…is a horrible gun that may fire lead bullets which are bad for warming, you might just be a Warmist
The blog of the day is IMABlawg, with a post on Greg Laden’s big denier list. Yes, I’m on it.
But, kudos to Mr. Laden for not blocking deniers, like many Climatologists, such as Michael Mann (who blocked little ol’ me on Twitter), and actually engaging them in conversation. I’ve had a few with Greg. Shockingly, we did not agree.
Read: If All You See… »
Actually, no, it doesn’t. Of course, the way Warmists are positioning the issue is that your use of fossil fuels (which is immoral, you know, at least for you. Not for the Warmists, otherwise known as Other Guy Syndrome)
Cold weather doesn’t mean climate change isn’t happening
It’s hard to think about climate change while most of the country is in a deep freeze – the Great Lakes are almost entirely frozen over and people on the East Coast are tunnelling out of their homes. But while this part of the planet is freezing, other parts are baking, which is why climate change requires a global perspective.
A snowball was thrown in the U.S. Senate this week by Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), a vocal climate change denier, in an attempt to show that the unseasonably cold weather outside is proof that humans are not making the planet warmer. What he was really showing is his ignorance about the difference between weather and climate.
The phrase “Climate is what you expect; weather is what you get,†invoked by climate scientists, means that the weather we see happening outside our windows is a short-term effect, while climate is a global average measured over a longer period of time. So to judge the planet by what’s happening in your own backyard is narrow thinking.
And, of course
But a recent experiment at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California has directly measured the warming effect of our carbon emissions, using data from instruments that measure the infrared radiation being reflected back to the ground by the atmosphere – the so-called greenhouse effect.
They found that the amount of radiation coming down increased between 2000 and 2010 in step with the rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. So, the effect is real. And since we are continuing to increase our carbon emissions, change will continue to happen, like it or not, both warm and cold.
Interesting. The greenhouse effect is mentioned, and then blamed, due to fossil fuels, for cold. Cult.
Don’t forget, though, that the uber-crazy warmth is coming sometime. In the future. They’re certain. Because their models have been such successes.
Read: Good News: Bitter Cold And Snow Doesn’t Invalidate Scorching Heat In The Future »
The Church Of Climatology is at it again
The sale of halogen bulbs which are used in millions of homes could be banned as early as next year as part of the EU’s energy-saving drive.
It follows the prohibition of traditional incandescent bulbs, which have been phased out in an effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Millions of halogen bulbs are sold in Britain every year, often for use in kitchen and bathroom spotlights. Any ban could consequently cause enormous inconvenience.
The European Commission and green campaigners say halogens are not much more efficient than traditional bulbs so should be replaced by energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs – known as CFLs – and LEDs.
Yet these alternatives can be as much as 15 times more expensive. There is the additional problem that some LEDs do not work with the dimmer switches and wiring circuits currently used by halogen bulbs, while CFLs can take up to five minutes to reach full brightness.
The Commission is scheduled to hold a vote in April as to whether they will ban the bulbs or not. We can all be pretty sure that they will vote to ban, which would take effect in 2016, or they could hold off the ban till 2018. The very fact that they are considering an alternate date should immediately let you know that this will pass.
Halogens are slightly better in saving power than incandescents, but not as good as LEDs and CFLs. They are used in automobiles as headlamps, providing excellent visibility, as well as for floodlights and watercraft. They are used in those little light pens doctors carry around. Heating elements in halogen ovens. Stage lighting. They’ve been adapted for homes.
They are also less expensive than LEDs and CFLs. And contain no mercury, as CFLs do. As for LEDs
But LEDs do have a dark side. A study published in late 2010 in the journal Environmental Science and Technology found that LEDs contain lead, arsenic and a dozen other potentially dangerous substances.
Personally, I avoid halogens, because they get much hotter than incandescents, CFLs, and LEDs. Adding heat inside is the last thing you want during a North Carolina summer. I usually purchase CFLs when possible, except for one lamp in which I use a 3 way bulb, and a few others which require specialty bulbs, such as the bulbs over the bathroom sinks, and a bug repellent one for the back door. But, that is my choice. Complete freedom of choice is apparently OK when it comes to abortion, but not light bulbs.
And all because of Hotcoldwetdry.
Monday morning is a good time for an absolutely disgusting story, right?
(UK Daily Mail) A British fighter who travelled to Iraq to stop the Islamic State claims the terror group fed a murdered kidnap victim to his own mother after she went to their headquarters and demanded to see him.
Yasir Abdulla, a security guard from Keighley, West Yorkshire decided to go to Iraq and fight against ISIS after hearing they came within six miles of taking control of his home village in Kurdistan, which he left in 2000.
It has been reported that the 36-year-old bought a set to combat fatigues online for £100 before going to Kurdistan and buying an assault rifle.
He then joined hundreds of other Kurdish and Peshmerga forces who are trying to stop the spread of ISIS by patrolling a ten-mile front line in Iraq.
Mr Abdulla returned to the UK last week but told The Sun how an elderly Kurdish woman, whose son was captured by ISIS and taken to Mosul, went to meet the jihadis to try and secure his release and was then fed his body.
The father of four told the newspaper: ‘She was determined to find her son and went to ISIS headquarters and asked to see him.
‘The ISIS men told her to sit down because she had travelled a long way and said she should have some food before they took her to meet her son.
‘They brought her cups of tea and fed her a meal of cooked meat, rice and soup. She thought they were kind.
‘But they had killed him and chopped him up and after she finished the meal and asked to see her son they laughed and said “You’ve just eaten him.”‘
Sadly, since we are talking about ISIS, the story is utterly and entirely believable right from the get go, rather than thinking that it is a tall tail.
During his time on the front line, Mr Abdulla revealed how ISIS are terrorising locals by calling them and threatening to kidnap them and bury them alive unless they surrender.
He also told of how the terror group kill prisoners they capture by throwing them on a ‘human bonfire’ and that he saw his own cousin killed in an ISIS attack.
Again, entirely believable.
Meanwhile, Iraqi forces, backed by Sunni and Shiite fighters, have launched an attack to retake Tikrit.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
Read: ISIS Secretly Fed Murdered Son To Mother, With Rice And Tea »
As you may have figured out, I’m a rather private person when it comes to me. I also tend to keep my blogging and Tweeting separate from Work Life. That said, you may know that I’ve been selling cars for over 4 years now, after having been in wireless from 1994-2010. And I did selling before that, too. Why am I bringing this up? Many customers ask me “what is the best way to buy a vehicle?”
Good question, and there are lots of answers. Most sites on the web tend to focus on “how to negotiate the deal”. Some people love negotiating, some hate it. Some prefer no haggle places. And so many seem to despise car dealerships. And the sales consultants.
Why? Starting out, there are many types of salespeople, just like there are many different types of customers. The two predominate ones are those who “are there to sell you a car” and those who “are there to help you buy a car”. Most of the bigger, more reputable companies teach consultants to be the latter (this applies in other sales areas, too). A modern sales consultant has to realize three things. First, the customer is the one with the money. This isn’t the 1980’s and earlier. Second, there are lots of places to go buy a car, including dealerships that sell the same car. Third, a consultant has to part advocate for the customer, part for themselves, and part for the dealership. They must find a win-win situation.
A “sell you a car” rep thinks about this sale. A “help you buy” rep thinks about all the sales you will send them in referrals, along with you, the consumer, coming back. They know that you, the consumer, can frag them on various social media platforms, or help send them business on the same platforms. If I work for you, you buy, and are happy, and send me more sales. You buy, and put money in my pocket, and then more money from others. I also have to think about selling you more during initial interaction. Hey, you would do the same. Always remember that.
Now, there lots of advice I can give on buying a car, and maybe I will get to some of the others in the future, but the main advice I give people is to know the answers to 3 questions that a good auto consultant will ask right from the get go (to go with other probing questions on needs, wants, must haves, like to haves, style, et (these are Discovery questions) and questions about you (Connecting)
Now, when I ask those questions, I tone them down a bit, make them a bit friendlier and less judgmental, but that is what they come down to. And they Freaking Important. How can you possibly look to purchase something like a car, house, boat, motorcycle, etc, if you do not know the answers?
If you answer #1 with $20000, and the 2nd with $200 a month, do you have roughly $10000 for a down-payment? Figure, on a base average, $100 for every $5000 financed. Taxes and fees must be calculated in.
If you talk to a real estate agent, and do not know the answer to those questions, do you think they are going to spend any time showing you homes? Not likely. They won’t spend even one day driving you around. They might probe a bit. But, if you do not know, they are going to consider you to be Not Serious.
Well, most good auto consultants will follow the thought that “everyone is going to buy at some point”, along with “don’t prejudge” (I love when folks come in dressed down in an attempt to get sales people to think they aren’t actually interested. Money, baby!) But, if you cannot answer those questions, they will, unfortunately, start thinking you aren’t serious and you’re wasting their time. On a slow day, hey, OK. On a busy day? Forget it.
But, here’s what a good rep will also do: probe. I’ll ask a question such as “OK, so how does $600 sound?” “Too much? $500?” We can try and pin it down. If you really still don’t know, then why are you looking? If you go purchase a TV, tablet, stereo, smartphone, computer, heck, a pair of pants, I bet you know your budget. If you’re talking about thousands to tens of thousands of dollars, and having a monthly payment, you best know your budget.
The problem with all those questions, though, is that this so often creates and adversarial interaction. Which creates a reason (well, one of them) why many hate car buying. Seriously. Look, you’re buying a motor vehicle! You’re going to spend lots of money, and usually have a monthly payment, for something that, on average, you will spend an hour and a half per day in. My goodness, on most days I spend no more than an hour in my car. This should be a fun, enjoyable, rewarding experience. It shouldn’t be tedious, terrible, awful, etc.
Now, some of those negatives can certainly be blamed on bad consultants and bad companies. But, good ones can make the process enjoyable. Or, at least as enjoyable as can be possible, with Americans programed to hate the process.
So, have the answers to the questions, especially #2, and know your maximum. And don’t lowball it. Why would I show you a $30000 car when you told me $300? Sometimes it works out, for various reasons. Mostly, no. Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t really know” on the credit question, but be upfront and willing to have your credit pulled. It’s rather important to see what the finance companies are willing to do, and early. It makes things easier on you.
You’ll also want to know the answer to the question “if you are going to buy the car today, what kind of down-payment can you pay today?” Be as upfront as possible on what you are looking for. That openness will eliminate the adversarial attitudes that crop up, and have the sales consultant doing all they can for you. They’ll work their behind’s off for you. If you throw up roadblocks and red flags, there comes a time when the phrase “diminishing returns” appears in the reps head, and they start looking to move on to someone who could provide money to feed the reps family.
And, if the rep is one of those “sell you a car” ones, walk away. End it. YOU have the money. Get a different rep, or seek a different dealership. Do not be Sold. Do you know how many times I’ve heard “I can believe I bought this vehicle”?
Read: How To Buy A Car »
…is wonderful beach from the 60’s that probably no longer exists because of extreme sea rise, you might just be a Warmist
The blog of the day is protein wisdom, with a post on ball and chain government.
It’s 60’s week!
Read: If All You See… »
Happy Sunday! Another gorgeous day to be an American. Though, a bit of frozen rain for me. A good day to have off. This pinup is by Romain Hugault, not help necessary.
What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15
As always, the full set of pinups can be seen in the Patriotic Pinup category, or over at my Gallery page. While we are on pinups, since it is that time of year, have you gotten your “Pinups for Vets†calendar yet? And don’t forget to check out what I declare to be our War on Women Rule 5 and linky luv posts and things that interest me
Don’t forget to check out all the other great material all the linked blogs have!
Anyone else have a link or hotty-fest going on? Let me know so I can add you to the list. (BTW, since someone asked, the reason I leave links for the previous week up (or you might see a *) is because they are place holders for later in the day or for next weeks. Easier than rewriting all the time. Also, the listing order has to do with how they are added over time, not how good a post is. I just copy and paste from the previous week, then edit. If you see one of the *’s, go ahead and check out the blog anyhow, see if there is an update. I cannot update with my Android during the day.
Read: Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup »
Another “OMG, Doom!!!!” talking point/prognostication from the World Of Climatology has bitten the dust
Polar bear population bounces back despite climate change warning
Dr Susan Crockford said: “On almost every measure, things are looking good for polar bears.â€
In a report for the climate sceptic Global Warming Policy Foundation, she said: “Scientists are finding that polar bears are well distributed throughout their range and adapting well to changes in sea ice.
“Health indicators are good and they are benefiting from abundant prey. It really is time for the doom and gloom about polar bears to stop.â€
Dr Crockford, of the University of Victoria in British Columbia added: “Polar bears are still a conservation success story. With a global population almost certainly greater than 25,000, we can say for sure that there are more polar bears now than 40 years ago.
“The global estimate is too high to qualify the polar bear as ‘threatened’ with extinction.â€
Whelp, there’s that WAG talking point thrown off the cliffs. We’ve been treated to a litany of doom regarding polar bears (which are more than happy to attack and kill humans) and “climate change” for quite some time, but especially since Al Gore included the so-called plight of the polar bear in his idiotic movie “An Inconvenient Truth“. Yet, we keep finding that the reality bears little resemblance to the truth.
Let’s be clear: this doesn’t mean that the Earth is not in a warm period, one in which Mankind plays a small part, mostly through agriculture, landfills, UHI (Urban Heat Island Effect), and land use. It simply means that life adapts. Like it always has. Because the Earth changes. Always has.
All 50 states of America will see snow this week as the nation is plunged into the coldest month for decades.
For the first time since 2010, meteorologists predict two snow storms barreling through the country in the next seven days will engulf Florida – a usually snow-less state.It comes as cold weather records continue to fall across the country, with February declared the coldest month in New York for 81 years.
The average temperature in the Big Apple over the last four weeks has been 24F – 11 degrees below normal. New York joins other metropolitan areas such as Chicago and Pittsburgh, which have also experienced their most frigid February in decades.
As the mercury continues to plummet, ice breakers are being deployed by the US Coast Guard to create ferry and shipping lanes along the Hudson River in New York and the Delaware in Philadelphia.
According to The New York Times, it has not been this frigid in New York since February 1934.
And the snow heading towards Boston could break the cities all time record for the season. Obviously, Cultists will blame this on “climate change”. They already are blaming “extreme” winter storms on too much heat. Perhaps we need to change what the definition of insanity is.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
Read: Bummer: By Almost Every Measure, Things Are Looking Good For Polar Bears »
…is the desertification of the planet in places that aren’t flooding, you might just be a Warmist
The blog of the day is The Other McCain, with a post on feminists and witchcraft.
BTW, who wants to suggest a theme for next week?
Read: If All You See… »
Here’s one poll the Warmists should really, really like, since the majority of polls tend to go against the Warmists
(Reuters) A significant majority of Americans say combating climate change is a moral issue that obligates them – and world leaders – to reduce carbon emissions, a Reuters/IPSOS poll has found.
The poll of 2,827 Americans was conducted in February to measure the impact of moral language, including interventions by Pope Francis, on the climate change debate. In recent months, the pope has warned about the moral consequences of failing to act on rising global temperatures, which are expected to disproportionately affect the lives of the world’s poor.
The result of the poll suggests that appeals based on ethics could be key to shifting the debate over climate change in the United States, where those demanding action to reduce carbon emissions and those who resist it are often at loggerheads.
Well, sure, why not? They’ve been “spreading awareness” for 25+ years, and haven’t really gotten beyond “spreading awareness”.
Here’s where it gets really fun (you didn’t think I would post this without a reason, did you?)
Two-thirds of respondents (66 percent) said that world leaders are morally obligated to take action to reduce CO2 emissions. And 72 percent said they were “personally morally obligated†to do what they can in their daily lives to reduce emissions.
Huh. “Personally morally obligated”. So, when will Warmists take action within their own lives? When will they give up their own use of fossil fuels? When will they stop using DVRs, ice makers, hair dryers, washers and dryers, turn their AC up to 80 and their heat down to 55? When will they only buy local, grow their own food, live in tiny homes, and make sure that every device that plugs into an outlet is unplugged when not in use? Obviously, those are all rhetorical, because Warmists talk a good game, but that is all it is in their own world: talk.
Of course, these are the same people who do not see it as morally wrong to demand that other people be taxed heavily with that money being redistributed. To themselves. Nor do they see anything morally wrong with abortion on demand.
All posts here are my views. None represent my employer. If ye can prove me wrong, so be it. Ye can rant and rave at me, but be mostly polite to any other commentors. I will put up with quite a bit, but be mostly respectful to others.
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