Musings

Global Warming: Rehashed

2009-01-22T19:45:00.015-05:00

After a very nice and long holiday break, I'm ready to tackle good ol' Global Warming again.

I recently was asked about a report issued by the University of Washington yesterday that claims warming has indeed occurred on Antarctica. Well, seeing as this was a constant thorn in the side of global warming alarmists (due to most scientific research showing a cooling trend over the past several decades), the media couldn't wait to jump on it. The NY Times, BBC, Live Science, CNN, and many more all carried this story. And, they all showed this scary picture of Antarctica as well:

I find it strange none of these media outlets thought it prudent to print these stories however (By the way, these are all peer-reviewed scholarly articles):

From "Antarctic Climate Cooling and Terrestrial Ecosystem Response" (Nature.com)

"Our spatial analysis of Antarctic meteorological data demonstrates a net cooling on the Antarctic continent between 1966 and 2000, particularly during summer and autumn."

Cavalieri and Parkinson, J. Geophys. Res. 113, C07004 (2008)
Comiso and Nishio, J. Geophys. Res. 113, CO2S07 (2008).
"A Doubling in Snow Accumulation in the Western Antarctic Peninsula Since 1850," by the UK Natural Environment Research Council and the U.S. National Science Foundation (Geophysical Research Letters)

Well, here's a few reasons why this report is to be handled with extreme skepticism:

Michael Mann is co-author. This is the man who helped create the infamous "hockey stick" graph that was been completely discredited yet widely propagandized. (See here)
We have seen record ice growth in the past several years (See here, here and here. And also the graph below; notice the record ice extent)

3. Numerous scientists have been saying for years that volcanoes could be the culprit for observed warming (remember the vast majority is gaining ice, but there are certainly areas of warming). Check out these two graphs and notice the correlation of where the proposed warming is and where the volcanoes are.

4. The Antarctic sea has only gotten colder.

5. This "warming" paper relied heavily on Antarctic stations, of which there are few and they mostly lie on the outer edge (see map below)

6. UN IPCC lead author, Dr. Kevin Trenberth, who is most definitely not a global warming skeptic even criticized this report by saying, "I remain somewhat skeptical...It is hard to make data where none exist"

7. Former Colorado State Climatologist Dr. Roger Pielke, Sr., senior scientist at the University of Colorado in Boulder had this to say:

"In terms of the significance of their paper, it overstates what they have obtained from their analysis,”

-And-

“In the abstract they write, for example, ‘West Antarctic warming exceeds 0.1C per decade over the past 50 years.’ However, even a cursory view of Figure 2 shows that since the late 1990s, the region has been cooling in their analysis in this region. The paper would be more balanced if they presented this result, even if they cannot explain why."

8. The authors also use a "new technique" that has never been thoroughly vetted.

There's many more counters to this, but in reality, the burden is on the global warming alarmists to support their theory with proof, otherwise the skeptics are forced to prove a negative.

Still not sure? Check out these unabashed and unashamed "skeptic" sites, because after all, scientists are supposed to be skeptics not believers:

http://icecap.us/
http://www.climate-skeptic.com/
http://wattsupwiththat.com/ http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20020015034521data_trunc_sys.shtml

Bonus: Global Warming hits rock bottom on the list of priorities for Americans.

UPDATE: I just read this letter on Anthony Watts' page, very interesting:

letter dated 1/22/09

Eric,

Let me first say that this is my own opinion and does not represent the agency I work for. I feel your study is absolutely wrong.

There are very few stations in Antarctica to begin with and only a hand full with 50 years of data. Satellite data is just approaching thirty years of available information. In my experience as a day to day forecaster that has to travel and do field work in Antarctica the summer seasons have been getting colder. In the late 1980s helicopters were used to take our personnel to Williams Field from McMurdo Station due to the annual receding of the Ross Ice Shelf, but in the past few years the thaw has been limited and vehicles can continue to make the transition and drive on the ice. One climate note to pass along is December 2006 was the coldest December ever for McMurdo Station. In a synoptic perspective the cooler sea surface temperatures have kept the maritime storms farther offshore in the summer season and the colder more dense air has rolled from the South Pole to the ice shelf.

There was a paper presented at the AMS Conference in New Orleans last year noting over 70% of the continent was cooling due to the ozone hole. We launch balloons into the stratosphere and the anticyclone that develops over the South Pole has been displaced and slow to establish itself over the past five seasons. The pattern in the troposphere has reflected this trend with more maritime (warmer) air around the Antarctic Peninsula which is also where most of the automated weather stations are located for West Antarctica which will give you the average warmer readings and skew the data for all of West Antarctica.

With statistics you can make numbers go to almost any conclusion you want. It saddens me to see members of the scientific community do this for media coverage.

Sincerely,

Ross Hays

*Note: I'm not sure why the font and spacing is messing up. I'm thinking of moving the blog to Wordpress. I have this issue often...

Christmas is Upon Us!

2008-12-16T21:18:00.004-05:00

I'm really feeling the Christmas spirit this year, even though it was 61F here yesterday... But, I'm confident Indy will produce a white Christmas for me this year. Anyway, Lori and I will be traveling back home to Indy tomorrow to see family and friends. Needless to say, we're excited.

Here's a great video making the rounds on YouTube (already at 9.2 million hits). After Lori and I downloaded the song, we found it on YouTube and then realized that the group is from Indiana University, woot woot!! Take a listen, it's awesome:

Holiday Statistics and Random Facts

2008-12-07T13:28:00.008-05:00

I love statistics. Not the class you took in high school/college, but rather facts and figures of everyday things, like the population of the ten biggest cities, the coldest/hottest temperatures ever recorded, etc. So, here's some holiday statistics and some random facts that I dug up:

-Approximately 20 billion letters, packages and cards will be sent in the U.S. between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

-A traditional Christmas dinner in early England was the head of a pig prepared with mustard.

-During the 6-day Thanksgiving travel period, the number of long-distance trips (to and from a destination 50 miles or more away) increases by 54 percent, and during the Christmas/New Year’s Holiday period the number rises by 23 percent, compared to the average number for the remainder of the year.

-An artificial spider and web are often included in the decorations on Ukrainian Christmas trees. A spider web found on Christmas morning is believed to bring good luck.

-Americans bought 31.3 million real Christmas trees and bought 17.4 million fake trees in 2007.

-An average household in America will mail out 28 Christmas cards each year and see 28 eight cards return in their place.

-Charles Dickens' initial choice for Scrooge's statement "Bah Humbug" was "Bah Christmas."

-Christmas caroling began as an old English custom called Wassailing - toasting neighbors to a long and healthy life.

-Jewelery stores did 21% of their year's sales in December last year.

-Christmas trees are edible. Many parts of pines, spruces, and firs can be eaten. The needles are a good source of vitamin C. Pine nuts, or pine cones, are also a good source of nutrition.

-During World War II it was necessary for Americans to mail Christmas gifts early for the troops in Europe to receive them in time. Merchants joined in the effort to remind the public to shop and mail early and the protracted shopping season was born.

-For every real Christmas tree harvested, 2 to 3 seedlings are planted in its place.

Interim

2008-12-03T17:50:00.012-05:00

Lori and I just got back from 10 days at home for the holiday. We had a really great time and we're already looking forward to going back for Christmas. I've kept my distance from the news because I want to enjoy the holidays, however it's hard to completely ignore it. The Bombay (I prefer the old name, vs. Mumbai) shootings, the economy, Obama's cabinet picks, the Big Auto 3 bailout, etc.

So, we're officially in a recession now, but instead of repeating the mantra of doom and gloom to yourself, look for the positives out of this:

Gas is extremely low and will probably go lower. An increase is unlikely in the near future.
Inflation is actually pretty low (3.66%) and may actually drop.
Consumer prices (related to inflation) dropped as well, hence why Black Friday was so nice this year (I hope you took advantage!)
Interest rates are really low on existing debt (i.e. student loans, mortgages). However, pay off those high interest debts immediately.
The dollar is generally surging against other currencies because the world still believes that we are the bedrock of the world's economy, thus vacations abroad are cheaper right now.
Great time to buy a car (GM, Ford, and Toyota all dropped more than 25% in sales), thus prices and discounts are much higher right now.
Charitably giving is actually either maintaining or increasing despite the economic times.
Wonderful time to pay off loans against your 401(k) or pay into your retirement vehicle because your money will buy you more shares. Do it!
And finally, recessions are cyclical, so we're just in that place right now, but this too shall pass.

Home Stretch

2008-11-18T20:35:00.004-05:00

I've been quite busy lately because I've been trying to build a lot of credit time for next week when I'll be able to take the whole week off to be home in Indy! We've already put up our Christmas tree and the apartment is decorated, so we're officially ready for the holidays.

Something I wanted to share with everyone, particularly in this doom and gloom economic paradigm we're in, is a good way to save some money this Christmas. This year's Black Friday is going to be the best one in decades because October's negative economic indicators scared the crap out of most retailers. With consumer confidence low and retail sales even lower, stores are willing to sell consumer goods at extremely low prices this year to entice "frightened" consumers. Everyone should take advantage of this. Prices will probably never be this cheap again, at least not until the next recession.

There are some great websites you can visit so that you can form your plan of attack:

-www.tgiblackfriday.com
-www.blackfriday.info
-www.bfads.net

Remember though, it's only a bargain if you need it :-)

And a word of caution; don't wait until the day after Christmas to shop because retailers have been jacking up prices on this day knowing that people are wanting to spend the ever-more-popular gift card. When people use gift cards they tend to not pay as much attention to the price, and retailers know this, hence the immediate price increase.

By the way, I'm essentially ignoring the broader world news right now because (1) I'm too busy (2) It's annoying and (3) I'm in too good a mood because of the upcoming holidays.

Happy Hunting!

A Family Visit

2008-10-30T19:28:00.009-04:00

Lori's parents and her little sister came to visit us this past weekend. We ventured into Baltimore, DC, and Great Falls National Park.

Baltimore is hard to classify. It's one of the oldest cities in America, so there's a good deal of history. It latched on to industrialization in the early 1800's and didn't let go, providing the Eastern US with steel and auto manufacturing for decades, however the process of de-industrialization continues to occur moving the city firmly into a service economy. Baltimore Harbor still serves as a decently large shipping port, where you can see huge ships loading and off-loading their goods.

The "Inner Harbor," as it's called, is very nice and touristy, with shops, restaurants, museums, an aquarium and street performers. There's also a neighborhood known as Fells Point, which has a nice variety of bars, pubs, clubs and a large market located on cobbled stoned roads.

Lori and Kari at the Inner Harbor

Great Falls National Park is a very scenic and seemingly out-of-place park. I say that because it reminds me of something you would see in the Rocky Mountains, yet it's just 2-3 miles outside of the Beltway. The park is located on both the Maryland and Virginia sides of the Potomac River. We were on the side with the B&O Canal which runs nearly 150 miles from DC to western Maryland. Used to transport goods until WWI, there are still a few working locks with a boat that one can ride pulled by mules on the original towpath.

Here's part of the canal with a one of the locks, which were activated by good old fashioned man power.

The "falls" refers to extreme rapids in the river which drop in elevation by 60 feet in a relatively short distance. The pictures don't do it justice because it's hard to get a sense of scale.

This was a smaller off-set of the river, as we headed towards the Falls.

For perspective, a person in this picture would be nothing but a speck.

I'm always up for going into the District. I usually see something new and always enjoy seeing architecture. The five of us went up into the tower of the Old Post Office. It's an historic structure that used to serve as the city's post office, but has since been converted into offices, shops and restaurants. The tower contains the Congress Bells which are rung at the beginning of new Congressional sessions and other special occasions. It has an amazing view.

Looking from the tower towards the Capitol Building.

Good Times!

Election Sewage

2008-10-19T12:09:00.012-04:00

For myself, presidential politics have officially become frustrating and annoying. I therefore can not wait until this highly divisive election is over. I'm sick of seeing people wear Obama buttons, stickers, and t-shirts, as if it's a new Abercrombie fad. I would say something equal for McCain-Palin, but I've yet to see a single reverse instance. Republicans seem to not "wear" their candidate, at least not in this area. I have seen a multitude of yard signs for both candidates and even more bumper stickers (which will be on their cars for the next 4-6 years--I still see Kerry stickers...) .

I like the fact that people care about this country's future, but this has reached insanity. You've got towns changing their name to "Obama," six Brazilian politicians have officially renamed themselves "Barrack Obama," a fact-challenged movie about a sitting President (which is unprecedented) and was conveniently rushed for release before the election, and even an eighth grade textbook with a chapter about Obama.

Some Points:
-McCain has run a very negative campaign and Obama has an arrogance about him that annoys me.
-McCain seems far too hard-headed and Obama seems too social-elitist.
-McCain appears ignorant of modern technology and Obama has some extremely shady connections (Rezko, Ayers, Rev. Wright, Dorhn, Farrakhan, etc.).
-Palin is inexperienced, Biden is a blowhard.
-Many on both sides are voting for race. Inner-city Chicago is just as racist as rural southern Alabama. Which sign would last longer: a McCain sign in Harlem, or an Obama sign in Jena, Louisiana?
-Obama is a closet socialist, McCain is a war hawk.
-Both are adamant anthropogenic global warming believers.
-Obama will raise taxes because he'll allow the Bush tax cuts to expire, with additional taxes on top of that for the top 5%. He's attempting "trickle-up" economics. Carter tried this...
-McCain wants to tax energy in a back door fashion, raising costs in the name of lowering oil, coal, and natural gas production.

I'm tired of the stereotypes, the political jabbing, and the "gotcha" journalism. Those from the Northeast and West Coast look down on the "hicks" of the south or the supposed simpletons of the Midwest, whereas you have some of the worst poverty, ignorance, and violence in the liberal cities (Detroit, Chicago, Washington DC, NYC, Baltimore, Philly, etc.). Who's more ignorant, a gangsta-wannabe drop out from Philly or the son of a hick farmer in Mississippi?

At least November is almost here, thank God.

Comedy's Take on the Financial Crisis

2008-10-08T18:26:00.002-04:00

Central Banks from around the world, to include the Federal Reserve, coordinated a half point drop in interest rates. This was a smart move and should have helped the markets more than it did. The fact that it didn't is just more evidence that much of what we're seeing is psychology rather than economics. After we hit bottom, there will be too many good deals that investors will no longer be able to ignore, thus the rebound will begin, because low prices sow their own seeds of recovery. Ironically, the housing market is looking quite appealing to me right now. Just need to find that down payment...

Here's two videos, one from Saturday Night Live and the other from Comedy Central's Steven Colbert, with their take on the financial crisis:

Uplift

2008-10-06T19:42:00.006-04:00

With the economic crisis at hand along with the extreme mudslinging of the presidential candidates, I thought it was a good time for another "good news" post. Here's some assorted good news stories:
-14 year old saves his two younger sisters from house fire.
-New "wonder pill" could prevent 80% of heat attacks in people over 55, may only cost $1.
-A breakthrough cancer surgery saved a terminal patient.
-Three times the thief tried to kill him and three times the gun jammed.
-Crude oil is falling like a rock, now below $89.
-The dollar is surging against other currencies.
-Baghdad Zoo gets pair of tiger cubs from US.
-Optimism is good for you: "Optimists are more resistant to infectious illness and are better at fending off chronic diseases of middle age."
-It's almost never as bad as the media says it is.
-It's autumn.
-Aliens aren't attacking.

-And, you're not this guy:

And enjoy this totally random literal singing of "Take on me." :-)

Financial Crisis, Part 2

2008-10-02T21:28:00.005-04:00

Source: www.necn.com

After an astonishing and surprising defeat of the so-called 'bailout plan' by the House, it looks like the Senate has passed a concentrated pile of crap as a result. The original bill numbered just 3 pages, but it has now swollen to over 450 pages. I've linked it here.

Even at a time of crisis, the politicians have managed to inject a tremendous amount of pork, to include:

-Manufacturers of kids' wooden arrows - $6 million

-Puerto Rican and Virgin Is- lands rum producers - $192 million

-Wool research

-Auto-racing tracks - $128 million

-Corporations operating in American Samoa - $33 million

-Small- to medium-budget film and television productions - $10 million

-and many more...

The NY Post goes on to say that according to the Congressional Budget Office the total "will add about $112 billion to budget deficits over the next five years because the bill doesn't contain enough offsetting revenue hikes to keep the budget balanced."

Frustrating stuff for sure. I'm against this bill, but it will most likely pass the House next week amid constant calls "to do something!" Yet, a monstrosity has been created and political tensions are just simply too high right now for true rational thought to take place on this matter.

Despite this, I do believe the economy will get worse for a little while, but it will recover as it always has. The media is salivating at this crisis and is all too willing to feed the flames. Case in
point: The BBC, in a Q&A section about the bailout bill, said this in reference to the bill's failure:

"The Dow Jones index lost 770 points - its largest one-day points fall in its history - after the bill's rejection."

In reality, the Dow didn't even break into the top ten losses in terms of percentage, which is far more representative of the truth. It's not hard to find doomsday headlines and articles, but the truth is the market is correcting itself for grossly overblown oil prices, housing prices, and commodity prices. Investors thought prices could go nowhere but up, but they were obviously wrong. The upside to this situation is that the dollar is up (ie. worth more), oil is way down (which has a ripple effect across the economy), people's debt is worth less and interest rates on those debts are extremely low (credit cards are a different matter), it WILL get better eventually...it always, always does. Just like the climate, the economy is a cycle. Pay your bills on time and there's nothing to worry about.

The Financial Crisis

2008-09-25T16:42:00.003-04:00

Humans are panicky creatures. The media has always played on this fundamental truth and they're surely doing that now with the financial crisis, and yes it is a financial crisis. However, in my opinion, the other pillars of our economy are doing just fine. The economy, just like the climate, goes in cycles and we are simply in a lower part of the cycle.

It should be known though that it wasn't capitalism that has failed us here, rather it was corporatism (aka crony capitalism). Freddy Mac and Fannie Mae are known as government sponsored entities (GSE's). These are quasi-socialist organizations that were essentially creating their own capital and were running amok with bad mortgage deals. Fannie Mae was set up in the 1930's under FDR as a way to add liquidity to the mortgage market and became a legal monopoly. Freddie Mac came in 1970 for the same general purpose. Both showed signs of needing reform for the past 20 years as more and more lower income people were given "cheap" loans (that many have since defaulted on). Now, after years of mishandling, we the taxpayer get to bail these behemoths out.

I'm a firm capitalist and it is extremely alarming to see the nationalization of our mortgage and financial markets as if this was 1950's Cuba. In fact, we haven't had a capitalist economy since before FDR. However, we're now put into a situation where we have to do this bailout to stem off any greater harm. Despite all of this, the optimist in me sees this as a potential opportunity for this country. I have long thought that this crisis is a great opportunity to weed out the truly bad economic influences in our markets. Stronger and more efficient companies will be left standing as a result.

Just yesterday I was thinking that the government could actually make a lot of money off of this deal if the economy rebounds in short order. Well, Andy Kessler of the Wall Street Journal laid this possibility out today. This could actually end up being a good thing. Warren Buffet, who knows a thing or two about economics, showed that he thinks a recovery is inevitable (as it always is in this country) and invested $5 billion into Goldman Sachs.

As for who's to blame. Well, many people. Here's a video laying out some context.

So Much Going On

2008-09-19T15:42:00.005-04:00

I have been reading an unhealthy amount of news lately. The financial situation, global warming issues, the presidential race, Russia, etc. have me surfing all over the internet in an effort to satisfy my craving for more information. I enjoy reading about all these various topics, except for the presidential race. I don't like the mud slinging, lies, pandering, over-the-top fanatical supporters, annoying pundits, idiotic celebrity interventions, and single-issue voter topics. It's all annoying and excessively partisan. The end result is polarization that causes people to become too emotionally involved and thus often hateful. So, while I'm still reading daily reports on the candidates, it's really not where I like to spend my time.

Instead, I've been focusing on global warming issues and international politics. So, here's a climate update:

The sun is still without sunspots. NASA is to have a press conference:

NASA To Discuss Conditions On And Surrounding The Sun

WASHINGTON — NASA will hold a media teleconference Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 12:30 p.m. EDT, to discuss data from the joint NASA and European Space Agency Ulysses mission that reveals the sun’s solar wind is at a 50-year low. The sun’s current state could result in changing conditions in the solar system.

The sun is the primary driver of our weather, seasons, and climate. There is a near exact correlation between our sun's cycles and our warming and cooling cycles here on earth.

The apparently weakening sun could have a tremendous influence in the near future and thus could theoretically lead us into the opposite direction that most think we're going (warming). The irony is disconcerting.

Something else to watch: the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), which is the term used for long-term fluctuations of the pacific ocean, has a profound impact on global temperatures. It is believed that we have now entered the "cool phase" of the PDO after being in the "warm phase" since 1977. It just so happens that the warm and cool phases of this cycle directly correlate to the warm and cool temperatures here in the United States.

-From 1905 to1946, we experienced dramatic heating, especially in the 1930's. We had the Dust Bowl and 4 of the top 10 warmest years in history were in the 1930's. The PDO was in its warm phase.

-From 1946 to 1977, we experienced gradual cooling. Scientists hyped a global cooling crisis. The PDO was in its cool phase.

-From 1977 until recent present, we have experienced a warming trend that peaked in 1998 with a super-strong El Nino. Global Warming alarmists are now a dime a dozen. The PDO was in its warm phase.

-2008 to 2038? Perhaps a major cool down? The PDO has turned "cold."

If you combine the weak sun with the cool PDO phase, we could have an interesting future. One that may sadly produce one of history's greatest ironies.

UPDATE:

NASA's press conference revealed that the solar flares are at a fifty year low (actually, the lowest since the space age enabled us to accurately measure this) and is losing power. If the earth continues to cool down (temps haven't risen since 2001) then more and more scientists may start to pay attention to the sun and its influence on our climate.

Optimist

2008-07-18T16:46:00.009-04:00

I consider myself an optimist. I complain about common daily issues and annoyances just like everyone else, but overall I believe the future will be good. This has hopefully been obvious in my previous postings as I've countered the "bad-news-loving" media on many issues. In this regard, I believe that there are three types of people: 1) Optimists 2) Pessimists and 3) Realists. There are problems with each type. For instance, optimists can become naive, pessimists can become depressed or cynical, and realists, well I don't really think they exist. You'd have to strike a perfect balance between optimist and pessimist and be unemotional about future outcomes.

Anyway, as I see it, why not be optimistic about the future? Naiveté can occur, but you'll learn from your mistakes, whereas a pessimist wouldn't even bother trying in the first place. Being pessimistic is emotionally draining and can deprive you of opportunities. That's not to say that being an optimist doesn't take effort though. Sure it does, but you'll be rewarded much more often in life for that effort.

I bring this up because every single day people hear bad news about something in the world. Let's take an imaginary person named Joe as an example: Joe has an ordinary American life. He owns a home, has a job, is married, and is satisfied. Lately, he's been reading a lot of news. Issues such as troubled mortgage companies, high fuel prices and inflation have made him slightly depressed. He gets anxiety when filling up his car or at the grocery line. He's concerned about health costs rising for him and his wife, especially as they get older. He worries about his retirement (he's 50) and providing financial help to his soon-to-be grandchild if something were to happen to his daughter and son-in-law. However, oddly enough, he used to not think about such things, at least not like this. But, it's in his face everyday with the local news on in the morning, the newspaper at work, and the nightly news or CNN/Foxnews in the evening. He feels like he could lose it all in the blink of an eye.

Now, lets turn this into a statistical case using the Gallup Poll and the US Census Bureau and see what happens. In this case Joe still has his health, still has his home, still has his wife, still has his daughter, his grandchild will be born healthy, he will buy all the groceries he needs, and he will feel satisfied with his life. Of course, everyone has problems, but I'm trying to demonstrate that the truly important fundamentals of our lives are (statistically speaking) there for us. I can't imagine the horrific pain of losing a loved-one or living in abject poverty and I completely understand that this is a reality for millions of people, but the stats show a remarkably different picture of the average American than what the media reports. So once again, statistically speaking, it makes more sense to be optimistic than pessimistic. You may call this simplistic logic, but by living in this great country of ours we have remarkable control over our lives, and thus we have the power to achieve great things. Not to be selfish here, but does a "troubled" mortgage company affect your daily life? Have you started eating bread and water for dinner because of inflation? It's just so easy to point out all the bad things, yet few seem to want to do the opposite.

I'll leave you with some good news:

-The world is getting happier, according to a study.
-Mailman dives into lake to save girl.
-Dog returns home after five years and 850 mile journey.
-Walmart to eliminate wood from illegal and unknown places.
-Boy, who finds wedding rings in toilet, tracks down owners.
-Bush names first female Four Star General.
-Drinking coffee may lead to a longer life.
-Highway deaths are down in 35 states.

One more thing. Watch this video, I promise that it will make you happy :-)

Things That Make You Go "Hmmmm..."

2008-07-15T21:06:00.005-04:00

Here's a list of things that may make people angry, happy, or just confused:

-Atlanta to ban "Men at Work" signs.

-A British government-sponsored study says that toddlers who say "yuck" may be racist. Wow.

-The term "black hole" is found to be racially insensitive.

-The French, not Americans (yay!), are considered to be the most obnoxious tourists.

-Swedish hospital refuses to provide mandated health care to a stroke victim because he is a smoker. Socialized medicine, baby.

-Sniffer dogs in Britain must wear Muslim "bootees" before entering a home.

-Muslims in Scotland are outraged over a puppy ad (below):

Alright then.

The District at Night

2008-07-06T17:43:00.009-04:00

My sister-in-law is visiting this week, so we decided to explore the monuments at night. It's a truly different experience that gave me a whole new appreciation for the majestic structures. Plus, traffic was low and parking was easy :-) These are some pictures I took:

The Washington Monument, just before sunset.

The Capitol Building

The Jefferson Memorial

Jefferson stands proudly, looking at the White House across the National Mall.

The eerie face of an American soldier at the Korean War Memorial.

The Lincoln Memorial

Lincoln and all his grandeur.

The beautiful World War II Memorial

Looking at the Washington Monument from the WWII Memorial.

Freedom and Independence

2008-07-05T12:31:00.004-04:00

Last night I witnessed a truly phenomenal fireworks display on the Nation's Capital. This isn't my picture (from Wiki, because my photos just didn't turn out), but it gives you the idea of the backdrop we had. My wife and some friends from out of town sat about 25 ft. from the Washington Monument to watch the fireworks launch from the Reflecting Pool. I know this is a bit cheesy, but it made me really happy to see so many different kinds of people all celebrating this great country of ours, carrying flags, wearing red, white and blue, etc. I highly recommend this event to anyone, as it was an unforgettable night!

Happy Independence Day!

A Climate Religion

2008-07-02T17:32:00.006-04:00

I came across a really well written article on Global Warming in the Wall Street Journal recently that cleverly lines up Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) Alarmists with that of religious fanatics. To many, Al Gore is called the "Goracle" (not kidding), Gaia (mother Earth) is a replacement for God, Original Sin is simply breathing (our first breath after birth emits our first bit of CO2), other worldly sins include all forms of carbon release (driving an SUV, using an "old-fashioned" light bulb, etc.) and finally, the Apocalypse is Global Warming run amok to its final conclusion.

The media has helped to turn the world into billions of Chicken Little's running around screaming that the sky is falling. Whether it be the latest economic crisis (when wasn't there one?), the latest violence both here and abroad, or the "examples" of global warming (i.e. floods, fires, etc.), all are designed to keep you watching the news to find out what horrible thing will happen next. Well, Global Warming is the centerpiece and it is truly amazing how journalists and others consistently get away with publishing/spreading such nonsense.

Effects of "Global Warming" so far:
-Seattle may ban bonfires on the beach due to global warming.
-There is a global food shortage which has been helped by ethanol production sought by alarmists as a way to stop AGW.
-Al Gore has been able to charge $175,000 per speech on AGW, and while he only had $2 million in total assets seven years ago, he is now worth over $100 million. Scaring people pays good money, just ask Stephen King.
-Germany's famous Autobahn may have speed limits imposed on it to "fight global warming."
-Coastal insurance rates are increasing due to the perception that AGW is increasing the likelihood of hurricanes. (BTW, we didn't have a single hurricane hit the US last year...just saying.)

You get the point. The only action on global warming that has happened so far is the raising of taxes and the reduction of freedom. I wish a real debate would present itself soon, before we elect a government full of politicians all too eager to "stop AGW."

History Will Tell

2008-06-24T21:10:00.004-04:00

There's not a whole lot of news coming from Iraq recently, except for the casual campaign highlight reels making note of some minor comments made by the two presidential nominees from time to time. There's a "good" reason for this: Iraq has greatly improved. Hopefully most Americans realize by now that the media favors bad news over good, because it sells more. Well, as a result, the American public received a good earful on the bad news in 2005-2006, but have received a mere whisper in 2008 when things are much better. David Brooks lays out how the surge has worked and few seem to notice. However, I'm not saying that Iraq is "solved" or that everyone can come home and throw a big party, just that the surge strategy has done precisely what it was designed to do. Isn't it interesting that floods, fires, and gas prices seemed to fill an all-to-convenient void in the wake of the lowest casualties in the entire war? Just saying.

The Beach

2008-06-22T16:30:00.004-04:00

I just got back from spending time with family at Myrtle Beach, woot! The above picture is the moon reflecting off the water just after nightfall with an amazing orange color. We had a really great time, but as all vacations do, it went way too quick. And now it's back to the grind and to some belated spring cleaning, not to mention a lot of news to catch up on. I've been in the dark for a solid week now.

2008-06-15T22:43:00.003-04:00

Happy Father's Day!

Thanks Dad for all that you've given me.

Link Dump

2008-06-11T13:55:00.004-04:00

Seeing as how I'm in Indy visiting friends and family, I'll just post some links of interest:

--Eating dinner with my wife and parents last week, just a couple blocks down from the Capitol Building, I quickly noticed that we were sitting right next to Congressman Kucinich (D-Ohio). I had mixed feelings because the political nerd in me was excited to be next to a Congressman right in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, but this was Kucinich, a complete idiot in my opinion who continually tries to impeach the president and publicly stated his belief in UFO's. He's a moron, but it was interesting to hear what they were talking about (Obama and the primaries). Anyway, here's him introducing 35 articles of impeachment this week....idiot.
-Seattle wants to ban beach bonfires because of global warming. Maybe they should realize that the wood that would be used for the fire will otherwise be consumed by organisms which produce carbon as their primary byproduct or that just one of the many cruise ships that docks in the city produces a thousand times more carbon than any bonfire. Ridiculous.
-Sunspots remain elusive, and people are starting to notice.
-Why we should take Iran seriously.
-Since 2003, Al Qaeda, instead of spending time and money planning attacks in the US, has been concentrating its efforts in Iraq. Well, even the Guardian admits that the terrorist group is all but eliminated in Iraq and may realign their efforts elsewhere in the region. Of course, now they're weaker than ever and recruiting for a defeated force is all the more difficult.
-The Daily Show's take on the candidates and Israel :-)

Restart

2008-06-05T21:08:00.003-04:00

Alright...So I had another long pause in my blogging, but I've been considerably busy lately. April and May were very productive, but of course that meant other things were not so productive...ahem.

Anyway, I'm returning to the wonderful city of Indianapolis for a week-long visit. I'm very excited and am really looking forward to seeing family and friends, but also the city itself. Washington DC is awe-inspiring with it's both somber and magnificent monuments, ornate government buildings, and beautiful landscaping. Chicago and New York both have their unique styles that portend power and pride. San Francisco follows it's own tune and doesn't look back. But, I tell ya, there's just something about Indy that I love. The combination of a small town feel with big city amenities, race week [read: month], the mighty Colts, and the hospitality (of which I've noticed a huge difference between DC and Indy). The town is going through a mini-renaissance with condos going up left and right downtown, a new Airport, a new stadium, a new convention center, a new mega hotel, a new central library (albeit slow in the making), and many other things. Prices are still relatively low, people open doors for each other, wave to each other and look each other in the eye. And, as far as I'm concerned, Indy presents a solid opportunity to develop one's views on life, culture and politics.

Now, most of my friends and family have probably heard me say these before, but here are some interesting facts about Indy:
-Indy is the largest city in the world not on a navigable waterway.
-Indy is second only to Washington DC in its number of memorials.
-Half the nation's population is within a day's drive of Indy.
-Indy holds the world's two largest single day sporting events: Indy 500 and The Brickyard.
-Indy has the largest Children's Museum in the world, by every measure.
-Indy has the third largest cemetery in the U.S. (we take care of our dead...)
-Kiwanis (children's aid organization), Eli Lilly, Wellpoint, and The American Legion are headquartered in Indy.

Michael Yon on Iraq

2008-04-13T17:14:00.006-04:00

"I may well have spent more time embedded with combat units in Iraq than any other journalist alive. I have seen this war – and our part in it – at its brutal worst. And I say the transformation over the last 14 months is little short of miraculous." -Michael Yon

Michael Yon is a superb source of news for what's really happening on the ground in Iraq. He is an independent journalist who only gets paid through donations on his website. I've written on Michael before, but not enough people know about him and others who don't rely on body counts as a measure of success. He recently had an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal about recent Iraq developments and takes the words out of my mouth when he mentions that politicians are trying to make war decisions not on what's actually occurring in Iraq, but rather what's politically popular. The article is excellent, so I will post it here in its entirety. Definitely a must-read. Do yourself a favor and read some 'positive' news for once:

Let's 'Surge' Some More

By MICHAEL YON April 11, 2008; Page A17

It is said that generals always fight the last war. But when David Petraeus came to town it was senators – on both sides of the aisle – who battled over the Iraq war of 2004-2006. That war has little in common with the war we are fighting today.

I may well have spent more time embedded with combat units in Iraq than any other journalist alive. I have seen this war – and our part in it – at its brutal worst. And I say the transformation over the last 14 months is little short of miraculous.

The change goes far beyond the statistical decline in casualties or incidents of violence. A young Iraqi translator, wounded in battle and fearing death, asked an American commander to bury his heart in America. Iraqi special forces units took to the streets to track down terrorists who killed American soldiers. The U.S. military is the most respected institution in Iraq, and many Iraqi boys dream of becoming American soldiers. Yes, young Iraqi boys know about "GoArmy.com."

As the outrages of Abu Ghraib faded in memory – and paled in comparison to al Qaeda's brutalities – and our soldiers under the Petraeus strategy got off their big bases and out of their tanks and deeper into the neighborhoods, American values began to win the war.

Iraqis came to respect American soldiers as warriors who would protect them from terror gangs. But Iraqis also discovered that these great warriors are even happier helping rebuild a clinic, school or a neighborhood. They learned that the American soldier is not only the most dangerous enemy in the world, but one of the best friends a neighborhood can have.

Some people charge that we have merely "rented" the Sunni tribesmen, the former insurgents who now fight by our side. This implies that because we pay these people, their loyalty must be for sale to the highest bidder. But as Gen. Petraeus demonstrated in Nineveh province in 2003 to 2004, many of the Iraqis who filled the ranks of the Sunni insurgency from 2003 into 2007 could have been working with us all along, had we treated them intelligently and respectfully. In Nineveh in 2003, under then Maj. Gen. Petraeus's leadership, these men – many of them veterans of the Iraqi army – played a crucial role in restoring civil order. Yet due to excessive de-Baathification and the administration's attempt to marginalize powerful tribal sheiks in Anbar and other provinces – including men even Saddam dared not ignore – we transformed potential partners into dreaded enemies in less than a year.

Then al Qaeda in Iraq, which helped fund and tried to control the Sunni insurgency for its own ends, raped too many women and boys, cut off too many heads, and brought drugs into too many neighborhoods. By outraging the tribes, it gave birth to the Sunni "awakening." We – and Iraq – got a second chance. Powerful tribes in Anbar province cooperate with us now because they came to see al Qaeda for what it is – and to see Americans for what we truly are.

Soldiers everywhere are paid, and good generals know it is dangerous to mess with a soldier's money. The shoeless heroes who froze at Valley Forge were paid, and when their pay did not come they threatened to leave – and some did. Soldiers have families and will not fight for a nation that allows their families to starve. But to say that the tribes who fight with us are "rented" is perhaps as vile a slander as to say that George Washington's men would have left him if the British offered a better deal.

Equally misguided were some senators' attempts to use Gen. Petraeus's statement, that there could be no purely military solution in Iraq, to dismiss our soldiers' achievements as "merely" military. In a successful counterinsurgency it is impossible to separate military and political success. The Sunni "awakening" was not primarily a military event any more than it was "bribery." It was a political event with enormous military benefits.

The huge drop in roadside bombings is also a political success – because the bombings were political events. It is not possible to bury a tank-busting 1,500-pound bomb in a neighborhood street without the neighbors noticing. Since the military cannot watch every road during every hour of the day (that would be a purely military solution), whether the bomb kills soldiers depends on whether the neighbors warn the soldiers or cover for the terrorists. Once they mostly stood silent; today they tend to pick up their cell phones and call the Americans. Even in big "kinetic" military operations like the taking of Baqubah in June 2007, politics was crucial. Casualties were a fraction of what we expected because, block-by-block, the citizens told our guys where to find the bad guys. I was there; I saw it.

The Iraqi central government is unsatisfactory at best. But the grass-roots political progress of the past year has been extraordinary – and is directly measurable in the drop in casualties.

This leads us to the most out-of-date aspect of the Senate debate: the argument about the pace of troop withdrawals. Precisely because we have made so much political progress in the past year, rather than talking about force reduction, Congress should be figuring ways and means to increase troop levels. For all our successes, we still do not have enough troops. This makes the fight longer and more lethal for the troops who are fighting. To give one example, I just returned this week from Nineveh province, where I have spent probably eight months between 2005 to 2008, and it is clear that we remain stretched very thin from the Syrian border and through Mosul. Vast swaths of Nineveh are patrolled mostly by occasional overflights.

We know now that we can pull off a successful counterinsurgency in Iraq. We know that we are working with an increasingly willing citizenry. But counterinsurgency, like community policing, requires lots of boots on the ground. You can't do it from inside a jet or a tank.

Over the past 15 months, we have proved that we can win this war. We stand now at the moment of truth. Victory – and a democracy in the Arab world – is within our grasp. But it could yet slip away if our leaders remain transfixed by the war we almost lost, rather than focusing on the war we are winning today.

Mr. Yon is author of the just-published "Moment of Truth in Iraq" (Richard Vigilante Books). He has been reporting from Iraq and Afghanistan since December 2004.

You'll simply never hear/read this kind of reporting in the mainstream press (notice this is an 'op-ed' and not an official WSJ report). There are some truly significant changes occurring in Iraq, some are subtle, but important nonetheless. If only Americans heard even 5% of the successes we had over the past year, there might be less pessimism about Iraq. You can find any poll that states that a majority of Americans want us out of Iraq, but that's a painfully obvious sentiment. No one likes war, especially this one, but the wrongheadedness of these polls lie in the fact that the questions asked don't stipulate certain conditions. For instance, you'll be hard pressed to find a question worded like this, "Knowing that there is a significant probability of genocide if US troops were to leave Iraq today, would you support the removal of US forces from Iraq? The second part of that question seems easy for most Americans to answer "War = bad, so we should leave" However, I guarantee if the first part about genocide is added, then those poll numbers would change dramatically. This is why polls are such fickle mechanisms for measuring what people think. It's all about what is asked. Also, because of the shoddy journalism surrounding Iraq in general, Americans are not receiving the full picture they deserve. The average person does not have time to go researching for several hours a day to find the "truth" about what's really happening. Well, I recommend visiting Michael Yon's website often to get a refreshing view of the realities of this conflict.

The Warming-Cooling Earth

2008-04-09T22:15:00.003-04:00

I have articles piling up about global warming, but I'd rather not turn this blog into a climate site, so I'll space them out. Plus, there's just so many things I'd like to bring up in general, but my evenings are just too short. Anyway, the BBC shows their usual bias and slant on another global warming story. The article details how 2008 will be cooler than average thanks to the La Nina phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean. There's nothing wrong with this fact, of course, rather it's how they frame the entire article in the "accepted consensus" paradigm of man-made global warming. It only takes them until the third paragraph before they quickly tell you, "oh don't worry though! Global warming is still there! We promise!"

The World Meteorological Organization's secretary-general, Michel Jarraud, told the BBC it was likely that La Nina would continue into the summer.

But this year's temperatures would still be way above the average - and we would soon exceed the record year of 1998 because of global warming induced by greenhouse gases.

They employ the type of journalism that allows them to tell true statements, but are purposely misleading and/or out of context. Case in point:

The WMO points out that the decade from 1998 to 2007 was the warmest on record. Since the beginning of the 20th Century, the global average surface temperature has risen by 0.74C.

Alright, so to the casual observer this looks like patented evidence of global warming. So, what's the problem? Well, first of all, the most accurate method of determining the earth's average temperature is with the use of satellites. This method has only been around since 1979. So, everything before this is far less accurate (there really is a consensus on this point). Also, everyone should know that anomalies throw off averages. For instance, consider a horrifically dry summer where instead of the usual 30 days of measurable rainfall you only get two, but it just so happens that one of these two days was an epic storm that dropped 12 inches of rain. Does this rainy day characterize the whole summer well? Nope. The point is, 1998 was largely an anomaly thanks to a super strong El Nino (which the BBC hardly mentions), however for the US, the hottest year is still 1934 (before 74 years of carbon was released to the atmosphere).

Notice the huge 1998 spike.

Also, satellite and surface temperature data have shown no measurable rise in temperature since 1998. Additionally, while the surface temperature increased in the 1990's, different layers of the atmosphere have actually cooled. But, more importantly, the oceans (which have a far greater capacity to store heat) have cooled. And just to drive the point home, satellites or not, scientists believe the middle ages were warmer than at any point today, which just so happened to coincide with a prolonged solar optimum...hmmm.

The BBC keeps the "consensus" idea going:

A minority of scientists question whether this means global warming has peaked and argue the Earth has proved more resilient to greenhouse gases than predicted.

A "minority"? Maybe someone should tell these scientists, or maybe these 19,000 scientists that they're crazy "deniers" and are thus in the pocket of big oil. I thought journalists (like scientists) are supposed to be skeptical and ask questions. They sure have that attitude towards President Bush. Maybe if they had the same skepticism of anthropogenic global warming as they did Bush, then we could have a real public debate....nah.

UPDATE:

Well, this is just crazy. It appears that this aforementioned BBC article was further swayed by a global warming alarmist who managed to convince the author to alter his story to better fit the alarmist mantra. What's more is that she brags about this change on the Campaign Against Climate Change website of which she is a part. In less than two hours, this person, via e-mail, was able to change a worldwide disseminated BBC report. Now, just imagine if an Exxon Mobile rep e-mailed the BBC to ask them to downplay any global warming alarmism. Sheesh.

American "Gifts from Heaven"

2008-04-07T21:49:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite countries in this expansive world of ours is the great island nation of Japan. It's an extremely advanced society with a level of ingenuity only matched by Germany and the United States. However, as everyone knows, there was a time when our beloved Asian ally was our most hated enemy (the Nazis didn't bomb Pearl Harbor...). After 1899, the Japanese set themselves squarely on a path of destruction. The imperialist cancer that spread within this society during what was called the Meiji Restoration, would eventually engulf over 1/7 of the world's surface. The militaristic and dogmatic sickness that propped this nation up would eventually lead directly to its complete and utter destruction.

I read a very fascinating article over the past few days called "Gifts from Heaven: The Meaning of the American Victory over Japan, 1945," by John David Louis in The Objective Standard (a subscribers-only publication). The author thoroughly discussed the mindset of the Japanese in the build-up to WWII and explains why only the virtual wholesale destruction of the Japanese nation would be enough to truly change this mindset. The religion of Shintoism was nationalized, the emperor was made into a living god (by the military elite as a means to gain power themselves), and all schoolchildren were taught that their lives only served the purpose of maintaining the "national essence" and to serve the emperor-god. Nationalist propaganda surrounded every citizen, every single day. The very fabric of Japanese society had been woven into a racist, imperialistic, and extremely well-disciplined war machine. The author argues that it is ignorant to think that the citizenry did not share the same sentiments of their aggressive military during the war years. The Japanese people were not only well aware of the terrible and violent acts of the army, but they actively participated in its creation, maintenance, and execution. It would take the most massive armada in the history of man, continual fire-bombings, blockades, and two super-weapons to finally stop this ideology.

Tokyo 1945

A few myths that revisionists like to push:
1. We could have dropped the a-bombs in a non-populated area.
-One of the cornerstones of the Japanese military was the belief that although the Americans may have excellent technology and large numbers, they lack the will to carry out a protracted war [sound familiar?]. The goal of the Japanese after mid-1944 was to simply cause as many American casualties as possible so that they could broker a deal. This "deal" would have left the destructive imperialistic mindset firmly in place and it would only have been a matter of time before it would resurface.
2. We could have just blockaded the islands and slowly defeated them that way.
- Thousands died in the a-bomb attacks. Millions would have died in a forced famine. Not to mention the tens of thousands of American POW's that would have perished first (after being worked to death).
3. We dropped the a-bombs for political reasons to scare the Russians.
-There is simply no evidence for this. All the evidence points to a much stronger desire to quickly end a war that had cost millions of lives and billions of dollars. See Truman's/Roosevelt's diaries and notes as well as other officials. Too much to go into here.

The whole point of the article is that the victory over Japan was the most profound American foreign policy success in history. The Japanese constitution was written by members of General MacArthur's staff in one week(!) and still remains today, with few changes. Japan hasn't had a war since and has become the most prosperous Asian nation (after being the most destroyed). Of course the Japanese had much to do with their own success, but it was America that knocked the demons loose in order for this to transpire. It's very easy to find hatred of the United States in the world today, I suppose my whole goal is to give those who love this country (and aren't too cool to admit it) something to grab and hold every once in a while.

Tokyo Today

Saturday Evening Quote

2008-04-05T21:47:00.003-04:00

This weekend marks the assassination anniversary of one of the greatest Americans in the 20th Century, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Too bad so many of his close associates have squandered his legacy (Jesse Jackson...ahem), but that's not to say that many have made great efforts to build upon it.

"When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative." -Martin Luther King Jr.

Family Visit

2008-04-03T23:12:00.008-04:00

Blogging has been slow this week because I have family visiting from out of town. Politics aside, Washington D.C. truly is an awesome city, not like any other in the United States. The amazingly ornate and massive buildings, the beautiful and awe-inspiring monuments, and the sense of American pride (which is often hard to find in some places, especially college) always astounds me when I go downtown.

Well, my wife and our guests ventured into the city for the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival. The event marks the generous gift from the mayor of Tokyo, Yukio Ozaki, in 1912 of 3,000 cherry trees. The majority of the trees line what's called the Tidal Basin. Everyone has probably seen this area in movies, as the Jefferson Memorial is situated on its edge. It's a beautiful area and I never get sick of going there.

The city is expecting about 1 million visitors during the two week long festival, but we managed to avoid the heavy crowds thanks to predicted rains (that held off until after we left). Here's a couple photos I took. Still so much to see and do, but that's a good problem to have :-)

We Have Spots!

2008-03-27T19:30:00.005-04:00

Out of nowhere, three sunspots have suddenly appeared. This is good news, sort of. Although it's a good sign that the sun has shown activity, the spots are actually characteristic of the previous cycle because their polarity is the same as the old one, Number 23. What does this mean? Well, it definitely means that there's much more to learn about our sun, as scientists aren't sure why these spots (A) took so long to appear and (B) why they're not the polarity they're "supposed" to be. There was a recent solar flare detected, and NASA has indicated that the sun could become much more active, which could later interfere with communications, power grids, etc. But, regardless, we want the sun to regain its cycle, because a consistently spotless sun can cause catastrophic effects here on the blue planet.

Come on now...

2008-03-25T22:18:00.003-04:00

You know, once again, I was just going to post some light-hearted links or pictures, but then I came across this really big story of impending global warming!! (read: sarcasm). CNN's top headline for the day was "Antarctic Chunk Splinters; Huge Ice Shelf Threatened" and the BBC also reports the story as their number three headline. The stories detail how a 220 square mile chunk of ice has splintered off the main ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula and just guess what they attribute it to...dreaded Global Warming of course. I mean, after all, what else could it be, right? It's just purely pathetic. I'm continually amazed at the dishonesty of it all. You may have heard (although the media never reports it) that Antarctica is actually cooling and is currently experiencing record ice development. Neither one of these deceitful articles mentions this hugely important fact. Go figure. So, you may be wondering how this ice shelf is melting when Antarctica is getting colder. Well, this has everything to do with synoptic weather patterns and very little to do with climate. The cooling Antarctic continental landmass is actually causing stronger storms around the perimeter as the super cold land-based air mass collides with the warmer ocean air masses to the north. These storms have created local warming over the peninsula, which by the way is not climatically representative of the rest of the continent because of its northern (warmer) reach, the fact that it's thinner landmass is more closely surrounded by warmer water, and its constant exposure to maritime currents. In fact, the northern most (thus closest to warmer air) part of Antarctica is on the Antarctic Peninsula. What you probably didn't read or hear in the media is that Antarctica broke the record for ice development last year (summer just ended for the S. hemisphere). Here's an image from late last year showing the extent of that record ice from the University of Illinois:

See the snow covered peninsula that reaches out to the tip of South America? That is the location of the "ice chunk collapse". You can clearly see why this jetting piece of land would not be representative of the continental climate in general. You could also imagine the strong ocean current between the two continents. Also, here is a chart detailing the entire satellite record of the Antarctic ice extent. You can see the last peak being above all other previous peaks:

And one more thing. In 2003, the Argo Program was launched. The project consists of 3,000 buoys that drift in the oceans at a depth of 2,000 meters. They measure salinity, temperature and other things for scientific research. Well, much to the chagrin of the global warming alarmists, they have measured a slight cooling. This is significant because it is estimated that 80-90% of 'global warming' will come from the oceans as they can hold heat much better than the atmosphere. The official response of global warming scientists to this? "It may be that we are in a period of less rapid warming." Wow. Just picture the headlines if the buoys measured even a slight warming. Sadly, you will have to imagine the headlines for the slight cooling because you won't find them in the mainstream. It's no wonder why so many people think that the "debate is over", because the media simply refuses to report these counterpoints. Why is this? A variety of reasons. Some have political reasons, others monetary, but that's another topic for later.

Just a Reminder of Our Lovable Korean Friend :-)

2008-03-24T22:34:00.002-04:00

Blatant

2008-03-24T22:03:00.002-04:00

Well, I was just going to post a list of interesting links, as I've been pretty busy today, but I can't pass on a recent blatant demonstration of bias. BBC News is one of my many sources for world news. They have tremendous global resources and it's news that's presented from another point of view. However, they have done some really ridiculous things in the realm of political reporting. It may seem like I'm beating a dead horse here, but until it is realized by the average person that the news you hear everyday has a slant (left, right, pro, anti, etc.) then I shall keep bringing it up.

Alright, so I noticed this headline from the BBC the very hour it came out ( and yes I do work, but luckily I have great access to news while at work :-D ) . I figured the political blogs would be all over it by that evening, and sure enough they were.

President Bush gave a big speech on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war and, like you would expect, he pointed out the gains that have been made. Well, this prompted the BBC to produce this wonderful headline as their leading story on their webpage:

Hmmm... the President hails "victory"? Really?? Actually, no. This is what the BBC story states that Bush said,

He said recent troop reinforcements had brought about "a major strategic victory in the broader war on terror".

However, this is what he really said,

The surge has done more than turn the situation in Iraq around – it has opened the door to a major strategic victory in the broader war on terror. [edit: emphasis mine]

So, what happened after somebody higher up at the BBC realized just how blatantly deceitful this headline was? They quietly changed it:

The change came only after scores of commenters on the BBC blasted Bush for being "delusional", "psychotic", "completely out of touch", etc. etc. etc. However, there's no doubt that these people, like many (most?), just read the headline and perhaps the first few sentences of this story. Thus, they pictured in their heads all the violence and carnage in Iraq, then saw this picture of Bush with a headline declaring "victory". Well, of course this is going to reinforce any prior hatred of this man! I understand that many, many people don't like President Bush, fine. That's not my point, rather my point is that this guy could cure cancer and it will be spun in such a way that you'll only hate him more. This kind of crap just isn't needed in legitimate journalism. There are so many more instances I could provide of things like this, and maybe I will, we'll see. But, remember that it's quite easy to reinforce your already firmly held opinion (i.e. hatred of Bush), but it's much, much harder to question that very opinion.

To be an equal opportunity knocker, I will say that Foxnews' coverage of the Obama/Grandmother episode was over the top and almost on par with the supermarket tabloids in their coverage. They spent two hours on their morning show discussing the fact that Obama called his Grandmother a "typical white person" because she was afraid of passing a black man on the street. Concerning the Grandmother issue, I personally believe that Obama misspoke, (you can take that as he politically misspoke, or he genuinely misspoke). This was newsworthy, but definitely not two hours newsworthy.

Cheers!

HAPPY EASTER!

2008-03-23T00:41:00.004-04:00

Just something to think about while you're enjoying your Easter Bunnies.

Silly China

2008-03-20T17:19:00.001-04:00

China, China, China... What a pickle they have gotten themselves into. There is a considerable uprising occurring in the Tibetan region of southwest China, and fatalities have ensued. China has responded with force, sending hundreds of anti-riot troops into the region. The Dalai Lama has been getting a lot of attention with his calls to investigate the matter. The Chinese government is very annoyed right now for two main reasons. The first reason is that riots/protests can often spread, thus increasing the likelihood of China "accidentally" killing more people, which does not bode well for their reputation abroad. The other (and much more significant) reason is the ability of this situation to hamper China's biggest focus in the world right now; the Olympics. It's quite phenomenal the amount of stock that the PRC has in the Games. Billions have been spent, thousands of people have been uprooted, factories have been closed and relocated to Tianjin (because of pollution), and the domestic media has been closely monitored to ensure only positive press is released concerning the games.

Well, knowing that the Tibet issue could cause an international uproar, China has gone into super-censor mode, shutting down YouTube and any PRC-based website critical of the government. Censorship was already intense in China, but now it's just awful. Foreigners are currently banned from entering Tibet's capital, Lhasa, for their own "safety" according to the PRC. The world may never know how many people will be killed after this is all said and done, but murmurs and whispers of an Olympic boycott have begun. I don't think it will happen however, at most there will be a minor boycott of the opening ceremony. Something to watch though.

The Trouble With Adoration

2008-03-19T18:59:00.002-04:00

I almost always cringe when someone is nearly universally liked by the media, be it a liberal, moderate, conservative, entertainer, writer, athlete, etc. When an individual is adored, real constructive criticism is harder to come by, which can then lead to this individual getting away with far more than the average person.

Imagine if George W. Bush was extremely well liked (I can hear people scoff now) and popular. His ratings are at 92% favorable, the economy is great, and Iraq is a complete success. Do you think this would make him more likely to invade Iran, for instance, or less likely? Obviously, more likely. President Bush may not care as much as previous presidents about popular opinion, but with a less-than-friendly media after him 24/7, you better believe that he's much more careful in his actions now than he was right after 9/11 when he had the highest favorable rating of any U.S. president in history.

This has been the problem I have had with Barack Obama. The man is adored by the media, there's no doubt. Now, the very fact of this, does not make him a bad person, not at all. The problem is that a politician adored by the media is not properly vetted, thus a complete picture is not given to the public, hence why 99% of America had never heard of Obama's controversial pastor until last week.

Everyone, especially politicians, has skeletons in their closet. However, my concern here is not what those skeletons are, but rather the fact that the media decides which ones we will hear about, unless you devote hours and hours to researching for yourself. Obama gave a very well conceived speech yesterday in Philadelphia. In fact, it was probably the best possible speech he could have given in response to this situation, politically speaking that is. Although his speaking manner was considerably more flat and less charismatic than usual, the context was a nice piece of work by his speech writers. Will this solve his "pastor problems"? Well, it will for the most ardent Obama supporters, and even for many moderate Democrats. However, this speech will simply not be enough for most Independents and the vast majority of Republicans. In fact, the recent polling data is pretty remarkable:

Zogby: Obama 47%, Clinton 44%, He was ahead by 14 points just a couple of weeks ago.
Gallup: Clinton 49%, Obama 42%, Clinton on top.
Rasmussen: Obama 47% Clinton 42%, No statistical difference.

*All three polling organizations have McCain ahead of the two Democratic contenders.

The mainstream media's response to Obama's speech was quite predictable. Two items in the media that caught my attention:

From CBS' "Early Show": Maggie Rodriguez opens the segment with, "It's being called a defining cultural moment in America. Barack Obama speaks about America's racial stalemate, a moving moment, a political risk." and later on says, "It was without question a defining moment in American political history."[edit: emphasis mine]

From the New York Times: "It was an extraordinary moment — the first black candidate with a good chance at becoming a presidential nominee, in a country in which racial distrust runs deep and often unspoken, embarking at a critical juncture in his campaign upon what may be the most significant public discussion of race in decades."[edit: emphasis mine] The author goes on to compare Obama to Lincoln and JFK.

To be fair, ABC News had a story labeled, "Buried in Eloquence, Obama Contradictions About Pastor" It asserts that Obama "contradicted more than a year of denials and spin from him and his staff about his knowledge of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's controversial sermons."

Be assured though, that the vast majority of reporting was significantly in Obama's favor.

I'll leave you with this latest Pew Research Institute report, which (with absolute no surprise to me) found that among journalists:

Only six percent said they considered themselves conservatives and only two percent said they were very conservative. This compares with 36 percent of the overall population that describes itself as conservative. Most journalists, 53 percent, said they're moderate. 24 percent said they were liberal and eight percent very liberal.

That means that 32% of journalists consider themselves at least "liberal" while only 8% consider themselves at least "conservative". This is no where close to the actual demographic make-up of the American public, thus this should give you all the more reason to be skeptical of what you hear.

The Daily Show's Best

2008-03-18T19:41:00.001-04:00

I meant to post this days ago, but kept forgetting to. I think everyone who watches The Daily Show knows that the show leans left, but that's not to say that they don't skewer the other side every once in a while too. This time it was Berkley, CA in their cross hairs, but particularly the anti-war group Code Pink. I've been following this group for several years now and they never cease to amaze me with their complete idiocy, anti-Americanism, and vitriol. And yes, the "reporter" really is a former Marine.

The Obligatory Post on Obama's Pastor

2008-03-18T18:39:00.001-04:00

I suppose I had to write about Obama's pastor sooner or later. Alright, so if you haven't heard about the recent controversy, here it is in a nutshell:

Barack Obama started to attend Trinity United Church of Christ in south Chicago about twenty years ago. This afro-centric church, until recently, had a pastor by the name of Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, Sr., who apparently has an anti-Israel and anti-American view on life. Recently, (although I saw these videos two months ago, and learned of this "controversial" pastor last year) videos have come to light in the media that show Obama's pastor saying some really awful, dishonest, hateful, and conspiratorial things. Some of the "points" he made or insinuates are:

1. The US government invented AIDS and spread it to particular groups.
2. We brought 9/11 on ourselves, in essence deserved it.
3. The US is profoundly racist and refers to this country as the "U.S. of KKK-A".
4. The US itself is a terrorist who has committed acts of terrorism around the world, particularly against Palestine.
5. "God-D*mn America"

Okay, okay...so most people would agree that this guy is wrong, racist, a conspiracy theorist, and should not be preaching Christian values, but the larger question, of course, is why Barack Obama, who's campaign centers around openness and rising above racial derision, would attend a church led by such a figure...for 20 years. The thing that really bothers me about this is (1) the lack of media scrutiny (until now) Obama has received compared to Hillary, McCain, Romney (how much did we hear about Mormonism??) etc., and (2) the fact that Wright was not just Obama's pastor, but also his "spiritual mentor", was on his campaign, and is mentioned several times in his memoirs as a close friend and confidant.

This may fatally hurt Obama, especially if another controversy pops up before the convention. The Rasmussen poll has Obama dropping 7% against Hillary in recent days (45% Obama, 44% Clinton), with them now in a statistical dead heat among Democratic voters. Meanwhile, Gallup actually has Clinton slightly ahead (47% Clinton, 44% Obama). Something to note though is that while the media focuses on the Democrats, recent polling shows that McCain is actually viewed more favorably by the American public than both Democratic candidates and leads them both in national polling according to Rasmussen.

It's been difficult for me to formulate a solid opinion of Obama simply because there's so little information out about him compared to Clinton and McCain. Obama was drawn to this church for a reason. He maintained a close and intimate friendship with this pastor for a reason. How could a person that has said over and over in the public sphere that he's above the race issue, select a church that focuses so heavily on....race? This, from ABC News, is what Obama said earlier this month (before the story "broke"):

"I don't think my church is actually particularly controversial." He said Rev. Wright "is like an old uncle who says things I don't always agree with," telling a Jewish group that everyone has someone like that in their family.

The big difference here is that we don't choose our uncles, we do choose our church/pastor.

I so wish that we had already elected a black president years ago so this wouldn't be an issue. Identity politics is ALWAYS a horrible, wretched thing.

More on IPCC

2008-03-15T21:12:00.006-04:00

In regard to my recent posts, there's some good timing on a new Washington Times article concerning the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The article explains how the IPCC has not held up well to scrutiny and many of its findings have been found to be quite questionable if not outright wrong. This tidbit from the article is particularly amazing:

Over time, forecasting researchers have compiled 140 principles that can be applied to a broad range of disciplines, including science, sociology, economics and politics.

In a recent NCPA study, Kesten Green and J. Scott Armstrong used these principles to audit the climate forecasts in the Fourth Assessment Report. Messrs, Green and Armstrong found the IPCC clearly violated 60 of the 127 principles relevant in assessing the IPCC predictions. Indeed, it could only be clearly established that the IPCC followed 17 of the more than 127 forecasting principles critical to making sound predictions.

Pretty amazing stuff, considering the possible trillions of dollars that could be spent in the next 10 years mitigating this perceived threat. If the world's governments are going to spend this insane amount of money and pass laws further restricting our lives, then wouldn't you want them to base these actions on hard scientific fact, rather than political agendas? It's incredibly disconcerting that so many have said that this debate is over and if you dare to question it then you are deemed an ignorant denier. A controversy popped up last year when a forecaster at the Weather Channel named Heidi Cullen said this, "If a meteorologist can't speak to the fundamental science of climate change, then maybe the AMS shouldn't give them a Seal of Approval." She was essentially saying that "deniers" should not be allowed to be meteorologists. She got bombarded on her blog in the comment section for that statement and posted several responses that backed away a little from her original position, but you can see the danger in branding those who are skeptical a denier and trying to shut them up.

The funny thing is that the founder of the Weather Channel is a hardcore global warming skeptic and just recently said that Al Gore should be sued for misleading the public and profiting off of it.

Sometimes Having Spots is Healthy

2008-03-13T22:45:00.004-04:00

The image above is from the latest SOHO MDI Continuum, as provided by NASA There's something peculiar about the current state of our beloved sun: no spots. You see, the sun has a few regular cycles that it goes through, both short and long term. Perhaps, the most widely known and understood is the 11 year cycle. About every 11 years the number of sunspots reaches either a Solar Maximum or a Solar Minimum. It may be counterintuitive, but more sunspots (colder, dark, planet-sized disks) actually translates to more energy directed towards our atmosphere, thus causing warming here on earth. The opposite is true, an absence of sunspots generally means a cooler earth. The Little Ice Age (from about 1450 to 1820) directly corresponded with a very low sunspot count (they've been counting them since the early 17th century). You can clearly see the lower number during the Little Ice Age time frame:

This is known as the Maunder Minimum. Also, notice the relatively high sunspot count in the latter half of the 20th century. Well, we're currently in a solar minimum right now as you can see (where the line bottoms out after 2006), but the problem is that there hasn't been a true sunspot in over two years. There is a real concern that we could be entering a long period of reduced solar activity that could then in turn cause some serious climate effects on earth. We really need that sun to start kicking out some spots soon because global cooling is much more dangerous than global warming, as crops fail, commodity prices rise astronomically, and resources become slim.

There was recently a huge conference in NYC which convened the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC). This is a direct response to the highly political U.N. organization known as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which is often the number one cited source for global warming alarmists. However, the NIPCC is a private, non-government, not-for-profit, non-partisan body of scientists (which includes many of the scientists used in the UN's IPCC who have expressed their anger at how their work was portrayed in the IPPC's report). The purpose of the NIPCC was to look at the exact same information that the UN group did, but without the biases (every single scientist on the UN's IPCC panel received funding and grants from their parent governent). You see, the IPCC's actual report was conferred upon, changed, altered, and presented to the public by politicians and UN bureaucrats. Well, as you may have guessed, the NIPCC found that “The claim that man is the primary cause of recent warming is not supported by science. The scientific evidence cited by the IPCC is largely contradicted by observations and analysis.” Whoa...so...how is this a consensus again? And that's my point. Not that there is or isn't global warming, but rather that this ridiculous talk of a "consensus" or that this matter is "settled" is horrifically dishonest and troublesome. Here's the study, I recommend it, however it is difficult at times to understand, but well worth it. You'll feel better after reading it :-)

Peace.

Global Cooli....SHHH!!

2008-03-12T22:38:00.005-04:00

Alright, so it turns out that according to the US National Climatic Data Center, North America, Russia, and Mongolia have had the highest snow cover since 1966.

NOAA

Additionally, the four "majors" that measure global temperature (Hadley, NASA's GISS, UAH, RSS) all measured significant cooling over the past 12 months. In fact, it is "the single fastest temperature change ever recorded, either up or down." This drop of 0.65C-0.75C globally is enough to offset the past 100 years of warming, according to this DailyTech article. Wow...yet...where's the media screaming catastrophe? Where's all the coverage of this highly substantial temperature change? Sorry, it doesn't fit the "accepted" story of global warming.

It also turns out that the mathematical equations used since the 1920's to calculate greenhouse gases' effect on climate were wrong. The original equations, developed 80 years ago by Arthur Milne, assumed an "infinitely thick" atmosphere. Miklós Zágoni, using differential equations, devised a new math process that incorporated proper boundary equations and, alas, it produced the opposite result. What's more is that Miklós Zágoni was a huge global warming activist and staunch supporter of the Kyoto Protocol, but has since changed his mind. My theory? He's a scientist, not a politician, thus he followed what the scientific evidence told him, whereas global warming politicians have put too much of their reputation on the line to retract now. Could you imagine Al Gore retracting? Neither could I.

I'll make a separate post about the sun, which just so happens to be the number one force on our climate, and indeed the source of all weather.

Media Bias

2008-03-12T18:16:00.011-04:00

I am a registered independent, but over the past several years I've been forced to defend people and situations on the right much, much more often than on the left. This has been particularly true with President Bush. I don't think he's a great president, but he has been given an extremely unfair shake in the media since day one. Now, of course I realize that all presidents get attacked in the media, but come on, Pres. Bush has taken the cake by far. I know many would say, "Well, he's deserved it," but this isn't a just/reasoned criticism of policies, these are ad hominem attacks, biased reporting, and even fabrications. But, this post isn't about Bush, it's about the media in general.

I've been telling everyone I know for years that the media is extremely biased, hence why I read between 8 and 12 sources a day. I get a bigger picture this way, but still hardly a full picture. The problem is that 99% of Americans don't have the time or simply don't care to sift through 8+ sources for their news. This results in most people not fully understanding what's going on in the world, which only further expands the cycle of ignorance our society is in (still better than much of the world though).

Case in point: Recently, the Democratic Governor of New York, Elliot Spitzer has announced his resignation from office as a result of his involvement in a prostitution ring. Well, I've been paying attention to the news coverage (of course) and I've only seen a seldom few instances of him being identified as a Democrat, whereas when Senator Larry Craig had his scandal, a big 'R' was plastered next to his name whenever possible. Newsbusters.org has covered this quite nicely as they point out that, "In a total of seven Spitzer-related segments on Wednesday’s "Today" show and one interview with Barack Obama, where the scandal was mentioned, not one anchor, reporter, guest, talking head or on-screen graphic mentioned Spitzer's party affiliation." The "Today" show never mentioned his party on Tuesday either. They're not the only ones, CNN, CBS, ABC, etc (even FOX) never mentioned his party yesterday either, that I saw. To drive the point home that the media is not getting the actual message out about many things, I was watching a YouTube video about Hillary Clinton (that's another story) and started reading the comments afterward (usually a bad idea) and came across the following two comments:

FrenziedRaldo25 (2 hours ago) Show Hide

Thats a pretty ironic comment considering your Republican buddy Eliot Spitzer just resigned thanks to his Prostitution ring scandal.

theyellowdart88 (1 hour ago) Show Hide

Uh, Eliot Spitzer is a democrat.

Wow. Now, I know that a lot of people may not have known the guy's party, but to be "sure" that you're so right about it to post it as an attack on someone else?

This next item is one of the worst instances of media bias that I have ever seen. There is no doubt Islamophobia exists in this world, but it also just so happens that over 10,000 reported terrorist attacks have been committed by Muslims since 9/11/2001. All other terrorist attacks by non-Muslims is very minimal. Look, the vast majority of Muslims (especially American Muslims--thanks to thorough assimilation) are peaceful human beings just like every other group. I think most people understand this too, yet there is a big push in European media to "prove" that Islamophobia is widespread and growing. So, to "prove" this, a Dutch news station, 101tv, set up a scenario where a woman dressed in western clothing would walk down the sidewalk and drop some groceries. They filmed her being helped by multiple passersby. But then, they had her dress up in a Burqa (the head-to-toe cloth worn by many Muslim women) and they showed ::gasp!:: no one helping her out!!! Can you believe it?? Well, it turns out that another news crew happened to be in the area and filmed most of the episode. Guess what they saw....many people helping the Burqa-clad woman! Complete and pure fabrication. The video link is below, as shown by the real news crew. It's not in english, but it's self-explanatory.

Fake Dutch Video

Keep on Truckin'

2008-03-11T21:59:00.007-04:00

So...I was just about ready to delete this blog, citing pure laziness, but then I decided to give it another good ol' fashion college try. Honestly, the reason for no posting has been my recent obsession phase with my other passion; weather. I have experienced the least snowy winter of my life. I decided to go and really figure out why Canada was receiving record snow while us in the Mid-Atlantic were getting peanuts! So, several weeks later (and countless hours of online research) I finally have a decently firm grasp of synoptic weather and broader climate. I by-passed the TV weatherman and went straight for those elusive "computer models" that they always talk about. They're relatively complicated at first, but you can get the hang of them (if you care enough and have patience). Long story short, I no longer get stark, raving mad at forecasters for being wrong, as I have a whole new understanding of what they really do. I can essentially make my own forecasts now (nothing precise, of course, I'm not saying a meteorologist's job can be learned in a matter of weeks).

Below is an example of one of several weather models put out by NOAA, the Europeans, or Canada. This is the RUC (Rapid Update Cycle) Model and is only used for short term guidance (12 hours). It may look like a bunch of squiggly lines, but there's a lot of information there. I've been "studying" weather since elementary school, but I've only just opened the door on the hardcore science behind it all. Anyway, I plan to really go hard on global warming issues in the near future. I'll probably offend somebody :-)

Unisys Weather

Bush Legacy?

2008-01-23T21:54:00.000-05:00

When doing my usual scanning through the news sites, I came across a fantastic article about "Bush's Legacy." Look, the man hasn't been the best president ever, but he hasn't been a disaster either and that's what this article, by BBC's Matt Frei, talks about. It's a great, neutral article and I think it sets things into perspective. It's way too easy and naive to "blame everything on Bush." People want to see him as an evil genius capable of fooling the whole world about Iraq, yet they also want to see him as a complete idiot who can't even tie his own shoes. This way of thinking coincides with the another flawed view; that the government should solve all your problems. It's sad that the first thing some people look to when something goes wrong is the government instead of themselves, family or friends.

Case in point: People are getting fat in NYC, so instead of people making themselves lose weight, they're going to have the government do that for them by possibly having the city legally require calories be placed on menus and outlawing trans fats! What's next? Legally limit red meat? Limit extreme sports? Anyway, off my tangent now... I guess the point is, if you want something done, don't expect the government to do it for you. Except for a few (albeit vital) aspects (defense, emergency services, roads, etc.), government should be limited so we have more room to do what we really want to do, even if it does make us fat.

Oh yeah, in other news, the media on MLK Jr. Day was going stark raving mad about the 'inevitable' crash of the U.S. Stock Market on Tuesday after the European and Asian markets took a big tumble. Stock markets are inherently emotional and psychological mechanisms and all the media did was perpetuate gathering cloud. However....that cloud didn't materialize. The Dow was actually up over 300 points today! The media over-hypes and thus denies us real information. Ah well, and so it goes.

Compliments of Economicsbriefing.com

oops, long time no blog

2008-01-13T20:08:00.000-05:00

So, I've lacked discipline in blogging lately, but to my credit I've been quite busy with the holidays. Then, after the holidays, I had to catch up with a bunch of stuff. Anyway, I'm finally starting to get back into the grove of everything and have actually been quite productive, so there!

The holidays truly were great though. Nothing makes you appreciate family more than when you can't see them for a long duration of time. In fact, I was very excited for this past Christmas and looked forward to every day of December. My parents were especially excited as their two sons (who moved to opposite coasts) came home at the same time. Good times.

As far as current events go, the media has been going insane over the presidential primaries. Part of me is really happy and excited that so many people are actually caring about American politics and democracy, but part of me is sick and tired of hearing the same pundits saying the same things over and over again (even though they keep getting it wrong). It's up in the air for me, but it's no secret that I'm no fan of Hillary. However, as long as Ron Paul, Kucinich, Gravel, etc. stay in the single digits, this country can survive another four years. We all shall see.

I Demand an Apology

2007-12-16T21:37:00.000-05:00

I've always liked snow ever since I could remember. I wish for it, yearn for it, hope for it. This often puts me at odds with most others because they concentrate on the treacherous, dangerous, and event-canceling aspect of it (minor detail...) Every winter I look forward to the possibility of a blizzard and thus go into extreme weather watching mode. My family and friends have always made fun of me for this obsessive weather behavior, but that doesn't bother me. However, I will tell you what bothers me...wrong forecasts! Recently, meteorologists from Indianapolis to Baltimore were all predicting record snowfalls. For here, it was originally supposed to be 3-5 inches with sleet and ice. Just to our north, over a foot was being called for. As for Indy, Fox 59's weatherman actually said that for the first time ever in his career, he will actually call for a full-fledged blizzard. Of course, that made me insanely jealous, because I'm here now and not there, but that "blizzard" turned out to be 4 crappy inches. As for here...nothing but stupid, boring rain. In fact, the areas that were supposed to get over a foot (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, etc.) also got mainly rain! They were so far off on this one, but they never say, "oops, sorry folks, we were wrong, sorry about that." Nope, they just go one talking about the next day's weather. This reminds me of the news in general. The goal is to get you to tune in and they could care less if it's really accurate in the end, as long as they're all saying something similar (ie. the ridiculous claims of cannibalism after Hurricane Katrina). Silly broadcasters...exaggerations are for kids.

Anyway, if you don't want a blizzard, then just send it my way, I'll take it with open arms (and a shovel). The picture below is lake effect snow in upstate New York, 6 feet of it!!! That actually is a little scary to me, but I'll take four feet...

Still Not Quite There

2007-12-09T13:30:00.000-05:00

It's weird really... I am having the longest personal news dry spell in a long time. I blame it on Christmas. I'm really into it this year, more than past years. Maybe it's the fact that I'm married, or truly have my own place, or that family and friends are far away and I look forward to seeing them. At any rate, every time I start to do my news rounds, I discover that I'd rather not get angry about world events, and instead listen to Christmas music or Christmas movies. This has all probably been good for the blood pressure too :-)

So, for right now I'm going to continue to butcher Christmas songs as I sing them, eat sugary cookies, and watch Christmas movies to my heart's content. Gotta problem with that???

Doing Less With More

2007-11-29T19:50:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been on vacation for Turkey Day and such, so I've slacked off a bit on blogging. The odd thing is, I have more free time now than I've had in months, yet I'm scouring the news a little less. But, this is just the cycle I go through and I'll soon be back to news, news, news. Luckily, there's not all that much going on right now. But, I'll leave you with this little gem of a story:

A British woman had left her family and friends behind to go to Sudan so that she could teach impoverished children. One day she decided to get a teddy bear for the class. She also decided to allow the children to name said bear. Well, the children named it Muhammad and she's now been sentenced to 15 days in prison for "inciting hatred against Islam." East meets West or just stupid?

They Even Go After Thanksgiving...

2007-11-19T22:13:00.000-05:00

Ah, Thanksgiving... That wonderful holiday whose very purpose is for family and friends to get together for turkey, pies, mashed potatoes, pies, homemade noodles, pies, and all things that can be reasonably stuffed down our throats. And, after we awake from our turkey comas, games are pulled out, movies are put on, and...food is pulled back out again for a "snack."

It's a holiday to give thanks for all that's good in the world. It's not a time to associate blame or insert political correctness. However, a school system in Seattle, Washington managed to do just this. In the past few years, the school administration has sent all teachers an annual letter that reminds teachers "to understand that Thanksgiving is a 'time of mourning' for many Indian people, and a 'reminder of 500 years of betrayal.'" Amazing, right? Well, this type of political correctness is actually relatively common. They also reference a website that gives common "myths" of Thanksgiving, including the 11th myth that "Thanksgiving is a happy time."

I won't get into it right now, but there's millions of examples of this type of political correctness concerning Christmas too. But, that'll come later :-) However, I will show you this Lowes Ad:

Notice it says "Family Trees" instead of Christmas, but in their defense they changed it back to 'Christmas Tree' after an minor public outcry.

Gobble Gobble.

Miracles Unnoticed

2007-11-18T01:46:00.000-05:00

I think that it's safe to say that most people do not fully trust the media. The source of the distrust can be any number of reasons (past sensationalism, distortions, shady-looking reporters, etc.) Whatever it may be, most people understand that the news is almost entirely negative. Their job is to get us riled up and angry so we watch/read more of it. Good news, on the other hand, isn't as catchy and thus not really reported. Of course, there are other motivations for not reporting good news. This can include news stories that don't fit the news service's viewpoint. Well, a case in point is this story I found out of Iraq. Muslims and Christians worked together to put up a cross on St. Johns Church in Baghdad. In case you didn't know, thousands of Christians have fled the city because of the (largely Sunni) death squads, however violence is way down, so Muslims and Christians alike are saying, "Come back home!" to their fellow Iraqi Christians.

This image was taken by a guy named Michael Yon, who has been in Iraq for several years and is now acting as a quasi-amateur journalist embedded with US troops. You see, most reporters never leave the green zone in Baghdad, thus they rely almost entirely on secondhand reports (or even third and fourth-hand reports). This is yet another reason why we're not getting all the facts about Iraq. Anyway, this guy, Michael Yon, goes on patrols and has great rapport with the troops. He's a great source. Check him out if you want.

Here's a little of what Michael wrote about this picture:

The Iraqis asked me to convey a message of thanks to the American people. ” Thank you, thank you,” the people were saying. One man said, “Thank you for peace.” Another man, a Muslim, said “All the people, all the people in Iraq, Muslim and Christian, is brother.” The men and women were holding bells, and for the first time in memory freedom rang over the ravaged land between two rivers.

Great stuff...but something you'll probably never see in the mainstream media.

First Post

2007-11-17T18:10:00.000-05:00

So, I was complaining and ranting to a friend about the current state of affairs with the media, politics, government, etc., when he interrupted me and said, "Kyle, I think you just need to set up a blog so you can get this stuff out". I think he was probably trying to shut me up, but he had a point. So I thought I would give it a good ol' try.

I really spend too much time researching the news and reference websites, but I suppose that it's my hobby. It's just too bad that my hobby happens to annoy me on a regular basis. A lot of the frustration comes from ignorance and political correctness. So, I thought I would give a different perspective on issues of the day. But, even I can get bored with these things from time to time, so I'll post on many other things too, whatever comes to mind.

Before I end this I wanted to give one bit of advice for those who want a good news aggregator; 'www.Drudgereport.com' is a good, easy to use website that provides a wide swath of news from around the world. Although the guy behind it (Matt Drudge) is partisan, his website was actually deemed left-slanted by a UCLA study because he linked to more liberal sites than conservative ones. However, if you factor in his own conservative bias, it makes the website pretty neutral on most things, because he simply links to sites with the original story. There's also very little commentary, if at all. If you rely only on one source for news, then you are definitely not getting the whole story (more like 1%), plus virtually every site has a bias, including the mainstream sources (CNN, Foxnews, NY Times, NBC, etc.)

Until next time...