As Glenn Reynolds suggests in cases like this: Get a lawyer.
You never hear about conventional power plants (oil, gas, coal, nuclear) having problems like this.
How do the warmists explain it away? Simple: They plug their ears and chant loudly “I'm not listening! I'M NOT LISTENING!!!”, as if that will somehow make it all go away.
All any of this proves is that Palin Derangement Syndrome still infects the Left and has not weakened a bit since 2008.
It's latest move to torpedo the economy? It will issue a number of new major rules meant to kill off the resurgence in the oil and gas industry.
Frankly I think the EPA should change its name from the Environmental Protection Agency to the Economic Prevention Agency. After all most of its rules over the past six years or so have been aimed at killing off any economic recovery, exceeding its charter, ignoring science as well as court orders issued against it.
As usual, technology is leading the way, not politics. That certainly explains why operations like Uber are very popular with the people, but the government is suffering from apoplexy because they didn't ask for official permission to exist.
It's good thing we got the rest of our firewood put away yesterday.
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It looks like France has fallen under the sway of the Thatcher Axiom: It ran out of other people's money.Taxing the heck out of the wealthiest citizens didn't generate much but a small percentage of the revenues Socialist President Francois Hollande had believed and the plan is being abandoned.
Some folks can't be told so they have the learn the lesson the hard way.
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The campus kangaroo courts continue, not just addressing 'sexual assault' cases but politically incorrect speech. One would think they would learn the lesson of so many other colleges and universities where they have lost free speech suits in state and federal courts. They still seem to think they are not required to abide by our Constitutional rights and can arbitrarily violate them at whim and besmirch the reputations of students with impunity.As Glenn Reynolds suggests in cases like this: Get a lawyer.
But until you cost people jobs and reputations — that is, do the kind of damage to them that they’re perfectly happy meting out to others — you won’t bring this to a stop. You won’t see justice in this setting without a healthy measure of fear.Indeed.
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And they wonder why I don't like large wind turbines beside the fact that they act like large bird-slicing machines?You never hear about conventional power plants (oil, gas, coal, nuclear) having problems like this.
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The “Great Hiatus” in global warming has been going on for 18 years and 3 months.How do the warmists explain it away? Simple: They plug their ears and chant loudly “I'm not listening! I'M NOT LISTENING!!!”, as if that will somehow make it all go away.
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Capitalism Is Freedom has the top 10 things scientists used to believe were true. I expect that anthropogenic Global Warming will some day be added to the list.***************
Sarah Palin dumps on PETA's idiocy and hypocrisy.All any of this proves is that Palin Derangement Syndrome still infects the Left and has not weakened a bit since 2008.
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It seems that every time the economy shows a glimmer of recovery, the Obama Administration throws a monkey wrench into the works, telling us it's for our own good.It's latest move to torpedo the economy? It will issue a number of new major rules meant to kill off the resurgence in the oil and gas industry.
The rules would, among other things, curtail methane emissions from natural gas and oil, place new restrictions on fracking, impose further limits on Arctic drilling and impose new safety standards on rail tanker cars.OPEC and Vladimir Putin will just love the EPA's sabotage of our economy.
Never mind that the oil and gas industry has to rely on rail to transport petroleum because Obama has blocked the far cleaner and more efficient alternative of moving oil and gas through pipelines.
The oil and gas industry has carried the rest of the economy on its shoulders for the last six years. But with prices falling, drillers are struggling to keep operations running. Thanks to the boom in shale oil and gas, oil prices have dropped by nearly 50% since the summer. New drilling permits are falling and some marginal wells are already shutting down.
Could there be a worse time for new EPA regulations to raise the cost of producing our domestic energy? Obviously, the answer is no, but this isn't collateral damage; it's the very point of the regulatory onslaught.
Frankly I think the EPA should change its name from the Environmental Protection Agency to the Economic Prevention Agency. After all most of its rules over the past six years or so have been aimed at killing off any economic recovery, exceeding its charter, ignoring science as well as court orders issued against it.
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If we need any more evidence that the government doesn't really care a fig what the American people want, all we have to do is look at something as simple as automobiles. The government mandated smaller more efficient (and more dangerous) cars. The people wanted SUVs and the carmakers gave them SUVs.As usual, technology is leading the way, not politics. That certainly explains why operations like Uber are very popular with the people, but the government is suffering from apoplexy because they didn't ask for official permission to exist.
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David Starr provides some much needed advice for the incoming Republicans in Congress.***************
And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the last of the firewood is stacked, the snow has been plowed, and where we're preparing for the arctic blast heading our way.1/03/2015
Fire Wood Heats Twice
I spent a good portion of the daylight hours yesterday stacking firewood.
The second load of dry cord-wood was delivered yesterday morning and I spent the day and part of this morning moving it into the garage and getting to stacked away. That brings our store of firewood back up to snuff, giving us enough to last through April and ensuring we won't need to burn any of our still expensive propane to keep the house warm.
Despite the chilly temperatures and gusty winds, the work moving the wood kept me plenty warm with no need to wear a jacket. What they say about firewood is true: It warms you twice (or thrice).
While heating with wood may seem like a throwback, I have always found it preferable to just cranking up the thermostat. It doesn't really feel like winter to me without heat pouring out from the woodstove. It also wouldn't be Christmas without the woodstove. (I remember more than one Christmas at my grandparent's home, with a fire in their Franklin stoves keeping their house warm.
While heating with wood requires more work, there are a number of upsides to it, the first being that it can be a lot less expensive to heat with than either oil or propane. For what it costs us to get four cords of wood we can heat The Manse for the entire winter plus, meaning from late October thru early April. The same amount of money would pay for only two months worth of heating oil or propane.
A second plus is that during the inevitable power outage during an ice storm or Nor'easter we still have heat. (Some folks are using wood pellet stoves to heat their homes, but they also require power in order to function. No power, no heat.)
The WP In-Laws heat their home with wood, it being built to maximize the heating effect of their stove. They also have an oil furnace as a 'back-up', but they rarely use it.
The Barrister over at Maggie's Farm had an excellent post about firewood, one that he's reposted from time to time. He covers the reasons for heating with wood, the pluses and the minuses, and those commenting have also added their experiences with it as well.
One of the minuses covered, and one I deal with once or twice a year, is the need to have the chimney swept to clean out the creosote. That is something we usually have done twice a year – once before the heating season and once during, usually mid to late January. Regardless of how dry the wood being burned is, it can still leave creosote built up on the sides of the chimney or stove pipe. If it isn't removed it can catch fire and you end up with a chimney fire, nothing you ever want to experience.
Another minus, sort of: ashes. One of the by-products of burning wood is wood ash, which has a powdery gray appearance. It is most often mixed in with unburned coals, something I am loath to dispose of as they will burn if given the chance. Some wood stoves have a built-in shaker grate that makes it easier to remove the ashes, usually doing a pretty decent job of separating the ashes from the coals. Unfortunately ours does not have such a contraption so I end up using a modified ash shovel, a standard model with some slots cut into it to allow the ashes to fall through while retaining the coals. The coals I put to one side and the ashes I remove with an unmodified shovel. While it does take a little extra time to clean out the wood stove, it reduces the number of unburned coals to almost zero and makes sure all of the wood is burned. As to the ashes themselves, they get dumped on to a large pile out behind The Manse and later used to fertilize some of the soil at the farm where BeezleBub works. (They use the ashes from the wood-fired boiler that is used to heat the greenhouses during the winter.)
One plus I almost overlooked is that heating with wood is generally carbon-neutral, something that is not in any way, shape, or form important to me but it is to others. The downside to that is that the EPA has decided that wood stoves must meet expensive emissions standards and have implemented their own versions of Cash for Clunkers, but without the cash, banning the resale of non-compliant wood stoves. Little do they realize is that it is a disincentive to trade up to a new woodstove because there is no trade-in/resale value to their old stove.
In any case, I'm glad we got our firewood squared away considering we have yet another arctic blast headed this way for the coming week. I have a feeling we'll be using more than our fair share of wood to keep things warm here in The Manse during that time.
The second load of dry cord-wood was delivered yesterday morning and I spent the day and part of this morning moving it into the garage and getting to stacked away. That brings our store of firewood back up to snuff, giving us enough to last through April and ensuring we won't need to burn any of our still expensive propane to keep the house warm.
Despite the chilly temperatures and gusty winds, the work moving the wood kept me plenty warm with no need to wear a jacket. What they say about firewood is true: It warms you twice (or thrice).
While heating with wood may seem like a throwback, I have always found it preferable to just cranking up the thermostat. It doesn't really feel like winter to me without heat pouring out from the woodstove. It also wouldn't be Christmas without the woodstove. (I remember more than one Christmas at my grandparent's home, with a fire in their Franklin stoves keeping their house warm.
While heating with wood requires more work, there are a number of upsides to it, the first being that it can be a lot less expensive to heat with than either oil or propane. For what it costs us to get four cords of wood we can heat The Manse for the entire winter plus, meaning from late October thru early April. The same amount of money would pay for only two months worth of heating oil or propane.
A second plus is that during the inevitable power outage during an ice storm or Nor'easter we still have heat. (Some folks are using wood pellet stoves to heat their homes, but they also require power in order to function. No power, no heat.)
The WP In-Laws heat their home with wood, it being built to maximize the heating effect of their stove. They also have an oil furnace as a 'back-up', but they rarely use it.
The Barrister over at Maggie's Farm had an excellent post about firewood, one that he's reposted from time to time. He covers the reasons for heating with wood, the pluses and the minuses, and those commenting have also added their experiences with it as well.
One of the minuses covered, and one I deal with once or twice a year, is the need to have the chimney swept to clean out the creosote. That is something we usually have done twice a year – once before the heating season and once during, usually mid to late January. Regardless of how dry the wood being burned is, it can still leave creosote built up on the sides of the chimney or stove pipe. If it isn't removed it can catch fire and you end up with a chimney fire, nothing you ever want to experience.
Another minus, sort of: ashes. One of the by-products of burning wood is wood ash, which has a powdery gray appearance. It is most often mixed in with unburned coals, something I am loath to dispose of as they will burn if given the chance. Some wood stoves have a built-in shaker grate that makes it easier to remove the ashes, usually doing a pretty decent job of separating the ashes from the coals. Unfortunately ours does not have such a contraption so I end up using a modified ash shovel, a standard model with some slots cut into it to allow the ashes to fall through while retaining the coals. The coals I put to one side and the ashes I remove with an unmodified shovel. While it does take a little extra time to clean out the wood stove, it reduces the number of unburned coals to almost zero and makes sure all of the wood is burned. As to the ashes themselves, they get dumped on to a large pile out behind The Manse and later used to fertilize some of the soil at the farm where BeezleBub works. (They use the ashes from the wood-fired boiler that is used to heat the greenhouses during the winter.)
One plus I almost overlooked is that heating with wood is generally carbon-neutral, something that is not in any way, shape, or form important to me but it is to others. The downside to that is that the EPA has decided that wood stoves must meet expensive emissions standards and have implemented their own versions of Cash for Clunkers, but without the cash, banning the resale of non-compliant wood stoves. Little do they realize is that it is a disincentive to trade up to a new woodstove because there is no trade-in/resale value to their old stove.
In any case, I'm glad we got our firewood squared away considering we have yet another arctic blast headed this way for the coming week. I have a feeling we'll be using more than our fair share of wood to keep things warm here in The Manse during that time.
1/01/2015
Zero Tolerance Idiocy Of 2014
As any of you regular readers know zero-tolerance policies, particularly for schools, are one of my major pet peeves. As always they end up hurting the very children they're supposed to protect while still leaving many of the true miscreants untouched. Almost always these policies are not for the benefit of the kids but for the administrators, teachers, and school board members. It absolves them of ever having to make decisions of any kind other than which zero-tolerance policy (or policies) some poor kid has unwittingly run afoul.
By way of Reason's Hit & Run blog comes this list of the Ten Outrageous 'Zero Tolerance' Follies of 2014.
Here are a few that made the list:
And last:
Unfortunately none of this nonsense will end until someone is severely injured, or worse, is killed by one of these insanely stupid zero-tolerance policies. I would expect should this happen the administrators involved will use the “But it's policy!” excuse to explain it away.
Read The Whole Thing.
By way of Reason's Hit & Run blog comes this list of the Ten Outrageous 'Zero Tolerance' Follies of 2014.
Here are a few that made the list:
A 13-year-old boy at Weaverville Elementary School in California shared his school lunch (a chicken burrito) with a hungry friend. For this, he got detention. Superintendent Tom Barnett explained, "Because of safety and liability we cannot allow students to actually exchange meals.”Really? A kid can't share his lunch with a hungry friend? But wait, it gets worse!
A letter home from the Harley Avenue Primary School in Elwood, New York, read, in part: "The reason for eliminating the Kindergarten show is simple. We are responsible for preparing children for college and career with valuable lifelong skills and know that we can best do that by having them become strong readers, writers, coworkers and problem solvers."So, if the kindergarten kids take part in a year-end show it will some how prevent them from getting into college? This is something I would call “Bullshit!” on. My take: they just didn't want to be bothered so they cancelled it and gave this lame excuse.
Da'von Shaw, a Bedford, Ohio, high school student, brought apples and craisins to school for a "healthy eating" presentation. When he took out a knife to slice an apple, his teacher told him he was not allowed to use it. He immediately handed it over to her. Case closed? Nope. Later that day he was suspended for a week because he brought a weapon to school.Hmm. I have to wonder whether the school kitchen staff or the home ec teacher have also been suspended for using 'weapons'?
And last:
After the fire alarm went off in Como Park High School in St. Paul, Minnesota, everyone evacuated, including Kayona Hagen-Tietza, 14, who had been swimming in the gym pool and didn't have time to change. School policy forbids teachers from having students in the car, so she stood outside, barefoot, for 10 minutes in 5-degree weather until a teacher obtained "permission" to let her sit in her car just this once.If the poor girl had suffered from hypothermia, frostbite, or other cold-related injuries I suppose the school administrators would have cited their rigid inflexible policies as necessary to 'protect' this child from the predations of one of the teachers?
Unfortunately none of this nonsense will end until someone is severely injured, or worse, is killed by one of these insanely stupid zero-tolerance policies. I would expect should this happen the administrators involved will use the “But it's policy!” excuse to explain it away.
Read The Whole Thing.
12/28/2014
Thoughts On A Sunday
Monday fast approaches and the long holiday weekend is coming to an end. The coming workweek is a short one, just like last week, but that still doesn't mean I (or anyone else) is looking forward to returning to work yet.
The weather has been less then winter-like, meaning warm temps and rain rather than snow. I'm not complaining as it's meant using very little firewood to keep The Manse warm.
The term social justice has no real concrete definition, meaning it can be used to justify all kinds of actions, up to and including things like the Holocaust. Social Justice Warriors use the elusive concept to justify the violation of our constitutional rights in order to cure some perceived wrong, not understanding (or worse, not caring) that the cure is far worse than perceived wrong. But then, they're totally into the feelings, not facts mindset.
I'm bugged by that same commercial because I have always found Salt-n-Pepa annoying.
There hasn't been this kind of division between the mayor's office and the NYPD since the bad old days of the 1970's, something de Blasio is working hard to do: return New York to the failed policies of the 70's.
The Patriots were down 17-6 in the first half. They pulled Brady as QB and let Jimmy Garappolo take snaps for the second half. Not that it did any good as the Patriots lost 17-9.
If the Patriots play like this in the playoffs they'll be out after their first game in two weeks.
While LA's geography is different than most cities, many businesses there will feel the negative effects just like San Francisco and Seattle. But then that's the problem with Progressive economists as they assume businesses and customers will gladly pay the higher prices most businesses will have to change now that their labor costs have been artificially increased beyond all reason. A clue to these idiots: They won't.
(H/T Pirate's Cove)
Of course I expect those afflicted with PDS will not even acknowledge such a feat.
(H/T Pirate's Cove)
Call it yet another example of Progressive economics coming into play.
As per usual, they are focusing on the wrong part of the story. I have no doubt people will bitch, moan, and complain about rising electric rates and shorter supplies. But what do they expect when they won't let anyone build the capacity needed to maintain things as it is? Too many NIMBYs and BANANAs are effing it up for everyone else. Of course they will be the first to complain when their electricity bills go up 20%, 30%, 50% or more.
The weather has been less then winter-like, meaning warm temps and rain rather than snow. I'm not complaining as it's meant using very little firewood to keep The Manse warm.
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I watched a little college football yesterday and both of the teams I like – Boston College and Nebraska – lost against their opponents. Neither game was a blowout, but still I wish the outcomes had been different.**************
Stacy McCain quotes Friedrich Hayek, showing us that social justice is a mirage.The term social justice has no real concrete definition, meaning it can be used to justify all kinds of actions, up to and including things like the Holocaust. Social Justice Warriors use the elusive concept to justify the violation of our constitutional rights in order to cure some perceived wrong, not understanding (or worse, not caring) that the cure is far worse than perceived wrong. But then, they're totally into the feelings, not facts mindset.
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Eric the Viking is bugged by the latest Geico commercial, seeing as it shows a nasty fire code violation.I'm bugged by that same commercial because I have always found Salt-n-Pepa annoying.
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Self-proclaimed communist Mayor Bill deBlasio has managed to offend the very people he needs in order to maintain the peace in New York. Despite his conciliatory words after the deaths of two assassinated NYPD officers, his actions and words before hand generated a huge rift between Hizzoner and the NYPD. Is it any wonder a large number of police officers turned their backs upon the mayor at the funeral of one of the slain officers?There hasn't been this kind of division between the mayor's office and the NYPD since the bad old days of the 1970's, something de Blasio is working hard to do: return New York to the failed policies of the 70's.
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I watched the New England Patriots play their last regular season game against the Buffalo Bills in Foxborough. It seemed to me the Patriots were just going through the motions, with poor execution by both the offense and defense. It didn't help the Patriots that they have 15 players on the injured reserve list.The Patriots were down 17-6 in the first half. They pulled Brady as QB and let Jimmy Garappolo take snaps for the second half. Not that it did any good as the Patriots lost 17-9.
If the Patriots play like this in the playoffs they'll be out after their first game in two weeks.
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If anyone needs yet another example of how raising the minimum wage, particularly to unrealistic levels, will adversely affect local economics, then all one has to do is look to the city of Los Angeles.While LA's geography is different than most cities, many businesses there will feel the negative effects just like San Francisco and Seattle. But then that's the problem with Progressive economists as they assume businesses and customers will gladly pay the higher prices most businesses will have to change now that their labor costs have been artificially increased beyond all reason. A clue to these idiots: They won't.
(H/T Pirate's Cove)
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Here's yet another thing Sarah Palin has achieved that Obama has not.Of course I expect those afflicted with PDS will not even acknowledge such a feat.
(H/T Pirate's Cove)
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Anyone paying attention knew that Medicaid roles would swell under ObamaCare, and that's exactly what's happened. That doesn't automatically equate to access to health care for those new enrollees as many doctors either don't take Medicaid patients or they already have enough and can't afford to take any more. Of those doctors that do, they are going to see cuts in the amount the government will reimburse for each patient seen. That means more doctors will stop seeing Medicaid patients as it costs more to see them than the government will pay.Call it yet another example of Progressive economics coming into play.
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I must agree with David Starr on this one: I find it interesting that with the closing of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant that the local NPR station is more concerned with the jobs being lost with the plant closing rather than the electricity generated by the plant being replaced by another source. (It isn't.)As per usual, they are focusing on the wrong part of the story. I have no doubt people will bitch, moan, and complain about rising electric rates and shorter supplies. But what do they expect when they won't let anyone build the capacity needed to maintain things as it is? Too many NIMBYs and BANANAs are effing it up for everyone else. Of course they will be the first to complain when their electricity bills go up 20%, 30%, 50% or more.
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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where Christmas has come and gone, the New Year awaits, and where we're still gorging on Christmas fare.12/27/2014
Feelings More Important Than Facts
I have to say I am becoming heartily sick of the Left's “feelings, not facts” philosophy. We've seen it applied in so many situations, the most recent being the Michael Brown and Eric Garner incidents and the whole “rape epidemic” narrative being played out on college campuses. That they are willing to support such an immoral take on events shows me they have no regard for reality.
The campus rape epidemic caused by the so-called “rape culture” amply illustrates that they aren't really serious about the truth because it doesn't fit their narrative. If they hewed to the truth their narrative would disappear and they would have nothing to protest against. Therefore, it must be ignored, or worse, discredited through propaganda.
On more than one occasion I have lambasted those of a leftist bent during a debate by stating, loudly: “I don't care what you feel about (insert topic of debate here). I want to know what you think about it!” More often than not the response I receive is “What's the difference?” It has become that bad.
I think we must consider it some form of mental illness when they can't differentiate between reality and what they “feel” is reality. What's worse is that this form of dissociation is catching, something not usually associated with mental illness.
The campus rape epidemic caused by the so-called “rape culture” amply illustrates that they aren't really serious about the truth because it doesn't fit their narrative. If they hewed to the truth their narrative would disappear and they would have nothing to protest against. Therefore, it must be ignored, or worse, discredited through propaganda.
On more than one occasion I have lambasted those of a leftist bent during a debate by stating, loudly: “I don't care what you feel about (insert topic of debate here). I want to know what you think about it!” More often than not the response I receive is “What's the difference?” It has become that bad.
I think we must consider it some form of mental illness when they can't differentiate between reality and what they “feel” is reality. What's worse is that this form of dissociation is catching, something not usually associated with mental illness.
12/25/2014
Merry Christmas
We here at Weekend Pundit wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas.
Now shut down your computer and go spend time with your family!
Now shut down your computer and go spend time with your family!
12/21/2014
Thoughts On A Sunday
This last weekend before Christmas (and first day of winter) has been a busy day, between getting The Manse ready for the holiday (a more thorough top-to-bottom cleaning).
BeezleBub is working on Horse Girl's Christmas present and hopes to have it done some time later today. All of the presents he's giving this year were hand made by him.
I have one last little bit of Christmas shopping to do – picking up Deb's gift down in the state capitol. (It's already set aside, I just have to go get it, something I plan to do after work Tuesday.)
BeezleBub watched Miller with me and I don't think I've seen him laugh that hard before. Maybe it's because Miller speaks some hard truths, but does it in such a way as to make the idiots out there look as ridiculous as they truly are.
Ibuprofen use leads to extended lifespan in several species, study shows.
I use ibuprofen on a regular basis, it being my pain reliever of choice. (I don't use it every day, but I do come close.)
As Glenn Reynolds states, “Faster please.”
The National Labor Relations Board, a wholly owned subsidiary of Obama, has opened the door for unions to go after McDonald's corporation for the actions of its franchisees.
As too many of these union goons forget, the reason for any of these businesses to exist is to make money for the owners, not to provide jobs. That jobs are created is a side effect.
As the saying goes, better a job at $7.25 an hour than no job at $15 an hour.
(H/T Maggie's Farm)
Anyone who feels they are surrounded by all kinds of microaggressions against them or other protected classes of “victims” should seek psychiatric help. It's obvious to me they are suffering from some form of paranoia, most likely originating in the bastions of indoctrination once known as our education system.
These folks have got to get a grip on reality because no one else is going to do it for them. And once reality intrudes on their lives, they're likely to be traumatized and the folks who showed them all of these microaggressions will not be around to 'help' them.
In the end they did manage to hang on and beat the Jets, 17-16.
That doesn't bode well for de Blasio. He has shown that he has no respect for the NYPD and that disrespect is now being reflected back upon him.
It couldn't happen to a nicer communist.
(H/T Viking Pundit)
It appears the Taliban leader recently released from Guantanamo by Obama was involved in the massacre of 130 children at the private school in Pakistan.
Gee, I remember more than a few people in Congress and elsewhere in the government warning Obama that it was a bad idea.
George Washington University students were willing to sign a petition that would have the US Government deport one American for every illegal alien. From what Cap'n Teach tells us, it appears that “the more Progressive the student, the more willing they were to sign the petition.”
I have a suggestion: start the deportations with the students who signed the ridiculous petition. Let's see how they like it.
BeezleBub is working on Horse Girl's Christmas present and hopes to have it done some time later today. All of the presents he's giving this year were hand made by him.
I have one last little bit of Christmas shopping to do – picking up Deb's gift down in the state capitol. (It's already set aside, I just have to go get it, something I plan to do after work Tuesday.)
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I caught this from a Dennis Miller special – America 180 - I watched on Netflix last night:I don't mind paying taxes to support the helpless. However I do mind paying taxes to support the clueless.Indeed.
BeezleBub watched Miller with me and I don't think I've seen him laugh that hard before. Maybe it's because Miller speaks some hard truths, but does it in such a way as to make the idiots out there look as ridiculous as they truly are.
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If this is true, I'm gonna live forever!!Ibuprofen use leads to extended lifespan in several species, study shows.
I use ibuprofen on a regular basis, it being my pain reliever of choice. (I don't use it every day, but I do come close.)
As Glenn Reynolds states, “Faster please.”
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I think this is going to come back to bite them in the ass.The National Labor Relations Board, a wholly owned subsidiary of Obama, has opened the door for unions to go after McDonald's corporation for the actions of its franchisees.
The National Labor Relations Board took another step toward eliminating the franchise business model on Friday, opening the doors for unionization at some of America’s largest employers.If the unions get their way, they're going to see the results of the Law of Unintended Consequences kicking in, that being that many of the new union members will lose their jobs after being replaced by ordering kiosks and kitchen automation. In some cases it will drive some of the franchises to close because they'll go from making a profit to generating nothing but losses.
“The complaints allege that McDonald’s USA, LLC and certain franchisees violated the rights of employees working at McDonald’s restaurants at various locations around the country by, among other things, making statements and taking actions against them for engaging in activities aimed at improving their wages and working conditions, including participating in nationwide fast food worker protests about their terms and conditions of employment during the past two years,” the agency said in a release.
Franchisors such as McDonald’s charge employers fees to operate under its corporate umbrella, but individual entrepreneurs manage business decisions, such as scheduling and pay, individually. Holding McDonald's liable for the actions of other actors threatens to undo the entire business model, according to Robert Cresanti, vice president of the International Franchising Association.
“Put yourself in the shoes of a small business person who has just invested their life savings in a new franchise,”Cresanti said. “Now they no longer own their business as a group of unelected government bureaucrats have just jeopardized whether they control their employees or not.”
As too many of these union goons forget, the reason for any of these businesses to exist is to make money for the owners, not to provide jobs. That jobs are created is a side effect.
As the saying goes, better a job at $7.25 an hour than no job at $15 an hour.
(H/T Maggie's Farm)
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I find all kinds of “microaggressions” claims are in themselves a form of aggression, trying to make everything some form of aggression against someone.Anyone who feels they are surrounded by all kinds of microaggressions against them or other protected classes of “victims” should seek psychiatric help. It's obvious to me they are suffering from some form of paranoia, most likely originating in the bastions of indoctrination once known as our education system.
These folks have got to get a grip on reality because no one else is going to do it for them. And once reality intrudes on their lives, they're likely to be traumatized and the folks who showed them all of these microaggressions will not be around to 'help' them.
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Tom Bowler reviews Michael Davison's America's Suicide.To America's citizens he says, grow up! Sound advice to be sure, and if more Americans would take it to heart the country will be the richer for it. But Mr. Davison is quite pessimistic about that actually ever happening.Indeed. It seems too many of the American electorate have been lulled into a false belief that our nation could not be converted into a dictatorship, one run by the Progressives who so want to recreate the old Soviet Union, though they may not realize that's what they would end up creating.
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I've watched the New England Patriots playing the New York Jets today and I have to say the Patriots haven't been getting g it done. What's worse is that the Jets are 3-11 and the Pats are 11-3 for the season. I don't know if the Patriots thought it would be a cakewalk or the Jets are trying to play the spoilers, but either way both the Patriots offense and defense struggled throughout the game.In the end they did manage to hang on and beat the Jets, 17-16.
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Jazz Shaw is calling for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio to resign, and rightfully so. Explains Shaw:When you are the mayor of a city you have many responsibilities, but one of the most vital (in terms of maintaining a functional societal structure) is the mandate to enforce the laws and maintain social order. It is the same for mayors everywhere, as well as governors and presidents. But currently, the state of relations between City Hall and the New York Police Department has devolved to the point of complete dysfunction, and criminals are well aware of this state of affairs. The fault for the creation of this toxic atmosphere is essentially found solely at the feet of Mayor de Blasio.Even former New York governor George Pataki weighed in.
Sickened by these barbaric acts, which sadly are a predictable outcome of divisive anti-cop rhetoric of #ericholder & #mayordeblasio. #NYPD.As Shaw commented, the relations between the mayor and the NYPD has deteriorated to the point that when “de Blasio arrived at the hospital yesterday, the uniformed officers literally turned their backs to him as he walked by. And this was at a moment when, in more normal times, they should have been rallying to the leadership of the executive.”
That doesn't bode well for de Blasio. He has shown that he has no respect for the NYPD and that disrespect is now being reflected back upon him.
It couldn't happen to a nicer communist.
(H/T Viking Pundit)
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I'm sure we'll see lots of spin from the White House on this.It appears the Taliban leader recently released from Guantanamo by Obama was involved in the massacre of 130 children at the private school in Pakistan.
Gee, I remember more than a few people in Congress and elsewhere in the government warning Obama that it was a bad idea.
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This reminds me of the petitions out there wanting to ban dihydrogen monoxide.George Washington University students were willing to sign a petition that would have the US Government deport one American for every illegal alien. From what Cap'n Teach tells us, it appears that “the more Progressive the student, the more willing they were to sign the petition.”
I have a suggestion: start the deportations with the students who signed the ridiculous petition. Let's see how they like it.
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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where preparations for Christmas continue apace, the weather is turning warmer, and where a white Christmas may be iffy.12/20/2014
Two NYPD Officers Slain In 'Revenge' Killing
It appears two NYPD officers were killed “execution style” in revenge for the death of Eric Garner.
Of course I expect the race hustlers and critics of the NYPD to claim they didn't know the outcome of their invective would result in more deaths...at least not deaths they couldn't exploit. We've certainly seen this result before, one such incident in the past being instigated by Reverend Al Sharpton that resulted in a riot and some deaths. Now some gunman decided he would take matters into his own hands, murdering the officers and then later killing himself.
It didn't help that Mayor Bill DiBlasio threw the NYPD under the bus after the death of Eric Garner, in effect turning his back on the department. That's something the New York Patrolmen's Benevolent Association representatives didn't take sitting down, lambasting the mayor for his perceived batrayal of the department. The animosity between the mayor and the NYPD has grown, with the mayor being a less-than-welcome guest at Woodhull Hospital, where the two slain officers were taken after being shot.
Some cops are afraid that this is just the beginning and that copycats will be emboldened to go after more police officers. I'm sorry to say that I have to agree and that things may only get worse from here on out.
Of course I expect the race hustlers and critics of the NYPD to claim they didn't know the outcome of their invective would result in more deaths...at least not deaths they couldn't exploit. We've certainly seen this result before, one such incident in the past being instigated by Reverend Al Sharpton that resulted in a riot and some deaths. Now some gunman decided he would take matters into his own hands, murdering the officers and then later killing himself.
It didn't help that Mayor Bill DiBlasio threw the NYPD under the bus after the death of Eric Garner, in effect turning his back on the department. That's something the New York Patrolmen's Benevolent Association representatives didn't take sitting down, lambasting the mayor for his perceived batrayal of the department. The animosity between the mayor and the NYPD has grown, with the mayor being a less-than-welcome guest at Woodhull Hospital, where the two slain officers were taken after being shot.
“We’re all in this together,” the mayor told grieving cops, according to a cop who was there.The race hustlers and the permanently offended Progressives may be getting more than they bargained for after stirring up the populace and helping to set back both race relations and faith in the NYPD decades. But then wasn't that Mayor DiBlasio's goal? From the beginning he wanted to undo many of the successes of his predecessors and return New York to the economic malaise and crime-ridden era of the 1970's, though he claimed he wanted to “set things right” in regards to 'social justice' and welfare.
“No we’re not,” one officer said tersely in response.
Just last week cops began signing a “Don’t Insult My Sacrifice” waiver, distributed by the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, that warned the mayor and speaker to stay away from funerals of cops killed in the line of duty.
Some cops are afraid that this is just the beginning and that copycats will be emboldened to go after more police officers. I'm sorry to say that I have to agree and that things may only get worse from here on out.
12/18/2014
A Wankel Variant To Revive Rotary Engines?
I've always been fascinated by engines, be they old steam-driven behemoths, internal combustion engines, or turbines. Whether they are used in locomotives, ships, cars, trucks, or planes, I've always be interested in what makes them tick.
One engine that I've come to greatly admire is the Wankel, a rotary engine that is relatively small in size, light in weight, has few moving parts (a two rotor Wankel has only six moving parts) and has a lot of power for its displacement (between 100 and 225 hp from1.3-liters).
Mazda was one of the first automakers to produce vehicles employing Wankel engines, with the first one I remember being the RX-2, followed by the RX-3, and then later by the RX-7 and RX-8 sports cars. Yamaha fielded a Wankel-powered motorcycle, the RE-5, from 1975 to 1976.
I've read about boats re-powered with a marine version of the venerable Mazda 13-B two-rotor Wankel. (The repowered boat had incredible power – about 225 hp, normally aspirated – in a small package.) I had hoped at one point to replace the bulky 4.3-liter V6 in my boat with one of those Wankels, but it was not to be – too expensive and the marine Wankels were one-offs.
As far as I know, no one is producing automotive Wankel engines any more, with Mazda ending the production run of its RX-8 a few years ago. But that hasn't stopped anyone from trying to improve upon the design.
The latest spin on this venerable engine design has been developed by an MIT start-up, Liquid Piston. Unlike its previous configurations, Liquid Piston has created what looks nothing more like an inverse Wankel. While the standard Wankel has a roughly triangular rotor contained in what looks like a pinch-waisted oval chamber, the inverse Wankel has an oval-shaped rotor in a triangular chamber.
One engine that I've come to greatly admire is the Wankel, a rotary engine that is relatively small in size, light in weight, has few moving parts (a two rotor Wankel has only six moving parts) and has a lot of power for its displacement (between 100 and 225 hp from1.3-liters).
Mazda was one of the first automakers to produce vehicles employing Wankel engines, with the first one I remember being the RX-2, followed by the RX-3, and then later by the RX-7 and RX-8 sports cars. Yamaha fielded a Wankel-powered motorcycle, the RE-5, from 1975 to 1976.
I've read about boats re-powered with a marine version of the venerable Mazda 13-B two-rotor Wankel. (The repowered boat had incredible power – about 225 hp, normally aspirated – in a small package.) I had hoped at one point to replace the bulky 4.3-liter V6 in my boat with one of those Wankels, but it was not to be – too expensive and the marine Wankels were one-offs.
As far as I know, no one is producing automotive Wankel engines any more, with Mazda ending the production run of its RX-8 a few years ago. But that hasn't stopped anyone from trying to improve upon the design.
The latest spin on this venerable engine design has been developed by an MIT start-up, Liquid Piston. Unlike its previous configurations, Liquid Piston has created what looks nothing more like an inverse Wankel. While the standard Wankel has a roughly triangular rotor contained in what looks like a pinch-waisted oval chamber, the inverse Wankel has an oval-shaped rotor in a triangular chamber.
LiquidPiston's 70-cubic-cm engine, the X Mini, produces about 3.5 hp at 10,000 RPM; at 4 lb, it's also about 30 percent smaller than the four-stroke, 50-cubic-cm piston ICEs it aims to replace. When fully complete and optimized, Shkolnik says, the X Mini could churn out about 5 hp at 15,000 revolutions per minute, and weigh 3 lb.I figure it can be scaled up even more to the point where it can power the same kind of vehicles standard Wankels have powered.
Initial applications will be handheld lawn and garden equipment, Shkolnik says. But the engine can be scaled and modified for other applications, including mopeds, drones, marine power equipment, robotics, range extenders, and auxiliary power units for boats, planes, and other vehicles. The company has also demonstrated proof-of-concept for high-efficiency diesel versions of the engine, including the 70-hp X1 and the 40-hp X2, for generator and other applications. The company hopes to eventually develop small diesel versions of the X Mini engine for military applications.
"If you look at a 3-kw military generator, it's a 270-lb gorilla that takes five people to move around," Shkolnik says. "You can imagine if we can make that into a 15-lb device, it's pretty revolutionary for them."
12/14/2014
Thoughts On A Sunday
It's been a quiet weekend here at The Manse, with BeezleBub at the WP In-Laws and Deb having returned to work after a six-week medical leave.
About the most exciting thing I did this weekend was to order a DVD/Blu-ray copy of A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott. Our VHS copy was getting a bit ratty and I didn't know how much longer our VHS deck would continue to operate, so I figured it was time to get a replacement. We watch it every Christmas Eve, a part of our family Christmas tradition. Frankly, I've long believed Scott's portrayal of Scrooge was one of the best I've ever seen.
A study proves high-heels do have power over men. I know I've always liked women in heels.
Frankly, it sounded too good to be true, at least in regards to how it served the feminist “rape culture” narrative. That there were no reports or criminal investigations in regards to such a brutal gang-rape made me skeptical. I had grave doubts that the alleged victim's 'friends' would convince her not to go to a hospital or report the assault to the police. Either it was made up or her friends weren't really friends at all. Who does that kind of thing to a brutalized friend?
Gee, who knew that Mitt Romney was right? I certainly did.
Teach adds a few of his own:
Bangor Winter Carnival Cancelled Because Of Winter.
One slightly more ironic headline under the same heading:
Common Core Prepares Students For Lucrative Future In Fields That Require Sitting On The Floor And Expressing Your Opinion About Addition.
Indeed.
It's about time.
As much as I can grab in order to piss off those who are so obsessed with White Priviliege. That's how much I have.
Morons.
One problem New England has had for some time is the lack of natural gas pipeline capacity. That has led to a roller coaster of prices for both gas and electricity. As the demand for gas goes up in the winter, the price of both natural gas and electricity skyrockets. This is because the supply cannot meet the demand, mostly because of that lack of pipeline capacity. The gas prices affect electricity prices because there have been quite a few NG-fired dual-cycle power plants built in New England, some replacing the capacity of coal-fired plants and one nuclear plant taken off-line. Some customers have seen their electric rates go up by 40% to 50% for the winter in anticipation of the rise in natural gas prices.
One would think that a proposal for a new natural gas pipeline through parts of southern New Hampshire would be met with approval. You'd be wrong.
Reading some of the articles and watching the news reports, I have to conclude the virus that causes overly emotional NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) and BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) responses has infected the populace in some of those towns. Over-the-top 'reasons' for opposing the pipeline appear to dominate, including how the pipeline will adversely affect drinking water and that all of the natural gas will be sold overseas, just to name two. (While the second complaint almost makes sense, one has to remember that there are no natural gas cryo facilities in New Hampshire or Maine which are needed to supercool the gas into liquid form for shipping in LNG tankers. The only such facilities capable of doing this on the East Coast are located in Everett, Massachusetts, just north of Boston, and that facility has been closed for years.)
One has to wonder who will scream the loudest if the pipeline isn't built and electric rates skyrocket again or rolling blackouts are required because of the lack of natural gas to generate electricity? If Ihad to guess (and I will), it will be those same folks protesting against the pipeline.
If people are going to protest such a pipeline, I would find them far more credible if they were arguing against it based upon facts and evidence that such a pipeline would cause the problems they say it will. But basing their dissent upon an emotional response makes their protests ring hollow.
After reading this, I'd have to say it has.
An epidemiologist with the state's Department of Public Health doesn't attribute the epidemic to the lower rate of vaccinations but rather that the existing vaccine is not nearly as effective as past vaccines.
About the most exciting thing I did this weekend was to order a DVD/Blu-ray copy of A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott. Our VHS copy was getting a bit ratty and I didn't know how much longer our VHS deck would continue to operate, so I figured it was time to get a replacement. We watch it every Christmas Eve, a part of our family Christmas tradition. Frankly, I've long believed Scott's portrayal of Scrooge was one of the best I've ever seen.
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I don't think we're going to have to worry about a white Christmas this year unless we get a long stretch of warm weather or a lot of rain between now and then. Considering we've had snowcover since the two days before Thanksgiving, more snow earlier this week, and on again/off again snow flurries just about every day, I think it's a safe bet there will be snow for Christmas.**************
As if I needed a scientific study to know this.A study proves high-heels do have power over men. I know I've always liked women in heels.
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It's not surprising to me and many others that the UVA gang-rape story has fallen apart.Frankly, it sounded too good to be true, at least in regards to how it served the feminist “rape culture” narrative. That there were no reports or criminal investigations in regards to such a brutal gang-rape made me skeptical. I had grave doubts that the alleged victim's 'friends' would convince her not to go to a hospital or report the assault to the police. Either it was made up or her friends weren't really friends at all. Who does that kind of thing to a brutalized friend?
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Here's yet another piece that ties in with my piece about the madness infecting the Obama Administration and the rest of the Progressive movement in the US.Gee, who knew that Mitt Romney was right? I certainly did.
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Then there's this take on the Madness Of King Leftist from The Camp Of The Saints.He is, once again, delusional; he is self-deceiving, mentally disturbed.Indeed.
When such a person and his fellow self-deceivers gain Power And Control, they end-up bringing about pain and suffering and misery and Death.
The Leftist Way Of Thinking now dominates in America. And America is sliding into enslavement.
Soon, of we do not vanquish Leftism from this land, we will find ourselves prisoners of madmen.
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Cap'n Teach links to and comments upon the seven psychological reasons why we aren't tackling Hotcoldwetdry.Teach adds a few of his own:
Why should I take action when Warmists won't in their own lives?I have to correct Cap'n Teach's second point: 100% of the computer models have failed. Not one has correctly predicted the 18+ year pause, nor has one correctly hindcast global temperatures, telling us the models are seriously deficient.
Why should we take action when 95% of computer models have failed?
Why should we destroy economies and hand over our liberty based on junk science, emotionally based arguments, and disingenuous data?
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From the “This Would Be Funny If It Weren't True” files comes this from the Rumford (Maine) Meteor:Bangor Winter Carnival Cancelled Because Of Winter.
One slightly more ironic headline under the same heading:
Common Core Prepares Students For Lucrative Future In Fields That Require Sitting On The Floor And Expressing Your Opinion About Addition.
Indeed.
**************
Bird Dog answers ten questions that have been bugging all of us for years.It's about time.
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How much White Privilege Do You Have?As much as I can grab in order to piss off those who are so obsessed with White Priviliege. That's how much I have.
Morons.
**************
Talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face!One problem New England has had for some time is the lack of natural gas pipeline capacity. That has led to a roller coaster of prices for both gas and electricity. As the demand for gas goes up in the winter, the price of both natural gas and electricity skyrockets. This is because the supply cannot meet the demand, mostly because of that lack of pipeline capacity. The gas prices affect electricity prices because there have been quite a few NG-fired dual-cycle power plants built in New England, some replacing the capacity of coal-fired plants and one nuclear plant taken off-line. Some customers have seen their electric rates go up by 40% to 50% for the winter in anticipation of the rise in natural gas prices.
One would think that a proposal for a new natural gas pipeline through parts of southern New Hampshire would be met with approval. You'd be wrong.
Reading some of the articles and watching the news reports, I have to conclude the virus that causes overly emotional NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) and BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) responses has infected the populace in some of those towns. Over-the-top 'reasons' for opposing the pipeline appear to dominate, including how the pipeline will adversely affect drinking water and that all of the natural gas will be sold overseas, just to name two. (While the second complaint almost makes sense, one has to remember that there are no natural gas cryo facilities in New Hampshire or Maine which are needed to supercool the gas into liquid form for shipping in LNG tankers. The only such facilities capable of doing this on the East Coast are located in Everett, Massachusetts, just north of Boston, and that facility has been closed for years.)
One has to wonder who will scream the loudest if the pipeline isn't built and electric rates skyrocket again or rolling blackouts are required because of the lack of natural gas to generate electricity? If Ihad to guess (and I will), it will be those same folks protesting against the pipeline.
If people are going to protest such a pipeline, I would find them far more credible if they were arguing against it based upon facts and evidence that such a pipeline would cause the problems they say it will. But basing their dissent upon an emotional response makes their protests ring hollow.
**************
Related to the story above, a local politician - a representative to the New Hampshire House - discussed the pipeline protests, talking about how his town voted 419-1 to oppose the pipeline. Despite his personal belief that it might be a good thing, he stated he will do the bidding of his constituents and propose legislation that will make such a pipeline more difficult to route through his town.**************
Has the release of the Senate CIA torture report backfired on the Democrats?After reading this, I'd have to say it has.
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It seems California is battling the worst whooping cough epidemic in 70 years.An epidemiologist with the state's Department of Public Health doesn't attribute the epidemic to the lower rate of vaccinations but rather that the existing vaccine is not nearly as effective as past vaccines.
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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where Christmas is less than two weeks away, folks are being frugal with their gift-giving, and where people are nervously eying their wood piles.12/13/2014
They First Make Mad
This piece is timely considering my previous post.
It seems we have been inundated as of late with contradictory and paradoxical claims about cause and effect, human motivations, and plain history. That has been part and parcel of the Obama Administration, the Democrat Party, and the Catastrophic Anthropogenic Global Warming alarmists, just to name a few. Call it the perfect storm of insanity, something visited upon them by the Gods in order to eventually destroy them. My only qualm about it is that these nutjobs just might take the rest of us with them when they finally implode.
Unfortunately I have run into more than a few of the “true believers” of that stripe. No amount of evidence, facts, or direct observations will sway them from their self-contradictory beliefs. Their entire belief system is based upon sound bites from biased MSM outlets and cribbed from talking point memo-type propaganda campaigns. No real facts or evidence need apply. It doesn’t matter that even plain logic dictates their beliefs are based upon overt falsehoods. Hence the only explanation is that they have become mad, quite mad, I tell you!
That many of these types of folks populate government and, even worse, our schools and colleges, means this madness can spread. (It’s the only reason I can think of that explains the push for Common Core, something that has no redeeming value and leaves our kids incapable of reasoning or thinking critically.)
It seems we have been inundated as of late with contradictory and paradoxical claims about cause and effect, human motivations, and plain history. That has been part and parcel of the Obama Administration, the Democrat Party, and the Catastrophic Anthropogenic Global Warming alarmists, just to name a few. Call it the perfect storm of insanity, something visited upon them by the Gods in order to eventually destroy them. My only qualm about it is that these nutjobs just might take the rest of us with them when they finally implode.
It used to strike me as impossible for global warming to cause cold weather. Then I realized that I could chill a soft drink in the oven if there were no room left in the refrigerator to bake a cake.The last part is due to Obama’s willingness to ignore history, which has shown us appeasing enemies merely encourages them to make even greater demands, or worse, goads them into even more hostile acts because they know we won’t fight back. Even children come to understand that standing up to the playground bully ends the bullying and abuse. Too bad for us Obama and his administration never learned that lesson.
Up until then I did not know that the same cause can have opposite effects. In my unenlightened state, it never occurred to me that carbon dioxide could cause both excessive heat and excessive cold, both drought and flood.
After all, we calm hyperactive children with stimulants and cure addiction to drugs with addicting drugs. When the government goes too far in debt, it borrows more money. We achieve diversity through uniformity. We overcome racism with racism. When children don't learn, we send them to schools that don't teach. We question authority by believing the authorities.
Barack tells looters and arsonists that he too is angry. Michelle tells single mothers on welfare that she too has it rough. Heads they win, tails we lose.
Obama thinks that siding with our enemies against our friends will leave us with no enemies and lots of friends. Hillary Clinton thought that the way to protect Benghazi was to send security away and hire people who hate us. Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad.
…the scientific establishment believes, or at least pretends to believe, that warm weather, cold weather, floods, and droughts are caused by carbon dioxide released into the air by the burning of fossil fuels, that, in other words, human beings control the weather. They think that we can prevent the climate from changing on a planet that has had billions of years of changing climates.Carson forgot to mention the Koch Brothers, the supposed source of all evil in America. (So believes my brother-in-law, who didn’t care that during the mid-term elections that multibillionaire Tom Steyer spent more than an order of magnitude more money trying to keep the Democrats in power than the Koch Brothers did to unseat them.)
Of course, these scientists believe that hot, cold, wet, and dry are great evils, more deadly than nuclear warfare and nerve gas attacks according to the Secretary of State, who for some bizarre reason is in charge of pipeline safety, and they believe that enemies of science deserve the blame for these evils, implying thereby that the reverence once reserved for God belongs to Tea Partiers, Pro-Lifers, Fundamentalists, Big Oil, Texans, Red Staters, the One Percent, Sarah Palin, and Rush Limbaugh.
Unfortunately I have run into more than a few of the “true believers” of that stripe. No amount of evidence, facts, or direct observations will sway them from their self-contradictory beliefs. Their entire belief system is based upon sound bites from biased MSM outlets and cribbed from talking point memo-type propaganda campaigns. No real facts or evidence need apply. It doesn’t matter that even plain logic dictates their beliefs are based upon overt falsehoods. Hence the only explanation is that they have become mad, quite mad, I tell you!
That many of these types of folks populate government and, even worse, our schools and colleges, means this madness can spread. (It’s the only reason I can think of that explains the push for Common Core, something that has no redeeming value and leaves our kids incapable of reasoning or thinking critically.)
12/11/2014
Make It So, Make It So, Make It So!
A little something for all those Star Trek fans out there while I work on a more serious post.
12/09/2014
Is Another Major War Looming?
George Santayana's axiom about history still rings true: Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.
It seems we have been ignoring history and are once again entering a perilous time. What is looming before us is the possibility of war.
Writes Victor Davis Hanson:
We are allowing weak adversaries to dictate terms to us as if by doing so they'll make nice. They won't. They will demand more, and if we don't give it to them, they'll take it by force. Think Putin's moves on Ukraine along with his threats to Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and previous actions against Belarus and Georgia. What did we do? Nothing. China is also becoming more aggressive, as is Iran. This despite the fact that even with our shrinking military we are far stronger than any of them.
Should war come and we end up on the receiving end, we will only have our own leaders to blame, with a lion's share going to President Obama for all his efforts to cripple the US all in the name of some deluded idea of “fairness”. (Not once has TOTUS ever explained what he means by “fair”. I have a feeling it's far different from anyone else's.) The problem is that should war come, he won't be able to explain to the millions of dead why he sacrificed them all in the name of some twisted ideology that has no relation to reality.
It seems we have been ignoring history and are once again entering a perilous time. What is looming before us is the possibility of war.
Writes Victor Davis Hanson:
The world is changing and becoming even more dangerous — in a way we’ve seen before.America's diplomatic and military strength has waned, not because of our country's inherent weakness but because our leaders wanted it that way, assuming that by appeasing our enemies that they wouldn't hate us any more. But history shows that appeasement encourages our enemies to take more drastic measures because they know we aren't likely to stop them. All one needs to do is look up Neville Chamberlain to see how well his efforts to appease Adolph Hitler worked to stem the tide of war. (Hint: It didn't. It merely bought a few months time for Nazi Germany to complete their preparations for the invasion of Poland, kicking off World War II.)
In the decade before World War I, the near-100-year European peace that had followed the fall of Napoleon was taken for granted. Yet it abruptly imploded in 1914. Prior little wars in the Balkans had seemed to predict a much larger one on the horizon — and were ignored.
The exhausted Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires were spent forces unable to control nationalist movements in their provinces. The British Empire was fading. Imperial Germany was rising. Czarist Russia was beset with revolutionary rebellion. As power shifted, decline for some nations seemed like opportunity for others.
The same was true in 1939. The tragedy of the Versailles Treaty of 1919 was not that it had been too harsh. In fact, it was far milder than the terms Germany had imposed on a defeated Russia in 1918 or the requirements it had planned for France in 1914.
Instead, Versailles combined the worst of both worlds: harsh language without any means of enforcement.
The subsequent appeasement of Britain and France, the isolationism of the United States, and the collaboration of the Soviet Union with Nazi Germany green-lighted Hitler’s aggression — and another world war.
We are allowing weak adversaries to dictate terms to us as if by doing so they'll make nice. They won't. They will demand more, and if we don't give it to them, they'll take it by force. Think Putin's moves on Ukraine along with his threats to Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and previous actions against Belarus and Georgia. What did we do? Nothing. China is also becoming more aggressive, as is Iran. This despite the fact that even with our shrinking military we are far stronger than any of them.
Should war come and we end up on the receiving end, we will only have our own leaders to blame, with a lion's share going to President Obama for all his efforts to cripple the US all in the name of some deluded idea of “fairness”. (Not once has TOTUS ever explained what he means by “fair”. I have a feeling it's far different from anyone else's.) The problem is that should war come, he won't be able to explain to the millions of dead why he sacrificed them all in the name of some twisted ideology that has no relation to reality.
12/07/2014
Thoughts On A Sunday
Yet another snowfall blanketed New Hampshire, though not to the extent it had prior to Thanksgiving. We did lose power, but only briefly. This time it wasn't caused by falling tree limbs but by a traffic accident just down the road.
Snowblowing the 3+ inches was problematic seeing as the snow was very wet and heavy, something the Official Weekend Pundit Snowblower didn't handle all that well. (We had to replace one shear pin and clean out the clogged discharge chute over a dozen times.)
With the sun out today we got some more melting of the ice/frozen slush left after clearing the driveway.
I'm just hoping this isn't setting the pattern for snowfall for the rest of the winter, something my grandfather always talked about. He was firm believer the first couple of snowfalls indicated the pattern of storms for the rest of the winter. If that is indeed the case then this is going to be a long arduous winter.
This from an administration that touted itself as “one of the most transparent presidencies in history.” The Nixon White House was more transparent than this administration, and that's saying something.
Landrieu lost her runoff election against GOP challenger Bill Cassidy, losing by almost 12 percentage points, handing the Republicans a solid 54 seat majority in the US Senate.
Washington needs to be reminded that it serves us and not the other way around.
“Contemporary liberalism is a scheme for the already affluent and influential ti increase their power.”
In other words, Liberalism is a hoax.
(H/T Eric The Viking)
The problem?
The video tape in question shows no punches being thrown by the officer despite claims to the contrary by the girl's mother and the person who recorded the video.
So who are we to believe? Our lying eyes watching the video tape or the two 'witnesses'?
In Wisconsin it has become evident that 15,000 teachers have no love of their union, with 25 more unions decertified by their 'members' votes. When the unions are nothing more than a fund-raising organ of one particular political party (Hint: it isn't the GOP), their reason to exist is gone. They really don't represent the rank-and-file and as such shouldn't expect to retain any loyalty of their members. Once the union members had the power to decide whether or not their union should survive, a lot of them saw decertification as a path to freedom and took it.
If others are given the opportunity I expect to see similar results.
Each year epidemiologists make educated guesses about which flu strains will be making the rounds. For the most part they get it right. Just not this year.
Great. I guess I'll have to do like Glenn Reynolds has suggested and lay in a supply of Tamiflu.
Snowblowing the 3+ inches was problematic seeing as the snow was very wet and heavy, something the Official Weekend Pundit Snowblower didn't handle all that well. (We had to replace one shear pin and clean out the clogged discharge chute over a dozen times.)
With the sun out today we got some more melting of the ice/frozen slush left after clearing the driveway.
I'm just hoping this isn't setting the pattern for snowfall for the rest of the winter, something my grandfather always talked about. He was firm believer the first couple of snowfalls indicated the pattern of storms for the rest of the winter. If that is indeed the case then this is going to be a long arduous winter.
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It's not surprising to me that the White House has refused to release any documents relating to the IRS targeting conservative groups for 'special' scrutiny. After all, the Obama Administration has a lot to hide.This from an administration that touted itself as “one of the most transparent presidencies in history.” The Nixon White House was more transparent than this administration, and that's saying something.
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Mary Landrieu can add a new title to her collection: ex-US Senator.Landrieu lost her runoff election against GOP challenger Bill Cassidy, losing by almost 12 percentage points, handing the Republicans a solid 54 seat majority in the US Senate.
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I have to agree with many who think the only way to rein in the federal government overreach is for the state legislatures to wrest power away from Washington, exercising their Ninth an d Tenth Amendment rights, and if need be, call for an Article V constitutional convention.Washington needs to be reminded that it serves us and not the other way around.
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In line with what I wrote above, I think we should consider adding a Sunset Committee to Congress whose sole purpose will be to review all older legislation and programs and decide which of them are no longer germane, duplicative, or are at cross-purposes with other laws. It will then create a list of those laws and programs and generate legislation to “sunset” them, i.e. repeal the no longer needed laws or shutdown the useless or redundant programs. A number of states have them, so why not the federal government? (New Hampshire used to have just such a Sunset Commission, but it did away with itself some time in the late 80's. I think it's time to bring it back.)**************
Glenn Reynolds comments upon the fake UVA gang-rape scandal and links to previous posts and comments about how college campuses are now hostile environments for males. Some of his previous posts date back to 2002, so it isn't as if this anti-male hostility on campuses has sprung up just recently.**************
There seems to be some truth in this.“Contemporary liberalism is a scheme for the already affluent and influential ti increase their power.”
In other words, Liberalism is a hoax.
Liberal myths propagated to generate outrage and activism, to organize and coordinate and mobilize disparate grievances and conflicting agendas, so often have the same relation to truth, accuracy, and legitimacy as a Bud Light commercial. Marketing is not limited to business. Inside the office buildings of Washington, D.C., are thousands upon thousands of professionals whose livelihoods depend on the fact that there is no better way than a well-run public-relations campaign to get you to do what they want. What recent weeks have done is provide several lessons in the suspect nature of such campaigns.Then again, most of the American people have known that for a long time.
(H/T Eric The Viking)
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It seems an Arizona police officer was recorded on video “brutally attacking” a 15-year old girl during a traffic stop.The problem?
The video tape in question shows no punches being thrown by the officer despite claims to the contrary by the girl's mother and the person who recorded the video.
So who are we to believe? Our lying eyes watching the video tape or the two 'witnesses'?
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Regular readers know I have no love for labor unions, particularly in light of my almost 20-year membership in one. It appears I'm not the only one who feels animosity for unions, particularly their own unions. This is particularly true of public-employee unions.In Wisconsin it has become evident that 15,000 teachers have no love of their union, with 25 more unions decertified by their 'members' votes. When the unions are nothing more than a fund-raising organ of one particular political party (Hint: it isn't the GOP), their reason to exist is gone. They really don't represent the rank-and-file and as such shouldn't expect to retain any loyalty of their members. Once the union members had the power to decide whether or not their union should survive, a lot of them saw decertification as a path to freedom and took it.
If others are given the opportunity I expect to see similar results.
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I've put off my annual flu vaccine, not because I didn't think I needed it but because I just plain keep forgetting to get it. Now it looks like I probably won't bother this year because the vaccine that is available is a poor match of this year's flu virus.Each year epidemiologists make educated guesses about which flu strains will be making the rounds. For the most part they get it right. Just not this year.
The season has only just begun, but 91 percent of the approximately 1,200 samples tested thus far are of the H3N2 subtype of influenza A, Dr. Frieden said. Almost all the rest were influenza B. There were almost no samples of the H1 subtype, a descendant of the 2009 swine flu strain.The new subtype showed up early this spring and in the US early this fall. That meant there wasn't any time to create an updated vaccine so we're stuck with the one we have.
Years in which H3 subtypes are more common than H1 subtypes tend to lead to more hospitalizations and deaths.
Moreover, about half of those H3 subtypes — or about 45 percent of all the samples tested so far — are of a new H3 subtype that this season’s flu vaccine does not protect well against.
Great. I guess I'll have to do like Glenn Reynolds has suggested and lay in a supply of Tamiflu.
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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the temperatures are plummeting, more snow is forecast for the middle of the week, and where we're already getting a good case of snow fatigue...and it's not even yet.12/06/2014
Local Progressives Unminded By Midterm Election Results
Since the mid-term elections, our local Progressives have been going out of their minds. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say their mental states have deteriorated even farther than most of us even thought possible.
One of our more vocal and emotional progressive academics has deteriorated to the point where he is no longer able to differentiate between reality and the delusions from which he suffers. This delusional state has him libeling an entire group of people he doesn't know, has never met, and will never lower himself to meet. (Then again, he's an leftist academic, and in his mind no one with contrary viewpoints can ever offer him insight into the real world.)
His latest target: the Tea Party.
Like many on the Left, he accuses his opponents of deeds and actions that he himself would have no problem supporting as long as they were used against those he saw as “enemies of the state”, in this case the state as defined by Marx, Lenin, and Stalin. How do I know this? Because of his false accusations about Tea Party activities.
More than a few people responded to this crank's claims, showing for the jerk and propagandist he is.
One suggested that if he really wanted to find out what the Tea Party was all about that he should attend a meeting. His response: silence.
Another suggested he check the definition of fascism in the dictionary as it was quite evident he didn't have a clue what it means. That's a surprise considering he's an academic. His response: silence.
Another dinged him one the lies told by his fellow travelers in support of Obamacare. His response: silence.
Yet another reminded him that most people merely want life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, a concept that appears to be foreign to this academic jerk. He also sets this fellow straight, slamming him for his derogatory and libelous language. But what does he expect from a willfully ignorant, indoctrinated drone incapable of expressing an opinion that wasn't programmed into him by his progressive handlers?
One of our more vocal and emotional progressive academics has deteriorated to the point where he is no longer able to differentiate between reality and the delusions from which he suffers. This delusional state has him libeling an entire group of people he doesn't know, has never met, and will never lower himself to meet. (Then again, he's an leftist academic, and in his mind no one with contrary viewpoints can ever offer him insight into the real world.)
His latest target: the Tea Party.
Not all conservatives, even extreme conservatives, can be called fascist. However, the Tea Party and similar movements which have infiltrated even traditionally moderate state Republican parties often possess certain characteristics that make may make them the closest thing we have seen to an American fascist movement in decades.I don't know about you, but I am not aware of any “fascist” movement that wants the government to leave the people alone, to follow the law, not spend money it doesn't have on things the people don't want, and to perform the function it is supposed to. But then, fascist is a term used by this close-minded jerk to describe anyone who dares to disagree with his totalitarian ideology.
Like many on the Left, he accuses his opponents of deeds and actions that he himself would have no problem supporting as long as they were used against those he saw as “enemies of the state”, in this case the state as defined by Marx, Lenin, and Stalin. How do I know this? Because of his false accusations about Tea Party activities.
The Tea Party has not yet taken to extreme acts of violence. But, why is the movement arming itself?He implies the Tea Party has already resorted to violence, just not “extreme acts of violence.” But he doesn't cite a single act of violence committed by Tea Party members. Not one. And the reason why he won't is because there are none.
More than a few people responded to this crank's claims, showing for the jerk and propagandist he is.
One suggested that if he really wanted to find out what the Tea Party was all about that he should attend a meeting. His response: silence.
Another suggested he check the definition of fascism in the dictionary as it was quite evident he didn't have a clue what it means. That's a surprise considering he's an academic. His response: silence.
Another dinged him one the lies told by his fellow travelers in support of Obamacare. His response: silence.
Yet another reminded him that most people merely want life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, a concept that appears to be foreign to this academic jerk. He also sets this fellow straight, slamming him for his derogatory and libelous language. But what does he expect from a willfully ignorant, indoctrinated drone incapable of expressing an opinion that wasn't programmed into him by his progressive handlers?
12/05/2014
12/03/2014
The High Political Cost Of Cheap Oil
We always complain when the price of oil goes up, seeing how it affects the price of gasoline and heating fules, and by extension, the cost of everything else. But there are those who bemoan the falling price of energy, not because they are oil producers but because they have everything they can do to artificially raise the cost of energy. Who are “they”?
The White House, of course.
While it seems that we will never run out of oil, something that is anathema to Obama's push to price energy until it is out of reach of everyone not in the top 10% “for our own good”, the glut in oil supplies is driving prices down and causing ripples across the world's economy. In the US, lower oil pries and expanding supply have put immense pressure on the bio-fuel industry, making it less attractive economically and an expensive alternative to a cheap, plentiful fuel. It will continue to require government mandates to remain viable even though there is no real need for its existence.
Elsewhere, the drop in oil prices is putting the squeeze on governments dependent upon oil revenues for funds. One of those now in financial trouble is Russia, which requires oil to be at $100 per barrel in order to assure it will have the money to fund the government. With oil under $70 per barrel, Russia's government is in trouble. Iran is also in similar financial straits, as is Venezuela. (Venezuela's problems go beyond the drop in oil prices, with one of the biggest being the fall-off in oil production due to its failing petroleum infrastructure.)
Lower prices may also affect the dollar's power since there appears to be a shift away from the dollar as a pricing measure for crude oil. Some of this is driven by the sanctions laid upon Russia and Iran, which means they have great incentives to find ways of not using dollars for their oil sales. The rest may be laid at the feet of the US Federal Reserve's monetary policies that have made the dollar less attractive as a reserve currency.
It will be interesting to see what the lower prices will do to the shifting power structures throughout the world.
The White House, of course.
While it seems that we will never run out of oil, something that is anathema to Obama's push to price energy until it is out of reach of everyone not in the top 10% “for our own good”, the glut in oil supplies is driving prices down and causing ripples across the world's economy. In the US, lower oil pries and expanding supply have put immense pressure on the bio-fuel industry, making it less attractive economically and an expensive alternative to a cheap, plentiful fuel. It will continue to require government mandates to remain viable even though there is no real need for its existence.
Elsewhere, the drop in oil prices is putting the squeeze on governments dependent upon oil revenues for funds. One of those now in financial trouble is Russia, which requires oil to be at $100 per barrel in order to assure it will have the money to fund the government. With oil under $70 per barrel, Russia's government is in trouble. Iran is also in similar financial straits, as is Venezuela. (Venezuela's problems go beyond the drop in oil prices, with one of the biggest being the fall-off in oil production due to its failing petroleum infrastructure.)
Lower prices may also affect the dollar's power since there appears to be a shift away from the dollar as a pricing measure for crude oil. Some of this is driven by the sanctions laid upon Russia and Iran, which means they have great incentives to find ways of not using dollars for their oil sales. The rest may be laid at the feet of the US Federal Reserve's monetary policies that have made the dollar less attractive as a reserve currency.
It will be interesting to see what the lower prices will do to the shifting power structures throughout the world.
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