Good Grief: Toast Is Now Bad For “Climate Change”

By William Teach October 20, 2014 – 7:22 am

Did you wake up this morning and make a couple slices of toast before heading off for working, sending the kids off to school, getting ready for some golf, etc? Did you purchase a sandwich that was toasted, or make a toasted sandwich? How many slices of toast have you made this year alone? Do you own a toaster? If you do, well, then, you are causing “extreme weather”. That hurricane that hit Bermuda? Your fault

The (Environmental) Case Against Toast

Far more important than the white or wheat decision, is whether or not you heat your bread.

Let me tell you a story about data dreams and how they are squashed and how you learn something about the complexity of the world along the way.

When we started this project, I wanted to create an infographic that would show you all the inputs into a particular product—say, a hamburger—and then display all of the environmental outputs, like CO2 emissions and land use. And then, you’d be able to tinker with that hamburger and say, “What if I got this kind of beef?” or “What if I have a whole wheat bun?” or “What does cheese do?” and on down the line. (snip)

And that’s when I found an excellent paper in the International Journal of Lifecycle Assessment byNamy Espinoza-Orias,Heinz Stichnothe, andAdisa Azapagic, which laid outthe carbon footprint for bread, white and wheat, toasted and non-toasted. That paper formed the research basis for the infographic above (although with the changes noted below).

Wait, there’s actually a paper researching the carbon footprint of bread? Good grief.

The paper demonstrates two really interesting things. One, there is a marginal environmental advantage to the wheat bread, but an even bigger boost comes fromnottoasting it. Apparently, given the relative inefficiency of toasting (which uses electric resistance heating), a major component of the carbon footprint of any given piece of bread is whether you heat it or not. So, what you see above are the extremes: toasted white bread (which is the most energy intensive) and non-toasted wheat bread (which is the least).

So, your toaster is Bad For “Climate Change”. Why do you want the Earth to get Hotcoldwetdry? You should immediately take your toaster to the local recycling center.

In fact, according to the paper….sorry, had to stop snickering….the entire process of making bread has a huge “carbon foot”. Therefore, if you believe in man-caused climate change, you should give eating bread of any type. Do it for the children.

Read: Good Grief: Toast Is Now Bad For “Climate Change” »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 3 Comments | Trackback URL

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Gov’t Tells Ministers To Perform Gay Marriage Or Face Jail

By William Teach October 20, 2014 – 7:00 am

Remember when we were told that things like this wouldn’t happen?

(Alliance Defending Freedom) Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a federal lawsuit and a motion for a temporary restraining order Friday to stop officials in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, from forcing two ordained Christian ministers to perform wedding ceremonies for same-sex couples.

City officials told Donald Knapp that he and his wife Evelyn, both ordained ministers who run Hitching Post Wedding Chapel, are required to perform such ceremonies or face months in jail and/or thousands of dollars in fines. The city claims its “non-discrimination” ordinance requires the Knapps to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies now that the courts have overridden Idaho’s voter-approved constitutional amendment that affirmed marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

“The government should not force ordained ministers to act contrary to their faith under threat of jail time and criminal fines,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco. “Many have denied that pastors would ever be forced to perform ceremonies that are completely at odds with their faith, but that’s what is happening here – and it’s happened this quickly. The city is on seriously flawed legal ground, and our lawsuit intends to ensure that this couple’s freedom to adhere to their own faith as pastors is protected just as the First Amendment intended.”

Forcing a religious leader to perform a marriage against his/her religious beliefs violates law, inlcuding Idaho’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, as well as the 1st Amendment of the US Bill of Rights. Oh, and just to be truly clear, here’s Section I, Article 4 of the Idaho Constitution

Guaranty of religious liberty. The exercise and enjoyment of religious faith and worship shall forever be guaranteed; and no person shall be denied any civil or political right, privilege, or capacity on account of his religious opinions; but the liberty of conscience hereby secured shall not be construed to dispense with oaths or affirmations, or excuse acts of licentiousness or justify polygamous or other pernicious practices, inconsistent with morality or the peace or safety of the state; nor to permit any person, organization, or association to directly or indirectly aid or abet, counsel or advise any person to commit the crime of bigamy or polygamy, or any other crime. No person shall be required to attend or support any ministry or place of worship, religious sect or denomination, or pay tithes against his consent; nor shall any preference be given by law to any religious denomination or mode of worship. Bigamy and polygamy are forever prohibited in the state, and the legislature shall provide by law for the punishment of such crimes.

Hey, wait, why are bigamy and polygamy specifically banned? Shouldn’t people who love each other be allowed to marry? If you support gay marriage and say “no” to that question, why? Kinda makes you intolerant, eh?

Coeur d’Alene officials told the Knapps privately and also publicly stated that the couple would violate the city’s public accommodations statute once same-sex marriage became legal in Idaho if they declined to perform a same-sex ceremony at their chapel. On Friday, the Knapps respectfully declined such a ceremony and now face up to 180 days in jail and up to $1,000 in fines for each day they decline to perform that ceremony.

180 days? That’s more jail time than some liberal judges give child molesters.

Eugene Volokh makes an interesting point

I was very pleased to have the officiants I had for my wedding. But if I had instead asked a rabbi, and he told me that he didn’t want to preside over a wedding between my wife (who isn’t ethnically Jewish) and me, I can’t see how that sort of ethnic discrimination would create a harm that justifies trumping the rabbi’s religious freedom rights and free speech rights. Perhaps some might feel offended by such a statement of religious rejection, but I don’t think there can be a compelling government interest in shielding people from such rejections when it comes to the performance of ceremonies.

Would anyone expect an Imam to marry two Christians in a Christian ceremony? Or a pastor to marry two Muslims in a Muslim ceremony?

And when will they allow bigamists and polygamists to marry? Hey, come on, otherwise, it’s discrimination! You liberals can’t have it both ways.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

Read: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Gov’t Tells Ministers To Perform Gay Marriage Or Face Jail »

Posted in 1st Amendment, Current Affairs | 19 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach October 19, 2014 – 1:00 pm

…is corn that will be destroyed by too much carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Vox Popoli, with a post on Dems getting worried about the Checked Out President.

Read: If All You See… »

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Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

By William Teach October 19, 2014 – 10:14 am

Fiona Stephenson Patriotic Pinup

Happy Sunday! Another gorgeous day in America. Sun is shining, there’s a nip of Fall in the air, and football! This pinup is by Fiona Stephenson, with a wee bit of help.

What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15

  1. Raised on Hoecakes discusses stupidity from educators
  2. The Lonely Conservative notes that Obama’s mad at his own administrations incompetence. Again
  3. The Camp Of The Saints discusses Ebola and “depraved indifference”
  4. The Daley Gator has more stupidity from Moms Demand Action
  5. protein wisdom notes that Obama has everything under control
  6. Moonbattery has a scary message about Obama post-midterms
  7. Legal Insurrection notes that the Obama media has found someone else to Blame
  8. Lady Liberty 1885 notes Kay Hagan shipping jobs overseas
  9. Just One Minute says to gird your loins for one last race baiting push from Dems
  10. House of Eratosthenes covers Modern Feminism
  11. Flopping Aces notes the NY Times leaving out key info from a Michael Brown report
  12. Fire Andrea Mitchell notes that our military folks won’t get full protective clothing in Ebola ravaged areas
  13. A View From The Beach has more info on Fast And Furious, where another murderous gun was found
  14. Real Science notes the growth of the Arctic
  15. And last, but not least, Not A Lot Of People Know That facepalms over frost being blamed on global warming

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

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 »

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Bummer: Obama’s DIminished Standing With Women Hurts Senate Dem Chances

By William Teach October 19, 2014 – 8:48 am

Despite almost six years of pushing a “war on women” meme, despite patronizing them on a constant basis, despite giving and saying the government will give them free stuff, Obama isn’t doing so well with women, and this has Senate Democrat hopefuls worried

(Politico) Female voters powered President Barack Obama’s victory over Mitt Romney in 2012, as Democrats leaned heavily on social issues to rally single women and suburban moms to the polls.

But with two weeks until Election Day, the president’s diminished standing with women is quickly becoming one of the biggest liabilities facing Democrats as they struggle to hang onto the Senate majority.

In battleground states across the country, Obama is underwater with female voters — especially women unaffiliated with a political party — and it’s making it harder for Democrats to take advantage of the gender gap, according to public polling and Democratic strategists.

Already Democrats are taking a beating from men, who back Republicans over Democrats by double digits in most of the key Senate races. But to overcome that deficit, Democrats need to win over women voters by a wider margin in battleground states like Colorado, Iowa, Alaska, North Carolina and New Hampshire. That task that will be the primary focus of Democratic campaigns as they prepare an intensive voter turnout operation.

First, they must overcome the Obama factor. After defeating Mitt Romney by 11 points among women in 2012, the president has seen his approval rating drop sharply with females, particularly in the battleground states.

Are women wising up to Democrats? Certainly, they must understand just how bad Obama’s policies have been for them, particularly economically. It’s all nice and good to push the “pay gap”, among others, but like so many other memes Obama and the Democrats push, it has become extremely patronizing, showing a belief that women aren’t competent enough, are too delicate and fragile, are simply hot house flowers who need to be Taken Care Of by government. The rhetoric emanating from Obama and Democrats positions is unempowering for women. The economy under Obama has been less than good for women (well, most Americans).

Women still tend to do most of the shopping and cooking. They see the price rises. They see the buying power of their money decreasing. They have real world concerns. Yet, Obama and the Dems patronize them, and apparently think things like free contraception, sterilization, and abortion are the top issues for women

“He’s not doing as badly [with women] as he is among men, but it’s hardly anything to write home about,” said GOP pollster Whit Ayres. “Which is why many of these Democratic candidates are still struggling.”

It’s also why Democrats are campaigning heavily on women’s issues. Begich and outside Democratic groups have launched ads blasting Sullivan on abortion rights and for opposing funding for Planned Parenthood.

Begich, running against Republican Dan Sullivan in Alaska, says that Sullivan, and by extension, wants to control women. It’s that “Republicans want to bring back the 1950’s” meme. Yet, women are waking up the notion that it is Democrats who want to make Government women’s sugar daddies. Women are not so stupid that they’re falling for the talking point that the “GOP wants to take away their birth control”. They understand that the TP is simply veiled talk about abortion. They are realizing that Obama’s crazy “Life Of Julia“, a life spent under the thumb of Big Daddy Government, is bad for them and extremely patronizing. The Life Of Julia parodies start to make sense.

Democrats still tend to do better with women than Republicans, but the gap has closed quite a bit. And that is dangerous for Democrats. They certainly do not women wising up.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

Read: Bummer: Obama’s DIminished Standing With Women Hurts Senate Dem Chances »

Posted in Barry Obama, Democrats, Elections | 1 Comment | Trackback URL

Paper Debunks Acidification Scare

By William Teach October 18, 2014 – 6:28 pm

Warmists have been pushing the ocean acidification meme for years now, conveniently forgetting that life under the sea evolved and developed when the seas were much warmer. A new paper says “hold on a minute”

(The Hockey Schtick) A paper published today in Climate of the Past reconstructs water pH and temperature from a lake in central Japan over the past 280,000 years and clearly shows that pH increases [becomes more basic or alkaline] due to warmer temperatures, and vice-versa, becomes more acidic [or “acidified” if you prefer] due to cooling temperatures. This finding is the opposite of the false assumptions behind the “ocean acidification” scare, but is compatible with the basic chemistry of Henry’s Law and outgassing of CO2 from the oceans with warming. 

Thus, if global warming resumes after the “pause,” ocean temperatures will rise along with CO2 outgassing, which will make the oceans more basic, not acidic. You simply cannot have it both ways:

“Either the oceans are getting warmer and the CO2 concentration in seawater is decreasing, which means that ocean acidification from man-made CO2 from the atmosphere is nonsense. 

Or the oceans are getting cooler and the man-made CO2 from the atmosphere is dissolving in those cooler oceans and causing – insignificant – ocean acidification, which means that warming oceans and the associated sea level rises are nonsense. 

Take your pick – REAL SCIENCE says you can’t have both.”

THS ends with

These findings completely contradict the basis of the CAGW “acidification” scare and instead show that warming should make the oceans more alkaline, not “acidic.”

No worries. Warmists will hysterically ignore the findings, because this is not about science, but politics.

Read: Paper Debunks Acidification Scare »

Posted in Collapsing Science, Global Warming | 5 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach October 18, 2014 – 1:00 pm

…is a horrendous hockey rink, sucking up energy and producing lots of carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Bookworm Room, with a post on the CDC getting schooled on Ebola.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 4 Comments | Trackback URL

Kay Hagan Flips On Travel Ban

By William Teach October 18, 2014 – 10:40 am

Someone must be seeing flagging poll numbers

(NY Times) The politics of Ebola have been swirling for awhile, and Senator Kay Hagan, the Democratic incumbent facing a tough re-election race in North Carolina, just made a sharp change in direction.

Earlier this week, Ms. Hagan sided with the Obama administration, arguing against banning flights from the West African countries battling the epidemic.

“That’s not going to solve this problem,” she had said. “That’s not going to contain the epidemic that we see happening in Africa.”

Flip

After facing withering criticism from her Republican rival, Thom Tillis, Ms. Hagan changed her mind on Friday and called for immediate action.

“I am calling on the administration to temporarily ban the travel of non-U.S. citizens from the affected countries in West Africa,” Ms. Hagan said in a statement.

photo avatar119306_4_zps62906225.jpg

“I have said for weeks that travel restrictions should be one part of a broad strategy to prevent Ebola from spreading in the U.S. and fighting it in Africa. I am calling on the Administration to temporarily ban the travel of non-U.S. citizens from the affected countries in West Africa. Although stopping the spread of this virus overseas will require a large, coordinated effort with the international community, a temporary travel ban is a prudent step the President can take to protect the American people, and I believe he should do so immediately.”

Except,  she has not been saying for weeks that there should be a travel ban. Typical lying crapweasel.

Read: Kay Hagan Flips On Travel Ban »

Posted in Current Affairs, NC News | 5 Comments | Trackback URL

Good News: Obama Plans To Let Ebola Infected Foreigners Into US

By William Teach October 18, 2014 – 7:04 am

Huh. How about that

(Breitbart) Thursday night on Fox News,Charles Krauthammer predicted that it would only take “a couple more cases like Mr. Duncan” flying to the United States from West Africa with Ebola for the president to back down from his no travel ban position.

But ifJudicial Watch’ssources are correct, Obama’s open door policy for people coming from Ebola infected countries, may creak opena little widerto allow the transfer of non-US citizensinfected with the diseaseinto the country for treatment.

It is unclear who would bear the high costs of transporting and treating non-citizen Ebola patients. The plans include special waivers of laws and regulations that ban the admission of non-citizens with a communicable disease as dangerous as Ebola.

JW goes on to note

One source tells us that the Obama administration is keeping this plan secret from Congress. The source is concerned that the proposal is illegal; endangers the public health and welfare; and should require the approval of Congress.

Would Obama do this? Nobody could put it past him to engage in this conduct, based on almost 6 years of his history in the White House. Breitbart’s Matthew Boyle notes in a separate article that Senate Republicans sitting on the Judiciary Committee have written to Obama saying he should stop issuing visas to Ebola ravaged countries immediately.

The Republicans quoted Obama from his Sept. 16 speech at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta.

“Now, here’s the hard truth: In West Africa, Ebola is now an epidemic of the likes that we have not seen before. It’s spiraling out of control,” Obama said then. “It is getting worse. It’s spreading faster and exponentially. Today, thousands of people in West Africa are infected. That number could rapidly grow to tens of thousands. And if the outbreak is not stopped now, we could be looking at hundreds of thousands of people infected, with profound political and economic and security implications for all of us. So this is an epidemic that is not just a threat to regional security — it’s a potential threat to global security if these countries break down, if their economies break down, if people panic. That has profound effects on all of us, even if we are not directly contracting the disease.”

They wrote that they agree with Obama that it’s a national security issue, and that as such it is imperative that Obama institute a travel ban immediately.

“We couldn’t agree more that an Ebola epidemic is a national security issue, and a threat to global security,” the GOP Judiciary Committee senators wrote. “And, we couldn’t agree more with the American people that a travel ban must be put in place to protect our homeland and reduce any spread of the virus. According to officials at the State Department, between March 1, 2014, and September 27, 2014, a total of 6, 398 visas were issued to nationals of the following countries; 3,135 for Liberians, 1,472 for Sierra Leoneans, and 1,791 for Guineans. Meanwhile, according to International SOS, dozens of countries – including many in Africa – have instituted travel and entry restrictions.”

He won’t. What he will do is turn the issue into a political fight. Why did he pick Ron Klain to be the new “Ebola Czar”, despite zero medical background? For the same reason. Politics. People are speechless at the pick…well, metaphorically, because lots are blasting this pick. This will soon (looking into my crystal ball) cause Obama to start blasting “Congressional Republicans”.

BTW, Obama trots out a little strawman during his Weekly Address

Finally, we can’t just cut ourselves off from West Africa, where this disease is raging. Our medical experts tell us that the best way to stop this disease is to stop it at its source-before it spreads even wider and becomes even more difficult to contain. Trying to seal off an entire region of the world-if that were even possible-could actually make the situation worse. It would make it harder to move health workers and supplies back and forth. Experience shows that it could also cause people in the affected region to change their travel, to evade screening, and make the disease even harder to track.

Wait, what? We need to stop it at its source, yet we shouldn’t seal off the area? Of course, what people are demanding is that the US government restrict flights coming from the Ebola ravaged areas. To, you know, stop the spread.

Read: Good News: Obama Plans To Let Ebola Infected Foreigners Into US »

Posted in Barry Obama, Current Affairs | 9 Comments | Trackback URL

Obamacare Is Expensive And Doctors Are Scarce, Says….NY Times

By William Teach October 18, 2014 – 6:45 am

Many, including myself, have noted that the NY Times seems to publish articles that often do not conform to the Official Democrat Line on Saturdays. Here’s another, which made the front page

Unable to Meet the Deductible or the Doctor

Patricia Wanderlich got insurance through the Affordable Care Act this year, and with good reason: She suffered a brain hemorrhage in 2011, spending weeks in a hospital intensive care unit, and has a second, smaller aneurysm that needs monitoring.

But her new plan has a $6,000 annual deductible, meaning that Ms. Wanderlich, who works part time at a landscaping company outside Chicago, has to pay for most of her medical services up to that amount. She is skipping this year’s brain scan and hoping for the best.

“To spend thousands of dollars just making sure it hasn’t grown?” said Ms. Wanderlich, 61. “I don’t have that money.”

About 7.3 million Americans are enrolled in private coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, and more than 80 percent qualified for federal subsidies to help with the cost of their monthly premiums. But many are still on the hook for deductibles that can top $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for families — the trade-off, insurers say, for keeping premiums for the marketplace plans relatively low. The result is that some people — no firm data exists on how many — say they hesitate to use their new insurance because of the high out-of-pocket costs.

The original idea from Democrats was to find a way to make health insurance available for the 30-45 million Americans (the number included quite a few legal visitors and illegal aliens). It was a good idea. From that point, it grew into the monstrosity it is. What’s the point of having health insurance if you cannot afford to actually use it when needed?

While high-deductible plans cover most of the costs of severe illnesses and lengthy hospital stays, protecting against catastrophic debt, those plans may compel people to forgo routine care that could prevent bigger, longer-term health issues, according to experts and research.

“They will cause some people to not get care they should get,” Katherine Hempstead, who directs research on health insurance coverage at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said of high-deductible marketplace plans. “Unfortunately, the people who are attracted to the lower premiums tend to be the ones who are going to have the most trouble coming up with all the cost-sharing if in fact they want to use their health insurance.”

You don’t say.

…A survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that the average deductible for individual coverage in employer-sponsored plans was $1,217 this year.

In comparison, the average deductible for a bronze plan on the exchange — the least expensive coverage — was $5,081 for an individual and $10,386 for a family, according to HealthPocket, a consulting firm. Silver plans, which were the most popular option this year, had average deductibles of $2,907 for an individual and $6,078 for a family.

Information that was known not long after they started selling Ocare plans almost a year ago. Good to see the Times is timely in their information dumps.

The article really doesn’t address the limited networks beyond a sentence of two, unlike the headline suggests. Of course, limited networks do not matter all that much when people cannot afford the deductibles. If there was one idea that Democrats could have taken from Republicans….since they claim they took a bunch….was national insurance pools, which would have helped significantly reduce those deductibles.

But we’re also running into the problem now that so many of the people enrolling in Ocare are sicker and older than was expected, so it will be interesting to see if the deductibles rise for 2015. Which might be the reason Team Obama won’t release the costs till after the midterms.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

Read: Obamacare Is Expensive And Doctors Are Scarce, Says….NY Times »

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