Why the Ferguson Riots Make Me Sad

Because a white cop shot a young black man?

Nope.

Because a black man's civil rights have been violated?

Nope.

Because slavery is showing itself to still be endemic to US culture?

Nope.

Because whites are still suppressing blacks?

Nope.

Because racism is raising its ugly head again?

Nope.

A Chronology

1. A white cop shoots a young black man to death.
2. A community protests ensues.
3. The protests persist for several days, attracting anarchists from out-of-town.
4. The media covers same with wall-to-wall coverage.
5. Racial bomb-throwers like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson come to town, holding hands, singing songs, and holding candlelight vigils.
6. The situation gets worse. Stores are looted and burned down.
7. The TV cameras go home, and things quiet down.
8. The damaged businesses are never rebuilt. Instead, they are bulldozed to the ground, creating empty lots whose lifespan can be measured in decades.
9. With key services and retail businesses essential to everyday life gone, the community slowly dies.

Important Questions

I have 2:

• How will swiping a pair of Air Jordans or taking a case of diapers restore the life of this troubled young man?
• Do you know how many drive-by-shootings there were that same weekend? Of course you don't, cuz black-on-black violence is not deemed to be newsworthy.

Rioters—The Next Generation

I am old enough to have seen this movie many times before. This is not first time this sort of thing has happened, nor, I fear, will it be the last.

Have a nice day.  

The “Global Warming” Gaffe—a chronology

There have been many articles and books explaining the rather fuzzy science behind “global warming”, such as this one titled Climategate. I shall now try to assemble a primer on same, to whet your appetite for further research.

1. A scientist (he will probably want me to mention his name) attempts to assemble data proving that the earth's temperature is rising, and that it is the result of human industrial activity that produces unusually large amounts of CO2.
2. Using an Excel spreadsheet, he consolidates his data and lets the spreadsheet draw a graph. This is the famous (infamous?) “hockey stick” graph. It shows and predicts an alarming increase of global temps.
3. In 1990, the IPCC (a UN related NGO) endorses same. This results in treaties and protocols demanding that the developed (read “rich western”) countries reduce their CO2 emissions.
4. Developing countries, namely India and Communist China, refuse to sign same. They argue that these will retard their economic growth, and demand to be exempted so they can have a chance at the economic brass ring.
5. Developing and emerging countries demand a carbon tax on developed economies that shall be remitted to the former to help them combat carbon pollution.
6. The US refuses to endorse or sign any of these proposals.
7. Although the US has not signed the 1997 Kyoto Protocols, she nevertheless meets the proposed reductions in CO2 emissions. This is the result of “fracking”, since the US becomes awash in cheap natural gas. Coal-fed power plants are shut down in favor of those powered by natural gas. Not only does this reduce costs, it emits less CO2.
8. Communist China powers its industrial growth with electricity generated by coal-fired power plants using obsolete technology that generates more pollution than American ones. As a result, she generates greater amounts of CO2 than the US, despite the fact that Red China produces way less stuff (i.e. GDP) than the US.
9. An independent researcher is given access to the spreadsheet that produced the original “hockey stick” graph, and discovers several mathematical errors.
10. At some point, proponents of global warming become concerned, and change the phenomena's name to “climate change”.
11. Accurate thermometers, much less temperature records, are at most a few decades old. The spreadsheet has global temperatures that date back centuries. It turns out that the original researcher used tree rings as a proxy to estimate historical temperature data. Botanists point out that the main influence on tree rings are: nitrogen availability in the soil and (drum roll please...) rainfall, not ambient air temperature.
12. Clever observers (ahem...yours truly) realize that the original researcher has been the victim of a well documented human fallacy known as “confirmation bias”. That is, accepting only that data that confirms your theory, and rejecting data that does not fit. This is not the first, nor will it be the last time for this behavior, nor is it limited to scientific matters.
13. Politicians attempt to make hay of this situation. Those who are doubtful of the original hockey-stick graphs are called “science deniers”, attempting to draw an ugly parallel to “holocaust deniers”.

Global Warming—The Next Generation

it is quite possible that anthropomorphism is causing global warming. It is still a valid hypothesis, and shall remain so until solid scientific evidence proves that either: human industrial activity does not increase CO2 levels or that an increase in CO2 does not increase mean global atmospheric temperatures. However, current scientific evidence does not support either proposition.

The Secret Behind My Blogs About the Russia/Ukraine War

You may have noticed the rather large number of entries in this blog about the Ukraine/Russia war (and, no, it is not a civil war). Perhaps you have wondered why they are so pointed. On his radio show on 8/6/14, Mark Levin let the cat out of the bag: Stephen Cohen, Russian History Professor, NYU.

You see, this fellow crystallizes all that is not true about Russia's behavior towards Ukraine. I use his pronouncements as a springboard towards my criticism about Putin and Russia. Every Tuesday, he makes a one hour guest appearance on John Batchelor's radio show. I listen faithfully.

Note to Mr. Batchelor: this is the first and last time I will ever mention your name and that of your esteemed guest in my blog.

Carry on, gentlemen.

Ukraine/Russia War—a Chronology

Russian attempts to carve up Ukraine have recently ground to a halt, but, sadly, reporting by the West has not improved. Therefore, here is what has happened so far.

1. Ukraine economically inches towards the EU, much to the dismay of Russia.
2. Putin snatches victory from the jaws of defeat when he convinces Yanukovich to sign an economic agreement with Russia.
3. Residents of Kiev become angry and protest. Yanukovich becomes fearful, gathers up all his portable wealth and flees to Russia, legally abdicating.
4. With the approval of parliament, Yatsenyuk becomes temporary leader of Ukraine.
5. Russian propaganda claims that neo-fascists have illegally seized control of the Ukraine government. Western media swallows this lie: hook, line, and sinker.
6. Russia seizes Crimea, using a faked pop-election as a fig leaf. Putin proudly proclaims that Crimea is now a legitimate part of Russia.
7. Using partisans, mercenaries, military intel, and paramilitary, Russia tries to destabilize the eastern (Russian speaking) parts of Ukraine, hoping for a political disintegration of Ukraine.
8. Ukraine holds an election and elects Poroshenko leader. The newly reconstituted government responds to the Russian incursion with military force. The situation now resembles war, which it really is.
9. Russian efforts grind to a halt.
10. Russian SAM batteries, which have been shooting down Ukraine military jets, deliberately shoot down a civilian airliner, hoping to blame it on the Ukrainian military. Western media refuse to take the bait, and it boomerangs back on Russia.

Ukraine/Russia War—The Next Generation

This is not a civil war. It is simply a military invasion of Ukraine by Russia, pure and simple. It is no more complicated than that. Revanchism is the watchword (Google it). Review the Russian invasion of Georgia.