Michigan Going Broke

SEARCH BLOG: TAXES

Recently, I wrote how some states were benefitting from higher gasoline prices because they had both a base tax and a variable (sales) tax per gallon sold.

There has been a lot of news about Nancy Pelosi wanting to take action against oil companies for gouging consumers now that gasoline is $3.49 per gallon in California. Well, it turns out that Pelosi's California and Granholm's Michigan are both gouging consumers pretty well.

Let's look at gasoline prices in Michigan over the past 6 months:



... and California which really has no higher prices, but a similar increase...



Source

Given the increase of more than a dollar per gallon in the past 6 months, I'd have to say that the states of Michigan and California were doing quite well in the revenue department...

and that it was the consumers who were "going broke." The State of Michigan just saw a 7-cents per gallon increase in tax revenues in about 3 months... an annualized rate increase of almost 30 cents. Wow, I'd like to be in that business.

There is absolutely no doubt that the oil companies are enjoying record profits as prices are being "pumped" up. There is absolutely no doubt that the politicians who are shouting the loudest about "gouging" and the "budget crisis" are the ones benefitting the most...

they get the tax revenue and the bullypulpit. The rest of us have to listen to their nonsense and pay for it, too.

By the way, just so you know that the increases are not cost related ... here is the price of gasoline in Michigan related to the price of crude oil.



Michigan energy consumption notes.
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Allergy Time

SEARCH BLOG: SPRING

After a long cold February to April where winter wouldn't end, May has been one of those hot and cold months in Michigan with plenty of rain. As a result, everything is blooming at once... and my eyes are constantly watery. I also seem to have more aches than usual, but I'll attribute that to trying to catch up with both yard work and my shaky golf game.

If you don't have allergies, you are quite fortunate. My wife can't go near a cat. Grass pollen and dust really bother me... so much so that I got a rider mower years ago. The other day, as I'm cutting the lawn, a cloud of grass cuttings whipped up by the wind blew around me. I was making a turn along our property line when that happened and the grass dust caused me to sneeze. That caused me to jerk the wheel to one side. That caused the mower to head toward a sprinkler head on my neighbors in-ground system. By the time I was able to stop, the sprinkler head was becoming part of the grass clippings.

Fortunately, my neighbor was amused by the incident. Naturally, I called the sprinkler dealer and have arranged for the repair.

Damn allergies.

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Global Warming Down Under

SEARCH BLOG: GLOBAL WARMING

When we talk about "down under" with regard to geography, we normally refer to Australia. Today, I am writing about the other "down under": South America.

Most of the focus of global warming studies have been elsewhere in the world. South America tends to be overlooked as that quaint continent where there is a lot of beef (Argentina), sugar cane (Brazil), oil (Venezuela), cocaine and coffee (Columbia) and the great Amazon rain forest. Political revolutions come and go while economies struggle and the rest of the world ignores this isolated piece of real estate.

I was curious about how global warming might be perceived in South America. Sure, we read about the Amazon rain forest and droughts, but we've also learned that the very act of clearing those forests reduces the rainfall associated with them. But what about those high temperature extremes that are supposed to occur with greater frequency. You know, the heat waves predicted by the IPCC. Are they roasting the coffee in South America?

This study says:

This study presents an examination of the trends in
indices of daily temperature extremes for South
America during 1960–2000. Data quality and homogeneity
assessments are crucial before trends in climate
indices are computed. Erroneous outlier values and artificial
steps due to changes in instrument exposure will
affect the trends in temperature extremes. [see this] In addition,
it is essential to use a consistent methodology to define
and calculate the climate extremes for a better comparison
across regions.

The results show that temperature extremes are
changing in South America. The findings reveal no consistent
changes in the indices based on daily maximum
temperature. However, significant trends were observed
in the indices based on daily minimum temperatures.
The coldest night of the year is getting warmer
and there are more tropical nights. The percentage of
cold nights is decreasing while the percentage of warm
nights is increasing, and these changes are more pronounced
during the summer (DJF) and fall (MAM).

The nighttime warming corresponds to a significant decrease
in the diurnal temperature range over the continent.
Since the stations with significant trends appear to be
located closer to the west and east coasts of South
America, future work could involve an analysis of the
correlation between the sea surface temperature and
the land temperature extremes. [see this] In addition, since
ENSO events seem to have considerable impact on the
surface temperature in the southern part of the continent
(Barros et al. 2002), further work could examine
the relation between the circulation pattern and the
land surface temperature and extremes over the entire
South American landmass.

These results generally agree with what has been observed
in many other parts of the world. The nearglobal
analysis by Frich et al. (2002) has indicated an
increase in the frequency of warm nights, a decrease in
the extreme temperature range, and also a decrease in
the number of frost days. Frost days is not a representative
index for South America since the temperature
remains above 0°C almost everywhere with the exception
of the stations located in the high mountains of
Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, and for those stations located
in the southern part of Argentina and Chile. The
results from the Caribbean region have indicated that
the frequency of warm nights and warm days has significantly
increased since the late 1950s while it seems
that in South America only the warm nights have increased.

I'll refer you to one of my previous posts. Note the graph at the end.
Global Warming Without New High Temperature Extremes?

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Do You Prefer Hot or Cold?

SEARCH BLOG: GLOBAL WARMING

U.S. statistics:

During 1999--2003, a total of 3,442 deaths resulting from exposure to extreme heat were reported (annual mean: 688). For 2,239 (65%) of these deaths, the underlying cause of death was recorded as exposure to excessive heat; for the remaining 1,203 (35%), hyperthermia was recorded as a contributing factor.

During 1999--2002, a total of 4,607 death certificates (annual mean: 1536) in the United States had hypothermia-related diagnoses listed as the underlying cause of death or nature of injury leading to the underlying cause of death. (annual incidence: four per 1,000,000 population).

If I were part of the major media establishment, I would:

1. ignore the above statistics
2. state that "during 1999 - 2003 more than 3,400 people were killed by excessive heat related to global warming"
3. say "you have only a 4 in 1,000,000 chance of dying from the cold"

However, as an independent observer, I will say that:

1. deaths directly from heat or cold are not a major threat to the U.S. population
2. for the few deaths that occur from extreme temperatures, there would probably be a net reduction of overall extreme temperature deaths if the U.S. average temperatures increased somewhat.

What is not shown in these statistics is the very large number of deaths due to respiratory infections that occur primarily during cold weather periods. That factor is why, if our climate is warming, we will be healthier as a nation with a higher average annual temperature... shorter, milder winters, if you will.

I suspect that you will find similar statistics wherever winters are severe.

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May 17, 1954

SEARCH BLOG: EDUCATION

Watch here (you'll have to live with the commercial).

After 53 years, there have been some changes, but not as much as might have been expected. Why? Income is the largest factor. Why? Ironically, educational differences.

Why? Maybe this.

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When Religion Goes Wrong

SEARCH BLOG: ISLAM

Religion is supposed to bring meaning to humanity's existence and, hopefully, translate mankind from its baser, cruel nature to a higher, spiritual level.

Here is what happens when religion gets usurped by those who simply don't understand the purpose of religion:

• Christianity gone wrong
• Islam gone wrong

Oh, but that was in the past. Things like that can't happen now.

Oh no? Now even some Muslims fear what can happen. Notice any irony?



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How Could They Possibly Know?

SEARCH BLOG: IRAQ

The Prince will not go to Iraq. It seems Prince Harry has been specifically targeted by the Bin Laden, et al terrorists for kidnapping and execution when he showed up.

Now how could those people know he was coming?

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Measurement Results May Vary

SEARCH BLOG: GLOBAL WARMING

If you want to measure the distance between two hill tops, you can try a variety of measurement techniques. You can pace off the distance, you can use a measuring tape along the ground, or you might use a line-of-sight laser. It is unlikely that your results will be the same from one technique to the other.

At Climate Science, there is a post regarding how surface temperature measurements are taken. While the variability may not be as great as my hypothetical example above, the variability is significant... for a variety of reasons... especially when one is trying to assess a 0.6 degree C change over a century.

See also.

GIGO.

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The End Of Unions

SEARCH BLOG: UNIONS

The sale of Chrysler to a private investment group may have some broader implications among the automobile manufacturers.

This deal is sure to further weaken an already weakened union. Expect concessions and layoffs and spinoffs. Expect Ford and GM to head back to the unions demanding equal treatment. While the unions can hurt domestic companies, they are having a much more difficult effort to force companies to give new or even maintain old benefits.

Automation and globalization have cut the power of unions so dramatically that they are destined to collapse under their own weight. Not in this decade, but soon.

However, when it comes to unions, some things never seem to change.

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More High Temperature Extremes

SEARCH BLOG: GLOBAL WARMING

Craig James, a blogger at WOOD TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan picked up on a couple of my posts regarding the lack of new high temperature extremes in the U.S.

This created some animated comments including one from a person who only identified himself as "gingles." He was having a difficult time with the idea of using only state high temperature records rather than daily high temperature records from all reporting locations. He couldn't see how only 600 possible records in the U.S. could show anything.

Well, there are those who don't like the idea of a sample representing a larger population, but this is an approach used in many areas of life... from politics to medicine. Let's examine the issues:

• only 600 records
  

  	Annual Possible Records	"Normal" Annual Number of Records (120 year average)
  Monthly State Records	600	5
  Daily State Records	18,250	152
  Monthly Reporting Station Records	342,000	2,850
  Daily Reporting Station Records	10,402,500	86,688

  
  

• 50 states times 12 months are 600 possible records. The number of states and months remains consistent and I must presume that even Alaska and Hawaii had temperatures recorded as far back as 1880... although they did not become states until 1959.
  
  
• Records that tie existing records are credited to the last occurrence, which bias the record count toward the latter years.
  
  
• monthly records represent the outcome of the total population of month high readings over 120 years... 72,000 possible opportunities to set a record... with each year having the same opportunity to set a record. While the opportunity to set a record is relatively high when there are few years in the dataset, with 120 years, there is virtually no bias for when in the sequence a year's data was recorded... first and last have the same chance to set and retain a record.
  
  
• using daily records for states might change the outcomes somewhat, but probably not significantly
  
  
• using daily records for all measuring stations would skew the results toward the latter years because of the ever-increasing number of recording stations... much higher now than in 1880 (which should also increase the opportunity for recording a state high temperature record in the latter years).
  
  We see that for the 50 states x 365 days there are 18,250 opportunities to set a state daily record.
  
  Now, when you get down to the recording station level, the number of opportunities to set a daily record is thousands of times higher.
  
  "The Master Station History Report is a listing of the approximately 30,000 stations documented in the NCDC Station History Data Base. They are located on all continents but more than 95% are US sites."
  
  Let's see... that's 30,000 x .95 x 365 days or 10,402,500 opportunities to set a record each year. That would be around 86,000 new records per year on average... "normal"... if there were completely random records. And remember that many of those stations didn't exist in the 1930s.
  
  How about 200,000 per year for the global warming greater frequency? So a thousand or so reporting station records set on a hot day is really nothing unusual.
  
  But the database for individual reporting stations is "flakey" with multiple identifiers for single sites which means this exercise is futile or requires a lot of "data cleaning" to get to individual site averages.
  
  

• the U.S. is too small to represent "global warming"
  

• the U.S. weather is not a closed system; it is influenced from changes around the world
• the U.S. may be a small part of the earth's surface if oceans are included, but it is a much larger part of the total land area

If anything, the approach I took in my analysis is biased toward showing record high temperatures in more recent years... something the IPCC predicts... but something that is not happening in the U.S.

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How To Fight An Insurgency

SEARCH BLOG: IRAQ

Saturday night I was talking with a woman from Iraq who has many of her family left in that nation. She mentioned a relative who was kidnapped by foreign terrorists... "those Bin Laden thugs."

She said not to trust the Iraqi government. They are corrupt; no better than the foreign thugs who are causing the problem. The government is part of the reason the U.S. military has had problems cleaning up the foreign trouble-makers.

This is about power, not religion. The actions of the bombers in killing of peaceful, innocent people has nothing to do with religion. It is for the purpose of power, using individuals who are duped into believing it is for a higher cause. She saw that this is about personal power for those in the Iraqi government, too.

I asked her what the solution was and she said the foreign thugs had to be driven out. I told her that the problem was the U.S. military could not easily determine who was a member of the community and who was a "thug" hiding among peaceful people. I ventured that at some point the people of the communities would have to fight them. She shot back, "How can my sister fight them?"

My answer was that I didn't expect her sister to take up arms, but I expected the people in the communities to cooperate with the U.S. military. Surely there must be a way to set up a network of informants who represented the communities. They would know who the outsiders were and could provide "intelligence" to the U.S. troops.

She brightened visibly. Each neighborhood has a defacto "mayor"... someone who is considered the person to address issues within their few blocks. They know who belongs and who doesn't and... if the military was discreet about the interaction... could be the eyes and ears of the U.S. in those neighborhoods. These are mostly extended families and would be very happy to get rid of the outsiders who take over houses and hold people hostage while remaining invisible to the U.S. Just don't paint targets on the backs of those who co-operate.

This is how the communities can fight back. This is how the foreign terrorists can be identified and driven out. Give the people a means to defend themselves and they will fight back.

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Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day

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From The Mouths Of Basketball Players

SEARCH BLOG: RACISM

This is a politically incorrect interview with Charles Barkley.

Isn't it strange that a basketball player and a comedian seem to have a better sense of the world than many politicians?

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Are You Getting Warmer or Colder

SEARCH BLOG: GLOBAL WARMING

Here are a few questions to ask when you feel the global warming fear coming on:

• Did humans originate in:
• Minneapolis
• Greenland
• California
• Africa
• Do more people die from:
• Heat
• Cold
• Hiccups
• The worst malaria outbreak was in:
• Florida
• Nigeria
• Siberia
• Algeria
• Urbanization changes temperatures:
• Downward
• Upward
• Skyward
• Vikings who settled in Greenland were:
• Lost
• Farmers
• Missionaries of Thor
  

If you said:

1. Africa
2. Cold
3. Siberia
4. Upward
5. Farmers
   

you might then ask yourself ... if there might be factors other than CO2 that are affecting the apparent increases in temperature... are any real increases just getting back to a more "livable" earth... and since I know the correct answers, why am I worried?

If you said:

1. California
2. Heat
3. Nigeria
4. Skyward
5. Lost
   

You qualify for the IPCC Believers Award to be given by Laurie David.

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Immigration Plan

SEARCH BLOG: IMMIGRATION

Immigration plan puts skills ahead of family

Senators are working on deal to grant visas to 12M illegal immigrants based on work they do.

Carolyn Lochhead / San Francisco Chronicle

WASHINGTON -- Key Senators and the White House are trying to negotiate a "grand bargain" on immigration that would grant visas to immigrants based more on their skills as workers than their family ties to those here.

As part of the deal, the estimated 12 million people in the country illegally would be allowed to remain here.

So, let me get this straight.... We will ignore the 12 million people who are in the U.S. illegally (4% of our population or 1 person in 25 who passes you is supposed to be somewhere else)... and then we'll bring people in based on their skills.

And that "fixes" the problem. The government doesn't have to do their job with respect to 4% of the population that doesn't belong here and then they can have some amorphous test of "skill" to determine who they will allow in legally... while they continue to ignore the next 12 million who will come in illegally.

As they say in Washington: "The fix is in."

Republicans asked [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid for more time, but the Senate leader said a deal must be in place by next week, when he intends to begin debate.

Act, react, plan....

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Big Fuel Economy Face-Off Looming

SEARCH BLOG: ENVIRONMENT

The Detroit News reports that the Senate is planning to mandate higher fuel efficiency levels for vehicles in the U.S.


Ford Motor Company photo of F-150

Everything is so simple when the government finally takes charge.

Meanwhile, Toyota, known for its highly efficient vehicles, continues to make enormous profits as it rolls out more fuel-efficient vehicles.




Source

Only going to show that you can be environmentally friendly and make money, too... especially if you can have your central bank manipulate your currency and have the government pay for employee benefits.

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Google Analytics - Beta

Google Analytics announced a new version of their tracking system yesterday, so I went through it.

The new version is certainly more colorful than the old one, but in general, the new one seems to have lost some key features ... primarily the crosstabs capability of looking at one variable against several other variables... for example, title by city or network or source.

The new beta version also seems to lack the current intra-day tracking and domain identification features as well.

And it just seems... maybe I'll get used to it... but it seems to require more steps to drill down to the data that you want to see.

Most annoying is the ability to set a date range for data and then not have the data presentation adjust to the new range. Okay, that doesn't take Google to figure out that it is not a good idea.

Hopefully, the real version will fix the shortcomings of the beta version... but it is prettier.

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European Backlash - Buchanan Comments

SEARCH BLOG: IMMIGRATION

In my previous posts about the coming European backlash against Muslim immigration, I said that Nicholas Sarcozy would get elected (and did get elected) because of his position against Muslim immigration... and that was the first step of the general European backlash against Muslims.

Now from Pat Buchanan:

Sarkozy jumped ahead of the pack of candidates because he dealt in no uncertain terms with what is the mind of the average Frenchman. The topic of unrestricted immigration and the impact of nonassimilation by large groups of immigrants. He even mentions the adverse impact of economic migrants who flooded France the last 40 years and are of great concern to the French nation.

It is silly to believe Sarkozy got elected because of his stance on tax cuts, free trade, or even giving longer lunch hours to French shopkeepers. If those were the issues the French were concerned about, Ms. Royale the socialist would have won. Most Frenchman, after all, are socialists.

The obvious is not so hard to see after all.

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Exposed: The Climate of Fear

SEARCH BLOG: GLOBAL WARMING

If you missed the CNN broadcast with the other side of an inconvenient truth, you might want to read what Luboš Motl has to say.

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Bad Paint = High Temperature Readings

SEARCH BLOG: GLOBAL WARMING

I've come across a lot of analyses to question temperature readings (near-surface land), but this one is the most unique... lead from Climate Science.

As English philosopher and Franciscan monk William of Ockham (ca. 1285-1349) said:

"Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate" or "plurality should not be posited without necessity."

Occam's razor is also called the principle of parsimony. These days it is usually interpreted to mean something like "the simpler the explanation, the better" or "don't multiply hypotheses unnecessarily." In any case, Occam's razor is a principle which is frequently used outside of ontology, e.g., by philosophers of science in an effort to establish criteria for choosing from among theories with equal explanatory power. When giving explanatory reasons for something, don't posit more than is necessary.

Can it be that simply changing the paint on weather station shelters from a high infra-red reflective to a low infra-red reflective type accounts for measured temperature increases?

Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate.

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The Climate Debate Is Over

SEARCH BLOG: GLOBAL WARMING

... except, of course, for those many scientists who say it isn't.

Political proclamations aside, there are some troubling issues that won't go away.

From "a member of the United Nations Global 500 Roll of Honor—created, the U.N. says, to recognize “outstanding achievements in the protection and improvement of the environment.”"

In the first 30 feet of the atmosphere, on the average, outward radiation from the Earth, which is what CO2 is supposed to affect, how much [of the reflected energy] is absorbed by water vapor? In the first 30 feet, 80 percent, okay?

And how much is absorbed by carbon dioxide? Eight hundredths of one percent. One one-thousandth as important as water vapor. You can go outside and spit and have the same effect as doubling carbon dioxide.
[source by way of ICECAP]

Go ahead and read the article. You'll be amused and educated.

At Climate Science, there is another interesting discussion about the open issues and the potential for creating environmental havoc by focusing on the wrong thing... CO2. Go back a few days and you'll see several times that I have commented about the environmental, energy, and economic issues being overshadowed by the narrow focus on CO2.

And, for those of you who really want your brains exercised, try this from Dr. John Ray.

No there hasn't even been much of a debate yet. And where there have been public debates, the CO2 forces have found that their positions have been significantly weakened. Only the politicians have certainty... and that is the most telling issue.

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Focus On CO2 Foolish and Counterproductive

SEARCH BLOG: GLOBAL WARMING

Recently, I posted an summary sketch of the type of analysis needed to bring some sense to the politics of climate debate. Increasingly, the rush to action by politicians in their zeal to be recognized as champions of the planet has been creating a growing economic friction between the rich western nations and the poorer Asian and African nations. There is an increasing likelihood that the red herring of limiting CO2 will become a very real economic and environmental conflict between the "haves" and the "want to haves."

For example:

• US, China, India rebuff call to form a climate group
• China, India, Brazil Hold Up Climate Change Talks
• Global Warming Report: Convincing Asia
  

The list goes on....

I suspect that until the one-sided approach [CO2] is abandoned in favor of a logical and reasonable approach to assessing vulnerabilities (real or suspected), we will be seeing many more such headlines. Meanwhile, the CO2 debate is far from over... even if the politicians are anxious to cash in.

I want to issue an appeal to our American friends, to tell them that they can count on our friendship, which has been forged in the tragedies of history which we have faced together. I want to tell them that France will always be by their side when they need it, but I also want to tell them that friendship means accepting that your friends may think differently and that a great nation such as the United States has a duty not to put obstacles in the way of the fight against global warming, but on the contrary to take the lead in this fight, because what is at stake is the fate of humanity as a whole. France will make this battle its primary battle.
--Nicolas Sarkozy, 6 May 2007 [from Benny Peiser]

Of course, the French were smart enough to build a power grid based on nuclear power which politicians elsewhere rejected because of... environmentalists... who are trying to regroup under the global warming banner, but find their options getting fewer as major players are rejecting the so-called "green" approach.

Right now it is still a fight between CO2, environment, energy, and economy. It's time to get rational.

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European Backlash - Step 2

SEARCH BLOG: FRANCE and MUSLIMS

Last month, I made a prediction that was just too easy:

French voters are coming out for the end of the dilution of their culture by Islamists and you can bet that Segolene Royal will get the royal boot when the final election takes place against Nicolas Sarkozy.

Look to the UK for the next place where Muslims will become unwelcomed. The usually freedom-loving Brits have had their patience sorely tried by radical elements in their Muslim communities and some government officials are beginning to express the sentiments of many of their citizens.

This Belgian blogger expresses similar sentiments.

By 2010, Europe will be more divided by the issue of Muslim immigration than the U.S. is by Iraq and illegal immigration from Mexico... and there will be significant violence. The nations of Europe are smaller than the U.S. and there is less "absorption" space for cultural antagonism. Emigration was always the big population dynamic for Europe. Immigration and non-assimilation of Muslims is too new and too disruptive for it to continue much longer.

Europe's short, half-century "tradition" of tolerance... a reaction to Nazi Germany... is about to become short-lived.

Another easy prediction.

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Muslim Women Arise and Unite Against Terrorists

SEARCH BLOG: ISLAM

Yesterday, I posted an article about Taliban-wannabe, Islamic terrorists attempting to create a death-trap for young girls attending a new school. This, I pointed out, is another example of the misogynistic nature of these people.

If they can't subjugate their women as domestic and sexual slaves, they prefer to kill them. Education of girls is against their whole world view.

So why do Muslim women put up with this? Probably abject fear. Possibly abject ignorance. But not all Muslim women are too afraid or too ignorant to speak up. It may be that these brave, intelligent women may be the hope for a better world; a world where the personal beliefs of Muslims do not become the public acts of terror against others.

These women need the support of the West against the Islamic trolls who try to pull the world into the Dark Ages.

Watch this interview.



Also see this.

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Terrorist's Rules of Engagement

SEARCH BLOG: IRAQ

Thanks to "The Captain's Journal"

From CNN comes this heartening story of the misogynistic forces at play within certain Islamic factions:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- American soldiers discovered a girls school being built north of Baghdad had become an explosives-rigged "death trap," the U.S. military said Thursday.

The plot at the Huda Girls' school in Tarmiya was a "sophisticated and premeditated attempt to inflict massive casualties on our most innocent victims," military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said.

The military suspects the plot was the work of al Qaeda, because of its nature and sophistication, Caldwell said in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

The plot was uncovered Saturday, when troopers in the Salaheddin province found detonating wire across the street from the school. They picked up the wire and followed its trail, which led to the school. Once inside, they found an explosive-filled propane tank buried beneath the floor. There were artillery shells built into the ceiling and floor, and another propane tank was found, the military said.

The wire was concealed with mortar and concrete, and the propane tanks had been covered with brick and hidden underneath the floor, according to a military statement. Soldiers were able to clear the building.

"It was truly just an incredibly ugly, dirty kind of vicious killing that would have gone on here," Caldwell said.

Iraqi contractors were responsible for building the school, which was intended to bring in hundreds of girls.

"Given the care and work put into emplacing this IED, it is likely it had been planned for a long time" and it is thought that "the IED was not intended to be set off until the building was occupied," the military said.

Authorities intend to question the Iraqis involved in the school's construction.

Yes, but please don't detain any of them because certain political factions in the U.S. will be upset. No more detaining those involved in terrorism. Nope. Just line them up against the school that they built and shoot them all on the spot.

For those of you who missed my post questioning "rules of engagement," you might want to read it.

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Some Discrimination Is Okay

SEARCH BLOG: DISCRIMINATION

The other day, Pat Buchanan had a post entitled, "PBS is Hiring - Blacks, Whitey Need Not Apply."

The issue was that PBS had hired a film and casting company for a "show exploring the latest in science and technology" and had specified that the person to host the show must be "Latino." That might have made some sense for a show about how Mexicans were adapting to the U.S. culture, but seemed a little arbitrary for a show about science and technology.

What a particular writer to Mr. Buchanan was riled about was that a staff member at the University of Southern California wrote this:

From: Nancy Levien - levien@usc.edu
Date: April 30, 2007
To: FACULTY@usc.edu
Subject: FW: Casting

Dear Faculty,

The person in the email below is looking for a host for a TV show with a specific background and be a Latino. Please pass on to any post doc, PhD student, etc. that you think would be interested.
Thank you.

Nancy Levien
Executive Assistant to the Chair
Department of Computer Science
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Tel: (213) 740-4498
Fax: (213) 740-7285

I posted this comment:

This is not so much a case of discrimination as it is a case of being thought-conflicted.

It is “discriminatory” to have a white actor play a black in “black-face” or a Mexican in a sombrero and fake mustache because you are “perpetuating stereotypes.” This is different from providing specific “minorities” with “opportunities” based on a perceived need for “representation” whether it forces individuals of other groups [read whites] out of consideration.

Discrimination is only discrimination if it against the “powerless” [which could include wealthy individuals of the correct ethnic backgrounds]. Discrimination is not discrimination if it is against the “powerful” [which could include the jobless among the “majority”].

It is conflicted thinking because it focuses on the “personal attributes” of individuals rather than the “economic attributes” in defining those in “need.”

It is conflicted thinking because it focuses on the “personal attributes” of individuals rather that the “personal accomplishments” in defining those who are “worthy.”

The interesting thing is that blacks, Asians, and all others were also excluded... which meant it wasn't about getting "diversity."

It was about playing to the Mexican audience in Los Angeles. This is called "marketing"... unless it is done by whites.

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Indecency According to Islam?

SEARCH BLOG: ISLAM

I came across this bit about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad being berated by some right of right-wing Islamists because of his indecent behavior with an elderly teacher.

Then I realized why so many in the West have a visceral reaction against the Islam of the Taliban, et al: it is a modern caricature of the West's Dark Ages.

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Debate About "Mission Accomplished"

SEARCH BLOG: IRAQ

An interesting discussion about the war in Iraq that has been going on for 3 days at Econbrowser.

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Technology and Global Warming

SEARCH BLOG: GLOBAL WARMING

Recently, I have commented to several scientists who have their own blogs that the issue of applying technology to address CO2 output is a very narrow and, quite probably, counterproductive approach to mankind's future on this planet.

It is evident that CO2 has become a red herring for every political and social agenda imaginable and that, too often, science and reason are disregarded in the proclamations of impending disaster.

There are at least four "dimensions" that should be addressed before the government steps in to create its own version of the "enlightenment":

• energy
• environment
• economy
• global warming (climate impact)

As I wrote yesterday, global warming and climate change are not synonymous. Most proposals to take this approach or that to reduce CO2 have conflicting impacts in these four dimensions.

Below is an example of a summary evaluation a coalition of scientists and professionals from different disciplines could provide as the basis for public debate (with more detail, of course).

While the debate does go on, the arguments for or against a particular action are often highly biased, confusing, and detrimental to other aspects of human existence (such as dragging down economic development in poor countries by limiting CO2 output from the resources available to them).

I believe that the IPCC (UN climate evaluation group) represents only one of the four critical dimensions that need to be considered before billions or trillions of dollars are dedicated toward a particular effort or technology.

Click on image to see a larger picture



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Making Sense Out of Climate Change

SEARCH BLOG: GLOBAL WARMING

A recent post at Climate Science tries to clarify the difference between the terms "global warming" and "climate change" which are often used interchangeably, but are not necessarily equivalent.

Global warming is a increasing trend in earth's average temperature.

Climate change is "Any systematic change in the long-term statistics of climate elements (such as temperature, pressure, or winds) sustained over several decades or longer. Climate change may be due to natural external forcings, such as changes in solar emission or slow changes in the earth’s orbital elements; natural internal processes of the climate system; or anthropogenic forcing.”

I suspect that most people are concerned about climate change more than the global warming. They aren't so much concerned about a couple of degrees of warmth versus bad things that might happen to their region's climate. They presume that warming = bad.

But when you look at what human activities affect climate the most, it is not CO2 that causes changes to climates. It is how humans alter their environment.

The most spectacular example is how deforestation in the Amazon rain forest is reducing precipitation and raising temperatures. Another similar example is how crop irrigation in the U.S. plains is increasing rainfall. Meanwhile, deforestation of northern latitude forests increases albedo (reflection) and reduces temperatures in the winter. But expansion of urban areas creates warmer, drier conditions.

But won't warmer temperatures turn everything into either a desert or a tropical swamp?

Actually, human manipulation of environment will have more impact on environment than changes in temperatures. Certainly, growing seasons will be extended and animals will have larger habitable ranges, but predicting specific weather patterns and living conditions is a crap shoot given the many variables other than temperature that must be considered.

For more, read here.

ADDENDUM

[thanks to Luboš Motl] CNN showing this.
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Marching For Legitimacy

SEARCH BLOG: ILLEGAL

Thousands of people marched today in Chicago to legitimize pedophilia... I mean illegal immigrants... I knew something was illegal.

“A lot of people in the U.S. call themselves Americans, but they forget their heritage — their parents and grandparents were immigrants too,” said Apolinar Marin, 29, who manages a car wash in the Chicago suburbs.

“We think we are being treated unjustly,” said his wife Esmeralda, 30, who is an interpreter in a high school. “A lot of our people can’t express themselves because of the language, but it does not mean that they don’t care.

The general theme of the rally was that immigrants as a group work hard and that changes are needed to make it easier for them to get the papers needed to legalize their status.

Well, what if pedophiles are hard workers? Should we make it easier for their actions to be declared legal?

If you do something illegal should you be rewarded?

How about a system that rewards immigrants who come in legally? Perhaps a more streamlined guest worker programs that rewards those who apply and register and keep up proper notification of status changes?

Don't make the guest workers pay a fee; make the employer pay a fee!

...and quickly deport any foreigner who doesn't follow the law and make certain they can't get in again legally or otherwise by imposing an automatic jail sentence followed by deportation for subsequent offenses.

Go home now and try again... legally.

Oh, just one other issue. There is a growing discord between blacks and recent Mexican immigrants in places like Los Angeles. Listen to Los Angeles black radio show host, Terry Anderson.


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Not So Brave New World - Iranian Style

SEARCH BLOG: IRAN



Iranian police are now also the "haircut police" in the cleric-run fascist nation.

Approved haircuts now look like this:





Elsewhere, those corrupted by western-style haircuts joined those with Islamic-approved haircuts in planning "corrective action" events around Britain. Unfortunately, the corrupt British legal system has prevented them from further such actions.

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Europeans Eschew Ethanol

SEARCH BLOG: ETHANOL

Europeans are, by and large, underwhelmed by the prospects of ethanol replacing oil.

Why? Costs too much, not very efficient, and environmentally flawed.

What looms on the horizon? Biodiesel fuels... a new way to burn wood.

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Reports About Iraq

SEARCH BLOG: IRAQ

I was up at 4 a.m. so when I saw William S' email with the following links, I began the arduous process of going through them. Most of you hear the nightly "capsules" of information about Iraq. These links are probably more than you can chew on, but do contain some very interesting insights about the politics and military operations in Iraq. I recommend the Charlie Rose interview.

Full Transcript (90 minute interview on Iraq)

A conversation with President Bush

Interview with Charlie Rose, aired 24 April 2007

transcript made available by the International Herald Tribune

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/25/news/gwb.php

or here (a French source):

full transcript in one long page (text size is adjustable):

http://www.resiliencetv.fr/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2226

and video:

http://www.charlierose.com/shows/2007/04/24/1/a-conversation-with-the-president-of-the-united-states

Full Transcript (lengthy news media Q&A)

DoD News Briefing with General Petraeus from the Pentagon

April 26, 2007 10:00 AM EDT

U.S. Department of Defense

http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=3951

and video:

C-SPAN video of DoD briefing by General Petraeus - 26 April 2007

http://www.c-span.org/rss/video.asp?MediaID=30670

(the video may not be available)

March 2007

9010 Report to Congress (45 pages)

Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq

U.S. Department of Defense

http://www.defenselink.mil/home/pdf/9010_March_2007_Final_Signed.pdf

and here:

HTML version (excluding charts in the original)

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/2007/iraq-security-stability_mar2007-01.htm

April 2007

Section 1227 Report to Congress

U.S. Department of State

http://www.state.gov/p/nea/rls/rpt/1227/83923.htm

You ought to at least scan the 1227 Report to Congress... and wonder how may congressmen actually heard/read it.

Just one other thought: Americans seem to be fascinated with videos of explosions and the insurgents in Iraq are very aware of this fascination. It's like the sleight-of-hand tricks of the sideshow magician who gets you to focus on one thing and miss what is actually happening.

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A Failure in Generalship

SEARCH BLOG: IRAQ

I received an email from one of my corresponding associates asking me to forward this rather intense article found in the Armed Forces Journal written by Lt. Col. Paul Yingling about the role of military leadership in the current problems the U.S. is experiencing with the insurgency in Iraq.

Although I was in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, I recognize that I have few qualifications to either support or dispute this article. So I leave it up to you.

When you get done with the article, you may have the same question as I have: if the military leadership had agreed with the precept of this article regarding modern warfare... and they were vocal about it... would the U.S. have committed to this war?

I'll pose just one other question: if the U.S. military was allowed to conduct the war effort as a military operation ... no holds barred... how long would it take to get rid of the insurgents?

Many of you may be too young to remember or know about the "rules of engagement" in Vietnam that contributed to the humiliating U.S. withdrawal. I suspect that there are far too many "rules of engagement" in play now in Iraq.

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Education Accomplishments Not Important

SEARCH BLOG: EDUCATION

One cannot read the newspapers without at least one article appearing each week about how schools are failing our students, the state is failing our students, or the society is failing our students (students don't fail).

Now we hear that the Dean of Admissions at MIT, Marilee Jones, who "rewrote MIT's application, trying to get students to reveal more about their personalities and passions, and de-emphasizing lists of their accomplishments," may have been one of those students failed by our schools, state, and society.

MIT spokeswoman Patti Richards said Jones has at various times claimed to have degrees from Union College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Albany Medical College. But Richards had no immediate information on what degrees Jones actually has or how the matter was uncovered.

Jason Gorss, a spokesman for RPI, said Jones attended that university as a part-time, non-matriculating student from September 1974 until June 1975 but did not receive a degree. Messages left for officials at the other two schools were not immediately returned.

But, wait! She was Dean since 1997! She was correct! Why worry about actual accomplishments when you just have to say you did something?

One has to wonder how MIT could have been fooled for so long. Were there no other qualified women to ensure sufficient diversity? Is Admissions an area that doesn't really require any qualifications?

Lloyd Thacker, founder of The Education Conservancy, a group that is also trying to tone down admissions anxiety, said he was saddened by the announcement.

"She's had a positive impact in the lives of many students and families and has brought inspiration to the profession," Thacker said. "What's happened in no ways discredits the value of her work and her unwavering commitment to helping students, and I sincerely hope she's able to continue with that cause."

You know, maybe our schools, state, and society are failing our students. After all, Lloyd apparently feels that education isn't all that important... as long as you have "a positive impact."

Since I have plenty of time on my hands, I was thinking out some positions at MIT which I could fill... provost, dean, president, da guy in charge. I have to go now. It's time to create an academic history for myself... doctorates from Harvard, Oxford, Stanford, Beijing University... sounds good to me. Plus, my eight Olympic gold medals in equestrian events should qualify me to lead the MIT polo team.

Also see: An MIT dean with high school education (or less)

Why Islam Will Not Spread in America

SEARCH BLOG: ISLAM

Cultural differences prevent Islam from spreading in the U.S.


Source



Source

Americans don't believe in "submission".

Apparently, many Iranians feel the same way.

Related links:

• Huge cost of Iranian brain drain
• 'Mass purges' at Iran universities

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Birth Control

SEARCH BLOG: POPULATION

As the world's population hovers between 6 to 7 billion people, different societies have various strategies to control their population growth.

China, for example, has limited families to one child (with some recent exceptions in rural areas) and that has had the consequence of female infanticide which has led to a dramatic shortage of available brides for young men... a socially dangerous situation.

Other nations, such as Italy, have suddenly found that they have a declining population as young people have rejected the large family, village oriented lifestyle of their parents for the urban-chic, singles approach to fun and fortune first. There, young men will live with their parents for food and laundry services and keep a little place for entertaining young, willing women.

Other areas such as the Middle East have prolific birth rates which apparently are kept under control by sectarian warfare or "jihads" against "infidels".

Mexico, with the largest Spanish-speaking population of any country in the world (over 100 million), shuns infanticide, birth control pills or condoms, and warfare, so they have come up with a uniquely Mexican approach to birth control:


Source

The End Of Civilization - A Perspective By Scipio

SEARCH BLOG: CATASTROPHE

An interesting post at "The Return of Scipio" (aka Mike Austin) today.

When you are done, go back and re-read this and this.

And then, finally, this.
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Economy: Is Bad Good?

SEARCH BLOG: ECONOMY

The DOW passed 13,000 today for the first time.

Given the extremely soft housing market and the cost of oil/gasoline going up [hint: inflation... Federal Reserve... interest rates], it seems that this may be another bubble getting primed to burst.

Then again, the stock market has not always followed the consumer market.

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VA Redux

SEARCH BLOG - GOVERNMENT HEALTH CARE and VETERANS ADMINISTRATION

Earlier this year I had several posts regarding the VA health care system for veterans.

My position was that the outpatient care process was:

1. Inefficient and extremely time-consuming for the veterans
2. Diverted scarce resources from long-term, higher-difficulty rehabilitation efforts

My solution was a VA card, similar to a Medicare card, that would allow veterans to seek outpatient or emergency care at any hospital or clinic, thereby reducing the wait for help and the drain on VA doctors' time from rehabilitation or serious illness care.

I received several comments supporting the VA. I also support the VA; I just don't support this aspect of its health care process.

Here is further support for that position.

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European Backlash - Step 1 Taken

SEARCH BLOG: FRANCE and ISLAM

The first phase of the European backlash against Islamic corruption of the European cultures is taking place in France, the bedrock of cultural protectionism... something I have several times said would happen.

French voters are coming out for the end of the dilution of their culture by Islamists and you can bet that Segolene Royal will get the royal boot when the final election takes place against Nicolas Sarkozy.

Sarkozy, the 52-year-old head of the ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), has pledged a "clean break" from the politics of the past consensus. His campaign has centered around themes such as the work ethic, national identity and economic liberalisation.

I'll take that as code for "no more 35-hour work week unions, accept the French culture or leave, and business is going to be open for business instead of welfare."

Royal, who would be France's first woman president, promises to protect the country's generous social welfare system and has tabled left-wing economic policies.

I'll take that as code for "vote for me and I'll make sure you are taken care of no matter who you are, what your attitude is toward France, or whether you do a day's work in your life."

Sure, the French like the cushy approach to life, but they like the "French first" approach better.

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In related news, Dr. Sanity, a psychiatrist, suggests you can't negotiate with cancer or Islamists.

I guess the French are beginning to understand that. The rest of Europe is not far behind.

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Do People Fear Warmer Climates?

SEARCH BLOG: GLOBAL WARMING and ECONOMY

While it is obvious that there are both political and organization agendas to promote a fear of possible global warming, what are the average citizens in the U.S. saying with their money and their feet?

This is a map of the U.S. showing population change in percent from 2000-2006.



The darker green represents the highest grow rates; the light tan represents the lowest growth or population losses.

"That's not a fair way to look at things," some might say. People are just going where the jobs are.

Here's a question for you. What's driving the jobs? Well, maybe people have more faith in Jeb Bush or Arnold Schwarzenegger than Jennifer Granholm. But it might just be that as people retire (which a lot of "baby boomers" are doing), they are seeking more warmth. Maybe people choosing to live in warmer climates are creating growing economies in those states and driving jobs growth for those seeking work.

Could it be that most people really aren't terrified by moving from a climate with an average temperature of 48F to one with an average annual temperature of 70F?

What about all of the malaria and squalor? Oh, wait. There is western civilization in the warmer states, too. Perhaps the government will have to ban air conditioning to validate its new concerns.

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Effect of Not Warming

SEARCH BLOG: GLOBAL WARMING

Yesterday, I posted pictures of some unfortunate people. One was of people in a watery quagmire in Bangladesh with a caption commenting on the government's poor effort to combat mosquitoes and disease.

Another was of a soldier frozen to death.

Those who fear a few degrees more warmth are inclined to believe that warmth = bad and cold = good.

Just a point of clarification regarding mosquitoes and malaria. If you haven't read this before you should know that one of the worst outbreaks of malaria occurred in Siberia... yes Siberia....

Professor Reiter on malaria in the "Little Ice Age":

I wonder how many of your Lordships are aware of the historical significance of the Palace of Westminster? I refer to the history of malaria, not the evolution of government. Are you aware that the entire area now occupied by the Houses of Parliament was once a notoriously malarious swamp? And that until the beginning of the 20th century, "ague" (the original English word for malaria) was a cause of high morbidity and mortality in parts of the British Isles, particularly in tidal marshes such as those at Westminster? And that George Washington followed British Parliamentary precedent by also siting his government buildings in a malarious swamp! I mention this to dispel any misconception you may have that malaria is a "tropical" disease.

All this occurred in a period—roughly from the mid-15th century to the early 18th century—that climatologists term the "Little Ice Age". Temperatures were highly variable, but generally much lower than in the period since. In winter, the sea was often frozen for many miles offshore, the King could hold parties on the frozen Thames, there are six records of Eskimos landing their kayaks in Scotland, and the Viking settlements in Iceland and Greenland became extinct.

Despite this remarkably cold period, perhaps the coldest since the last major Ice Age, malaria was what we would today call a "serious public health problem" in many parts of the British Isles, and was endemic, sometimes common throughout Europe as far north as the Baltic and northern Russia. It began to disappear from many regions of Europe, Canada and the United States as a result of multiple changes in agriculture and lifestyle that affected the breeding of the mosquito and its contact with people, but it persisted in less developed regions until the mid 20th century. In fact, the most catastrophic epidemic on record anywhere in the world occurred in the Soviet Union in the 1920s, with a peak incidence of 13 million cases per year, and 600,000 deaths. Transmission was high in many parts of Siberia, and there were 30,000 cases and 10,000 deaths due to falciparum infection (the most deadly malaria parasite) in Archangel, close to the Arctic circle. Malaria persisted in many parts of Europe until the advent of DDT. One of the last malarious countries in Europe was Holland: the WHO finally declared it malaria-free in 1970.

I hope I have convinced you that malaria is not an exclusively tropical disease, and is not limited by cold winters!

But moving beyond that, how do humans generally fare in colder climates? Well, how about Scotland? That's a northern country with a climate somewhat moderated by the Gulf Stream. What does the medical establishment have to say about cold weather and human health in Scotland?

Could it be that humans, originally tropical creatures, really do better in warmth and that warmth does not necessarily mean squalor? Just because conditions are bad in Bangladesh, does it follow that conditions must also be bad in Singapore? Will a temperature increase of a few degrees suddenly destroy all of mankind's knowledge about controlling his environment... or his ability to adapt to it?

I would venture that those who fear any warming... from natural forces or from man's activity... may be doing so more from ignorance than reality.

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