Fully Offset

Al Gore, Ignoramus

2010-04-17T10:23:00.000-07:00

Power Line - Al Gore, Ignoramus: "It is a remarkable fact that Al Gore has had a significant influence on public policy relating to science when he is, in fact, utterly uneducated in scientific matters and is of very limited intelligence.

On the other hand, he's gotten rich, so I guess the joke is on us."

Hockey night in Liberia: NHL jerseys everywhere in war-torn nation

2010-04-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

Hockey night in Liberia: NHL jerseys everywhere in war-torn nation: "Under the shade of a lush green palm tree, a hefty Liberian man sells pineapples and tries to escape the muggy tropical heat. All the while, he proudly sports a long-sleeved heavy-knit Toronto Maple Leafs hockey sweater."

The Supposed Sham of Advertising

2010-04-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

The Supposed Sham of Advertising - Jeremiah Dyke - Mises Institute

The Smart Branding Story Behind Haiti's Brightly-Painted Buses

2010-04-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

The Smart Branding Story Behind Haiti's Brightly-Painted Buses | Designerati | Fast Company

Marginal Revolution: Equality Shoes

2010-03-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

Marginal Revolution: Equality Shoes: "At 6'2', I prefer this to equality limb shortening!"

QOTW

2010-03-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

SteynOnline - Steynposts: "The quality of your argument is only important if you want to win by persuasion."

Renewable energy: Illinois moves to add tire burning to definition of renewable energy

2010-03-24T10:39:00.000-07:00

Renewable energy: Illinois moves to add tire burning to definition of renewable energy - chicagotribune.com

Blessed are those the rentseekers for they seek free rent.

Africa's Cyber WMD

2010-03-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

Africa's Cyber WMD - By Franz-Stefan Gady | Foreign Policy

Some Truckee Residents Not Cool With Penis Snow Sculpture

2010-03-18T14:09:00.000-07:00

Some Truckee Residents Not Cool With Penis Snow Sculpture - KTXL

They rejected my headline of "Truckee Residents Choked at MTV's Behaviour"

S. Weasel

2010-03-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

S. Weasel: "So let’s point out the utterly fucking obvious, shall we? There is no relationship between blogs and trees. Nobody is waiting around for a pingback before they go stick a spruce in the ground."

The case against the hockey stick

2010-03-16T16:14:00.000-07:00

The case against the hockey stick - Prospect Magazine: "Andrew Montford’s The Hockey Stick Illusion is one of the best science books in years. It exposes in delicious detail, datum by datum, how a great scientific mistake of immense political weight was perpetrated, defended and camouflaged by a scientific establishment that should now be red with shame. It is a book about principal components, data mining and confidence intervals—subjects that have never before been made thrilling. It is the biography of a graph."

Theodore H. Frank: I am not afraid of my Toyota Prius

2010-03-16T16:06:00.000-07:00

Theodore H. Frank: I am not afraid of my Toyota Prius | Washington Examiner: "In the 24 cases where driver age was reported or readily inferred, the drivers included those of the ages 60, 61, 63, 66, 68, 71, 72, 72, 77, 79, 83, 85, 89—and I’m leaving out the son whose age wasn’t identified, but whose 94-year-old father died as a passenger.

These “electronic defects” apparently discriminate against the elderly, just as the sudden acceleration of Audis and GM autos did before them. (If computers are going to discriminate against anyone, they should be picking on the young, who are more likely to take up arms against the rise of the machines and future Terminators)."

American lawmakers look to pull out of NAFTA

2010-03-09T16:49:00.000-08:00

American lawmakers look to pull out of NAFTA: "Forget about the trouble Canada had with the Buy America policy, there is a new game in Washington; it’s called Block Canada. A group of congressmen have given their backing to a bill that if passed, would see President Barack Obama give six-months notice that the United States was withdrawing from the North American Free Trade Agreement."

American lawmakers look to give up supply of freshwater, oil, lumber, gold, diamonds, tourism, good faith and zinc.

Mirror, Mirror

2010-03-07T10:10:00.000-08:00

Mirror, Mirror - WSJ.com: "Krugman scoffs: 'To me, that's a bizarre point of view--but then, I don't live in Mr. Kyl's universe.'

What does textbook economics have to say about this question? Here is a passage from a textbook called 'Macroeconomics':

Public policy designed to help workers who lose their jobs can lead to structural unemployment as an unintended side effect. . . . In other countries, particularly in Europe, benefits are more generous and last longer. The drawback to this generosity is that it reduces a worker's incentive to quickly find a new job. Generous unemployment benefits in some European countries are widely believed to be one of the main causes of 'Eurosclerosis,' the persistent high unemployment that affects a number of European countries.

So it turns out that what Krugman calls Sen. Kyl's 'bizarre point of view' is, in fact, textbook economics. The authors of that textbook are Paul Krugman and Robin Wells. Miss Wells is also known as Mrs. Paul Krugman."

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

2010-03-07T09:41:00.000-08:00

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial | Ten Geekiest Best Picture Nominees | Power Grid | Geekosystem: "The makers of M&Ms, as well, found E.T. himself so ugly that they passed up the use of their candy in the film, a place that Reese's Pieces was glad to fill."

Lol at the autobiography joke.

U.S. Economy Grinds To Halt As Nation Realizes Money Just A Symbolic, Mutually Shared Illusion

2010-03-05T19:54:00.000-08:00

U.S. Economy Grinds To Halt As Nation Realizes Money Just A Symbolic, Mutually Shared Illusion | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Waiting to hear 'we're sorry'

2010-03-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

Waiting to hear 'we're sorry': "How can reporters assigned to write about the IPCC's credibility problem fail to Google 'IPCC hockey stick'? It's called 'research.' For that matter, why did journalists tell us the IPCC was an 'international panel of climate scientists' (New York Times editorial board) when that organization's own website says it's 'comprised of government delegations'?"

OK Go, "This Too Shall Pass"

2010-03-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

OK Go, "This Too Shall Pass" (RGM version) [VIDEO]

Killer tiger safe: Ontario police

2010-02-12T20:29:00.000-08:00

CBC News - Toronto - Killer tiger safe: Ontario police

Tigers in the news.

ht Kyle

The global warming guerrillas

2010-02-07T20:11:00.000-08:00

The global warming guerrillas | The Spectator

He's entirely right about the failure of the investigative reporters.

Danny Williams going to U.S. for heart surgery

2010-02-01T23:19:00.000-08:00

CBC News - Nfld. & Labrador - Danny Williams going to U.S. for heart surgery: "Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams is set to undergo heart surgery this week in the United States."

It'll shorten wait times in Goose Bay.

Osama bin Laden enters global warming debate

2010-01-30T12:30:00.000-08:00

Osama bin Laden enters global warming debate - Telegraph

Something comes to mind about lying with dogs and fleas.... and then it passes... strange.

California: Not Dysfunctional Enough!

2010-01-30T12:20:00.000-08:00

small dead animals: California: Not Dysfunctional Enough!: "Now is the time at SDA when we juxtapose

BBC - California 'protects' Apollo 11 landing site on Moon

Mercury News - California controller: State will run out of cash before April"

J. D. Salinger, Enigmatic Author of ‘The Catcher in the Rye,’ Dies at 91

2010-01-28T14:19:00.000-08:00

J. D. Salinger, Enigmatic Author of ‘The Catcher in the Rye,’ Dies at 91 - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com: "(Mr. Salinger, who used italics almost as a form of musical notation, was a master not of literary speech but of speech as people actually spoke it)"

The “FDIC lotto” reason banks aren’t lending

2010-01-28T14:08:00.000-08:00

The “FDIC lotto” reason banks aren’t lending | Analysis & Opinion | Reuters: "The problem here is that healthy banks end up competing with each other to have the largest capital surplus and therefore the greatest chance of being anointed in this manner by the FDIC. If everybody was lending, the FDIC would still have to place failed banks’ assets and deposits with someone. But instead we get the opposite corner solution, where nobody is lending — except, presumably, for banks which are close to failure and need all the interest income they can get. I wonder whether the FDIC has anybody thinking about how to counteract this syndrome."

Public's Priorities for 2010: Economy, Jobs, Terrorism: Summary of Findings

2010-01-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

Public's Priorities for 2010: Economy, Jobs, Terrorism: Summary of Findings - Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Paying Zero for Public Services

2010-01-27T12:50:00.000-08:00

Paying Zero for Public Services | Exploring the interactions among public opinion, governance, and the public sphere: "In Doha last month, CommGAP learned about the work of 5th Pillar, which has a unique initiative to mobilize citizens to fight corruption. In India, petty corruption is pervasive – people often face situations where they are asked to pay bribes for public services that should be provided free. 5th Pillar distributes zero rupee notes in the hopes that ordinary Indians can use these notes as a means to protest demands for bribes by public officials. I recently spoke with Vijay Anand, 5th Pillar’s president, to learn more about this fascinating initiative."

Does the United States own any pandas or are they all on a lease?

2010-01-26T20:24:00.000-08:00

Does the United States own any pandas or are they all on a lease? | Answerbag: "THE UNITED STATES DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE PANDAS.. THEY BELONG TO CHINA AND ARE ON LOAN FOR 12 YEARS. THEY ARE TO BE RETURNED WHEN AND IF THE EPIDEMIC THAT THREATENS TO WIPE THEM OUT IS EVER GONE. ALL THE BABIES BORN TO THE PANDAS ARE ALSO TO BE RETURNED TO CHINA AND DO NOT BELONG TO THE UNITED SATES.. THEY BELONG TO CHINA. ANY AND ALL PANDAS AND BABIES"

Fooling Yourself

2010-01-26T13:49:00.000-08:00

Fooling Yourself � Cheap Talk: "I once tried setting my watch ahead a few minutes to help me make it to appointments on time. At first it worked, but not because I was fooled. I would glance at the watch, get worried that I was late, then remember that the watch is fast. But that brief flash acted as a sort of preview of how it feels to be late. And the feeling is a better motivator than the thought in the abstract."

Not From The Onion

2010-01-26T13:33:00.000-08:00

Marginal Revolution: Not From The Onion: "The 9,000-student K-8 district this week pulled all copies of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary after an Oak Meadows Elementary School parent complained about a child stumbling across definitions for 'oral sex.'

The decision was made without consultation with the district's school board and has raised concerns among First Amendment experts and some parents.

Other parents and Menifee residents, though, have praised the district's decision, saying a collegiate-level dictionary is inappropriate for younger children.

Words fail me and now apparently also the students in Menifee."

The economics of child soldiering

2010-01-26T12:42:00.000-08:00

The economics of child soldiering – Chris Blattman

There's no reason for Rod Stewart's Soulbook to be taking up space in the world

2010-01-22T12:06:00.000-08:00

There's no reason for Rod Stewart's Soulbook to be taking up space in the world | Vancouver, Canada | Straight.com

The psychology of power: Absolutely

2010-01-22T12:01:00.000-08:00

The psychology of power: Absolutely | The Economist: "These results, then, suggest that the powerful do indeed behave hypocritically, condemning the transgressions of others more than they condemn their own."

Popeye Admits To Spinach Use

2010-01-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

BREAKING: Popeye Admits To Spinach Use | The Awl

Biblical citations found on Forces’ gunsights

2010-01-22T11:06:00.000-08:00

Biblical citations found on Forces’ gunsights

I'm pretty sure our enemy would care more about the bullets than the vague inscription.

Covering Haiti: When the Media Is the Disaster

2010-01-22T10:45:00.000-08:00

Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics: "I’m talking, of course, about those members of the mass media whose misrepresentation of what goes on in disaster often abets and justifies a second wave of disaster. I’m talking about the treatment of sufferers as criminals, both on the ground and in the news, and the endorsement of a shift of resources from rescue to property patrol. They still have blood on their hands from Hurricane Katrina, and they are staining themselves anew in Haiti."

Improving Access to Research -- Courant et al. 327 (5964): 393 -- Science

2010-01-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

Improving Access to Research -- Courant et al. 327 (5964): 393 -- Science

The sweet irony is that this Improving Access article is behind a firewall.

A Canadian misunderstanding: Just history

2010-01-21T11:22:00.000-08:00

A Canadian misunderstanding: Just history | The Economist: "This is known online as the Scunthorpe problem, after the town in Britain whose residents were initially unable to register with AOL because its name contained an obscenity."

Who will lead Haiti's security?

2010-01-21T11:20:00.000-08:00

Who will lead Haiti's security? | Al Jazeera Blogs: "There appear to be some rising tensions between countries leading the relief efforts in Haiti. We know the US is sending in upwards of 10,000 troops to the country. But since 2004, Brazil’s military has been the commanding force leading the Haiti UN peacekeeping mission, technically referred to as MINUSTAH. Brazil has about 1,700 soldiers in Haiti and commands about another 5,300 UN forces in Haiti."

Billy Corgan, Jessica Simpson split

2010-01-20T13:00:00.000-08:00

Billy Corgan, Jessica Simpson split | Stuff.co.nz

Wait... What?

France alarmed over anthrax-tainted heroin in Europe

2010-01-20T00:21:00.000-08:00

France alarmed over anthrax-tainted heroin in Europe

OMG it's gonna kill you faster!

Color Me A Dinosaur

2010-01-19T23:08:00.000-08:00

Color Me A Dinosaur - Weather Sealed: "Ever industrious, Velo also calculated the average growth rate: 2.56% annually. For maximum understandability, he reformulated it as “Crayola’s Law,” which states:

The number of colors doubles every 28 years!"

FloDesign high efficiency Wind Turbine based on Jet engine technology

2010-01-19T13:36:00.000-08:00

YouTube - FloDesign high efficiency Wind Turbine based on Jet engine technology

Beyond boundaries

2010-01-18T23:45:00.000-08:00

Beyond boundaries - The National Newspaper: "India is one of the world’s oldest civilisations; but as a nation-state it is relatively very new, and its nationalism can still appear weak and unresolved, as became freshly clear in August, when the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party expelled its veteran leader Jaswant Singh. Singh had dared to praise, in a new book about the partition of India, the founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah. Indian nationalists, of both the hardline Hindu and soft-secular kind, see Jinnah as the Muslim fanatic primarily responsible for the vivisection of their “Mother India” in 1947. But Singh chose to blame the partition on allegedly power-hungry Hindu freedom fighters, rather than Jinnah, who he claimed had stood for a united India."

Moscow’s stray dogs

2010-01-18T23:43:00.000-08:00

FT.com / Reportage - Moscow’s stray dogs: "There is one special sub-group of strays that stands apart from the rest: Moscow’s metro dogs. “The metro dog appeared for the simple reason that it was permitted to enter,” says Andrei Neuronov, an author and specialist in animal behaviour and psychology, who has worked with Vladimir Putin’s black female Labrador retriever, Connie (“a very nice pup”). “This began in the late 1980s during perestroika,” he says. “When more food appeared, people began to live better and feed strays.” The dogs started by riding on overground trams and buses, where supervisors were becoming increasingly thin on the ground."

Auto-appendectomy in the Antarctic: case report -- Rogozov and Bermel 339: b4965 -- BMJ

2010-01-15T16:46:00.000-08:00

Auto-appendectomy in the Antarctic: case report -- Rogozov and Bermel 339: b4965 -- BMJ: "'I did not sleep at all last night. It hurts like the devil! A snowstorm whipping through my soul, wailing like a hundred jackals. Still no obvious symptoms that perforation is imminent, but an oppressive feeling of foreboding hangs over me . . . This is it . . . I have to think through the only possible way out: to operate on myself . . . It’s almost impossible . . . but I can’t just fold my arms and give up."

The Joe Kennedy Irony

2010-01-15T16:22:00.000-08:00

The Joe Kennedy Irony - Real Clear Politics – TIME.com

The Ghosts of Port-au-Prince

2010-01-14T11:49:00.000-08:00

The Ghosts of Port-au-Prince - By Daniel P. Erikson | Foreign Policy: "Few would dispute that Haiti is one of the most troubled countries in the world, but the precise causes of its seemingly never-ending political and economic turmoil defy easy classification. Haiti is not at war with its neighbors, nor does it face a violent insurgency from within. The Haitian military, once among the most noxious armed forces in the Western Hemisphere, has been disbanded and replaced by a police force that is corrupt and incompetent, but hardly a major force for state repression."

Under the Jungle

2010-01-13T14:47:00.000-08:00

Under the Jungle: News Desk : The New Yorker: "The gradual devastation of the Amazon—the felling of thousands of square miles of forest, the clear-cutting of the jungle—has produced, paradoxically, one of the greatest archeological discoveries: a vast and complex ancient civilization."

Zakaria: Don't Overreact to Terrorism

2010-01-09T10:10:00.000-08:00

Zakaria: Don't Overreact to Terrorism - Fareed Zakaria - Newsweek.com: "Terrorism is an unusual military tactic in that it depends on the response of the onlookers. If we are not terrorized, then the attack didn't work. Alas, this one worked very well."

Bloggers Left and Right Agree to Hate Health Care Reform

2010-01-07T14:36:00.000-08:00

Bloggers Left and Right Agree to Hate Health Care Reform - TIME: "The denizens of the left blogosphere consider themselves the Democratic Party's base. But they are not. For Democrats, as opposed to Republicans, the wing is not the base; the legions of loyal African Americans, union members, Jews, women and Latinos are. In the end, the sillier left-village practitioners are stoking the same populist exaggeration — the idea that Washington is controlled by crooks and sellouts — that conservative strategists like Bill Kristol believe will bring the Republicans back to power. The perversity of this is beyond comprehension."

R.O.I. on Cancer Spending: Better Than We Think?

2010-01-06T13:11:00.000-08:00

R.O.I. on Cancer Spending: Better Than We Think? - Freakonomics Blog - NYTimes.com: "Believe it or not, this flat mortality rate actually hides some good news. Over the same period, age-adjusted mortality from cardiovascular disease has plummeted, from nearly 600 people per 100,000 to well below 300. What does this mean? Many people who in previous generations would have died from heart disease are now living long enough to die from cancer instead."

The Science of Success | David Dobbs

2010-01-05T11:51:00.000-08:00

The Atlantic Online | December 2009 | The Science of Success | David Dobbs: "Recently, however, an alternate hypothesis has emerged from this one and is turning it inside out. This new model suggests that it’s a mistake to understand these “risk” genes only as liabilities. Yes, this new thinking goes, these bad genes can create dysfunction in unfavorable contexts—but they can also enhance function in favorable contexts. The genetic sensitivities to negative experience that the vulnerability hypothesis has identified, it follows, are just the downside of a bigger phenomenon: a heightened genetic sensitivity to all experience."

Dementia surge to cost $153B by 2038: report

2010-01-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

CBC News - British Columbia - Dementia surge to cost $153B by 2038: report: "The Alzheimer Society of Canada commissioned the report, entitled Rising Tide: The Impact of Dementia on Canadian Society, which projects that the number of cases will more than double to 1.25 million by 2038 as society ages."

The Greatest Story Rarely Told - Check out the comments

2010-01-02T16:43:00.000-08:00

The Greatest Story Rarely Told:
"People are tired of being conned by journalists who have no real world background that have no way of knowing what they are reporting, pushing a computer model down our throats and wrapping themselves in a green cloak!
In fact journalists are rapidly losing their relevance to modern society due to a lack of skills and experience, not writting skills, but real world skills. So those of us who live in the real world of manufacturing, mining, real energy production, small business, mid-sized business, non-union business, see journalists for what they are, a bunch of idealistic kids."

Why do so many terrorists have engineering degrees?

2009-12-30T16:19:00.000-08:00

Why do so many terrorists have engineering degrees? - By Benjamin Popper - Slate Magazine: "Engineering is not a profession most people associate with religion. The concrete trade of buildings and bridges seems grounded in the secular principles of science. But the failed attack this Christmas by mechanical engineer Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was a reminder that the combination has a long history of producing violent radicals."

Is Food the New Sex?

2009-12-29T10:38:00.000-08:00

Hoover Institution - Policy Review - Is Food the New Sex?: "One more critical link between the appetites for sex and food is this: Both, if pursued without regard to consequence, can prove ruinous not only to oneself, but also to other people, and even to society itself. No doubt for that reason, both appetites have historically been subject in all civilizations to rules both formal and informal. Thus the potentially destructive forces of sex — disease, disorder, sexual aggression, sexual jealousy, and what used to be called “home-wrecking” — have been ameliorated in every recorded society by legal, social, and religious conventions, primarily stigma and punishment. Similarly, all societies have developed rules and rituals governing food in part to avoid the destructiveness of free-for-alls over scarce necessities. And while food rules may not always have been as stringent as sex rules, they have nevertheless been stringent as needed. Such is the meaning, for example, of being hanged for stealing a loaf of bread in the marketplace, or keel-hauled for plundering rations on a ship."

EPA Regulations Cause Drought in California

2009-12-29T10:36:00.000-08:00

EPA Regulations Cause Drought in California - WSJ.com: "The result has already been devastating for the state's farm economy. In the inland areas affected by the court-ordered water restrictions, the jobless rate has hit 14.3%, with some farming towns like Mendota seeing unemployment numbers near 40%. Statewide, the rate reached 11.6% in July, higher than it has been in 30 years. In August, 50 mayors from the San Joaquin Valley signed a letter asking President Obama to observe the impact of the draconian water rules firsthand."

What % Of 7-Footers Play Basketball?

2009-12-29T10:24:00.000-08:00

VDARE.com: Blog Articles - What % Of 7-Footers Play Basketball?: "Presumably, by “best chess player” in the world, Cowen means the most naturally talented. That raises the question of whether “overwhelming passion for the game” should be considered a talent or not. If somebody has the natural ability to be the best but lacks the urge to practice, they won’t be a top chess player.

Generally speaking, the people who claw their way to the top of something are fanatics about it. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were crazy about swinging golf clubs before their second birthdays."

Why are modern scientists so dull?

2009-12-29T10:20:00.000-08:00

Medical Hypotheses: Why are modern scientists so dull?

The "blueprints" of Monsieur Eiffel

2009-12-28T15:24:00.000-08:00

The "blueprints" of Monsieur Eiffel

EDITORIAL: Biased reporting on Climategate

2009-12-28T15:23:00.000-08:00

EDITORIAL: Biased reporting on Climategate - Washington Times: "There's a big difference between saying that there isn't sufficient evidence to determine if falsification of data occurred - and that there should be an investigation - and saying, as AP did: 'Science not faked.'"

John Mackey and Whole Foods

2009-12-28T15:21:00.000-08:00

John Mackey and Whole Foods : The New Yorker: "A year ago, Mackey came across a book called “The Engine 2 Diet,” by an Austin, Texas, firefighter and former professional triathlete named Rip Esselstyn. Basically, you eat plants: you are a rabbit with a skillet. Mackey had been a vegetarian for more than thirty years, and a vegan for five, but the Engine 2 book, among others, helped get him to give up vegetable oils, sugar, and pretty much anything processed. He lost fifteen pounds."

Awkward Timing for a Book by Woods

2009-12-28T08:57:00.000-08:00

Awkward Timing for a Book by Woods - NYTimes.com: "In the audio book, Mr. Woods shares the “psychological practices he uses daily to keep his game in top shape and help him transcend all the ups and downs of golf,” according to a description in Hachette Audio’s spring-summer 2010 catalog, which was mailed recently to bookstores and journalists."

The Canucks in Canuckville

2009-12-25T11:45:00.000-08:00

small dead animals: The Canucks In Canuckville: "We’ll make them join unions; we’ll meddle with wages,
We’ll subsidize books with Canadian pages
We’ll give them a Charter with rights no one knows,
With rulings from judges that no voter chose."

Conservatism Is Dead

2009-12-25T11:17:00.000-08:00

Conservatism Is Dead | The New Republic: "Today, the situation is much bleaker. After George W. Bush's two terms, conservatives must reckon with the consequences of a presidency that failed, in large part, because of its fervent commitment to movement ideology: the aggressively unilateralist foreign policy; the blind faith in a deregulated, Wall Street-centric market; the harshly punitive 'culture war' waged against liberal 'elites.' That these precepts should have found their final, hapless defender in John McCain, who had resisted them for most of his long career, only confirms that movement doctrine retains an inflexible and suffocating grip on the GOP."

American's Crazed Corn Habit

2009-12-22T16:54:00.000-08:00

American's Crazed Corn Habit - Justin Rohrlich - Mises Institute: "According to a recent Congressional Budget Office report, the increased use of ethanol is responsible for a rise in food prices of approximately 10 to 15 percent.

Why?

We're turning corn into fuel — a highly inefficient one, at that — instead of food."

B.C. only province with rising greenhouse gases

2009-12-22T16:53:00.000-08:00

CBC News - British Columbia - B.C. only province with rising greenhouse gases

U.S. cap and trade looks out of reach in 2010

2009-12-22T16:05:00.000-08:00

U.S. cap and trade looks out of reach in 2010 | Green Tech - CNET News: "But the Copenhagen Accord did not include emissions targets. This will make it difficult for lawmakers to argue that the United States should have a cap while China, the world's top emitter of greenhouse gases, and other big polluters are not legally required to act on climate."

Questions over business deals of UN climate change guru Dr Rajendra Pachauri

2009-12-22T15:54:00.000-08:00

Questions over business deals of UN climate change guru Dr Rajendra Pachauri - Telegraph: "Although Dr Pachauri is often presented as a scientist (he was even once described by the BBC as “the world’s top climate scientist”), as a former railway engineer with a PhD in economics he has no qualifications in climate science at all."

The Worst-Run Big City in the U.S.

2009-12-22T15:53:00.000-08:00

San Francisco News - The Worst-Run Big City in the U.S. - page 1: "Despite its good intentions, San Francisco is not leading the country in gay marriage. Despite its good intentions, it is not stopping wars. Despite its spending more money per capita on homelessness than any comparable city, its homeless problem is worse than any comparable city's."

Green shoppers more likely to cheat

2009-12-21T09:07:00.000-08:00

Green shoppers more likely to cheat: "If buying an organic apple instead of one caked in pesticides eases your conscience, there's a good chance that your next ethical decision might not be a good one.

According to the results of a University of Toronto study, participants who assigned more social value to 'green' shopping were more likely to cheat and steal in subsequent tests than those with less stringent shopping habits.

The study, to be published in the new year in the journal Psychological Science, is the latest in a growing field of research called 'moral licensing.'"

“We Don’t Know” is better than “Global Warming” “Global Cooling” or “They are Wrong”

2009-12-18T22:56:00.000-08:00

“We Don’t Know” is better than “Global Warming” “Global Cooling” or “They are Wrong” - Symon Sez: "“Climatologists are pessimistic that political leaders will take any positive action to compensate for the climatic change, or even to allay its effects.”"

For your information…

2009-12-18T22:48:00.000-08:00

For your information…: "That being said Ted..."

Comments in regards to how I see climate science right now.

Observations: Draft text of new "Copenhagen Accord"

2009-12-18T22:42:00.000-08:00

Observations: Draft text of new "Copenhagen Accord": "12. We call for a review of this Accord and its implementation to be completed by 2016, including in light of the Convention’s ultimate objective. This review would include consideration of strengthening the long-tenn(sic) goal to limit the increase in global average temperature to 1.5 degrees."

Orchestra says no to being mimed at Games

2009-12-18T22:39:00.000-08:00

Orchestra says no to being mimed at Games: "The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra refused an invitation to record music for the Vancouver 2010 opening ceremonies because the organizing committee, Vanoc, wanted other musicians to 'mime' the live performance."

Very dumb indeed.

Michael E. Mann - E-mail furor doesn't alter evidence for climate change

2009-12-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

Michael E. Mann - E-mail furor doesn't alter evidence for climate change - washingtonpost.com

What Dr. Mann doesn't understand is that it's not the furor which changes things but the emails themselves. Funny how Sarah Palin's OpEd is his best defense.

When the mobs rule

2009-12-18T11:34:00.000-08:00

When the mobs rule: "If the red greens were marching in support of the program, or making orderly objections on details, or if there was chaos in the streets because the conference had been cancelled, it would make some kind of sense. But rioting in their moment of triumph raises the crucial question: 'Why can't these people make their case without breaking the law?'"

A page out of Harper’s playbook

2009-12-18T11:28:00.000-08:00

A page out of Harper’s playbook - Paul Wells - Macleans.ca: "Very little that has happened since could have been predicted. By autumn, Harper was, briefly, a sort of media darling, popping up on the stage of the National Arts Centre to serenade the audience while his Conservatives flirted with levels of public support that would, if sustained, ensure them a majority in the next election. Ignatieff’s Liberals sank as low as 22 per cent in internal tracking polls—comfortably lower than Stockwell Day’s Canadian Alliance scored in the 2000 general election. Ignatieff replaced just about all of his senior advisers. The Conservative lead has since shrunk, but only a little. The election that reared its head a couple of times during the year seems distant today."

Pressure drop causing wind turbine bat deaths, say Calgary researchers

2009-12-17T22:45:00.001-08:00

CBC News - Technology & Science - Pressure drop causing wind turbine bat deaths, say Calgary researchers: "Hundreds of bats found dead each year around wind turbines have suffered internal trauma from a sudden drop in air pressure at the turbine blades, according to new research to be published this week."

Geologist stands trial for triggering earthquakes in Switzerland

2009-12-17T22:45:00.000-08:00

Geologist stands trial for triggering earthquakes in Switzerland - Telegraph: "Markus Haering, who designed the geothermal project, rejected allegations that he deliberately damaged properties and said local people knew the risks.

The deep drilling underground caused a series of earthquakes in 2006, including one of 3.4 magnitude, rattling residents of the north-western city of Basel. Geopower Basel, the project leader, has already paid around 9 million Swiss francs ($SF5.3 million) in compensation for cracked walls and other damage on properties near the experiment."

Gwynne Dyer: Tony Blair, the young war criminal

2009-12-17T12:20:00.000-08:00

Gwynne Dyer: Tony Blair, the young war criminal | Vancouver, Canada | Straight.com: "That may seem a bit harsh, for never has an alleged war criminal seemed more sincere, more open, even more innocent. As he said about his 2003 decision to involve Britain in the American invasion of Iraq in his resignation speech four years later: “Hand on heart, I did what I thought was right.” But EVERYBODY does what they think is right.

They may mean pragmatically right, or morally right, or even ideologically right, but one way or another people will find ways to justify their actions to themselves: even Pol Pot believed that his actions were justified. When people’s choices lead to the deaths of others, they must eventually be judged by more objective criteria than mere sincerity. That is now happening to Tony Blair.

Yet another public inquiry in Britain is now looking into the origins and consequences of Blair’s decision to attack Iraq, but it will not find him guilty of anything. It is what Conservative Party leader David Cameron called “an establishment stitch-up.”"

The Other Nobel Controversy

2009-12-17T12:16:00.000-08:00

The Other Nobel Controversy | Foreign Policy

A sick Liberal Party, and the people who protect it

2009-12-17T11:42:00.000-08:00

A sick Liberal Party, and the people who protect it: "There is no admission of the root cause of the problem. The screening process failed because the screeners, the web page developers, the system administrators, and everyone else involved, simply did not see what was wrong with the image of Stephen Harper being murdered.

These people are thriving within the Liberal Party. That is sick beyond words."

Climategate: the ailing 'mainstream' media are committing suicide by ignoring the scoop of the century

2009-12-16T22:13:00.000-08:00

Climategate: the ailing 'mainstream' media are committing suicide by ignoring the scoop of the century – Telegraph Blogs: "Climategate is a global household name. No cat has ever emancipated itself more completely from the bag. It is a world-wide scandal – thanks to the internet. Yet, as its ramifications proliferate and dominoes continue to fall, the most repeatedly asked question online is: how can the mainstream media ignore this? Well, we know the answer to that: the MSM are in thrall to the leftist consensus. End of story. But let me pose a follow-up question that may be becoming more imminently relevant."

Beyond debate?

2009-12-12T15:27:00.000-08:00

Times Higher Education - Beyond debate?: "Is belief in global-warming science another example of the 'madness of crowds'? That strange but powerful social phenomenon, first described by Charles Mackay in 1841, turns a widely shared prejudice into an irresistible 'authority'. Could it indeed represent the final triumph of irrationality? After all, how rational is it to pass laws banning one kind of light bulb (and insisting on their replacement by ones filled with poisonous mercury vapour) in order to 'save electricity', while ploughing money into schemes to run cars on ... electricity? How rational is it to pay the Russians once for fossil fuels, and a second time for permission (via carbon credits) to burn them (see box page 36)? And how rational is it to suppose that the effects of increased CO2 in the atmosphere take between 200 and 1,000 years to be felt, but that solutions can take effect almost instantaneously?"

December 10th | Flight of the Conchords

2009-12-11T16:15:00.000-08:00

December 10th | Flight of the Conchords: "While the characters Bret and Jemaine will no longer be around, the real Bret and Jemaine will continue to exist."

Canada's Nisga'a: Home-owning nation

2009-12-10T17:54:00.000-08:00

Canada's Nisga'a: Home-owning nation | The Economist: "THE Amerindian peoples of Canada, where they are known as First Nations, like those in Bolivia (see article), have traditionally held land in common. So the decision by the Nisga’a First Nation of north-western British Columbia to grant private property rights to its members, insignificant though it might seem to most Canadians, has potentially revolutionary implications."

Innovation: The military-consumer complex

2009-12-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

Innovation: The military-consumer complex | The Economist: "Military technology used to filter down to consumers. Now it’s going the other way"

Sniping and Squatting

2009-12-10T12:02:00.000-08:00

Sniping and Squatting - Cheap Talk: "We found that these two effects almost exactly canceled each other out for auctions of DVDs. We expect that this would be true for similar objects that are homogeneous and sold in many simultaneous auctions. So the next time you are bidding in such an auction, don’t think too hard and just bid your value."

Take This Paradigm and Shove It

2009-12-10T11:58:00.000-08:00

Take This Paradigm and Shove It | Psychology Today

Editorial: Losing the right to be Right

2009-12-10T11:56:00.000-08:00

Editorial: Losing the right to be Right - The Jewish Star: "All of this truly makes us wonder where the Right wing has gone. Leaders like Sarah Palin, Joe Wilson, and Dick Cheney are more embarrassing than inspiring. The conservative movement, as Sam Tanenhaus writes in The New Republic, and like punk rock before it, is dead. This Chanukah we know what we want: a rebirth.
We want the right to be Right."

Asking For Orange Juice On American Airlines May Violate Federal Law

2009-12-10T11:53:00.000-08:00

Asking For Orange Juice On American Airlines May Violate Federal Law - The Consumerist: "The real terrorists can be found flying first class, drinking orange juice."

'Small wind' market to double by 2013, study says | Green Tech - CNET News

2009-12-09T17:16:00.000-08:00

'Small wind' market to double by 2013, study says | Green Tech - CNET News: "The niche industry of small wind turbines, which saw $165 million in revenue in 2008 and $203 million in 2009, will grow to $412 million by 2013, according to Pike's 'Small Wind Power' report."

Cadman will break Tory ranks, vote against HST

2009-12-08T20:01:00.000-08:00

Cadman will break Tory ranks, vote against HST: "Dona Cadman will cast her vote against the controversial harmonized sales tax."

Primate study halted by US university

2009-12-08T14:14:00.000-08:00

Primate study halted by US university: Scientific American: "Administrators at Oklahoma State University (OSU) in Stillwater have abruptly cancelled an anthrax vaccine study that would have killed dozens of baboons.

The project, funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and led by Shinichiro Kurosawa of Boston University School of Medicine in Massachusetts, had been approved by the OSU animal-care committee in September and was awaiting review by the biosafety committee when OSU president Burns Hargis vetoed it in October, calling the study 'controversial.'"

Extinction Countdown: Indonesia's Palm oil economy drives human fortunes--And orangutan misfortunes

2009-12-08T14:12:00.000-08:00

Extinction Countdown: Indonesia's Palm oil economy drives human fortunes--And orangutan misfortunes: "The net worth of Indonesia's 40 richest men has doubled to $42 billion in the past year, driven in no small part by the growing demand for palm oil, according to Forbes magazine's annual examination of the country's top richest people.

Global demand for palm oil is now more than 40 million tons per year, making it 'central to the economies of Malaysia and Indonesia,' according to the Jakarta Globe."

Diplomacy That Will Live in Infamy

2009-12-06T23:02:00.000-08:00

Op-Ed Contributor - Diplomacy That Will Live in Infamy - NYTimes.com: "In a secret presidential cable to Tokyo, in July 1905, Roosevelt approved the Japanese annexation of Korea and agreed to an “understanding or alliance” among Japan, the United States and Britain “as if the United States were under treaty obligations.” The “as if” was key: Congress was much less interested in North Asia than Roosevelt was, so he came to his agreement with Japan in secret, an unconstitutional act.

To signal his commitment to Tokyo, Roosevelt cut off relations with Korea, turned the American legation in Seoul over to the Japanese military and deleted the word “Korea” from the State Department’s Record of Foreign Relations and placed it under the heading of “Japan.”"

Kyoto accord was dumb 12 years ago -- and it's dumb now

2009-12-06T22:56:00.000-08:00

Kyoto accord was dumb 12 years ago -- and it's dumb now | John Snobelen | Columnists | Comment | Toronto Sun: "The folks who created the protocol not only wanted to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, they also wanted to create a new global currency and a new economic world order. The protocol didn't limit itself to environmental standards. It sought to address social change by punishing the rich and helping the poor.

Think of it as the Environmental Robin Hood Protocol.

The problem with this sort of Robin Hood thinking, as Margaret Thatcher once observed, is sooner or later you run out of rich people to rob."

Myanmar Motion Picture Academy Awards

2009-12-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

Myanmar Motion Picture Academy Awards - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "The significance of the awards has fluctuated along with the health of Burmese cinema. The number of eligible film entries each year has declined dramatically since the 1980s."