According to a study published by the British peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet together with University College London researchers, climate change is the biggest health threat of the 21st century.
Disclaimer: Please note that they are calling this a commission report, rather than a research paper. One of the climatologists called it to “the Stern Report for medics.”
Should that be Randroids or Randorrhoids? Either way, here’s a very good write-up about the Objectivist cult, only slightly mentioned by name, and the fact that these people are still of the belief that Objectivism can get us out of the mess it got us into.
I’ve plugged this blog here before when giving credit for things he’s found and have this on my blog roll as well. But, this post is so terrific I just had to share it. Don’t cheat and only watch the Colbert video at the end though. The post is way too good and well worth reading in its entirety. So, I won’t embed the video here.
Pay special attention to the chef metaphor. It’s brilliant.
Something happened today. The same repugnicans who were swearing up and down that nationalized health care would rob the U.S. of its wonderful health care (the worst among the developed democratic nations of the world) are now arguing that nationalized health care will be so good that our existing denial of health care industry will not be able to compete.
First, note that the proportions of the universe are as follows, though different sources may state slightly different numbers:
4.6% Atoms (which includes us, stars, black holes, and most of the rest of what we normally think of in the observable universe)
23% Cold Dark Matter.
72% Dark Energy.
Scientific explanations of the dark matter include WIMPS (weakly interacting massive particles), MACHOS (massive compact halo objects), and even baseballs (literally baseball sized objects).
Today’s new hypothesis is that the dark matter is actually and literally shit.
The dark energy propels the shit in all directions in such a way that no matter where one stands in the universe, it appears that all of the shit is being propelled at high velocity towards the observer.
A new study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states that we’ve already locked in more than 1,000 years of climate change, even if we completely stop emitting CO2 immediately. Note that while the study below indicates that we have already guaranteed from 1.3 – 3.2 feet of sea level rise over the next 1,000 years, that small but significant amount does not even take into account any melting from glaciers.
Actually, it’s good news for anyone who lives their life drinking coffee like there’s no tomorrow. Maybe there will be more (and more memorable) tomorrows with the coffee. Perhaps this even makes those rare days without coffee (and with caffeine withdrawal headaches) worth it.
This new study doesn’t even seem to be recommending moderation. They talk about 3-5 cups or more per day. Though, I have to admit that there have been times in my life when I measured my daily intake in pots per day rather than cups per day. I’ve even brought my own percolator to work at two different jobs that didn’t provide good enough coffee for me.
I’ve been of the belief for quite a few years now that agriculture has been very bad for humanity. It is true that it allowed increased specialization into scientists and slaves, kings and serfs, executives and janitors, etc.
However, I would note that long before agriculture was invented, people were already producing impressive art in places like Lascaux. So, clearly, even at a time when there were far fewer humans on the planet, people were capable of some impressive culture.
Overall, has agriculture really been good for the individual members of the human species?
Here’s an interesting plan to solve two of New York City’s current problems in one fell swoop. First, the subway would be free, at least during off peak hours, and possibly ultimately around the clock. Second, vehicular traffic into the city would be expensive. This new Kheel plan from a long term veteran of conflict resolution promises a wonderful solution to the problems of a transit system in financial crisis and a city clogged with traffic.
Being the pessimist that I am, and looking at what happened to the Bloomberg plan for congestion pricing, I don’t really have much hope for this. However, this just might be exactly what New York needs.
In my opinion, the number one fugitive on the list should be Stephen L. Johnson. The man has done irreparable harm to the environment in his tenure as EPA Administrator. He has flatly refused to regulate carbon dioxide emissions in any way despite being ordered by the United States Supreme Court to do so.
As of this date, the EPA has still done nothing regarding CO2 emissions regulations or implemented any form of a carbon tax.
I have written Mr. Johnson several nastygrams on the subject including getting personal by pointing out that his five grandchildren will one day curse his memory for destroying their planet. To call this man is a major league bucket of scum would be to insult perfectly good and decent pond scum.
Here are some interesting points about laptop vs. desktop and about how to use the least power with a laptop. There are some points I’d never considered before. Though I knew that it’s best for the battery was to run it ’til dead when using battery power before charging again, I had never considered the possibility of really saving the battery itself by removing the damn thing when plugged into the wall. Interesting.
It seems that the number 350, a rather boring looking number, may be even more important than Pi and Phi. It probably isn’t more important in the universe than the Hubble Constant and other important universal constants. However, to life evolved for the current climate range on Earth, 350 may just turn out even more important than all the rest, at least for our island Earth.
This is a very well-thought out article about blogging as a form of writing, why it doesn’t replace full-length articles and written works in actual printed media, and just what it’s real advantages are. I found it quite interesting.
For me though, my only purpose in blogging is actually the hope of improving the memepool, even just a little bit. Consider it armchair activism, a.k.a. blowing it out my ass if I may be simultaneously a tad self-honest and self-deprecating.
Here’s something I haven’t seen in NYC before. Unfortunately, I didn’t know this was going on, else I’d have raced down to Union Square for this 1:45AM celebration. That these folks seem a bit giddy and likely drunk is quite appropriate given that the tune being sung was an old drinking song before it got coopted and given new lyrics.
Please read this article about Carter’s 1977 speech and tell me now that Carter was bad for the country and Reagan was good. Go ahead. Tell me now which of those two presidents had the right long term plan for this country. Tell me how much worse off we would have been had we continued with Carter’s energy plan. Tell me that this speech of Carter’s didn’t detail a large chunk of the events that have now come to pass as a result of not following his plan. Read the rest of this entry »
For those of you who are not Python fans or may not recognize every reference in this short video, I have posted the longer clips of each skit used in the video as a refresher class in Python humor. If you just want to go straight to a particular video, use the quick links below. If you’re really unfamiliar with Monty Python, you’ll likely want to watch them all (or won’t like this post at all).
Thanks to Rich Rosen for help finding some of the videos, especially the ones for scenes I didn’t recognize.
I’m probably a month late and thirty dollars short on this one. However, last month, an article in New Scientist detailed the observation of orangutans self-medicating with an anti-inflammatory topical balm. The observation of rubbing an ointment into the fur is also a newly documented type of self-medication for any non-human ape. I love this type of information. It shows once again that the vast majority of differences between humans and other animals are differences in magnitude, not in kind.
I’d love to be able to share the whole film with everyone. Unfortunately, as yet, only the trailer is available. I saw the film at Solar 1 in Manhattan. If you get a chance, it’s well worth a watch. The film details the many ways in which lawns are a particularly awful display that wastes a tremendous amount of water, uses chemicals that leech into the soil, and uses gasoline to keep it looking neat. Let’s replace lawns with native habitat instead.
Also see the Gimme Green website, especially if the embedded video does not work for you.
What follows is a list of greener products that work for me. I cannot necessarily rate these higher than other green products. I am not a product tester. I typically try more environmentally conscious products until I find a good one and stick with it. I find that all of these products are as good as and many are better than less environmentally conscious major brands. Most also work out to be quite reasonably priced by comparison with mid-level name brand items. Some are cheaper due to being more concentrated.
OK, I don’t really know how exclusive this can be called. However, this is a great series of posts. Each day, a new topic about what events took place on this day in the history of space exploration. The author is KD Martin, a professional astronomer with a tremendous amount of knowledge about a variety of related topics.
Today’s topic includes the first communications satelite, among other interesting stories.
And remember, threads on Cagematch are often hijacked into amusing side conversations that may or may not be related to the original point, something my wandering mind considers a bonus.
United Nations Sectretary GeneralBan Ki Moon has stated in no uncertain terms what many have known for a long time. Scientists really are united on the main points of Climate Change. It is real. It is human caused. The danger is imminent. Inaction will be catastrophic.
There are a number of things in this video that I could not have imagined the human body capable of performing. The frogs are cute. The swans are incredible. There appears to be a woman in this video who was born without any bones in her body and yet is capable of amazing control and balance.
I’m not sure why the press doesn’t blast this guy every time he opens his mouth. He just keeps continually contradicting himself. Perhaps the press just finds him too easy a target. Perhaps it feels too much like kicking an old dog. Regardless of where you stand on the issues, you can’t believe a word the man says.
We love to complain when our politicians flip-flop on an issue. Sometimes, especially when the opinion changes dramatically over a short time frame, it is justified to get upset about a candidate changing views. Sometimes, however, it seems that flip-flopping may be a good thing. Wouldn’t it be nice if Bush would flip-flop once in a while, instead of obstinately maintaining a failed course of action.
Regardless though, despite the awful cover* from the New Yorker in this particular issue, the article inside is actually an interesting take on flip-flopping, what really qualifies, and when it is better than not.
Gore has made a challenge with the magnitude of JFK’s challenge to get to the moon in 10 years. This time, it’s not about a space race. It’s about a race for the survival of our species and the safety of our nation. Are we up to the task? Can we Americans still rise to a challenge as we did in the 60s? As we did when we ramped up for World War II? Or, have we become a bunch of complacent morans that deserve the painful times ahead if we fail the challenge?
Here’s yet another incredibly eloquent speech by Obama. I find it very refreshing that we have a candidate that can correctly pronounce place names and even the word nuclear. Further, some of the sentiments expressed in this speech are sentiments I’ve been hoping to hear expressed for a long time. Here is someone who can show real leadership, something we have been sorely lacking for 7 years.
I you prefer to read the text, rather than listen to a 36 minute video, the text is available on the Obama webiste.
A young bride, a virgin on her wedding night, is looking at her husband the next day. It’s the first time she has seen him naked in daylight.
She: What is that?
He: That, my darling wife, is what gave you so much pleasure last night.
She: Is that all we have left??!!? I’d have been more sparing with it!
If you care about separation of church and state, though the number of people who do appears to be shrinking, please sign this petition to restore our nation’s motto and to remove the McCarthy era addition to the pledge of allegiance.
From the petition text:
Congress undermined American unity in 1954 when it added “Under God” to our Pledge of Allegiance and again in 1956 when it replaced our 175 year old national motto, E Pluribus Unum (”Out Of Many, One”), with “In God We Trust”, thus demoting to an implied outsider status the agnostics, atheists, deists, polytheists and other citizens who do not ascribe to this theology. Ideological contention is a necessary and desired result of the freedoms that are the real source of our unity and strength. These laws, by claiming that our unity rests on disregarding the reality of such sincere individual disagreement, are self-defeating.
Teacher: Three crows are sitting on a wire. A farmer comes out and shoots one. How many are left?
Johnny raises his hand.
Teacher: Johnny.
Johnny: Zero.
Teacher: No Johnny. That’s incorrect. Do you want to try again?
Johnny (thinks a bit longer): Zero.
Teacher: No Johnny. That’s incorrect. Would you tell me how you came up with that?
Johnny: Well, the farmer shot one crow. The other two flew away.
Teacher: That’s not the correct answer. But, I like the way you think.
Johnny: OK. I answered your question. You answer mine. Three women are sitting on a bench eating ice cream. One is licking. One is sucking. One is biting. Which one is married?
Teacher (turns red. Doesn’t anwer.)
Johnny: Come on. I answered your question. Answer mine. Three women are sitting on a bench eating ice cream. One is licking. One is sucking. One is biting. Which one is married?
Teacher (embarrassed): I guess the one who’s sucking.
Johnny: No. The one with the wedding ring. But, I like the way you think.
ALERT ALERT ALERT!!! THIS POST IS FALSE!!! I apologize for spreading incorrect information. I believed it to be true when I posted it. Zarove below has proven me incorrect. I apologize for being taken in by an article that actually came up from google scholar. Looking at the footnotes of my “peer reviewed” article should have clued me in. I did not read that carefully. I will not further spread this myth.
Understand that I still do not believe either the Horus myth or the Jesus myth. However, I now also know that it is a myth that the two myths are the same.
Thank you Zarove for setting me straight.
Here for posterity is my original post:
In the spirit of the Bush-McCain Challenge, which shows that most people cannot tell the difference between Bush and McCain, I ask weather you can tell the difference between Horus and Jesus. So, guess which one was:
Born of a virgin?
Baptized at age 30?
Had 12 disciples?
Was crucified?
Was resurrected 3 days later
Was associated with the astrological sign Pisces, the fish?
It appears that it is finally time for climatologists to come clean. Unfortunately, this is not a report of the skeptics being magically right. Rather, climatologists are finally starting to state that, yes indeed, the extreme weather we’ve been seeing for years really is the direct result of climate change.
Could this be just the liberal media? Well, perhaps, if you consider Newsweek to be a liberal rag. Otherwise, this report is likely legitimate. To me, the only thing surprising has been how long climatologists have been so cautious about finally saying this.
See Foreclosure Phil in the current issue of Mother Jones for details on how Phil Gramm is largely responsible for our current economic problems and further how John McCain thinks this is the person who can fix our problems. From the article, ‘Media accounts have identified Gramm as a contender for the top slot at the Treasury Department if McCain reaches the White House.’
When you’re done being sickened by the above article, add this related article in the same issue regarding The GOP’s December Surprise that may be on its way. There appears to be a really good chance that the Repugnicans are propping up the economy to the best of their ability right now for the short term to make themselves look better until November. Come December …
If you still think McCain has the answers, take the Bush-McCain Challenge and learn why many of us are starting to call him McBush.
Here’s a new article on the underused procedure here in the U.S. Note that in Canada, vasectomies outnumber tubal ligation, a much more complicated and costly procedure. In New Zealand, half of all men have vasectomies by the age of 50. Here it is one in six. Also, here in the U.S., apparently most men are too chicken to have it done so they allow their wives to undergo a more complicated procedure that has much higher risk of actual complications. Here in the U.S. tubal ligation actually outnumbers vasectomy.
Way to go men. Leave it to your wives, even though it’s harder for them.
Of course, if you are not sure whether you may want children, both vasectomy and tubal ligation should be considered permanent. Even vasectomy is not reliably reversible. And, the reversal procedure that does exist is much more complicated than vasectomy. However, if you are sure you want no more children, I personally recommend it highly. And, do get tested to ensure you are sterile before giving up on birth control. It typically takes 20 ejaculations before all of the sperm is out of the tubes.
Lastly, vasectomy will not protect against STDs.
Feel free to ask me, if you have any questions, though I am not a doctor.
A guy has a dog and a cat. He comes home from work and feeds them both, gives them both water, takes the dog out for a walk and plays with the cat for a while.
The dog is thinking, “Wow!! He feeds me, gives me water, and attends to my every need. He must be a god.”
The cat is thinking, “Wow!! He feeds me, gives me water, and attends to my every need. I must be a god.”
The former is not original, obviously. The twenty has long been called a yuppie food coupon, probably at least since the 80s. Now it seems that the hundred should be called a yuppie gas coupon.
Here’s an interesting write up taken from a number of sources that seems to strongly suggest that perhaps parents are not happier than the childless, though personally I prefer the term child-free.
Anyway, I don’t have much to add to this one. I just thought I’d share.
I generally try to avoid posting links to blogs. However, this one is a New York Times blog. It is also very well written and chock full of links to back up its statements. And, perhaps most important, it references peer reviewed scientific data from Nature.
So, once again, there is new data showing that climate change is happening even faster than we thought it was.
I must admit that this is in the pattern ordinarily used by the climate change skeptics. They love to quote a large number of scientists that dispute that climate change is real or dispute that it is human caused.
However, it has been my experience that such claims are often made when the scientists listed largely fall into one of three categories, scientists in a field not related to climatology, names of people who may or may not be scientists but have no peer reviewed papers to their names, or known ExxonMobil employees.
Perhaps you might say that these 1,700 fall into similar categories on the other side. However, in this case, according to the League of Conservation Scientists, among the names are:
The signatories, compiled by UCS, include six Nobel Prize winners in science or economics, 31 NAS members, and more than 100 IPCC authors and editors
Here’s a bit of classic and ancient computer humor from the good folks at a company formerly known as Digital Equipment Corporation, once the second largest computer manufacturer.
See Figure One — NSFW, but only if you’re in a really annoying office. For any reasonably relaxed work place, it should be fine.
Here’s a friendly reminder from a doctor who remembers fixing up the damage done by illegal abortion. It’s becoming more and more forgotten that desperate women will get their abortions, legal or not. And, when they’re not legal, they may be lethal. Therefore, pro-choice is indeed the pro-life stance.
And, for the delusional religious individuals in the audience, you may be interested to know that abortion was practiced 1,550 years before the time of the myth of Christ and even solidly before the dates in the Old Testament. And, yet, despite the fact that the both the Old and New Testaments were not at all squeamish about discussing sexual matters, there is no explicit mention at all of abortion in either testament.
This article, citing a peer reviewed article from Nature, discusses the climate forces that ended a particularly cold time on earth 635 million years ago. It further discusses how these changes may be relevant today.
Many environmentalists are actually pushing for so-called “clean” coal. Some of the arguments are valid. Along the valid lines of argument are statements that the existing plants will not be decommissioned in the foreseeable future and should at least be retrofitted with carbon sequestration technology.
This makes a lot of sense. These plants will be burning the coal anyway. If we put the CO2 underground, even if it leaks one day, it is better than the known damage from spewing it forth today. I would support such moves in conjunction with a plan to phase out the burning of coal completely.
Unfortunately, many environmentalists take a different tack. They state that the coal is there and it’s cheap. We’re going to burn it. At least this is a less damaging way to do so. Such advocates include some very respected high level environmentalists. I respectfully and strenuously disagree with such logic.
Imagine yourself as a devout Catholic woman, or if that’s as hard for you as it is for me, just imagine that there exist devout Catholic women in the world. Perhaps they do not like the idea of marrying a dead myth and would prefer instead to be a priest. Now, the Vatican is threating not their lives in this world, but their immortal souls. Further, the threat of eternal damnation is extended to other highly devout Catholics who would ordain these women priests. For, if they even attempt to do so, they too are damned for eternity. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Misanthropic Scott 
Posted by Misanthropic Scott 
Posted by Misanthropic Scott 
