Oct
12
2012
Haven’t done a climate post in a while. A couple of things caught my eye.
First, we have the ever entertaining William “The Wiki-Conqueror” Connolley at it again. This is a warmist was banned from editing Wikipedia because he was summarily deleting the profiles of people who didn’t tow the line on the alarmist version of climate science. The ban has since been lifted, but there was a stipulation. He was not allowed to make any changed to information on anyone who is still alive.
OK.
But people die. One such person was French Climatologist Marcel Leroux. He wrote a book critical of his peers called “Global Warming — Myth or Reality? : The Erring Ways of Climatology“. Connolley says the person was deleted because the page “just offensive“….
No, he doesn’t actually say that about Leroux’s Wiki page. He says this:
“But sometimes a page exists, about a real person or event, and there is doubt about whether the page is desirable or not”.
.
.
Do you see what I just did there? I corrected the inaccurate information – I didn’t delete it. But people like Connolley fear and dissent on the consensus. There can be no evidence that such a thing even exists. Which is why those that can’t get deleted from the web are labeled “deniers”, even if they are not deniers that CO2 has an effect of the atmosphere and can cause warming.
And speaking of consensus, Kevin Trenberth, the head of the climate analysis section at the US National Center for Atmospheric Research, is bummed. Apparently the next IPCC report is not going to be nearly as alarmist as the last one.
“There are more people, it’s more diffuse, it’s harder to gain a consensus – quite frankly I find the whole process very depressing. The science is solid, but with a larger group it’s harder to reach a consensus, and updates every six years are just too slow. After the fifth assessment, we should push on with a different format.”
Note that he does say the science is “solid”…. So what is he complaining about?
Translated – Our guys are no in control of the IPCC process this time, so we can’t control what will be considered “consensus”. Information will be included that we don’t like, that doesn’t support our doom and gloom narrative.
The IPCC has always been as much about political control as anything. Other people are at the head of the process, and the old guard doesn’t like it.
He’s also upset that, as a result of “Climategate”, the political world is no longer jumping through hoops, or no longer pretending to really, on issues of climate. From the last link:
Professor Trenberth believes it had a big impact on public debates about climate science. ”It made an immense difference – the level of vitriol and hate we received,” he said. ”Not only do we have waves of attacks when we publish and it ends up on a denialist website, but it has affected politicians.”
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently had its climate change-related research budget slashed by a fifth, affecting Professor Trenberth’s peers, as a result of online campaigns against climate scientists, he said. He believes uncertainties in climate change models scientists rely upon is being falsely inflated as a general uncertainty about the status of climate science.
”With the links between weather and climate for instance – we know they are there, but the specific numbers need work,” Professor Trenberth said.
First. Yes Climategate did have an effect. But I find it interesting that Prof. Trenberth ignores a bigger reality – that, since the good times that were prevalent before “climategate”, pre 2008, the wealthiest nations in the world have more immediate and pressing concerns, oh, like say the implosion of the EU and the resulting near term worldwide economic collapse, than far off predictions of doom and gloom.
And, one more thing, those who want to link the “crazy weather” to global warming, please note this last sentence from Mr Trenberth:
”With the links between weather and climate for instance – we know they are there, but the specific numbers need work”.
Translated – There is no proof that firmly establishes a link between any of the so called “unprecedented” weather events we’ve seen in the last few years, there is still only the hypothesis. Thing is, the extreme weather events that we see on the news are, as it turns out, not statistically increasing in number. The mid west drought this year is pretty bad, but, I must remind you, there is a long LONG way to go before it even gets close to the drought that occurred in the 1930’s. And no, I’m not talking about the poor farming practices that led to the dust bowl. I’m talking about the meteorological drought.
There are cycles of drought, but this was one of the worst ever recorded. The decade started with dry years in 1930 and 1931 especially in the East. Then, 1934 recorded extremely dry conditions over almost 80 percent of the United States. Extreme drought conditions returned in 1936, 1939 and 1940.
Oct
12
2012
I was in and out of the car tonight, and listened to some of the VP debate. Of course, the partisans on both sides are proclaiming victory.
From what I heard, I know who I will say won this one….
Anyone who didn’t bother to watch or listen to the thing! It was atrocious.
Oct
4
2012
As if their were any doubt. But I’m not saying it… Chris Mathews is!
“Well, this, um… wasn’t an MSNBC debate, was it. It just wasn’t. It had none of the things you mentioned. It didn’t mention all the key fighting points of this campaign…”
Fighting points???? Fighting against whom?????
There is a hot debate going on in this country, and you know where it’s being held… Here! On this network! We have our knives out….”
Yes, but they’re only ever slashing away / cutting at Conservatives.
You don’t need a media translator to hear Mathews admit that debates hosted by his network would skew the debate to help Obama / Democrats win. In the future, I would not be surprised at all if Republican candidates either refuse to appear in a debate hosted by MSNBC, or, if they do appear, bring up portions of this conversation between Mathews and his cohorts when a seemingly biased question or comment from the moderator gets thrown into the mix.
This really is pathetic.
Jennifer Rubin’s critique of the media is spot on here.
“The liberal media, and MSNBC specifically, have no one to blame but themselves, however. They have never given President Obama the sort of scrutiny he got last night. They have mouthed the president’s false talking points (“a $5 trillion tax cut for the rich”), egging the president on. When Mitt Romney debunked these easily, Obama had nowhere to go. He looked lost without the protective blanket of compliant media and over-eager left-wing bloggers.
Jim Lehrer was, comically, the target for many on the left. The complaint was that he didn’t “control” the debate. In fact, what irked them was that he didn’t control Romney. Did he not know his role as media combatant for the president? Ironically, Newt Gingrich was dead right in suggesting un-refereed debates: The president without a structure and without a moderator to help him defend against an opponent is out of his depth.”
Oct
3
2012
There is a lot of anticipation for tonights debate between Romney and Obama. One of the expectations I see discussed on the intertubes is that this is going to be a debate full of, and decided on, Zingers!
Not the dessert of course…. Though that would make me more interested in watching, if they offered free Zingers to anyone who can prove they watched live. No, unfortunately I’m talking about the verbal ones, such as this one that popped up in the Scott Walker / Elizabeth Warren debate last night:
“Excuse me, I’m not a student in your classroom…”
Yeah, it was a pretty good zinger. Used perfectly in a moment where the Professor indeed did interrupt him…
Only one problem. This debate is being held at a college. Though the students might have one or two instructors that were rude to us in class (we’ve all had a few of those…. Mr Munson I’m looking your way) by far most professors are considerate in class. It’s been a while since I was a college student, but I liked most of my professors.
And there-in lies the problem. That zing certainly looked good on paper, and I’m sure played just fine in Senator Browns debate rehearsals, where he was surrounded by like minded partisans. But the one thing they didn’t consider is the audience they were in front of. That was a venue full of college students, and it was obvious the zing didn’t go over well with that crowd.
It seems the conventional wisdom is that Romney will score points if he can come up with some good zingers in the debate against Obama. Bad idea. Not only is their a probable unfriendly audience to consider (seems Republicans don’t get much love from these things) but there is the basic question of whether or not the zinger really works to begin with. Yes, there are some memorable ones, with Reagan’s “There you go again” quib, and Lloyd Bentsen’s mocking “You’re no Jack Kennedy”. Bentsen’s ticket lost, and does anyone really think Reagan won BECAUSE of that line? Reagan won because he presented the face and demeanor of the fresher candidate; the guy with better ideas.
The bigger problem is that the nature of politics and the coverage thereof are so different now. When Reagan and Carter debated,oh so long ago, the zing seemed fresh because there was so little exposure to political debates in general. In the last year alone, the Republicans had, what, fifteen debates? We’re used to them. I doubt Romney will be able to find an original zing that hasn’t already been used by him or one of his cohort in the last year. And, with a modern media that can and will change the subject of conversation on a dime, does anyone think a great zing is going to stay in the public consciousness for long? If the Romney team, or the Obama side for that matter, decide that a great zinger will deliver the oval office, then they deserve to lose.
Oh, and by the way, Republicans, please PLEASE, enough of the Obama = Carter memes. It’s not great politics. Probably half of the current electorate was not even alive when Carter was President. They don’t have, and never will have, the feel for what it was like during his tenure. And of the other half of the electorate, a good portion would rather have another Jimmy Carter for President rather than a Mitt Romney. Don’t get stuck trying to reincarnate each of your candidates as the next Ronald Reagan. The Democrats had the same problem with JFK, where they fruitlessly tried to find the next JFK. Like Reagan, he was also a one of a kind. Stop trying to make Romney into a guy that he’s not. Let Romney be Romney. Stick to the present.
And remember, a Zinger will do in a pinch, but it’s no substitute for a good chocolate Hostess thing.
PS. Here is the whole Brown / Warren debate.
Sep
28
2012
And when I say “Love”, I mean attention, and not in a good way. republicans have been feeling the wrath of Sonicfrog, now it’s a Democrat’s turn.
Elizabeth Warren is trying to capture the Mas Senate seat now occupied by Republican Scott Brown. She came off as the working class defender in her first ad, and impressed a lot of people. The revelation a number of months ago that she has in the past used a dubious claim of Cherokee ancestry to gain affirmative action benefits hasn’t seemed to hurt her too much. First, she defended a major corporation AGAINST those workers trying to collect beneffits to help pay the cost of dealing with asbestos related illnesses.
Watch her response to Scott Brown when he brings this up in a debate.
Well, that was hardly a satisfying answer and rebuttal. And when I say “hardly satisfying”, I mean “Oh GOD, that was SOOOO much worse than any lame response from Romney on any of his multiple gaffes!”. Yeah, it’s that bad.
But the latest revelations are much worse. Seems shes practiced law in Massachusetts without a license. That’s a big “Oops”. Of course the usual defenders are blindingly buying her rational and political attempts to slither out of the way of the truth car before it runs over this snake of a problem. They cite the fact that the information was brought to life by a Conservative law blogger “gasp” so therefore it automatically must be assumed to be false!* But honest left leaning law bloggers are noting the case against Prof Warren does indeed look quite damning. Wish we had more people who could set aside politics and call out their own when a problem is revealed.
And note. when Joe The Plumber guy was caught practicing without a license, the news world was inflamed…
Scandalous!!!!!
This has been out there for days, and yet it’s only being pursued by one Conservative blogger. No mass media coverage on this, a much worse, and by degrees a much more high profile story than anything concerning Joe The Plumber. Anyone still want to argue that there is no media bias leaning toward liberals?
* I get so sick of the use of the “shoot the messenger” fallacy. I can’t stand either Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity. I have similar attitudes toward Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow. I take anything and everything they say with an elephant sized grain of salt. But, if they are correct, they are correct.
UPDATE: On media bias…. Maybe three days is still an acceptable time frame. I am the one after all who bitches and moans that the media jumps on a story to get it first rather than waiting to make sure they get it right.
Hat Tip: Althouse.
Sep
25
2012
First off, let make sure that no one mistakes me for a vocal coach. I am not. I’ve had some vocal training when I was studying to be an actor and broadcaster, both of which I never ended up doing as a career. That training gave me some valuable instruction on how to use my voice when speaking. Though it did lay some very important groundwork, those techniques don’t always translate when using your voice for singing.
The most useful pieces of advise that have helped me over the years have come from two people.
First on the list… The one… The only… Kevin Krohn. One early evening we were sitting in the car singing (I do a lot of my singing in a car). We were giving Mr Mister’s “Go On” cassette a run through. Now, Kevin, just like Richard Page of Mr Mister, has a fantastic singing voice. It is a wonder to hear. I was singing too. At one point, he stopped and asked “why are you trying to sing so loud?”. “Because I can” was I think my response. My voice is not a bad tool; it’s pretty flexible. But I was so intent on either copying another style, or especially trying to sing at the top of my lungs, I often sounded like crap. Now, it didn’t dawn on me at the time, but Kevin was pointing to one of the errors I made for many years when trying to sing lead vocals…. I tried too hard!
The vocals on any given recording are mixed and compressed when they are added to any given recording, which brings them out in front of music on a record. I was trying to emulate that. Me being dense and a little slow, it took me a while to realized the value of Kevin’s advise. A side benefit, I found I could extend my range if I laid off the volume.
On to the next step in becoming a better vocalist.
A couple of years ago, my current band Acoustic Highway added a guitarist, Steve Kuykendal, who was also a superb vocalist. On those occasions where I was going for broke when I didn’t need to, during rehearsals he would basically slap me upside the head to get me to stop doing that!
“Stop trying so damned hard!”
I wasn’t going as crazy trying to push so much air as I had in the past, but yeah, I still need that reminder every once in a while. The vocal arrangements in Ac Hi need more finesse, less volume. Steve is a task master, and want’s to get things right as much as possible. He is terrific at arranging sings, and I’m using what I learned from him on some of the songs I’m putting together for my solo album.
But he helped me in another way that I am forever grateful. He is the guy that sat me down and forced me to sing in my falsetto range. I had always HATED my falsetto! Would never use it. Years earlier, when recording the “I Like Their Old Stuff Better” EP for Chris Plays Guitar, I was asked by the producer to lay down a high harmony, which meant singing falsetto. I didn’t do it because I just didn’t have the confidence to do it.
Fast forward a few years.
Acoustic Highway was originally a four piece band. We specialize in music that has tons of harmonies. I can do four part harmonies all day without moving into a falsetto range. So I never did. Avoided it like the plague. When Steve and his wife, also a singer, joined the band, we now had six voices and started doing even more complex stuff. This included the Eagles “Seven Bridges Road”. I was bumped to the Timothy B Shcmidt falsetto. I was the only one in the band that could do it. I was not comfortable with it at first, but it really grew on me after a while. Now I’m fine singing in my falsetto range when the need arises.
Steve and Nancy have since moved to another state, so he can no longer slap me upside the head. I owe him, and Kevin, a lot. I don’t claim to have the best voice in the world, but I’m much happier with what I can do, and have more confidence than I ever had.
Now I’m once again doing a Police Tribute band. This is very tricky vocal-wise. Sting’s vocals on the early recordings are so interesting. The range and timbre of his voice are very unique. I’ve blown my voice out in the past trying some of his stuff because I was not approaching this challenge in a disciplined way. Once again, falling into the trap of being too loud trying to be Sting. But, I think I’ve learned my lessons. I will no longer sing AC/DC’s “You Shook All Night Long” or Zep’s “Rock And Roll” for that reason… Too damned hard on my voice box. We had our first Police rehearsal last week, and the focus on vocal discipline paid off. My voice came out of the rehearsal intact and ready for more singing. Yay!
Sep
24
2012
Jeremy Clarkson lays it out:
Others put it to the test….
And it’s TRUE!!!!!! 🙂
Love the opening song too!!!!!
Oh, BTW, the German word for squirrel is “Eichhörnchen”. Yeah, I’ll not even try to say it, and I took German in high school.
Sep
24
2012
Headline:
Golden West teacher arrested in sex with student
Well, if I’m gonna be arrested, there are worse places to be than “In Sex”.
Sep
21
2012
- Feed the creatures! (Miss Bird, Odo and Elsa.
- Do pool route.
- Practice Police Tribute Band songs.
- Diagnose spa in Sanger.
- Join math / physics list.
- Work on some math problems.
- Practice Police Tribute Band songs.
- Inspect bike for Tour de Fresno tomorrow.
- Go to Police Tribute Band practice.
- All the other stuff I’m leaving out like pooping and what-not.