Fish Wrap: A Pay Raise For Fast Food But Cut Military Pay

By William Teach December 7, 2013 – 2:33 pm

It was just a week ago that the NY Times editorial board recommended put military compensation and perks on the chopping block. Now…

(NY Times) Unfortunately, job creation remains concentrated in low-income work, including in retail, restaurants and bars. It is little surprise that fast-food workers have been organizing and agitating for better pay. Their employers are adding jobs and earning profits, but pay is stuck around $9 an hour. A recent study found that more than half of fast-food workers rely on public assistance. A wage increase — the strikers are asking for $15 an hour — would clearly help them, and everyone else, because the public aid they require costs taxpayers an estimated $7 billion a year.

While they don’t specifically call for an increased minimum wage (though, interestingly, they mention Dems want to kick it to $10.10, which still isn’t a “living wage” according to libs and burger slumbers), we can all read between the lines. These folks deserve the money, cause, well, um, ah, they simply want the increase for no extra work. And they just want it.

The Times also wants to make sure there are no cuts in unemployment compensation, especially for all those who continue to be long term unemployed. Sure seems to be quite a few folks who are long term unemployed in the Obama economy, wouldn’t you say? The Times also wants an increase.in federal spending for all the typically all stuff, like infrastructure and job training.

Yet, they want to put military pay on the chopping block. The one thing that actually appears in the Constitution as a federal job duty.

Read: Fish Wrap: A Pay Raise For Fast Food But Cut Military Pay »

Posted in Economy, Wonky Media | 13 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach December 7, 2013 – 1:00 pm

…is a horrid fossil fueled vehicle which No One Else should be allowed to drive, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The Jawa Report, with a post on some Syrian rebel loving Useful Idiots.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 1 Comment | Trackback URL

Don’t Melt Snow Under Santa With Evil Lightbulbs

By William Teach December 7, 2013 – 11:28 am

Only you can stop Bad Weather, by spending oodles of money

(Concord Monitor) This year, lighting America for the holidays will consume more than 6 trillion watt-hours of electricity, or, using U.S. Department of Energy figures, roughly enough to power every home in New Hampshire for one month. To produce the extra electricity, utilities will have to burn huge quantities of natural gas and in some cases coal. The annual luxury of lights offsets some of the efforts being made to combat climate change, so this year give the planet a present and swap at least some of those strings of tiny incandescent lights for LED lights,which use up to 90 percent less energy and last decades, not just a season or two.

White incandescent Christmas lights emit 95 percent of the energy they consume as heat rather than light. Colored lights create even more heat and less light. Knowing that the greenhouse gases emitted to power the lights are helping to melt the snow under Santa’s sleigh – not to mention the ice under polar bears – takes a bit of the warm holiday glow off the annual festival of lights that occurs in almost every neighborhood. Switching to LED lights saves energy and money…

Earlier this week, yet another august panel released yet another dire warning about climate change. At current emission levels a rapid increase in the extinction rate of plant and animal species could occur, the world’s coral reefs could disappear, and summer sea ice in the Arctic become a thing of the past, a panel of the National Research Council warned. Swapping out holiday lights won’t prevent any of that from happening, but it would, according to one estimate, prevent 1 billion pounds of greenhouse gases from being emitted each year. Make this the season to make the switch, if only by a few strands at a time

PS: I have no problem with the notion of saving money and reduced heat. That’s one of the reasons I use many CFLs at home. But that’s my choice. Warmists need to stop preaching and note that there has been no statistically significant warming in 17 years.

Read: Don’t Melt Snow Under Santa With Evil Lightbulbs »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 1 Comment | Trackback URL

Good News: Wind Farms Get A Pass For Killing Eagles

By William Teach December 7, 2013 – 7:49 am

So far, I can’t find any environmental groups, Sierra Club, Greenpeace, NRDC, Earth First, etc, who are outraged by this. Some link to news articles, but have offered no articles themselves

This is sustainable?(USA Today) The Obama administration said Friday it will allow some companies to kill or injure bald and golden eagles for up to 30 years without penalty, an effort to spur development and investment in green energy while balancing its environmental consequences.

The change, requested by the wind energy industry, will provide legal protection for the lifespan of wind farms and other projects for which companies obtain a permit and make efforts to avoid killing the birds.

This is all to save the environment or something.

“This is not a program to kill eagles,” said John Anderson, the director of siting policy at the American Wind Energy Association. “This permit program is about conservation.”

Conserving them by killing them. Right. But, hey, look, the AP found one group which is upset

“Instead of balancing the need for conservation and renewable energy, Interior wrote the wind industry a blank check,” said Audubon President and CEO David Yarnold in a statement. The group said it will challenge the decision.

All to provide miniscule power while putting a blight on the landscape. Average delivered power is roughly 30-40% with very low power density (megawatts per square mile), since you need huge tracks of land/sea for the farm. Compare that to natural gas, which has an average delivered power in the upper 80’s, with an extremely high power density.

From page 193 of The Mad, Mad, Mad World Of Climatism.

Read: Good News: Wind Farms Get A Pass For Killing Eagles »

Posted in Barry Obama, Energy, Environment | 37 Comments | Trackback URL

70% Of California Doctors Say “NO” To Obamacare

By William Teach December 7, 2013 – 6:55 am

This is where the rationing and long waiting lines start

(Washington Examiner) An estimated seven out of every 10 physicians in deep-blue California are rebelling against the state’s Obamacare health insurance exchange and won’t participate, the head of the state’s largest medical association said.

“It doesn’t surprise me that there’s a high rate of nonparticipation,” said Dr. Richard Thorp, president of the California Medical Association.

Thorp has been a primary care doctor for 38 years in a small town 90 miles north of Sacramento. The CMA represents 38,000 of the roughly 104,000 doctors in California.

“We need some recognition that we’re doing a service to the community. But we can’t do it for free. And we can’t do it at a loss. No other business would do that,” he said.

Well, Obamacare supporters, Liberals, actually do expect doctors and medical centers to provide care for free/at a loss, since they believe profit (for other people) is evil, and that health care is a Right. Anyhow, why are the docs opting out?

California offers one of the lowest government reimbursement rates in the country — 30 percent lower than federal Medicare payments. And reimbursement rates for some procedures are even lower. (snip)

Only in September did insurance companies disclose that their rates would be pegged to California’s Medicaid plan, called Medi-Cal. That’s driven many doctors to just say no.

So California was already in trouble prior to Obamacare, and is now worse, especially with so many moved to Medicaid rather than regular insurance. There was already a shortage of doctors, now the available pool has shrunk even further, meaning many folks a) won’t be able to keep their doctor and b) they’ll have long waiting lines, and may have to travel farther to find visit a doctor. It also means that the specialist pool will be severely restricted.

No one is more aware of this than Alex Briscoe, health director for Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, which includes Oakland.

“Enrollment doesn’t mean access, because there aren’t enough doctors to take the low rates of Medicaid,” he said. “There aren’t enough primary care physicians, period.”

As many have noted, one of the big problems with Obamacare is that it focused on cost, rather than coverage, meaning that they attempted to drive down costs while forcing folks to obtain health insurance. By focusing on cost you end up with restricted access. And, interestingly, individual costs, premiums, deductibles, etc, actually rose. On the back end, though, they are nickle and diming everything, leading to issues as brought up in the article.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

Read: 70% Of California Doctors Say “NO” To Obamacare »

Posted in Healthcare | 3 Comments | Trackback URL

Android Today: Taking Notes

By William Teach December 6, 2013 – 9:26 pm

When it comes to taking notes, one of the most useful and most used is certainly Evernote. For keeping track of detailed notes, which can even include pictures (I have one note that is a picture of part of the keys for my laptop), it is one of the best, if not the best. It syncs across multiple devices, and, hey, cool, it’s free. You can sort the notes under different notebooks. I actually have a separate icon simply for business notes. Create notes, task lists, and so much more. You can also lock it. This one is a must have.

Next up is Inkpad. I use this for very simple notes, though it has the power to do much more, such as tasks and lists. Notes I want very quick access to. The free version allows 4 syncs per day. One nice feature is that the lists are also backed up to the SD card, so even if you have no network you will still have access.

Finally, there is Ol Shopping List, which, shockingly, is a shopping list! There are many a time when I think I’m done and check the list.

Any interesting note apps you use?

Read: Android Today: Taking Notes »

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Climate Progress Hijacks Nelson Mandela Death To Push “Climate Change”

By William Teach December 6, 2013 – 3:09 pm

We’ve already seen Obama hijack the passing of Nelson Mandela in his own typical narcissistic manner, along with fast food workers doing the same. And here comes George Soros climate monkey Joe Romm

Nelson Mandela’s Legacy for Climate Hawks: ‘It Always Seems Impossible Until It’s Done’

Nelson Mandela, who died yesterday at age 95, leaves two legacies for climate hawks — the necessity of persistence and the value of divestment.

Who among us can even imagine the persistence required of a man who spent more than 27 years in jail — from 1962 to 1990 — in his quest to end Apartheid? But his indefatigable spirit triumphed, and he was elected the first black president of South Africa a little more than 4 years after his release. His forbearance and moral sensibility prevented what many saw as an inevitable civil war and achieved, instead, national reconciliation. (snip)

Climate hawks have already begun to take a page out of the strategy that helped bring down apartheid. Bill McKibben discussed that very point in a 2012 National Journal profile:

Because fighting hotcoldwetdry is so totally the same as fighting against apartheid.

PS: It’s even worse at the “legacies” link in the excerpt. Though, at least the writer is South African.

Read: Climate Progress Hijacks Nelson Mandela Death To Push “Climate Change” »

Posted in Global Warming, Unhinged Tools | 8 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach December 6, 2013 – 1:00 pm

…is heat created snow, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The Other McCain, with a post comparing Obama’s economic plan to South Park.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

Kid Ballerinas Booted From Practice Hall For Obama Interview

By William Teach December 6, 2013 – 11:03 am

Let’s imagine this occurred while a Republican was president

(Fox News) A group of young ballerinas rehearsing for “The Nutcracker” was kicked out of American University’s theatre so MSNBC host Chris Matthews could interview President Obama on Thursday.

American University admitted they dumped Ballet Petite’s two final dress rehearsals so they could host MSNBC’s “Hardball College Tour.” Matthews will be presiding over a one-hour conversation with the man he’s likened to President Kennedy’s last brother, President Abraham Lincoln and Jesus Christ.

The ballet company had been scheduled to rehearse on Wednesday and Thursday in preparation for their opening performance on Sunday.

But, wait, it gets better!

Melissa Carney, the ballet company’s artistic director told The Washington Post they had signed a contract to rent the theatre in January. They were told they were being shoved out so Matthews could interview Obama on Tuesday.

In the Era Of Obama, contracts can be violated without penalty, simply so Obama can engage in a softball tee-ball interview  with a guy who thinks Obama is the Messiah. How many health insurance contracts were cancelled? Anyhow, AU offered some concessions, but no apology for breaking the contract, but, really, had Bush done this the media would be up in arms about how shoddily he treated these 6 and 7 year old girls, and would trot out the “war on women” meme.

Read: Kid Ballerinas Booted From Practice Hall For Obama Interview »

Posted in Barry Obama | 8 Comments | Trackback URL

German Scientists Warn Of Coming Cool Period – Eh, It’s Probably “Climate Change”

By William Teach December 6, 2013 – 8:49 am

As always, I’ll stay skeptical, and say that I will believe it when I see it

(Daily Caller) Better start investing in some warm clothes because German scientists are predicting that the Earth will cool over the next century.

German scientists found that two naturally occurring cycles will combine to lower global temperatures during the 21st century, eventually dropping to levels corresponding with the “little ice age” of 1870.

“Due to the de Vries cycle, the global temperature will drop until 2100 to a value corresponding to the ‘little ice age’ of 1870,” write German scientists Horst-Joachim Luedecke and Carl-Otto Weiss of the European Institute for Climate and Energy.

Researchers used historical temperature data and data from cave stalagmites to show a 200-year solar cycle, called the de Vries cycle.

They also factored into their work a well-established 65-year Atlantic and Pacific Ocean oscillation cycle. Global warming that has occurred since 1870 can be attributed almost entirely to both these factors, the scientists argue.

According to the scientists, the oft-cited “stagnation” in rising global temperatures over the last 15 years is due to the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean oscillation cycle, which lasts about 65 years. Ocean oscillation is past its “maximum,” leading to small decreases in global temperature.

Fortunately, if they’re talking 1870, the earth was rebounding from the Little Ice Age at that time, so it won’t be like the true depth of the Little Ice Age, or previous cool periods during the Holocene. But, as The Lonely Conservative writes

In other words, global temperature is controlled by things far outside the realm of human control. What we can control is how we deal with it. So get ready to bundle up!

The mechanisms for Earth’s climate are primarily natural, with a small smattering of anthropogenic causation, mostly from agriculture, landfills, land use, and the Urban Heat Island Effect. But, you know, cold and snow are caused by climate change

Climate change warning: Killer winter storms for next THIRTY years

KILLER freezes, floods and heatwaves will devastate Britain during the next 30 years, climate ­experts have warned.

And it gets much better when we head over to the United Nation’s UNICEF blog

Children in Mongolia experience climate change and extreme cold

When we think of climate change we often think of rising temperatures, but children are also affected in colder climates, experiencing harsher winters and declining water resources. In Mongolia some children can spend 3 to 4 hours every day collecting water, braving frozen rivers and wells, and hauling water containers over extremely long distances.

In western Mongolia in 2010, heavy snow, strong winds and extreme cold created crisis conditions in over half the country’s provinces. Temperatures fell to minus-50 degrees Celsius, and snow meant access to food, fuel, sanitation and basic medical care was even tougher.

If the Earth enters a cool period like we saw from the late 1940’s into the late 1970’s, a milder cool time like the 1870’s, or one of the full cool periods as has happened off and on since the end of the last glacial period during the Holocene, Warmists will blame Mankind for it. They already blame Man, ie, “climate change”, for snow, ice, cold, blizzards, winter storms, you name it.

Read: German Scientists Warn Of Coming Cool Period – Eh, It’s Probably “Climate Change” »

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