Monday morning links

Leslie Eastman: Scientists studying ancient DNA in Greenland confirms what Legal Insurrection readers know and what should be obvious from common sense: The Earth’s climate is continually changing, and often significantly so, even in the absence of SUV’s, cattle ranches, airplanes, and farms.

Well, no. It's not "common sense," but the findings of generations of research by scientists.

QUOTE:

Leslie Eastman: Unfortunately, the scientists involved in this intriguing project had to give an homage to the climate crisis narrative.

Yeah. Like whaddathey know?

#1 Zachriel on 2022-12-12 09:20 (Reply)

I didn't see why this was a story, since it represents incidental data consistent with an already-understood, fleshed-out picture. It's good that additional data is produced using methods that are pushing the limits. But it would seem the main purpose of the story was to figure out a way to plug the global warming theorists using extremely convoluted logic. How does one ring the alarm bells for global warming by pointing to an example of a frozen wasteland that was once a lot warmer??

Incidentally, this year's weather has been alarmingly, worryingly normal

https://rogerpielkejr.substack.com/p/us-extreme-weather-in-2022

#1.1 Aggie on 2022-12-12 10:16 (Reply)

Aggie: I didn't see why this was a story, since it represents incidental data consistent with an already-understood, fleshed-out picture.

They uncovered specifics of the 2-million-year-old ecosystem, flora and fauna, with no modern analogue. It's quite a feat of geogenetics.

Kjær et al., A 2-million-year-old ecosystem in Greenland uncovered by environmental DNA, Nature 2022: "The record shows an open boreal forest ecosystem with mixed vegetation of poplar, birch and thuja trees, as well as a variety of Arctic and boreal shrubs and herbs, many of which had not previously been detected at the site from macrofossil and pollen records. The DNA record confirms the presence of hare and mitochondrial DNA from animals including mastodons, reindeer, rodents and geese, all ancestral to their present-day and late Pleistocene relatives. The presence of marine species including horseshoe crab and green algae support a warmer climate than today. The reconstructed ecosystem has no modern analogue."

Aggie: Incidentally, this year's weather has been alarmingly, worryingly normal

Global Land-Ocean Temperature Index

#1.1.1 Zachriel on 2022-12-12 10:36 (Reply)

Yes, the 'so what?' answers.

#1.1.1.1 Aggie on 2022-12-12 11:42 (Reply)

Science uncovers the flora and fauna of a two-million-year-old ecosystem, and you say "So what?"

#1.1.1.1.1 Zachriel on 2022-12-12 12:28 (Reply)

I'm not sure why Jay Bhattacharya should be given the time of day by Elon Musk, Twitter's fact checkers showed that the Great Barrington Declaration was not only contrary to accepted mainstream science but was utterly false. If you can't trust Twitter's fact checkers and government political scientists, who can you trust? That's as crazy as not trusting the New York Times or Joe Biden.

#2 Jerryskids on 2022-12-12 09:20 (Reply)

QUOTE:

‘Great Barrington Declaration’ Co-Author Dr. Jay Bhattacharya Invited to Twitter Headquarters . . . Over 930,000 public health scientists and members of the medical community signed on to the declaration since its inception.

There was no attempt to validate the signatories, many of which were fake. We're looking at you Dr. Banana Rama!

Bhattacharya: {The COVID mortality rate is} about the same as the flu on that order. It could be a little less, could be a little more.

The seasonal flu kills about 20,000-40,000 per year in the United States. COVID killed over a million Americans in two years.

#2.1 Zachriel on 2022-12-12 09:44 (Reply)

"There was no attempt to validate the signatories - Who do they think they are, Arizona's Election Commission?

#2.1.1 Aggie on 2022-12-12 10:17 (Reply)

Aggie: Arizona's Election Commission?

Arizona requires proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.

#2.1.1.1 Zachriel on 2022-12-12 10:37 (Reply)

Another 'so what?' answer from the Bad Faith Panda, since the subject is signature-checking, which features prominently in the present lawsuit and has nothing whatsoever to do with checking citizenship.

#2.1.1.1.1 Aggie on 2022-12-12 11:44 (Reply)

You're deflecting from what Twitter did to Bhattacharya and other highly credentialed scientists and physicians. The letter is peripheral to the issue of his being silenced. But course its general points have proved to be true.

The truth is that you're doing it because you WANT orgs like Twitter to stifle speech that runs counter to your argument and supports the government.

Stop pretending otherwise, it makes you look foolish. There's not a soul who reads anything you write--even people who agree with you--who thinks you're actually sincere in your defense of speech, the scientific method, or open debate.

Why would you link to the conversation from Hoover, from April of 2020? It only serves to make him look even more prescient.
He was talking about the death rate against the prevalence predicted by the study he's JUST COMPLETED--he also said this--"No because the flu doesn't, we don't have a vaccine for this thing. Many more people will die total for it."

You're presenting partial quotes to denigrate a man of actual accomplishment--you're simply trying to score points. Get a frikkin' job, or a hobby, or something, and let the scientists speak for themselves without your pulling quotes out of context to denigrate them.

#2.1.2 SK on 2022-12-12 10:56 (Reply)

SK: You're deflecting from what Twitter did to Bhattacharya and other highly credentialed scientists and physicians.

Putting "Great" before your opinion doesn't actually make it great. In any case, they were outside the mainstream of medical opinion, with Bhattacharya wildly off the mark on the danger from COVID. He repeatedly compared it to seasonal flu, but the population mortality rate was twenty times higher.

SK: The letter is peripheral to the issue of his being silenced.

He wasn't silenced. Along with other off-brand opinions, he was published off-brand.

SK: The truth is that you're doing it because you WANT orgs like Twitter to stifle speech that runs counter to your argument and supports the government.

Well, no. Twitter's policy was not the best, but it was their decision to make.

SK: he also said this--"No because the flu doesn't, we don't have a vaccine for this thing. Many more people will die total for it."

Completing the quote: "I mean we also didn't know the number like we talked about last time and so people were reacting to a scenario where it just looked catastrophic. I mean two million American's dead? That would have been catastrophic."

In fact, a million Americans died from COVID, and that included hundreds of thousands after a vaccine was made available. Bhattacharya was just plain wrong on the severity of COVID.

#2.1.2.1 Zachriel on 2022-12-12 11:16 (Reply)

Ummm... proof?

#2.1.2.1.1 Zachinoff on 2022-12-12 12:26 (Reply)

Even SNL mocks you.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=21&v=hPtH43VmvJI&feature=emb_logo

#2.1.2.1.2 Zachinoff on 2022-12-12 12:51 (Reply)

Z: Putting "Great" before your opinion doesn't actually make it great.

It was named for where it originated, Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

Someone has an inflated opinion of himself (themselves) but it's not from the Great Barrington Declaration.

A few of the signatories:

Dr. Alexander Walker, principal at World Health Information Science Consultants, former Chair of Epidemiology, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, USA

Dr. Angus Dalgleish, oncologist, infectious disease expert and professor, St. George’s Hospital Medical School, University of London, England

Dr. Anthony J Brookes, professor of genetics, University of Leicester, England

Dr. Annie Janvier, professor of pediatrics and clinical ethics, Université de Montréal and Sainte-Justine University Medical Centre, Canada

Dr. David Katz, physician and president, True Health Initiative, and founder of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, USA

Dr. Laura Lazzeroni, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and of biomedical data science, Stanford University Medical School, USA

Dr. Lisa White, professor of modelling and epidemiology, Oxford University, England

Dr. Michael Levitt, biophysicist and professor of structural biology, Stanford University, USA.
Recipient of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

#2.1.2.1.3 mudbug on 2022-12-12 15:52 (Reply)

mudbug: A few of the signatories:

There are certainly respected signatories. However, the number of signatories was put forth as somehow representative, but the number is suspect.

More particularly, the author based his recommendation on his own flawed study to conclude the risk was low, and that deaths would be on the order of the seasonal flu. He was just wrong.

#2.1.2.1.3.1 Zachriel on 2022-12-12 16:13 (Reply)

Bottom line--you are on the side of and justifying the actions of people inhibiting debate and full, open discourse. Why?

"Putting "Great" before your opinion doesn't actually make it great."

That's weak even for you. And revealing; you haven't even read it, have you?

"He wasn't silenced. Along with other off-brand opinions, he was published off-brand."

He was silenced--"shadow banned" I guess, on one of the most important comms venues in the country, because he held views counter to what the government wanted heard--Twitter merely enforced what they wanted done.

Your labeling the opinion--which turned out to be largely correct--of a respected scientist as "off-brand" is revealing. I hope I never become "off brand."

"Well, no. Twitter's policy was not the best, but it was their decision to make."

That doesn't justify the suppression of independent thought at the behest of governmental agencies and functionaries--except to you. This makes my point about the left taking off the mask.

"In fact, a million Americans died from COVID, and that included hundreds of thousands after a vaccine was made available. Bhattacharya was just plain wrong on the severity of COVID."

Yeah, he said 2 million, which was wrong. But he was right about the effect the shutdowns would have on youngsters. Lots of people were wrong about lots of things having to do with covid, a lot of it information promoted by the government, big tech, and corp media. Some of the damage caused by that bad info could have been mitigated by a healthy, vigorous public debate that included people who were disparaged, silenced, and shut out of the discussion.

Public debate, you've heard of it (or have you?), the whole "democracy" thing. For that matter, the whole "science" thing.

#2.1.2.1.4 SK on 2022-12-12 16:27 (Reply)

SK: He was silenced--"shadow banned" I guess

Bhattacharya wasn't banned. They just didn't amplify his posts.

SK: Your labeling the opinion--which turned out to be largely correct--of a respected scientist as "off-brand" is revealing.

We didn't brand him off-brand, but his opinion. This is standard in science, by the way. Not everyone gets published in Nature.

SK: Yeah, he said 2 million, which was wrong.

Two million, if no action was taken. Certainly, that is a much more accurate prediction than Bhattacharya's claim that the deaths would be similar to seasonal flu.

SK: Public debate, you've heard of it (or have you?), the whole "democracy" thing.

Part of the democracy thing is the right of forums to moderate their content. However, in this case, Bhattacharya wasn't even blocked.

#2.1.2.1.4.1 Zachriel on 2022-12-13 09:21 (Reply)

The lying liar should absolutely run for office - the U.S. senate at the very least. Probably as a democrat but I could be persuaded either way.

#3 Phloda on 2022-12-12 09:27 (Reply)

QUOTE:

‘False’: Elon Musk slaps Adam Schiff’s hate speech claims with an inconvenient fact

QUOTE:

Name a fruit.

Schiff: Apple.
Musk: False. Orange.

Schiff correctly noted that the number of tweets which contained slurs has increased. Musk responded by citing impressions, a different measure. Musk should have said, "True, but . . . "

#4 Zachriel on 2022-12-12 09:53 (Reply)

Schiff incorrectly failed to provide anything that supported his assertions, nor did he name the source of his spurious numbers. And Adam Schiff has a documented history of making false assertions behind the cloak of Classified Information that other Congressmen, with the same access, has labeled as false. Musk quoted data collected by Twitter and provided Open Source.

#4.1 Aggie on 2022-12-12 10:21 (Reply)

Aggie: Schiff incorrectly failed to provide anything that supported his assertions, nor did he name the source of his spurious numbers.

To save you the trouble of googling it yourself, readers added context. Again, Musk should have said, "True, but oranges are also a fruit."

#4.1.1 Zachriel on 2022-12-12 10:42 (Reply)

Really, Twitter readers added context?

Are these the same people who just spent the last several years calling people like Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Shapiro, Bari Weiss etc. white supremacists and Nazis?

Did the Iranian regime weigh in on the kerfuffle on their Twitter?

#4.1.1.1 SK on 2022-12-12 11:08 (Reply)

SK: Really, Twitter readers added context?

Genetic fallacy. The readers correctly pointed to the source for Schiff's claim. The data was collected by the Center for Countering Digital Hate using the social media analytics tool Brandwatch. You can ignore the data, but it doesn't go away. (So, not only was it too much trouble for you to google it yourself, but it was even too much trouble for you to click the link!)

#4.1.1.1.1 Zachriel on 2022-12-12 11:20 (Reply)

(((Quibble-DickZ))): We deflect, you decide.

#4.1.1.1.1.1 Zachinoff on 2022-12-12 12:31 (Reply)

Yes, you can certainly ignore the date because it's highly partisan; has all the merit of citing the SPLC or Breitbart.

#4.1.1.1.1.2 Hoss (Link) on 2022-12-12 13:05 (Reply)

Hoss: Yes, you can certainly ignore the date because it's highly partisan

Genetic fallacy. The data is remains and is verifiable -- even if you don't like it.

#4.1.1.1.1.2.1 Zachriel on 2022-12-12 13:08 (Reply)

Ummm... data!

[uri]https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2021/11/03/pro-censorship-group-center-for-countering-digital-hate-funded-by-pro-china-investment-org/[/url]

#4.1.1.1.1.2.1.1 Zachinoff on 2022-12-12 14:38 (Reply)

Citing genetic fallacy is not a substitute for the veracity of the data; the confidence level is non-existent. Trying to say data can’t be dismissed from a highly partisan outfit is a weak attempt at gaslighting.

Dismissed. Do better.

#4.1.1.1.1.2.1.2 Hoss on 2022-12-12 23:54 (Reply)

Hoss: Citing genetic fallacy is not a substitute for the veracity of the data; the confidence level is non-existent.

Committing the genetic fallacy is not a valid reason for ignoring data that is publicly available.

Z: Look in the telescope and you can see mountains on the Moon.
H: I don't see any mountains.
Z: You won't be able to see if you keep your eyes closed.

#4.1.1.1.1.2.1.2.1 Zachriel on 2022-12-13 09:10 (Reply)

Thank you for agreeing that Schiff provided nothing to substantiate his assertions in the first place, losing out of the gate. Musk provided a link to the updated feature 'community notes' which allows other Twitter users to provide context, again in Open Source. On balance, Musk is more transparent than Schiff.

I note that you seem critical of this 'Community Notes' function, even though it's seems to be precisely what you do for a living as the Bad Faith Panda.

#4.1.1.2 Aggie on 2022-12-12 11:52 (Reply)

Aggie: Thank you for agreeing that Schiff provided nothing to substantiate his assertions in the first place, losing out of the gate.

The study was widely publicized and is available directly below the tweet. That you can't bother to look at the actual tweet where you would find the study is on you.

Aggie: On balance, Musk is more transparent than Schiff.

No. Musk claimed Schiff's information was false, then provided an apples to oranges comparison. That's not transparency.

Aggie: I note that you seem critical of this 'Community Notes' function

Huh? The community note provided the context.

#4.1.1.2.1 Zachriel on 2022-12-12 12:23 (Reply)

Another "so what"?...

#4.1.1.2.1.1 Zachinoff on 2022-12-12 12:37 (Reply)

"Cooking the books"

Stealing an election requires people, the bigger the steal the more people involved. Many of those people are committed to their politics and probably would never come forward and admit what they did. But by necessity a lot of those people are homeless, minor criminals or just looking for a few bucks in a quick gig. So I do not understand why the right and the Republicans didn't simply offer a cash reward for anyone involved in the big steal to come forward and provide testimony. Offer varying degrees of reward depending on how valuable the information was and how many co-conspirators could be indicted.

Many of the mules know by nae or by contact and phone number some of the people higher up in the fraud who they could expose for cash.

#5 OneGuy on 2022-12-12 10:22 (Reply)

Sorry but the big steal is the the sum of the small steals.
In the Chicago model, its the precinct captain who manages the ballots, and he did it and does it because there is a lot on the line, jobs, contracts and prison. No petty criminals or homeless handle ballots. And they don't steal for anybody, too much at stake.

Means, motive and opportunity.

#5.1 sf jeff on 2022-12-12 23:12 (Reply)

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and make a prediction. I predict that in the next two years under speaker McCarthy he will leverage the slight advantage that we have to accomplish absolutely nothing useful for the country. I further predict that he and a handful of Rinos will sabotage our country even more by "compromising" with the Democrats to put us further in debt, bring in millions more illegals and further decimate our military.

And for a bonus prediction I predict that Obama, oops! I mean Biden LOL, will try to implement a federal reparations by EO.

#6 JustMe on 2022-12-12 10:48 (Reply)

Prior to Covid-19 the WHO and the Bill and Milinda Gates foundation conducted a pandemic simulation which eerily imitated the Covid-19 pandemic that occurred a couple years later. Strange huh?

Well the WHO and the Bill and Milinda Gates foundation just conducted a pandemic simulation with a "fictitious" virus labeled SERES-25 which is more communicable than covid and targets children. Got that! Do you understand yet? They are now targeting your children!

The covid emergency declaration was so successful, allowing big political moves and literally trillions in payola so they are willing to release a lab virus to kill your children so that they can get more. More of your rights, more of your money, full control of your lives. And, oh yeah, you will have to wear masks because it gives them pleasure to force you to wear masks.

#7 Anon on 2022-12-12 11:05 (Reply)

Anon: Prior to Covid-19 the WHO and the Bill and Milinda Gates foundation conducted a pandemic simulation which eerily imitated the Covid-19 pandemic that occurred a couple years later. Strange huh?

No, not strange, at all. Zoonotic diseases are relatively common, especially respiratory diseases. (Influenza A viruses in humans, for instance, originate from birds and swine.) Novel zoonotic diseases are predicted to occur every few years. They always have, even in ancient times, but they transmit much faster now due to globalization.

#7.1 Zachriel on 2022-12-12 11:27 (Reply)

QUOTE:

Countries should prioritize efforts to increase trust in government and public health; improve public health communication efforts; increase the resiliency of populations to misleading information; and reduce the spread of harmful misinformation.

Come on, Bill, you can’t have trust in government and public health and reduce the spread of misinformation, can you? COVID has taught us that!

Well, some of us…

#7.2 Zachinoff on 2022-12-12 14:29 (Reply)

How could Greenland have been warmer; the left has assured us that temperatures/climate have been static throughout history based on the minute snapshot of the world that we've recorded.
Disregard the fact that temperature stations have been placed on roofs in the middle of urban heat-islands, and that quantitative data has had to be "adjusted" for reasons (inconvenient ones), and that any dissenters had/have to be silenced, and so on.

But hey, people are making big money on the Green Industrial Complex hustle (which went from a faculty lounge dream to a cottage industry to a leviathan in record time) and the left is still holding on to the idea that it can generate another tax revenue stream for them (carbon tax, etc.). Never let truth or your standard of living get in the way of the left's ideology.

#8 Hoss (Link) on 2022-12-12 13:16 (Reply)

Hoss: Hoss: [i]How could Greenland have been warmer; the left has assured us that temperatures/climate have been static throughout history based on the minute snapshot of the world that we've recorded.

Not sure what you mean by "the left," but certainly the scientific community accepts that Earth's climate has radically changed over the eons. Changes in greenhouse gas concentrations are an important factor in natural changes of climate, but certainly not the only one. In fact, understanding Earth's climate history provides clues as to how Earth's climate will change in the future.

#8.1 Zachriel on 2022-12-12 13:32 (Reply)

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Monday, December 12. 2022

Monday morning links