Dec 14

“Mainstream” climate science smears another skeptic

Professor Cliff Mass is one of the most respected faculty members in the University of Washington Atmospheric Sciences Department.  Since 1982,   his research has focused on the role of topography in the evolution of weather systems, and on the weather of the Pacific Northwest. In addition to his research publications, Cliff Mass has published a popular book entitled ‘Weather of the Pacific Northwest.’

He has 13,000 twitter followers. Mass also has a weekly radio show with 400,000 weekly listeners (!)

But Professor Mass has recently come under fire after opposing Washington State’s recent “climate change tax” ballot initiative and publicly saying that California’s recent wildfires were not caused by “manmade global warming.”

The chair of the UW’s Atmospheric Sciences Department recently held a Department-wide meeting aimed at marginalizing and smearing Mass as a “climate denier” and “racist.”  (Mass had authored an editorial with an image of pigs at a trough–a traditional depiction of well-connected privileged elites feeding off of the body-politick–in which Mass had described how the State ballot initiative was designed to funnel millions of dollars to special interests such as Indian tribes and “pollution and health action areas” of minority and “vulnerable populations.”)

Dr. Judith Curry–herself a former professor driven from academia by relentless smears after she came out as a ‘climate skeptic’–has authored a detailed report.

Dec 14

Buchanan: Elites no longer rule the world

Pat Buchanan: former Nixon speech writer, presidential candidate, and prolific author

The ever insightful Patrick Buchanan is out with a column in which he surveys the international landscape:

“Capitals,” according to Buchanan, “– Washington, London, Paris, Berlin – seem ever more distant from the countries they rule.”

Two years ago 52 % of Brits voted to leave the European Union.  (Their government had made them a part of another country without asking their permission!)  Yet Britain’s government can not agree on the specifics of the “Brexit.”  Without a government “plan” for the Brexit, according to Buchanan, “The possibility exists that Britain could simply crash out of the EU, causing severe economic damage to both.”  (Note the same dire predictions were made immediately before the Brexit vote in 2016 but the British economy has been outperforming expectations since.)

In France, “[t]he political collapse of [President] Macron has been extraordinary.”  “In 2017, he won almost two-thirds of the national vote.”  He was thought to be the next recognized leader of the EU. “Today, one poll puts Macron’s approval at 21 percent.”

Dec 12

New Climate Bet: Roots bets Kocienzski III that U.S. crop yields will continue in the next decade

Just weeks ago the U.S. government released its 1,700-page 2018 US National Climate Assessment, which claimed that failure to eliminate fossil fuels will send global temperatures soaring 15 degrees F by 2100! Chaos and food shortages will ensue!

Tederos Kocienzski III, Roger Roots, John Lamb, and Kocienzski’s son at a restaurant in St. Paul, Minnesota, October 2018

In the wake of these predictions, Dr. Roger Roots, founder and president of Lysander Spooner University, proposed a bet: U.S. major crop yields will NOT decline from global warming in the next ten (10) years.

Roots’ bet was immediately accepted by a friend: Ted Kocienzski III of St. Paul, Minnesota.  If, in ten years (thus by the end of harvest 2028), any major U.S. commodity crop has declined from its yields this year (in 2018), Roots will buy Kocienzski dinner and a bottle of wine.

If, on the other hand, all major U.S. commodity crop yields are no lower than they are in 2018, Kocienzski will buy Roots dinner and a bottle of wine.

Stay tuned!

Dec 11

Nicaraguan Reporters face assaults, violence, and death threats

The safest job in the world is that of a pro-government reporter; the most dangerous job in the world is that of an anti-government reporter. 

Dozens of courageous journalists have faced violent threats and attacks in the past year as they have reported on life under the repressive government. 

One journalist who has reported on Nicaraguan protests was detained by police six times in one week.  At one point, police placed a bag over his head and warned him that if his reporting continued to be critical of the police, he and his family would be killed.

In Nicaragua, many TV and radio stations are owned by family members of ruling officials.  Those outside this ownership network are described by the government as right wing terrorist media.

“Every independent journalist has received death threats,” says Gerall Chávez, a reporter with VosTV, whose house was vandalised in August.

See here. 

Dec 03

Socialist Cuba has difficulty keeping its buildings standing

The USA Today is out with an article on the fading and failing infrastructure of socialist Havana, Cuba.

Dozens of large buildings in downtown Havana simply fall apart and collapse each year.

“Causes range from weather and neglect to faulty renovations and theft of structural beams.”

What about ‘code enforcement’? Government inspections? Government control and licensing of engineers?

Cuba has more than almost any society on earth.

See here.

Dec 02

Pro-government Huffington Post may soon require paid subscription

The Drudge Report, which offers a balanced listing of headline links, is one of the world’s most-visited websites. Drudge Report frequently links to information and news which are not government approved.

For several years, government trusters have sought to undermine the impact of the Drudge Report by promoting more pro-government alternatives such as the Huffington Post. Untold millions have been dumped into building up Huffington Post as a Drudge alternative.

Today’s Drudge Report linked to a Wall Street Journal article reporting that the pro-government Huffington Post may soon require a paywall to survive.

Dec 02

French citizens protest “climate change” impositions

Thousands of French citizens have taken to the streets wearing high-visibility yellow jackets to protest the government’s burdensome fuel taxes. Diesel and gasoline taxes have increased by more than 20 percent in recent months and the government expects to further increase tax burdens on the population.

Just as with the government of Australia, the government of France has imposed a variety of oppressive laws supposedly designed to empower government to stem manmade-global-warming-by-CO2.

Polls show 84 % of French people support the “yellow vest” protest movement.

78 % say the “climate change” reforms of President Macron will accomplish nothing at all toward the environment.

75% say the fuel tax harms the poor the most.

Hundreds have been arrested. Two have died during the past two weeks of traffic-stopping protests.

Source: Odoxa-Dentsu Consulting for Le Figaro daily and France Info radio

Dec 01

As governments fail, gated communities become alluring

Nothing illustrates the failure of government like the recent wildfire casualties in northern California.

Residents fled helplessly while overpaid government bureaucrats failed–or refused–to protect their lives and property.

Meanwhile some very wealthy individuals paid for private fire protection.

Now The Hollywood Reporter is out with an interesting article about the allure of gated communities.

More and more housing developments are opting for gated access–with private patrol, security and fire protection.

While many ultra-rich are seeking the protection of gated communities, even poor people are able to afford various levels of private fire and security protection if they look hard enough.

Nov 30

More U.S. Postal workers caught stealing money from greeting cards

Greeting cards tend to have a distinctive size and shape. More than one U.S. Postal worker has been recently caught stealing cash from them. See here.
This is despite the fact that U.S. Postal workers are paid at least twice what they would make in the private sector for the same work.

Nov 29

Google secretly continues building new censored, pro-government internet


The company’s own legal division is not allowed to know about or criticize the operation.

The Intercept is out with a stunning report on Google’s efforts to help the Chinese government build a pro-government, censored, internet.

* Google has contracted with Chinese companies (and the Chinese government) to build a huge new pro-government version of the internet.

* Google is building the pro-government “dragonfly” internet in secret–even from the company’s own workers. Only a tiny percentage of Google’s employees are allowed to know any details about it.

*Google engineers who criticized the operation were immediately removed and placed in other divisions of the corporation.

* Records of peoples’ searches are immediately available to the government. This allows the government to find and arrest or kill anyone who searches forbidden topics.

* All searches are linked to the searcher’s personal phone number and location at all times.

* Normally, all new Google products or operations must be cleared with the company’s legal division. This company rule supposedly prevents Google from getting into legal trouble. However, the Dragonfly search engine is being built without the legal division’s approval (or knowledge).