…is horrible concrete in the pool which causes Bad Weather, you might just be a Warmist (probably Jeffrey 
)
The blog of the day is The Daley Gator (with a Christmas theme!), with a post on sock monkey puppets being a danger to air travel.
Read: If All You See… »
By fake it, Lesley Allen at Drayton Valley Western Review is referring to Christmas trees, er, holiday trees, er, winter festival trees. Let’s continue with the 25 days of Climate Christmas
Should you fake it this Christmas
Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, which should I buy environmentally?
With the Christmas season upon us a great debate among those who celebrate the holiday has begun — should we buy a real or fake tree?
There are many reasons why one chooses to go in either direction, but the one I find people get most confused about is how each of the options affects the environment, and which one is truly greener.
So, which should you purchase, real or fake?
According to Ellipsos, a research company based out of South Carolina, an artificial tree has three times more impact on climate change and resource depletion than the natural tree, based on a six-year retention of the fake tree. However, if you are to keep the same fake tree for at least 20 years the opposite becomes true, especially if longer distances of transportation are required in order to access the real trees.
The reasons for a real tree being more environmentally-friendly include the fact that they are easily recycled and can be reused, they pull carbon from the air to help grow, and because of the environmental footprint it takes to make fake trees.
Regardless of the fact and which direction you decide to go there are ways you can help reduce your footprint:
Lesley then provides super helpful hints to make your decision to purchase a Winter Is Going to Be Super Hot In The Future And We’re All Doomed Tree that much more difficult. Because Christmas, er, the name liberals often hate to mention but still want their paid day off for, should be about climate change or something.
Read: Should You Fake Christmas This Year, Cause “Climate Change”? »
Progressivism run amok
(KRDO) A six year old boy is suspended from school in Canon City for kissing a classmate on the cheek.
His mother says it’s a crush and the two children like each other. But the school is calling it something else; sexual harassment.
First grader, Hunter Yelton, told us he loves science and phys-ed. Also…that he has a crush on a girl at school, who likes him back.
It may sound innocent enough…but at six years old Hunter now has ‘sexual harassment’ on his school record.
He kissed her on the hand.
“They sent me to the office, fair and square. I did something wrong and I feel sorry,” (Hunter) said.
Should a 6 year old really feel remorse over a kiss on the hand? Should he feel that he did something wrong? The girl had no problem with the kiss.
“She was fine with it, they are ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’. The other children saw it and went to the music teacher. That was the day I had the meeting with the principal, where she first said ‘sexual harassment’. This is taking it to an extreme that doesn’t need to be met with a six year old. Now my son is asking questions… what is sex mommy? That should not ever be said, sex. Not in a sentence with a six year old,” said Hunters’ mom, Jennifer Saunders.
First, are we teaching kids to be complete snitches for things? Remember, kids snitched on a 10 year old who mimicked an imaginary bow and arrow (for which he was suspended and the parents are considering legal action). 2nd, this will go on Hunter’s record. Sexual harassment. How can it be SH when the girl had no problem with the kiss? 3rd, Progressives have been hot to trot to teach All About Sex to kids as young as kindergarten. Yet, now they have problems with a kiss.
The school is hoping the suspension will change Hunter’s behavior. He’s been caught kissing the same girl on the cheek and rough housing. Because 6 year olds are never wild and crazy.
More: Melissa McEwan calls this part of a “rape culture” (Â 
) and actually compares this…let’s not forget, the boy was 6…to the Steubenville case.
And treating a zero tolerance policy on unwanted touching like an “overreaction” is the most basic form of rape apologia.
Did I mention that the boy is 6? And the girl had no problem with this? Because they’re 6? Of course the barking moonbats who comment at Shakesville are losing their minds. I’m not sure if they live in the same reality I do. Even Liberal Prairie Weather thinks the suspension seems absurd, at least that’s how I read it through the heavy sarcasm.
BTW, one of the people in the comments at Gawker notes that calling it sexual harassment actually diminishes the reality of real sexual harassment. Terming it part of a rape culture also diminishes the reality of rape.
The big question is whether this violates Senate rules
(Washington Times) The Obama administration overruled career Homeland Security officials and expedited visa applications for about two dozen foreign investors for a politically connected Las Vegas casino hotel after repeated pressure from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his staff, according to internal government documents obtained by The Washington Times.
The move to overturn what is normally a non-appealable visa decision came despite concerns about “suspicious financial activity†involving some of the visa applicants from Asia, and it ultimately benefited several companies whose executives have donated heavily in recent years to Democrats, the documents show. It also ensnared Mr. Obama’s current nominee to be the No. 2 Homeland Security official, Alejandro “Ali†Mayorkas, whose appointment is to be reviewed by the Senate on Wednesday.
The intervention from Mr. Reid’s staff was so intense at one point a year ago that a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) official reported that it prompted a phone shouting match, turning a normally bureaucratic review process inside the Homeland Security Department into a politically charged drama that worried career officials.
“This one is going to be a major headache for us all because Sen. Reid’s office/staff is pushing hard and I just had a long yelling match on the phone,†USCIS Legislative Affairs official Miguel “Mike†Rodriguez warned in a Dec. 5, 2012, email to Homeland Security Department officials.
SLS Hotels, formerly known as Sahara Casino, wanted visas for foreign investors. They were turned down for expedited review despite the pressure from Reid’s staff. At which point Harry Reid personally became involved and reached out to the top official at USCIS, Alejandro “Ali†Mayorkas, ultimately obtaining the expedited review with a few weeks.
The Washington Times article, well worth the read, doesn’t jump into consideration as to whether any of this violates Senate ethics rules. Of course, there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of rules for elected officials. This could be called influence peddling. And undue influence. Having the top Democrat in the Senate, who is also the Majority Leader, reach out and apparently berate the top official at USCIS, in order to benefit a private entity in this manner sure borders illegal activity. It possibly violates ex parte communications. But, that communication may be allowable in order to urge prompt consideration (same link as “violates”).
The big question is whether Reid will make any money or receive donations from any of the involved entities. The sad part is that this probably happens all the time with members of both political parties, who so often feel that The Rules shouldn’t apply to them or their interests.
Executives for the two main companies involved in the hotel project have donated more than $127,000 to political causes over the last three elections, mostly to Democrats, Federal Election Commission records show.
Senator Dean Heller (R-Nevada) also wrote to obtain expedited review, though he didn’t get into shouting matches nor call up high ranking officials. Many are worried that the E-5B visa program has too much political influence. Pffft. Rules are for The Little People, not federally elected officials.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
Read: Harry Reid Personally Intervenes To Reverse Casino Visa Ruling »
Today’s app of the day is Streaker Run, a fun little perpetual running game. Basically, whoops, husband came home early and the character jumps out starkers. You can actually pay for the uncensored version, either by earning lots of moola in the game or simply paying with Real World money. I’ve done neither. You can also play as a woman being chased by a zombie, rather than the husband.
Lots of obstacles, if you slide under things on your butt too often it’ll catch on fire. Can use skateboards, lawnmowers, and other means of transportation. Several different characters. A fun little time waster.
Read: Android Today: “Streaker Run” »
No, really, the press release says so
This Christmas Give the Miracle of a Clean Tomorrow for Grandchildren
Leading carbon offset provider CarbonClix has launched a revolutionary Christmas campaign to provide shoppers with a magnificent alternative to those dull traditional Christmas gifts.
“A carbon clix gift voucher is the perfect gift for friends and family that care about the planet we live on.†explains co-founder Charlotte Carlsen Abraham. “The voucher provides access to the CarbonClix community, dedicated to a cleaner planet and enables the receiver to choose from a fantastic range of offsetting projects that have a direct impact on saving the planet. “
…is a wonder carbon friendly bike, you might just be a Warmist
The blog of the day is The Lonely Conservative, with a post on her non-political coworker learning a valuable lesson.
Read: If All You See… »
Note: #5 is a trap both sides fall into. Of course, the Climate Realist side has up to 4.5 billion years of Earth’s history on our side, as well as observational data, including from other planets.
Read: Warmist Logic »
Dude (and dudettes), if only Warmists had engaged in some sort of spreading awareness campaign over the past few decades
(Delaware Online) As the global science of human-caused climate change improves, the public’s inadequate understanding “is definitely a worry,†a top national researcher said Monday.
“I think, for a long time, we’ve been operating under the assumption that the facts are enough,†said Katharine Hayhoe, a Texas Tech University atmospheric scientist retained by Delaware to prepare a climate change forecast.
“In terms of scientific certainty, we’re adding decimal points [to confidence], whereas in public opinion, we could be advancing by tens of percent†through outreach and better communication, said Hayhoe, a lead author for the latest National Climate Assessment. “I think that is what we have to be doing.â€
I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry at this absurd notion. First, their so-called science has become more insane over the years. Their computer models mostly fail. They simply seem to make things up as the go along. They’ve created a “science” that is non-disprovable. Everything “proves” their notions, which is completely against the Scientific Method.
Second, they’ve had awareness programs for decades. Which is mostly all they do. Few Believers actually put into practice their core beliefs. This little speech was held in Delaware. Hayhoe lives in Texas. How, exactly, did she get to Delaware? Anyone want to be she took a fossil fueled vehicle to the airport, then a fossil fueled flight to Delaware, then a fossil fueled vehicle to her hotel, then did it in reverse?
Under current worst-case outlooks for the state, temperatures could hit 95 degrees or higher about 65 days a year, with 100-degree-plus days becoming far more common than today. The research relied on Delaware climate records dating to 1895 and a battery of climate models, including some released for use this year.
For Delaware, unchanged emissions patterns could lead to a 9 to 10 degree increase in the annual average maximum daily temperature by 2100, according to Hayhoe’s earlier report, with more days with high electricity demand for air conditioning and longer growing seasons.
It’s not science, it’s wishful thinking. Delaware had something like 13 days at 90 degrees+ in 2013. Oh, hey, look, spreading awareness
Taking 7 million steps to ‘walk the talk’ on climate change
Next year, I plan to walk the Great March for Climate Action (http://climatemarch.org) across America with a small army of passionate folks dedicated to a sustainable future for life on the planet. The goal is “to change the heart and mind of the American people, our elected leaders and people across the world into acting now to address the climate crisis.â€
Why not simply walk all the time, instead of using fossil fueled travel? What will this accomplish?
Historically, great marches have helped produce dramatic social and political change — Gandhi’s march to the sea; the Suffragettes march for women’s right to vote; the march on Selma led by Martin Luther King Jr.; the great anti-nuclear Peace March in 1986. But never has it been more critical to take immediate action.
Good grief, comparing Hotcoldwetdry to those other important marches is beyond bat guano insane. Someone should tell Katherine Hayhoe that people are spreading awareness.
Read: Katherine Hayhoe: “Climate Change” Facts Aren’t Enough Or Something »
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The hit parade grows
(The Blaze) First some consumers found they couldn’t keep their existing health insurance plans. Then others learned they couldn’t keep their doctors. Now it’s possible that under Obamacare, some people won’t be able to keep their medications, or at least not afford them, under the complex formulary structure of the plans on the health exchanges and because of the rising costs.
“If you like your medicines, you may not be able to keep them under Obamacare,†health policy analyst Scott Gottlieb wrote in a Forbes column. “Health plans are cheapening their drug formularies – just like they cheapened their networks of doctors. That’s how their paying for the benefits that President Obama promised, everything from free contraception to a leveling of premiums between older (and typically costlier) beneficiaries, and younger consumers.â€
Much of the coverage will be determined by which plan level (bronze, silver, or gold) is chosen by the consumer….thought: I wonder if we will be provided with what the mix of plans chosen is? Those silver and gold plans are pretty expensive… as well as whether the plan explicitly mentions the medicine
In some cases, to be covered at all, the drug will have to be included in the plan – similar to how doctors must be part of a network covered by insurance, he wrote.
“The out of pocket caps on consumer spending only apply to costs incurred on drugs that are included on a plan’s drug formulary,†Gottlieb wrote. “This is the list of medicines that the health plans have agreed to provide some coverage for.â€
So if it is not mentioned, consumers are on their own. And if it is covered, then the copays will eventually kick in, and the copays can be high. Prescription meds are one of the “10 essential benefits” of the ACA, but like so many other things, insurance companies have to reduce costs and coverages in order to make sure costs are regulated and do not explode.
The Washington Post’s Ariana Cha attempts to be helpful regarding meds, surely a direct response to the original Forbes article, and unintentionally highlights that the coverage is a mess, not finished yet, and hard to understand. Much like the entire law. But Cha also notes in another article that the Obamacare plans are also skimpy on coverage for AIDS and other medicine
Some plans sold on the online insurance exchanges, for instance, don’t cover key medications for HIV, or they require patients to pay as much as 50 percent of the cost per prescription in co-insurance — sometimes more than $1,000 a month.
As the details of the benefits offered by the new health-care plans become clear, patients with cancer, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune diseases also are raising concerns, said Marc Boutin, executive vice president of the National Health Council, a coalition of advocacy groups for the chronically ill.
This is what happens when the focus is on simply controlling healthcare costs in a politically expedient manner while forcing people to either obtain health insurance or pay a fee/fine/tax. This is why deductibles are high, doctor/medical center/hospital networks are limited, and now we learn about problems with prescription meds.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
Read: “Affordable”: Prescription Meds May Take Hit Under Obamacare »
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