Disappointing article in the New York Times about the rise of “low-paid internships.” It just goes to show, once more, how such a widespread, illegal and unfair practice is ignored by the media. Thankfully, most of the readers’ comments are right on. Popular awareness is increasing. This is an issue waiting to explode.

As usual, our friends at HillBuzz have hit on a provocative idea.

If you’re not a regular reader of HillBuzz you are missing out on some great reading. I discovered this group during the 2008 election cycle. The guys over there a lifelong democrats who got really fed up with the direction the party has gone. As the site’s name implies, they are huge supporters of Hillary Clinton, but let me tell you, you won’t find any stronger a group of Sarah Palin supporters out there.

I enjoy HillBuzz because they bring an entirely new perspective to the debate, a while different line of critical thinking. Classify the group any way you wish, but they certainly understand Conservative principles and values, and articulate them in they own unique style.

Anyhow, they have a very interesting idea here that many on our side would not have thought of: Michelle Bachmann as Speaker of the House. Now if you are a strong Conservative, you’re a fan of Micelle Bachmann. Like Sarah Palin, Bachmann is a tough, strong woman. Bachmann is absolutely fearless in her position as a Congresswoman. She has zero reservations when it comes to standing up for the Constitution, and taking on those who would run afoul of it’s intent.

Here’s what HillBuzz has to say:

Today we had an interesting breakfast at Nookie’s Tree (pumpkin pancakes, yo) with a friend of ours deeply involved in local Democrat politics here in Illinois. He’s a firm backer of Governor Quinn, and wants Hoffman to win the Dems’ Senate nomination (and is working hard behind the scenes to take corrupt mob banker Alexi Giannoulias down before he can win the Dem primary next year). Because of our support of McCain/Palin and the other stances we’ve taken since the takeover of the Democrat Party and its occupation by Utopian radicals, we’ve had little contact with this friend because the lot of us here have become “toxic” in Dem circles in Chicago. That’s fine with us, honestly, because we can’t in good faith work for a party that behaves the way it does, and treats women and gays the way it so enjoys doing.

But, our friend is a great conversationalist, and enjoys scrying into the future as much as we do. He believes Democrats will hold the Senate in next year’s midterms, but that Harry Reid will be defeated, by Sue Lowden most likely, and Dick Durbin will be installed as the new Senate Majority Leader (which will be a Christmas present to Republicans, since Durbin is a truly stupid and bumbling man, worse than Reid if that is even humanly possible).

He also thinks Democrats will indeed lose the House, as he’s hearing of more House members deciding not to seek re-election, knowing their votes on Utopicare will doom their careers. They have all been promised highly lucrative post-government jobs by Nancy Pelosi, however, so many of these Dems are willing to take the bullets for Utopiacare so that they can make millions in the coming years by working as “consultants” and then lobbyists, with Pelosi and the DNC’s employment agency placing them into golden parachutes (more like golden showers, if you ask us. Google it.).

What’s unclear to us is who the GOP has lined up to take Pelosi’s place if they get control of Congress.

Someone like Michelle Bachmann would be incredible, but our friend insists she’s not even on the long list, let alone the short list for the job. “Remember, Republicans are all about “whose turn it is” and “who has been waiting longest for the job”. There is no sense of timeliness with them, and never any consideration for who would be best to lead the party. They just get in a line and years later it’s their turn to be the nominee or the Speaker or whatever. That’s how Republicans do things, and that’s why they are so beatable usually”.

Every day, we want to know more and more about Michelle Bachmann because, like Sarah Palin, we are witnessing someone at the start of her national career who will be around for a very long time, with the potential to change American politics as we know it.

The Tea Parties could install Bachmann as Speaker, we believe, if the Tea Party Movement itself grows, buckles down, and becomes a larger force to be reckoned with going into 2010.

Palin herself could help deliver Bachmann unto the Speaker’s chair, if the candidate Palin campaigns for next year mostly win, and the next Congressional majority owes a lot to Palin. It appears Palin and Bachmann are friendly, if not already allies. Palin would be well-served with one of her own as Speaker. That could help Palin’s groundgame in 2012 immensely.

Speaker Boehner seems to be the way Republicans would go, because he looks like he’s next in line, but he’d be such a bad choice in our opinion. He’s not bold enough, not gutsy enough, and not memorable enough.

Whoever replaces Nancy Pelosi needs to be a firecracker. We also think the GOP needs to put a woman in that Speaker’s chair. Because of the misogyny the Democrats have wallowed in for the last two years, many women are open to voting Republican for the first time in their lives. Republicans, thus, have the once-in-our-lifetime chance to be seen as “the party for women”. Some of you might not like identity politics, but a great deal of independents sure do.

Independents decide elections…and many former Democrats are now independents who would like to see a woman succeed Pelosi.

Bachmann would make a dynamic, relevant, and capable Speaker, in our opinion.

A firecracker like that tossed into the top spot in the House would light a fuse that could blow Dr. Utopia from office in 2012, taking the rest of the Liberals in Congress with him.

What are your thoughts on Speaker Bachmann? Could it happen? Should it happen?

What happens if it happens?

Obviously, I have to echo their questions to the reader. Could it happen? Should it happen? And, what happens if it happens!

Sean Hannity calls Michelle Bachmann the “second most hated Conservative woman in America,” a title she seems to relish. (We ALL know who the most hated Conservative is!)

Michelle will be a featured speaker at the first annual National Tea Party Convention. Sarah Palin, of course, is the Special Keynote Speaker at this event.

I’m not sure just how well Sarah and Michelle know each other, but the folks over at HillBuzz are certainly on to something with this idea. People already mention a Sarah Palin/Michelle Bachmann ticket for 2012 often. If you spend any amount of time on Conservative websites, you’ll see this mentioned constantly. I think what HillBuzz is saying though makes a lot of sense, and would certainly be beneficial to Sarah Palin, and a Palin presidency.

Look, I like John Boehner. I also like my own Congressman, John Carter, he’s a great Conservative leader. But the idea of someone bold like Michelle Bachmann as Speaker of the House is fascinating. And bold leadership is what we need right now. Ronald Reagan used to caution against the temptation to “paint in pale pastels.” Reagan always championed “painting with bold colors.” What Reagan meant was we need bold leadership, bold leaders who will strive to do great things.

Sarah Palin is obviously someone who fits the bill, but what of Michelle Bachmann? I think one has to look no farther than the dressing down she gave Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to see she is all business:

Here Michelle gives an impassioned speech on the House floor in which she takes to task our new “total gangster government.”

Look, I have been one of those who has been on the Palin/Bachmann for 2012 bandwagon. I think it would be a superb ticket. You have two strong, bold women. Both mothers who are raising a large family.

Michelle, like Sarah has 5 children, and has also been a foster parent to 23 other children. Personally, I think motherhood has given both of these great women a perspective the “good old boys” will never have on things. And I say this as a typical, old fashioned “good old boy.”

Here’s where it makes sense to have Michelle Bachmann as Speaker, rather than Vice President to Sarah Palin. If Sarah runs, and I know all of us will do everything in our power to encourage her to, she is going to want to bring sweeping changes to government.

We all know her philosophy. We all know she wants to shrink government, cut waste, and usher in great reforms. Sarah will also have a strong domestic energy agenda, as well as an economic growth agenda, and a very aggressive national security agenda. Michelle Bachmann would be a strong ally. She could easily help Sarah’s agenda, which is America’s agenda.

Having a strong, bold leader like Michelle Bachmann as Speaker of the House would be of great benefit to a President Sarah Palin, and of great benefit to the nation. Our next Congress and next President are facing the herculean task of dismantling the failed democrat/communist quagmire that has been created by allowing “progressives” to have a foothold in government. Budgets will have to be slashed, certain programs eliminated.

We need a bold energy policy, one that actually creates energy, and makes America independent from the whims of other nations. We also must retake our rightful roles and responsibilities as the world’s only superpower.

Both Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann get it. They both know what lies ahead. Most Conservatives think these two would make a great team, and now, thanks to our friends at HillBuzz, we see just how that team might look!

TVO is exploring the history and impact of reading in its new documentary, Empire of the Word.  From prehistoric peoples writing on cave walls to the Internet – the documentary traces readings’ origins; examines how we learn to read; exposes censors’ attempts to prevent our reading; and finally, proposes what the future might hold for this creative act.

Trudy Lothian, President and Chair of the OLC Board of Directors, appeared on TVO’s The Agenda with Steve Paikin on Wednesday, November 25 to help introduce the documentary. Trudy did an amazing job as part of a large panel discussing reading and issues around literacy. She talked in length about the challenges of learning as an adult. Click here to watch the discussion.

The 4-part documentary airs Wednesdays at 10 pm from November 25 to December 16 On TVO. Learn about origins of reading and writing and its impact on 5,000 years of human history!

We are moving tomorrow!

We will have regualar scheduled 830a and 930a classes. After that we are moving to:

3505 S. Phillips Ave
Sioux Falls, SD 57105

Come for the Final workout at our 50th Street space!

Tea Party Nation has announced they are holding the first of it’s kind National Tea Party Convention in Nashville, Tennessee February 4-6 at the Opryland Hotel.

Sarah Palin will be the Special Keynote Speaker at the event:

Tea Party Nation is pleased to announce the First National Tea Party Convention. The convention is aimed at bringing the Tea Party Movement leaders together from around the nation for the purpose of networking and supporting the movements’ multiple organizations principle goals. This event will be co-sponsored by other national groups that believe in a responsible and limited federal government that is responsive to all the people. National Taxpayers Union, American Majority, Smart Girl Politics, and SurgeUSA are just a few of the organizations who will be on hand to contribute their time and talents to this convention.

Special Keynote Speaker for the event will be Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska (2006-2009) and 2008 Republican Vice Presidential Nominee.

The convention will feature well-known speakers, workshops, seminars, information centers, and organizational tools for leaders to take back to their respective local Tea Party organizations.

Popular Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann will be one of the breakfast speakers at the convention as well.

Tea Party Nation, according to their website, is “a user-driven group of like-minded people who desire our God given Individual Freedoms which were written out by the Founding Fathers. We believe in Limited Government, Free Speech, the 2nd Amendment, our Military, Secure Borders and our Country!“

This is obviously a major step for the nation. The Tea Party movement has been gaining steam since it’s beginnings, and is now turning into a serious political movement. On September 12, 2009 Tea Party members along with those from the 912 Project converged on Washington, D.C. Somewhere between 1.5 and 2 million patriots met up to rally against our radical, out of control government.

This national convention is the next logical step in the progression of this movement. This will strengthen the movement, and help coordinate all of the local Tea Party groups.

From Sarah Palin’s standpoint, this is obviously a good move. No one embodies the American Spirit, that rugged individualism, as well as Sarah Palin. Sarah is already favorite of Tea Party and 912 Project members, this will only solidify her standing. As we roll into 2010, and Sarah starts helping Conservative candidates nationwide, the support of Tea Party activists will be vital. The Tea Party groups will be the ones who will help run the ground game, who will knock doors and get out the vote.

Of course, as 2012 nears, having the support of the Tea Party groups will give Sarah a strong advantage over all others should she choose to run for President.

For more information on the National Tea Party Convention and Tea Party Nation, check here and here, respectively.

Why do Christian leaders keep writing and signing these? 

The Manhattan Declaration

I guess some of these ‘leaders’ must have an unspoken, gnawing sense that their efforts to take dominion and mandate the culture as ‘christian’ have failed. In response they have come together in a pitiful attempt to appear powerful and unified to an uninterested people.  They must not know that in their man-centered toil to christianize the world they dimish the power of 1) the Gospel and 2) the work of the Holy Spirit.

Is their understanding of the power of God and His Gospel so weak that they feel they have to declare their beliefs in manifestoes and declarations rather than rely on Scripture?  

What happened to sola scriptura?

What’s so sad is the fact that God’s Word says that Satan is the ruler of this world (John 12:31) and that unbelievers will not ever understand Truth without the Gospel being preached (Rom. 10:14) and the work of the Holy Spirit (John 6:44 & 2 Cor. 4). 

So why don’t they just preach the Gospel and allow the Holy Spirit to work?

Could pride be their necklace? 
(Ps.73:6)

UPDATE:

I received this email today from Mike Gendron of Proclaiming the Gospel Ministry.  I wholeheartedly concur!

Greetings Friends of Proclaiming the Gospel Ministry,

A coalition of 150 Catholic, Orthodox and evangelical leaders, united “as Christians”, are calling for everyone to take a stand against abortion, same-sex marriage and anything that betrays their religious beliefs. On November 20th, a 4,700-word document called the Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience was released (http://manhattandeclaration.org/). The document was drafted by Chuck Colson and Princeton University professor Robert P. George, a Roman Catholic. This is clearly another attempt to bring ecumenical unity to all of professing Christianity and blur the lines that separate apostates from true Christians.

Many of the signers of the Evangelicals and Catholics Together Accord have given their name to this accord as well. Purposefully, the Gospel is never defined or explained in the Manhattan Declaration. This is because of the contradictory and opposing views on the issue of justification and salvation that are held by the signatories. The implication throughout the document is that Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant Evangelicals share a common faith. This blatantly ignores the fact that there can be never be unity between true Christianity and apostate Christianity, between believers and unbelievers or between light and darkness (2 Cor. 6:14-18).

Whereas it is good to unite as co-belligerents with a united voice to fight moral and political issues, any accord that attempts to overlook, dismiss, nullify or compromise the Gospel is antithetical to the command for all Christians to earnestly contend for the faith. We can never deny the profound importance of protecting the life of every baby and the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman. We must earnestly contend against those who seek to destroy both. However, we must remember that this is a spiritual battle which can only be won through fervent prayer and the proclamation of the one and only true Gospel, a Gospel that is denied by every Catholic priest when he offers the Eucharistic Christ upon his altar for the forgiveness of sins. Charles Spurgeon said “To pursue union at the expense of truth is treason to the Lord Jesus”.

(Note: Roman Catholic leaders already disobey civil and criminal laws by hiding pedophile priests. Their leadership is not subject to prosecution under the sovereign immunity laws of our nation because the Vatican is a recognized nation-state.)

Since we have been sanctified by the truth, let us remain separate for God’s glory and purpose. Let us pray, proclaim and contend earnestly for the faith.

Forever in Christ,
Mike Gendron

Let me get this straight!!!!  It is okay for the Saudi’s to send over millions of dollars in order to build their mosque’s, in the United States of America, send their hatred of our society with their Wahabbi trained Imams and spit and curse at anything American?

Subsidize terrorist who want nothing better than to blow themselves up in our country so they can go to heaven and claim their 77 black eyed virgins and kill the infidel Kafir while doing all of this for Allah.

Our own Muslim President Obama bows to the Saudi King, sends out Muslim Holiday wishes to the Muslim’s throughout the Islamic world and if you even mention a woman becoming “Westernized” you could be put to death in their country Saudi Arabia. What the hell is wrong with this picture????????????

Source: MEMRI

Saudi Prince: A Curse on Anyone Who Seeks to Institute Western Democracy in Saudi Arabia

In an op-ed in the Saudi daily Al-Watan, Saudi Prince Saud bin Mansour bin Saud bin ‘Abd Al-’Aziz [1] took on Saudi and Arab liberals and reformists and the Western ideal of democracy. Without naming names, he said that these people were promoting Western democracy despite all its flaws and despite the fact that Islam is vastly superior. Calling democracy “demo-khratiyya” (i.e. “demo-mendacity”), the prince said that writers who criticized Saudi Arabia needed an “ideological bloodletting” to purge them of their corrupt ideas.

Following are translated excerpts from his article: [2]

Unfortunately, Some Arab Media Are Trumpeting Democracy Instead of Islam

“Democracy according to their interpretation [that is, that of the Arab reformists] is a Western social regime that works for the interests of the majority, under many protections and conditions, in order [to enable] political stability, development and advancement, as well as reduced corruption, poverty and hunger, and freedom of expression. This freedom is always plastered like a placard on the wall of democracy – in [full] knowledge that Plato called it the rule of the people for itself and by itself.

“Most unfortunately, some of the Arab media mouthpieces are trumpeting [democracy] as a means of [progress], forgetting that democracy’s principles include that of separation of religion and state. They enslave the term [i.e. democracy] to their own twisted interests, and to their prattling that gives their listeners a headache.

“Have the owners of these mouthpieces [i.e. the Arab media] forgotten that Islam laid out an order that is incompatible with foreign ideology, and that it is a sound and pure religion – and that the respect for the individual in Islam… is supreme? [Have they forgotten that Islam] is the best source for the appropriate freedom and for [ideals of] humanity, and that it is the best protector of mankind?

“Those who hasten to endorse the Western ‘openness’ – whose arrows appear gentle but [carry] a fatal load – have they forgotten our principles and our clarity? Have [these people] not noticed that the West is always marketing democracy as a secular and civil system, not a religious [system]? [Struck by] waves of political Alzheimer’s, they keep telling us that Islam is not democratic.

“A curse on anyone who wants to enforce this demo-khratiyya on all political and constitutional issues. A curse on all those dictatorships that masquerade as demo-khratiyya in order to destroy what they define as third-world countries!

“It should be remembered that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the Custodian of the Two Holy Places, and that the sons or residents of the homeland have never been denied their rights. Our country’s structure is perfect [thanks to] Islam, which has established the [concept of] shura [i.e consultation] and the protection of rights, freedom, justice and anything [else] of value, as laid down by this generous religion.”

“Writers [Who Criticize Saudi Arabia] Need an Ideological Bloodletting in Order to Remove [Their] Corrupt Ideas”

“Members of the Arab and Muslim media are miserly when it comes to highlighting this Islamic freedom, and do not present our just Islamic system. Let us be more mature than these ideas, that lead a divisive and cheap style aimed at dividing the country into factions and groups.

“How can we be indifferent to the fact that the various Arab media are replete with booby-trapped imported ideas?! Not to mention the perversion represented by video clips or [soap operas], which some people look forward to more than the month of Ramadan itself so that they can enjoy the garbage of those artists, marketers, and actors. All this is aimed at dismantling religious obligation, under the slogan of democracy.

“…Most of our Arab media platforms [are filled with] sensationalism, exchange of insults, debauchery, agitation, fitna [i.e. civil strife], perversion, and reactionism. We read amazing things written by some [Saudi] writers, in which the term ‘the Saudis’ is used in a generalizing manner to include anything disgraceful, and anything that crosses red lines.

“These writers need an ideological bloodletting in order to remove [their] corrupt ideas. They must be taught not to generalize like ignoramuses.

“Oh my country, rush to glory and grandeur by having your sons cling to Islam, Arabness, and Saudiness!”

[2] Al-Watan (Saudi Arabia), October 19, 2009

Andrew Cohen, Ottawa-based public intellectual

Andrew Cohen has published some thoughts on the new citizenship test in the Ottawa Citizen. He is much more positive in his assessment of the guide than I am, but he also points out its many curious omissions. He points out that there is no mention of Prime Ministers after Sir John A. Macdonald. As he puts it, “Jim Balsillie (Research In Motion co-founder) and Dr. John A. Hopps (inventor of the pacemaker) are in, but not Mackenzie King or Lester Pearson. Peacekeeping is a footnote. The Golden Age of Diplomacy is ignored.”

Cohen is right to comment on the guide’s silences on huge swathes of Canadian political and diplomatic history. Any guide that is supposed to cover the recent political history of Canada but which leaves out the Prime Ministers and the names of the political parties is clearly not doing its job!  It would be unfair to ask prospective citizens to memorize all of the Prime Ministers, given that some of them were in office for very short periods. I confess that when I am lecturing to university students, I go over the Prime Ministers between Macdonald and Laurier rather quickly. Joe Clark and John Turner also get rather cursory treatment in my course for first-year students. I have to prioritize.  But surely being an informed citizen means knowing a little bit about, say, those Prime Ministers important enough to have international airports named after them. Most immigrants enter Canada through Pearson airport. Shouldn’t they know a few key facts about Pearson?!?!?

Cohen also mentions that “The Constitutional Wars are largely unmentioned, as is the FLQ. This is uncomfortable, but, if we can speak of domestic violence, why not domestic discord?” This is another major omission from this guide. This guide isn’t even good political history (it gets a key date wrong), and it also avoids any discussion of social history. The really big trends of post-1867 Canadian history (i.e., urbanization, industrialization, de-industrialization, secularization, the Demographic Transition) all go unmentioned, which is especially problematic when we consider that most of our immigrants now come from countries that are only have half modernized themselves.   This guide is terrible. Since it will have to be reprinted anyway to deal with the factual errors pointed out by Christopher Moore and myself, it makes sense to start talking about what sort of omissions should be recitified.

After reviewing some of the faults of this guide, Andrew Cohen describes it as “splendid”. I respect Andrew Cohen, but I am at a complete loss to understand how he could use the adjective “splendid” to describe this piece of crap. The fact the old citizenship guide was even worse and essentially ahistorical does not justify praising the new guide to the skies.

Check out Christopher Moore’s list of factual errors in DC.

Black Friday? For one old lady, it is. As well as blue. As in bruises. Not even at Wally World, either, which is where I would expect it.

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_13877967

Hell will freeze solid before I ever consider going out to buy anything on a day like today.

Imagine, it’s 2055, London is under water, Vegas under sand, Sydney on fire, the Taj Mahal is in ruins, the world has been devastated by climate change and you are the only human left alive to reflect on how we let the planet fall to ruin.

Would you describe such a state of affairs as a significant shift from your current situation or a relatively small disturbance along your life trend?

It may not be your notion of the future and may be difficult to imagine, or perhaps not if you have seen the film “The Age of Stupid”, but that doesn’t make the scenario improbable. According to climate scientist Dr Richard Betts, the total devastation of the world by 2055 due to a rise in temperature may not be as dramatic as in the Age of Stupid, but the film may not be as unreal as one would hope:

“The changes to our climate depicted by the Age of Stupid are certainly not science fiction. They are at the extreme end of the projections, but still plausible, and very real changes are already taking place in our environment” (Met Office 2009).

A study by the UK Met Office presented at the “4degrees and beyond” conference in Oxford this past September predicted a 4 °C by 2055 if emissions continued to rise.  The 130 climate researchers presented a 2055 world where:

• Rise of 15 °C at the North Pole;
• Arctic summers resembling those in California’s Napa Valley;
• Sea levels rising by 1.4 metres[1];
• The Amazon would be gone[2];
• Monsoon waters needed for survival could stop[3];
• Environmental refugees[4]; and
• Fire down under[5].

More recently, the Global Carbon Project, a group of 31 scientists from seven countries led by Professor Corinne Le Quéré at the University of East Anglia and the British Antarctic Survey, used satellite and national inventory to track emissions data of carbon dioxide in their recently released report: Trends in the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide.  In an interview with the BBC news Professor Le Quéré warned that:

“If the agreement is too weak [in Copenhagen], or the commitments not respected, it is not 2.5 °C or 3 °C we will get: it’s 5 °C or 6 °C – that is the path we’re on” (BBC 17/11/09).

And now the Age of stupid is just plain horrifying.

Six Degrees of Separation

…between present average global temperatures at and those at the end of this century, would trigger a major transformation of our every aspect of life on earth.

This is the non-marginal revelation.

In economics we call these big changes:  “non-marginal shifts in the future growth path” (Dietz and others, 2008).  Technically speaking, the change is non-marginal in the sense that the losses resulting from climate change would be so profound that it would no longer be possible to assume that the global economy will grow at a certain rate in the future (Stern, 2007, pp.35).

Welfare economics is well suited to deal with marginal (small) changes, and one way to do this is by assuming these small changes do not affect the future overall.  To consider marginal events that occur in the distant, but fairly constant future, economists apply a discount rate to reflect the sentiment where people prefer to receive benefits now rather than later.  I would much rather you pay me £100 now rather than 10 years from now as I could invest this £100 and profit from the interest (so long as I did not invest in asset-backed securities).  Sometimes more importantly, as a mere mortal, I may not be around in 10 years’ time to reclaim £100. Society has a longer life span and more opportunities to generate extra income, so social discount rate used in economic analysis is smaller than that used for individuals.

With climate change, however, we are not thinking about a constant future 10 years away, we are thinking about a much more uncertain and distant future, which could be rather dissimilar to the world we know. To address this risk and uncertainty economists apply a declining social discount rate, which reduces the discounting of future over time. There are even discussions about using a zero discount rate (no discounting) to ensure that we have the same concerns about the environment in future as we do now (TEEB 2008).  But in a 6°C world, even zero discounting is not enough.  In a 6°C world we need to completely revise our expectations and how we make decisions.

The bottom line is that a 6°C rise in average global temperatures would shift the entire path of growth and consumption. This implies that climate policy analysis needs to move away from an approach that merely considers the possibility of a substantial shift towards one that actively anticipates its arrival.

This is the non-marginal revelation.  Will it hit home at Copenhagen?  Follow our blog to find out!

Dietz, S., Hepburn, C., and Hope, C.  (2008)  Discounting and Climate Change:  a non-marginal policy choice.

http://www2.toulouse.inra.fr/lerna/seminaires/Discounting_and_climate_change.pdf

Stern N. (2007) The Economics of Climate Change: The Stern Review Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sternreview_index.htm

TEEB (2008) The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity, European Communities.

http://www.teebweb.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=5y_qRGJPOao%3d&tabid=1018&language=en-US

[2] Deforestation and fires spreading from degraded land into pristine forest will conspire to destroy over 83% of the Amazon rainforest by 2100, and global warming would convert 30% of the Amazon into degraded shrub land and mixed woodland by 2100 Wolfgang Cramer).

[3] Anders Levermann simulations suggest that in a 4C world there will be a mix of extremely wet monsoon seasons and extremely dry ones. Worse, the fine aerosol particles released into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels could put a complete stop to the monsoon rains in China and India.

[4] Lack of water, crop failure and rising sea levels could force up to 200 million people from their homes by 2050.  François Gemenne studied the impact of 23 recent environmental disasters and concluded that the people most vulnerable to a 4C rise are also least able to escape it.  Climate change is already forcing people to migrate from: Tuvalu, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea and the low-lying Carteret Islands, while water stress is forcing people in Mauritania, Sudan, Ghana and Kenya to migrate. Melting permafrost is pushing people out of Alaska and floods are forcing others out of the deltas in Bangladesh and Vietnam.

[5] A study of forest fires suggests the number of “extreme fire danger days” per year – from low humidity, strong winds and high temperature – will treble by 2050 David Karoly.

USE CODE IMAGE5 FOR 25% OFF AND FREE SHIPPING AT WHITERIMAGE.COM.

We love Black Friday and think you deserve the best deal we’ve ever offered.  Good through Monday 11/30

The recent spate of sad events in the Philippines — starting with Typhoon Ondoy on September 26th  – really kept me from adding to this blog.   But, after the tragedies and doing your best to help those affected, life goes on…

But back to the batcave and the rain/floods:  Though we can blame the unusual amount of rainfall on climate change, and the clogged drains on pollution, and denuded forests for the landslides, I always think… it’s been pouring buckets on this country forever!  We just never pre-plan anything here (except for the latest product launch and celeb debut, but I digress), and we never learn from from the past.

Just to prove my point, check out this vintage political cartoon from the 1931 Free Press (below):

Deja Vuuuuu....

Hmm, except for the vintage cars and outfits, and a shark in the water instead of the seriously real crocodiles and snakes from the September flooding, this looks sooo familiar…

Severn-Trent Water’s decision to prohibit fishing at Draycote next year while the visitors’ centre is worked on, has caused much consternation among anglers who – with some justification – are reading between the lines.

I’m in contact with certain parties on this issue and as I wish to stress to them, among other things, fishing’s value in keeping young people on the straight and narrow, I’ve referred them to this link to a Trout Fisherman article of a year ago – Fishing With Tom.

If you’re in a position to bend a certain water company Chief Executive’s ear, please read it.

If you’re loaded and have money to spare on a really good cause, please read it.

If you just like being inspired by people who get off their butts and do something great, read it anyway.

[And if you have experience of successfully campaigning against utililty bodies with a captive customer base - I'm all ears...]

Even Your Fellow Democrats Think He Is An Embarrassment.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is but one more embarrassment for elitist progressive Barack Hussein Obama. You have to wonder if any of Obama’s appointees were ever vetted. Embarrassment after embarrassment keeps piling up. Being a community organizer doesn’t prepare you for the big leagues..continued…

Also join us at MomsAndDadsBeHeard.org a new forum for you to express your views and concerns. Help us and be part of bringing our Great Christian country back.

Disney's Cinderella

According to the Metro, girls as young as three believe that they are too fat and would change part of their appearance if they could.

Researchers have found that nearly a third ‘almost always’ worry about how chubby they are, and a further 18 per cent ’sometimes worry’ about the way that they look.

The study found that youngsters are not influenced by stereotypically thin and beautiful cartoon characters such as Disney’s Cinderella when it comes to their own body image.

Adverts and programmes which feature ‘real’ people, especially those that feature women in an idealised manner which appear to have the most impact.

Half of the 121 girls aged 3 to six watched animated children’s films, such as Cinderella and the second group watched parts of animated films that did not contain appearance-related messages.

According to the study, there was little difference in the attitudes towards body image between the groups.

Eating disorder charity Beat, spokeswoman, Mary George said: “What we need to do is put out positive images from adults to boost children’s self-esteem.”

The study, which was carried out by a team at University of Central Florida appears in the British Journal of Developmental Psychology.

Story: Miles Erwin, Metro

From Barnabas:

Islam is a one-way street. You can convert to Islam but you are not allowed to convert from Islam. All schools of Islamic law, shari‘a, agree on this rule and specify the death sentence for an adult male Muslim who chooses to leave his Islamic faith. Most also impose the death penalty on women apostates. The rule was established many centuries ago by Islamic scholars, but even today most Islamic religious leaders and many ordinary Muslim people agree with it.

The death penalty is rarely put into practice, but the existence of this “apostasy law” is so well known amongst Muslims that it generates strong hostility towards apostates, whether from family or community, from religious or secular leaders, from police or judiciary. So it is normal for converts from Islam to face persecution and violence. They may be arrested, either for apostasy or on a pretext. They may be attacked, beaten or even murdered by their own relatives. And those who commit the violence will probably not be punished for it.

A further range of penalties for apostasy is laid down in shari‘a, including losing one’s spouse and children and forfeiting one’s property and inheritance. These are imposed in many Muslim contexts today.

It is not surprising that many converts from Islam to Christianity keep their new faith secret, but why should they have to do so? Islam actively encourages non-Muslims to convert to Islam, but it is the only world faith with a death sentence for those who leave it.

As part of the campaign to have the apostasy law abolished, Barnabas has a petition you can sign, calling on the government to ’support all efforts by Muslims to have the apostasy law abolished, so that Muslims who choose to leave their faith are no longer liable to any penalty but are free to follow their new convictions without fear, in accordance with the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.’

A BBC News story today highlights findings published in the Journal of Applied Ecology into the new technique. The researchers used four microphones to record birdsong and, using a computational method, converted it into an estimated population desnity within the given area.

Dr Andy Musgrove, of the British Trust for Ornithology, feels that the new technique could be a particularly valuable approach for hard to reach areas, such as reed beds.

To read the full BBC News story click here.

No doubt UK readers will be aware that the country’s largest pharmacy chain, “Boots” (formerly Boots the Chemists) admitted two days ago that they sold homeopathic remedies for no other reason that they were popular. Speaking to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, which is investigating the scientific evidence behind homoeopathy, the professional standards director for Boots, Paul Bennett said,  ”There is certainly a consumer demand for these products, I have no evidence to suggest they are efficacious.”

So customer knows best. Well as pointed out by an open letter to Boots from the Merseyside Skeptics Society, the British public trust Boots and have neither the time nor expertise to evaluate the claims made by homeopaths. Only this morning, a medical GP and head of the faculty of homeopathy, Dr. Sara Eames appeared on BBC Breakfast television proclaiming that there was overwhelming scientific evidence for the efficacy of homeopathy and moreover, it was not just a placebo effect. This is not simply misleading the general public, this is telling big porky pies.

The whole homeopathy saga is like a broken record. Various voices such as Ben Goldacre or the Quackometer have written extensively on this medieval belief system – yes its older than 200 years (read SuperSense). But now with money involved and the House of Commons, it seems likely that the future of  five NHS Homeopathic hospitals (one in Bristol)  looks increasingly uncertain. But is Boots so bad? I was in another independent pharmacy yesterday picking up Tamiflu vaccine and the place was stocked with all manner of woo from herbal remedies to copper bracelets. People who hang out at these places clearly lap the woo all up.

But what about conventional medicine? Well, things are not much better when it comes to new medical treatments of depression.  I have been writing and researching the new anti-depressants including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as Prozac. These are some of the most common drugs prescribed by GPs today and the truth is that they are most likely as effective as homeopathy.

Last year, a meta-analysis of  SSRIs revealed serious flaws in the clinical trials. The authors confirmed first that the overall effect of these  antidepressants was below the recommended criteria for clinical significance. Then they showed that there was virtually no difference in the improvement scores for drug and placebo in patients with moderate depression and only a small and clinically insignificant difference among patients with very severe depression. The editor of the journal concludes, “These findings suggest that, compared with placebo, the new-generation antidepressants do not produce clinically significant improvements in depression in patients who initially have moderate or even very severe depression, but show significant effects only in the most severely depressed patients. The findings also show that the effect for these patients seems to be due to decreased responsiveness to placebo, rather than increased responsiveness to medication. Given these results, the researchers conclude that there is little reason to prescribe new-generation antidepressant medications to any but the most severely depressed patients unless alternative treatments have been ineffective.”

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), and other licensing authorities have approved SSRIs for the treatment of depression. But with such serious doubts about the efficacy of SSRIs, are GPs right to continue prescribing these expensive drugs or should they switch to an infinitely dilute solution of arsenic or cuttlefish ink? After all, both GPs and homeopaths believe their treatments work. I guess the difference is that one seems plausible (altering neurotransmitter activity) where as the other seems supernatural (water memory, essence, vitality – call it what you want). The other main difference is that the process of scientific evaluation should eventually force the medical community to abandon procedures that are invalid.

Still, it does make you think – whether it is the belief in magic or the belief in neurotransmitter imbalance, they are arguably triggering the same mechanisms that make people feel better.

Today’s round-up of news about migraine, visual snow, persistent aura and related illnesses:

Uganda Health News: Ugandans suffer from migraine headaches. www.ugpulse.com First published: 20091126 5:46:35 AM EST. By Walakira Nyanzi, Ultimate Media. The number of people suffering from migraine headaches is on increase in Uganda. Migraine is a severe and repeated headache with pain on only one side of the head or face and typically with disorder of the eyesight.

Central Nervous System Migraine Therapy Area Pipeline Report – new report released. www.pr-inside.com 2009-11-26 17:03:02. Central Nervous System Migraine Therapy Area Pipeline Report – a new market research report on companiesandmarkets.com www.companiesandmarkets.com/Summary-Market-Report/central-nervou .. The Migraine Therapy Area Pipeline Report contains detailed information on the allergy drug pipeline.

A couple of weeks ago I posted a blog about The X Factor and Joe McElderry’s cover of the classic Journey song ‘Don’t stop believing’. Some of you might have guessed I wasn’t very impressed by this cover, it might have had something to do with this;

Thanks to Joe McElderry’s terrible cover of the classic…

We may never know….

Anyhowsel, now I thought that would be that, but no. Simon Cowell seems to have a unnatural hatred for Journey so has decided to make it this years winning song. Which means we get to here the contestants ruin the song several more times, yay!. You can tell I’m excited can’t you?  “Not at all Rob, not at all…” If you haven’t seen the orginal performance I’ve posted it below, I’ve also posted a Fall Out Boy cover for the hell of it as well as the song performed by Journey themselves. Enjoy.