Friday morning links

Bird Dog: This Is CNN: Piers Morgan Praises Jimmy Carter for ‘Malaise’ Speech

Most people probably think Carter said "malaise".
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/carter-crisis/

America had a choice. They could try to innovate new technologies and learn to conserve resources, or they could use their military power to prop up friendly Middle Eastern dictatorships to ensure the supply of cheap oil. There were consequences to that choice that still reverberate today.

#1 Zachriel on 2012-01-20 11:40 (Reply)

Sure, Americans had a choice. They could keep electing dispirited leaders who thought national failure was inevitable, or they could elect someone with a fresh perspective who would invigorate the economy and provide the new generation with lots of opportunities, while winning the Cold War.

#1.1 Texan99 (Link) on 2012-01-21 09:58 (Reply)

Bird Dog: Students rebel against Gorepaganda

Because we all know that complex scientific questions are best answered by middle-school students.

#2 Zachriel on 2012-01-20 11:41 (Reply)

Ah Zach - can always count on you to hyperbole your way into the hearts and minds of us stupid dumb ass old middle right conservative reactionaries here at Maggie's.

I assume your opinion is that Manbearpig exists and is wreaking havoc on humanity as we speak.

Well, 'ya know what? It ain't because it just doesn't exist. In any form. Never has. Never will. Wanna know why?

Here's a factoid for 'ya - 97% of of our atmosphere is gaseous CO². Of that 97%, assuming the ultimate worst case scenario, 2.87% is caused by outside influence - 'ya know - cow farts, manure pits, guys drinking too much beer while watching the Super Bowl, organic decomposition both forced and natural, car exhaust, industrial emissions and other natural causes like volcanoes.

The factoid is - wait for it, wait for it.....that 2.87%, by any measure you wish to name (core samples, tree rings, fossil evidence - whatever) hasn't changed since - well since the late Cretaceous. Thems the facts.

The claims that the "average" global temperatures over time have increased and rather dramatically (which is another completely misleading concept as there is no such thing as "average" global temperature but I'll go along with the joke for now) and in fact, since 1998 have been cooling rather than increasing - station by station comparison.

Now you can certainly point to the wonderfully inventive and highly incorrect data sampling that Michael Mann fostered on the world and which James Hansen used to produce the hysterically amusing "hockey stick" graph. And you can point to the flawed and inaccurate, statistically biased satellite ocean survey data that points to global warming. Etc., etc., etc., yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah, blah.

And I'd be willing to bet that the average middle school science student is smarter and has more up to date and current knowledge about this than you do.

God love 'ya man. Keep coming around. Things have been a little depressing around the joint what with all the election speechifying, national bankruptcy, inadequate college degrees, etc., etc., etc., yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah.

We can use the amusement.

#2.1 Tom Francis on 2012-01-20 15:17 (Reply)

Tom Francis: can always count on you to hyperbole your way into the hearts and minds of us

That was exactly the argument being made. While skepticism is a valid stance with regards to science, skepticism is not the same as contrariness.

Tom Francis: 97% of of our atmosphere is gaseous CO².

Huh? CO2 concentration is 0.0392%, which is 40% higher than before the industrial revolution.

Tom Francis: The claims that the "average" global temperatures over time have increased and rather dramatically (which is another completely misleading concept as there is no such thing as "average" global temperature but I'll go along with the joke for now) and in fact, since 1998 have been cooling rather than increasing - station by station comparison.

Um, no. 2011 was the 11th warmest year on record, even though it was a La Niña year, which usually results in lower global temperatures. 2010 and 2005 were the warmest on record. All eleven years of the 21st century rank among the 13th warmest on record. It's important to realize that the temperature will vary considerably from year-to-year, and the climate trend can only be determined by looking at the overall pattern.

Tom Francis: And I'd be willing to bet that the average middle school science student is smarter and has more up to date and current knowledge about this than you do.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/

#2.1.1 Zachriel on 2012-01-23 09:34 (Reply)

Map of Tokyo's train system

That is one highly evolved subway system. How big an area does Tokyo encompass anyway - never mind - 840 square miles which (turning on the mental calculator) would be about a 30 mile wide radius from city center. Amazing.

Dear Student:

I wonder if Professor Carden understands that one just doesn't "show" up, take the class test, pass and get total credit for having taken the class. That wasn't true in my day and I suspect it is worse now.

Obama picks vulture capitalist

I've had this suspicion for a while now that President Obama does not want to win this next election cycle. He can't handle it, doesn't like it, too much like real work which he is obviously not enamored of and wants out. The only problem is that nobody will let him out without damaging his image, so he has to create the conditions in which he can fail with dignity, blame "racism" and "racial climate" and move on to being President of The World - a job Bill Clinton wanted, but screwed up getting.

Navajo code-talkers died

Quite a story and endlessly fascinating. Semper Fi.

#3 Tom Francis on 2012-01-20 15:40 (Reply)

Regarding: Is banking bad? I scanned the comments in NYT and the issue seems to be that capitalism in and of itself is not bad, but immoral people interested not in being well rewarded for providing a service, but taking as much as they can get, in a hyper-competitive environment in which winning is the only game, measured only by dollars amassed. If companies are paying $1.50 dividend per share, while rewarding senior management total of an average of $18 per share, it's no wonder corporations are seen as bad. What would the stock would do with a $5 dividend and $14.5 split among the top management? Certainly better. Henry Ford wasn't perfect, but he paid his employees very well for the time, thinking rightly his market share would increase if his employees could afford the product they were manufacturing for him.
I'm certainly not saying let government tax and share...
I'm saying if leadership and majority stockholders spent more time in church, and less on the golf or tennis courts, they might be more inclined to have integrity, and do "the right thing" when and where no one is looking. It seems as a society we've largely lost sight of what's important...money isn't everything. (as I hypocritically sit at the computer while the family is in the other room watching MASH re-runs). We need more love of God and our fellow man, and less love of money. I'm not optimistic.

#4 Mark on 2012-01-20 19:49 (Reply)

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Friday, January 20. 2012

Friday morning links