Surprise: People Who Exercise Are At Much Lower Risk From COVID Death

By William Teach December 22, 2022 – 6:45 am

I’m rather shocked that the Washington Post allowed this to be published, after supporting all the lockdowns of gyms, skate parks, people being outside exercising

I love the photo. Outside with no one anywhere close? Check. Heck, no one even in the photo? Check. Wearing a (completely worthless) mask? Check. Woman of color? Check. From the link

Men and women who worked out at least 30 minutes most days were about four times more likely to survive covid-19 than inactive people, according to an eye-opening study of exercise and coronavirus outcomes among almost 200,000 adults in Southern California.

Eye opening? To whom? We knew early on that people who were in better shape and got exercise were much less likely to get a bad case of Wuhan Flu or die. We knew it was mostly getting the infirm, people with pre-existing conditions, were in bad shape.

The study found that exercise, in almost any amount, reduced people’s risks for a severe coronavirus infection. Even people who worked out for as little as 11 minutes a week — yes, a week — experienced lower risks of hospitalization or death from covid than those who moved about less.

“It turns out exercise is even more powerful than we thought” at protecting people from severe covid, said Robert Sallis, a clinical professor at Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine in Los Angeles and senior author of the new study.

The findings add to mounting evidence that any amount of exercise helps lower the ferocity of coronavirus infections, a message with particular relevance now, as holiday travel and gatherings ramp up and covid cases continue to rise.

Science already offers copious support for the idea that regular, moderate exercise increases our immune response and generally helps us avoid respiratory infections or recover more rapidly if we do catch a bug. In a 2011 study, adults who worked out regularly were almost half as likely to develop colds or similar infections as inactive people and also about 40 percent less likely to report their illnesses as lingering.

Like with everything else through 2020, it was all based on “ZOMG, we have to Do Something!!!!!!! Everybody Panic!” rather than established science being applied to a novel coronavirus.

Read: Surprise: People Who Exercise Are At Much Lower Risk From COVID Death »

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Oregon To Ban Sale Of 100% Gas Powered Vehicles By 2035

By William Teach December 21, 2022 – 3:00 pm

The only difference between this and the other climate cult states and nations is that it appears as if hybrids will still be acceptable. For now

To combat climate change, Oregon bans sale of new, 100% gasoline-powered cars by 2035

Electric vehicleAll new cars sold in Oregon by 2035 must be considered zero-emissions vehicles.

On Monday, Oregon’s Environmental Quality Commission voted unanimously to adopt the Advanced Clean Cars II Rule, requiring auto manufacturers to begin producing and delivering a growing number of zero-emission vehicles to Oregon beginning in 2026, so that they make up 100% of new vehicles sold in the state by 2035.

Zero-emissions vehicles include cars that are fully powered by electric batteries and plug-in hybrids that run on both electricity and gasoline, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, which developed the rules and recommended the commission adopt them. The five governor-appointed commissioners are the rule-making authority for the Oregon Environmental Quality Department.

The zero-emission rule will not apply to used vehicles sold in the state. DEQ estimates that even with the requirement, about 50% of cars on Oregon’s roads in 2035 will still be gas powered. The rule requires manufacturers to produce more zero-emissions vehicles, but does not require Oregonians to buy them.

So, not even regular hybrids, just plugins (which are really, really stupid vehicles). Of course, the reporter for the Oregon Capital Chronicle fails to ask the members of the commission, which is totally unaccountable to the voting public, if they are driving these vehicles now. Same with asking the governor.

Read: Oregon To Ban Sale Of 100% Gas Powered Vehicles By 2035 »

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If All You See…

By William Teach December 21, 2022 – 1:00 pm

…is a Christmas tree which will soon disappear because the climate will be too warm, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Pacific Pundit, with a post on post on a British bakery renaming gingerbread men to “Non-binary gingerbread people.”

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Unhinged Democrats Vote To Release Trump’s Tax Returns

By William Teach December 21, 2022 – 10:30 am

Well, of course they did. They argued to the courts since 2019 that they just wanted to review them in committee, and even the Supreme Court was dumb enough to fall for that, seemingly not saying in their opinion that the House committee was the only one authorized to look at the tax returns

House Democrats Vote to Release Donald Trump’s Tax Returns

In an unprecedented move, Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday voted to release several years’ worth of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns.

The committee’s vote came after chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) started a lengthy court battle in 2019 to review Trump’s tax returns. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Trump’s request to block an appeals court order ruling that he turn over his tax returns and financial information to the committee, ABC News reported.

Members of the Ways and Means Committee met behind closed doors on Tuesday for more than three hours before ultimately voting along party lines, 24-16, to release Trump’s tax records.

They stated that they will do redactions *wink wink*. Trump’s spokesman Steve Cheung said

This unprecedented leak by lameduck Democrats is proof they are playing a political game they are losing. If they are so hell-bent on releasing President Trump’s tax returns—which show he built a very successful business and created numerous lucrative assets throughout his career—they should release the tax returns of Nancy Pelosi and her weirdo husband Paul to see how much dirty money they have made from selling out America and jeopardizing our national security. Alongside their insider trading and shady stock deals, Congress needs to legitimately investigate their self-enriching financial scams. If this injustice can happen to President Trump, it can happen to all Americans without cause.

This is simply about Trump Derangement Syndrome. About being malicious and petty

However, the top Republican on the committee, Kevin Brady (R-TX), warned about the potential consequences of the committee’s vote and said the committee has unleashed a “dangerous new political weapon” that “jeopardizes the privacy of every American.”

“Ways and Means Democrats are unleashing a dangerous new political weapon that reaches far beyond President Trump, and jeopardizes the privacy of every American,” Brady said in a statement before Tuesday’s vote.

Brady added:

Going forward, partisans in Congress have nearly unlimited power to target political enemies by obtaining and making public their private tax returns to embarrass and destroy them. This is not limited to public officials, but can target private citizens, business and labor leaders, and Supreme Court justices.

Democrats should remember that they set the precedent, and …..that elected Republicans do not have the fortitude to do the same. Really. They know this. We know this. We’d love if elected Republicans would fight fire with napalm, but, they won’t. If they had any cajones they’d fight to release the full tax returns of Pelosi and all the Democrats on the Ways and Means committee.

Read: Unhinged Democrats Vote To Release Trump’s Tax Returns »

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Santa Should Phase Out Coal For Naughty Kids Or Something

By William Teach December 21, 2022 – 7:00 am

First off, no kid actually gets coal in their stocking, and probably haven’t in 100 years. It’s just a saying. Second, climate cultists are just wacko, as is the media which actually writes these stories…but, then, without them I wouldn’t have posts

Why ‘Santa Should Phase Out Coal’ for Naughty Kids This Christmas

On Amazon, you can buy red velvet bags emblazoned with “you’ve been naughty” and stuffed with pieces of real coal. Coal has long symbolized the nadir of Christmas presents, a shameful “gift” for ill-behaved children. In my opinion, it’s kind of a messed-up concept. I’m not the only one who thinks so.

Most of the ones I’m seeing are fake. A few aren’t, and are clearly labeled as novelty items

Pediatrician Tamsin Holland Brown is co-author of an opinion piece published in The British Medical Journal on Monday calling for an end to coal as a Christmas punishment.

Holland Brown works for Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust in the UK. Her co-authors are her daughters Lilac and Marigold, who “contributed to the content, design and structure of this article, defining matters of importance to children.”

Do they have this problem in the UK still?

The paper offers compelling arguments for banishing coal from Christmas traditions. As a non-renewable fossil fuel, the use of coal is one of the culprits in our human-caused climate crisis. “It would be good for goodness’ sake if coal was left in the ground,” the paper says.

Meanwhile, if you can take it, here’s NBC “News” linking the coldest Christmas in 40 years to climate apocalypse.

Read: Santa Should Phase Out Coal For Naughty Kids Or Something »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 5 Comments | Trackback URL

California Sees Their Gun Law Modeled After Texas’ Abortion Law Shot Down By Judge

By William Teach December 21, 2022 – 6:45 am

If the pro-2nd Amendment groups were smart, they’d try to get a ballot initiative that restricts the type of firearms that employees of the state can carry. No “assault rifles”, no magazines above 10 rounds, safe secure, all sorts of this nonsense. This would definitely apply to all law enforcement who provide protection to elected officials and appointed officials

Judge strikes down California gun law modeled on Texas abortion measure

A federal judge has blocked a California gun law that emulated a controversial Texas abortion measure — and which was intended to provoke a court fight.

The injunction from Judge Roger Benitez sets California’s law, which enables private citizens to sue manufacturers of illegal guns, on a potential path to the U.S. Supreme Court. That could set up a test of both laws — an outcome that California Gov. Gavin Newsom has sought.

“I want to thank Judge Benitez. We have been saying all along that Texas’ anti-abortion law is outrageous. Judge Benitez just confirmed it is also unconstitutional,” Newsom said in a statement Monday. “The provision in California’s law that he struck down is a replica of what Texas did, and his explanation of why this part of SB 1327 unfairly blocks access to the courts applies equally to Texas’ SB 8.”

Oh, such a burn, Gavin. Different states, bub, and abortion doesn’t appear in the federal Constitution or the Texas Constitution. Guns do. Abortion does appear in California’s Constitution. Guns do not, but, the 2nd Amendment applies to all U.S. states and territories.

Benitez also underscored the ties between the two laws in his ruling, citing Newsom’s condemnations of the Texas measure that deputizes citizens to sue abortion providers as evidence that the California gun law is unconstitutional.

“‘It is cynical.’ ‘It is an abomination.’ ‘It is outrageous and objectionable.’ ‘There is no dispute that it raises serious constitutional questions,’” Benitez wrote at the start of his ruling, quoting Newsom on the Texas law as evidence that “by implication,” the same is true of California’s law.

Gavin achieved a nice little legal self-own, failing to note that Texas and California are two different states.

In striking down the assault weapons ban, Benitez compared AR-15 rifles to Swiss Army Knives — drawing a furious response from Newsom, who excoriated the judge as a “wholly-owned subsidiary of the gun lobby and the National Rifle Association.”

Yet, Gavin is protected by those same weapons, many of which are fully automatic and illegal for most citizens to own.

Read: California Sees Their Gun Law Modeled After Texas’ Abortion Law Shot Down By Judge »

Posted in 2nd Amendment, Democrats | 9 Comments | Trackback URL

People’s Republik Of NY Passes Sweeping ‘Climate Change’ Plan Or Something

By William Teach December 20, 2022 – 2:48 pm

Well, hey, a majority of you New Yorkers voted for this, so, suck it up. No complaining

New York passes sweeping plan to reduce emissions and ‘lead the way on solving climate change’

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is now empowered to enact a suite of climate policies that could drastically reduce emissions in the coming decades and place new mandates on individuals and businesses.

A climate plan approved Monday paves the way for New York to enact a “cap and invest” program similar to California’s long-established cap-and-trade system that would limit emissions and require polluters to purchase allowances to spew greenhouse gasses. It calls for electrifying nearly everything — from buildings to vehicles with a mix of mandates and incentives.

And she certainly won’t go well beyond what the law mandates, right?

But, she’s special, so, it’s OK

The Climate Action Council, which is dominated by administration officials, voted 19 to 3 to finalize the plan Monday with detailed recommendations of how to meet the state’s statutory mandate of cutting emissions 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2030 and 85 percent by 2050, with the remaining offset to reach net zero emissions.

The steep cuts will require electrifying millions of homes, businesses, trucks and cars, investing in energy efficiency improvements and successfully siting and building thousands of megawatts of new renewable energy projects.

Unanswered questions remain, however: how much will the transition cost a typical household; will the state Legislature embrace statutory measures required to make some components a reality; will Hochul embrace a price hike on gas and heating fuels and what electricity source will replace the gas power plants that currently dominate New York’s grid.

Answer: you know it will cost the typical NY household a lot, but, the Powers That Be will gaslight/refuse to acknowledge the costs. Yes, she will do things that raise the cost of gas and heating fuels. They can’t replace the gas power plants.

That includes implementing the “cap and invest” program — more commonly known as cap-and-trade — that would place a statewide limit on emissions, in line with achievement of the state’s statutory reductions and require fuel wholesalers and others to buy a declining number of allowances to emit. The limits would raise billions in revenue to fund various incentives, grants and investments also outlined in the plan.

Like the failed one in California?

New construction and major renovations will not be allowed to use fossil fuels in 2025 for smaller buildings and 2027 for larger buildings, based on the plan’s recommendations. That is expected to be implemented by the state’s codes council, although some environmental groups are pressing for a faster timeline and enshrining the requirements in state law to ensure they go forward.

So, in the more upstate areas they’ll have to rely on what when it’s cold and snow? I see a lot of wood burning heaters being installed, which means more trees getting cut down.

For transportation, it recommends lawmakers take steps to enact a revenue-neutral “feebate” program to increase the costs of buying gas cars and incentivize electric vehicle purchases; higher registration fees for higher emissions vehicles; a per-mile vehicle fee to accommodate the eventual reduction in revenue from the gas tax; and strengthen “smart growth” laws to avoid state funding that promotes sprawl.

So, artificially increasing the cost for the working and middle class? Great plan.

Read: People’s Republik Of NY Passes Sweeping ‘Climate Change’ Plan Or Something »

Posted in AGW Socialism, Democrats, Global Warming | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach December 20, 2022 – 1:00 pm

…are horrible cookies which make people fat which is bad for climate change, but, make sure you don’t engage in fatphobia, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Powerline, with a post on the 12 steps to serfdom.

Read: If All You See… »

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Supreme Court Temporarily Stops End Of Title 42

By William Teach December 20, 2022 – 10:30 am

The point of having to apply for asylum outside the U.S. really should remain in place permanently, rather than allowing them in when most will not qualify, but, it will take years to adjudicate, and a good chunk will simply disappear into the U.S.

Supreme court blocks Biden from lifting Covid-era border restrictions

The US supreme court on Monday said Covid-era restrictions at the US-Mexico border that were set to end on Wednesday should stay in place, at least temporarily, as a Republican legal challenge moves forward.

The development came just as the White House had been attempting to prepare for an increase in the number of migrant crossings, even as some border cities were struggling to cope with undocumented people arriving and being obliged to sleep on the streets in freezing weather, especially El Paso in west Texas in recent months.

John Roberts, the chief justice of the court, on Monday, at the request of Republican officials in 19 states, blocked the Biden administration from ending a pandemic-era policy of rapidly expelling most migrants apprehended or turning themselves in at the US-Mexico border .

The Republican officials led by the attorneys general in Arizona and Louisiana asked the supreme court to act after a federal appeals court on Friday declined to put on hold a judge’s ruling last month that invalidated an emergency order known as Title 42. The policy was set to expire Wednesday.

A group of Republican-led states sought to overturn last month’s ruling by intervening in a case originally brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of migrants denied entry under the Title 42 public health rule.

The supreme court gave the parties in the legal dispute until Tuesday at 5pm ET to respond.

This has given many of the pro-illegal alien activists a serious case of heartburn. Of course, a goodly chunk of them never have to actually deal with the fallout of their policies.

Title 42’s originally-stated aim was to slow the spread of Covid-19 and was issued in March 2020 under Donald Trump, the Republican former US president, which proved to be an effective anti-immigration tool in line with his swath of hardline policies.

And it helped.

The rule has ended up being kept it in place by the Biden administration, amid policy and legal wrangling in Washington, and despite the protests of pressure groups that Title 42 is not an appropriate health measure and has caused widespread humanitarian hardship along the border for migrants fleeing dangerous and desperate circumstances.

No reason Brandon couldn’t extend it, right?

Amid signals that the White House continues to prioritize a message of securing the border and reducing irregular immigration, Jean-Pierre noted that migrants entering unlawfully could still be removed via other means even if eventually Title 42 goes away.

But, the Brandon admin has not been using most of those tools. Deportations are way down.

Read: Supreme Court Temporarily Stops End Of Title 42 »

Posted in Illegal Immigration, Joe Biden | 10 Comments | Trackback URL

Your Fault: A Climate Crisis Weather Nightmare Before Christmas

By William Teach December 20, 2022 – 7:15 am

You were warned not too buy all those presents and to go vegan

The weather nightmare before Christmas

Tens of millions of Americans will find themselves recalibrating – and in some cases canceling – holiday plans over the next week, as an exceptionally intense Arctic front plows across most of the eastern two-thirds of the United States during the run-up to Christmas Day.

Below-freezing air will push to the Gulf Coast by Christmas weekend, with readings likely to dip below zero Fahrenheit from Oklahoma to Ohio late this week. On top of this, a “bomb” cyclone (one that deepens by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours) will race from the Central Plains to the Great Lakes on Friday and Saturday, December 23-24. Fierce winds and heavy snow are expected to produce widespread blizzard conditions and shut down transportation over portions of the Great Lakes and Midwest on one of the year’s busiest travel weekends.

Heavy rains and high winds will buffet the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast before the front arrives, most likely bringing a burst of cold and a quick shot of snow around Saturday (Christmas Eve).

Sounds like a good time to travel, eh?

Every weather event now plays out in an atmosphere affected by the addition of greenhouse gases from human activity (mainly the burning of fossil fuels). This doesn’t necessarily mean that every type of weather event will become more extreme or more frequent as a result of human-caused climate change. Like weather itself, the effects of climate change can be variegated, affecting some regions and some types of dangerous weather more than others. (snip)

One intriguing line of research emerged from a series of surprisingly intense winter storms in the U.S. and Europe, as well as a surprising drop in average winter temperatures over Siberia. A scientific debate has now raged for more than a decade on whether the amplified atmospheric warming and increased sea ice loss found over the Arctic might be leading to more-extreme winter weather events in midlatitudes, even if winters as a whole are trending less fearsome over the long term.

As laid out in a series of papers, the core thesis is that the warming Arctic could be making the polar jet stream — and the stratospheric polar vortex it encircles — more unstable and variable. In turn, this could foster vortex displacement events where the polar vortex splits in two, or stretches, thus pushing frigid surface air unusually far south into the midlatitudes. The splitting and stretching could also be influenced by reverberations as the jet stream interacts with enhanced snowfall and high pressure over Siberia during the autumn months.

Sigh.

Read: Your Fault: A Climate Crisis Weather Nightmare Before Christmas »

Posted in Christmas, Global Warming | 13 Comments | Trackback URL
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