text: President Ronald Reagan's public fight with the now defunct Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) redefined labor relations in the U.S. In February 1981, PATCO began negotiating for a new contract, which it hoped would reduce controllers' work week to 32 hours and include a $10,000 pay increase. When talks stalled in August, more than 11,000 air traffic controllers walked off the job. That really ticked President Reagan off. Calling the strike illegal because of a law that banned strikes by government unions and a "peril to national safety," Reagan demanded that controllers return to work or risk losing their jobs. But the striking workers did not concede, so almost all of them were fired and banned from ever working for the Federal Aviation Administration again. Several months later the union was decertified and controllers who had been hired in their place organized the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. While President Clinton later ended the hiring ban on PATCO strikers, the incident had a larger impact, according to an NPR report: before 1981 major strikes in the U.S. averaged about 300 a year; in 2006, that number was about 30.


text:
Santa Fe, New Mexico
One of the best burgers I've had in a long time was found in Santa Fe, New Mexico at Bobcat Bite. I found an article on-line "20 burgers you must try before you die" and Bobcat was rated number 12. Traci and I were in town for a conference and the Balloon Fiesta so we rented a car and headed to the Bobcat. We arrived on a cloudy cold day and as you can see the parking lot was full. As you step on the porch there is a dry erase board hanging next to the front door, that's the sign up sheet to get a table. You write your name on it, how many is in your party and have a seat on the front porch. The place is tiny, maybe 5 tables and then 6 or 7 seats along the bar. Our wait was about 1 hour but worth every minute freezing cold minute! Once inside the menu has several things on it besides burgers, but I was heading to the Green Chili Cheeseburger and nothing was getting in my way. Except the sides that were offered!
Green Chile............................................ .90
Home Fries............................................1.90
Potato Salad..........................................2.10
Pasta Salad (Summer Only)........................2.50
Cole Slaw..............................................1.90
Tossed Salad.........................................3.10
Salad Bowl (Includes Ham and Cheese).......7.50
Chile Bowl (Winter Only)..........................5.50
Grilled Onions....................................... 1.25
Chili Toreado (Grilled Jalapeño).................1.10
I hit the green chile, grilled onions, home fries and was flip flopping back and forth on the Grilled Jalapenos but figured I'd better not. About 20 minutes later, this was delivered to the table!!
I ate every scrap! I ordered mine medium and it was just a tad too pink for me, but still great flavor, juicy, and not too spicy from the green chile! We haven't hit any of the other 19 places on the list but hopefully someday we can see where Bobcat Bite is on our list of 20!!
Two things we asked the owner that I'm sure everyone that goes there asks:
1) Where did the name come from?
She said it was because bobcats would come out of the mountains every night and the cooks would throw them scraps. She said they still come down but not as often.
2) Why close at 7:50?
She said it was because during the World War II the country had a "lights out" at 8:00 p.m. and 7:50 gave them 10 minutes to close and turn out the lights.
If you are anywhere near Santa Fe we highly recommend it!!
Bobcat Bite
420 Old Las Vegas Highway
Santa Fe, NM 87505
(505) 983-5319

subset: commoncrawl


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I. Introduction to The Series:
Over the next few weeks, ClimateEthics will take a deeper look at what has been referred to as the "climate change disinformation campaign" through an ethical lens
This series is based upon the assumption that skepticism in science is essential to increase understanding of the natural world. Yet, ideologically based disinformation is often ethically abhorrent particularly in regard to behaviors about which there is credible scientific support for the conclusion that these activities threaten life and the ecological systems on which life depend. This report focuses on specific tactics that have been deployed in the climate change disinformation campaign. It is not a critique of responsible skepticism.
Although ClimateEthics has examined these issues briefly before, see: An Ethical Analysis of the Climate Change Disinformation Campaign: Is This A New Kind of Assault on Humanity?, this is the first in a series of posts that will examine this phenomenon in depth.
The climate disinformation campaign can be understood as a movement of organizations and individuals that can be counted on to systematically attack mainstream climate change science in ways that radically depart from responsible scientific skepticism. In the next entry in this series we will look more closely at what we mean by a "campaign" or "movement."
Later entries in this series will look in more detail at specific tactics used by the disinformation movement. Because skepticism in science should be encouraged rather than vilified, the last entry in this series will make recommendations about norms that should guide responsible skepticism in climate science.
The tactics that will be examined in this series include:
• Lying Or Reckless Disregard For the Truth
• Focusing On Unknowns While Ignoring The Knowns.
• Specious Claims Of "Bad" Science
• Creation of Front Groups
• Manufacturing Bogus Climate Science
• Think Tank Campaigns
• Misleading PR Campaigns.
• Creation of Astroturf Groups
• Cyber-bullying Scientists and Journalists
The series will demonstrate that the controversy over climate change science that has unfolded in the last twenty years is a strong example of the urgent need to create new societal norms about how to deal with scientific uncertainty for human problems about which there is a justifiable scientific basis for great concern about potential impacts but uncertainty about the magnitude and timing of these impacts.
The philosopher Hans Jonas argued that scientific uncertainty about the consequences of technologies that have great potential for good and harm create new, profound ethical challenges for the human race. (Jonas, 1979). This is so because although humans are now capable of engaging in technologically mediated behavior that may create great harm as well as good, traditional ethical reasoning relied upon through the course of recent civilization is not up to the challenges of dealing with scientific uncertainties about impacts of these new technologies. Because of the magnitude and power of new technologies, the complexity of ecological systems affected by these technologies, and the scope of the kinds of impacts that may be caused by these technologies, humans are faced with new challenge to ethical reasoning.
In light of the fact that accurate predictions may not be made about whether great harms will be caused by these new technologies, Jonas claimed that the ethics of dealing with scientific uncertainty may be the most pressing ethical problem facing the human race.
Because there is a lot at stake from the new technologies, but uncertainties about the nature of the harms that could take decades to be resolved if they can be resolved at all, ethical reasoning is deeply challenged. Because of this, Jonas argued that ethics requires that humans must apply a "heuristics of fear" to their deliberations about whether they should deploy new potentially harmful technologies about which there is reasonable scientific basis for concern. That is, decision-makers should assume the harms will occur if there is a scientific basis for concern that significant harms could occur. Jonas claimed that in such situations, precaution is both ethically mandated and may be necessary for human survival. Furthermore, precaution in these situations requires that those who propose dangerous activities assume the burden of proof to show that the activities are safe. This is especially true for human behaviors that could create catastrophic harms.
When burdens of proof should shift is a complex ethical question but without doubt an ethical question at its core, not a "value-neutral" scientific matter alone. To determine when burdens should shift, ethics would require that other questions be examined such as who may be harmed, have they consented to be put at risk, what is at stake, will waiting to resolve the uncertainties make the problem much worse, who wants to use uncertainty as an excuse for continuing dangerous behavior, what is the probability that great harms could be triggered by the behavior in question, and other questions.
Climate change is an extraordinary example of the kind of problem that Jonas was worried about. That is so because it is a problem about which there will always be some uncertainty about the precise impacts from human-induced warming, yet these impacts are potentially catastrophic particularly for tens of millions of current people and innumerable members of future generations. Therefore great care must be taken in considering uncertainty about climate change. That is, climate change is a problem about which some facts are uncertain (although as we shall see, there is a strong scientific consensus about many aspects of this problem), yet the stakes are extraordinarily high. Therefore, ethics requires enormous care in discussing and considering uncertainties in these situations.
If Jonas is right, great care is called for in regard to how scientific uncertainty about climate change impacts is considered, discussed, and identified. Jonas foresaw the ethical challenges entailed by decision-making in the face of uncertainty for a problem like climate change but perhaps underestimated how economic interests aligned with the technologies threatening humanity would distort public discussion of the potential harms created by human activities.
This series will both review the climate change disinformation campaign in light of these concerns and make recommendations about what should be expected from scientific skepticism in light of the issues of concern to Jonas. The series will further argue, in light of the tactics of the disinformation campaign, that deeper societal reflection about the norms that should guide public discussions of scientific uncertainty is urgently needed.
II. Climate Science and Uncertainty
Climate change must be understood to be at its core an ethical problem because : (a) it is a problem caused by some people in one part of the world who are threatening poor people who are often far away in time and space, (b) the harms to these victims are potentially catastrophic, and (c) the victims can't protect themselves by petitioning their governments who have no jurisdiction over those causing the problem. The victims must hope that those causing the problem will see that their ethical duties to the vulnerable require them to lower their greenhouse gas emissions.
Because climate change is an ethical problem, those causing the problem may not use self-interest alone as justification for policy responses; they must fulfill responsibilities, obligations and duties to others. Because climate change is a moral problem, those who are putting others at risk through no fault of their own have a special duty to be precautious about scientific uncertainty. If anything, the need for care in considering harms from powerful technology recognized by Jonas is even more salient in the case of a problem like climate change because it is a problem that is caused by some that are putting others at great risk.that have not consented to be threatened.
This series should not be construed to discourage scientific skepticism. Skepticism is both the oxygen and catalyst of science. Climate science continues to need skeptical approaches to current understandings of how human activities may affect the climate to help scientists understand what we don't know about human impacts on the climate system.
However, a review of the tactics used by the scientific disinformation campaign will reveal that these tactics can't be construed as the application of reasonable scientific skepticism, but, as we shall see, often constitute malicious, morally reprehensible disinformation. Yet these tactics provide important lessons about norms that should guide reasonable skepticism.
This series should also not be interpreted to discourage free speech. Some people that have echoed the misinformation on climate science produced by others are simply repeating what others have said. Yet free speech is morally reprehensible if it deceives people about vitally important matters. For instance, it would be morally reprehensible to tell a child laying on a railroad track that no train was coming if the person telling the child did not have strong evidence for the claim that no train was actually coming. For this reason, a case can be made that despite free speech, all public claims about climate change should be made carefully. Although all people are free to state their views on the dangers of climate change, if they are claiming that they are experts to convince a wider public about what climate science entails, they have a special duty to be very careful about their claims.
Now it is undoubtedly true that a few that have argued in support of climate change policies have exaggerated what the consensus science is saying about likely impacts of human activities that release greenhouse gases. A notable example of this was a movie, "The Day After Tomorrow," that depicted extremely rapid climate change at rates far faster than would be supported any reasonable scientific speculation. Yet, the disinformation campaign discussed in this series is not simply attacking hyperbole on the part of those that support climate change policies, it is attacking the consensus view that has been based, as we shall see, upon peer-reviewed science, not on the hyperbole of climate change policy proponents. That is, this series examines the tactics of the disinformation campaign in relation to the conclusions of mainstream science that has largely been established through the process of peer-review. However, we are not claiming that peer-reviewed science is the final word on any scientific issue, only that peer-review is the scientific process that has been established to prevent unsupportable scientific claims. Those who believe that the peer-reviewed literature on any scientific subject is untrustworthy. must themselves subject their claims to peer-review particularly in the case of a problem like climate change, a matter about which the stakes are extraordinarily high and great care about uncertainty claims is ethically warranted.
We note that peer review of the consensus view has found a few problems with the IPCC statements about climate change impacts and is likely to do so in the future. Yet these problems have been few in number and to be expected in any report as voluminous as the IPCC reports. Nor have these mistakes affected the conclusions reached by IPCC in any major way.
Although one can find hyperbolic claims about climate change from those who support climate change policies, however, the consensus view does assume that human-induced climate change could be very catastrophic for some people and places if not most of the world. This is not hyperbole, it is where the mainstream science points as potential consequences of business-as-usual. Yet, to say that catastrophic consequences are possible is not to claim they are absolutely certain. All reasonable climate scientists will admit that there may be negative feedbacks in the climate system that we don't understand. Yet the mainstream scientists claim that these negative feedbacks are increasingly unlikely. These worries about potential catastrophic impacts are not hyperbolic, however, just because they are not proven. In fact, as we shall see, ethics actually requires people to act responsibly once it becomes evident that their actions could cause great harm. As a matter of ethics, responsibility does not start only when it is proven that behavior will cause great harm. For instance, laws of reckless endangerment that have been enacted around the world make dangerous behavior criminal. Defendants in reckless endangerment cases may not defend themselves on the grounds that the prosecution did not prove that their behavior would cause harm, the prosecution need only prove that the behavior could cause serious harm. That is potential harm is relevant to ethical considerations.
To understand the full moral unacceptability of the disinformation campaign, one must know something about the state of climate science. There is a "consensus" view on climate science that has been articulated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (IPCC, 2010a)
The IPCC was established by World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in 1988 to assess for governments the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant for the understanding of climate change, an identify its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. (IPCC, 2010a) IPCC does not do original research but synthesizes and summarizes the extant peer-reviewed climate change science to make recommendations for governments and policy makers. (IPCC, 2010a)
Any government that is a member of the WHO or UNEP may be a member of IPCC. Currently 194 countries are members of the IPCC (IPCC, 2011). The coordinating work of the IPCC is the IPCC general assembly, where every member country has one vote. The IPCCs summary for policy makers requires unanimous agreement. Governments that have often opposed international action on climate change on scientific grounds because of economic concerns including the United States and Saudi Arabia, not to mention China and India who have been afraid that climate change policies could prevent their governments from lifting their poor out of poverty have the same power as governments that have traditionally strongly supported international action on climate change. Governments supporting international action on cliamte change include those in the European Union and many of the small island developing states including the Tuvalu, Kiribati, and the Maldives. Given that the IPCC's reports must be unanimously approved by all member countries, including representatives of countries that have for most of the history of international climate change negotiations opposed establishing international enforceable climate change regimes, one can conclude that there is broad consensus about IPCC's scientific conclusions among all nations around the world. In light of the consensus process, it is not credible to conclude that IPCC's conclusions are biased to overstating the risks of climate change. In addition, IPCC ties its conclusions to peer-reviewed evidence in thousands of foot-notes in their reports.
The first IPCC assessment report was published in 1990; the second in 1996; the third in 2001; and the fourth in 2007. Each IPCC report drew conclusions linking human activities to observable warming with increasing levels of certainty. (IPCC, 2010a) The IPCC shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President of the United States Al Gore.
The Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) was completed in early 2007. Like previous reports, this assessment consisted of four reports, three of them from each of its working groups. Working Group I assesses the physical science basis for climate change. Working Group II examines climate change impacts. Working Group III assesses options for mitigating climate change through limiting greenhouse gas emissions or enhancing activities that remove carbon from the atmosphere. (IPCC, 2010b) In addition to the reports of these three Working Groups, AR4 also included a Synthesis Report. (IPCC, 2010c)
The Working Group I Summary for Policymakers in AR4 concluded that human actions were causing dangerous climate change with higher levels of certainty than in previous reports. Its key conclusions were that:
• Warming of the climate system is unequivocal.
• Most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increases in anthropogenic (human) emissions greenhouse gas concentrations.
• Anthropogenic warming and sea level rise will continue for centuries due to the timescales associated with climate processes and feedbacks, even if greenhouse gas atmospheric concentrations are stabilized, although the likely amount of temperature and sea level rise varies greatly depending on the fossil intensity of human activity during the next century.
• The probability that this is caused by natural climatic processes alone is less than 5%.
• World temperatures could rise by between 1.1 and 6.4 °C (2.0 and 11.5 °F) during the 21st century. As a result:
o Sea levels will probably rise by 18 to 59 cm (7.08 to 23.22 in.) during the 21st century.
o There is a confidence level greater than 90% that there will be more frequent warm spells, heat waves and heavy rainfall.
o There is a confidence level greater than 66% that there will be an increase in droughts, tropical cyclones and extreme high tides.
• Both past and future anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions will continue to contribute to warming and sea level rise for more than a millennium.
• Global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide have increased markedly as a result of human activities since 1750 and now far exceed pre-industrial values over the past 650,000 years.
(IPCC 2007: Summary for Policy Makers)
Throughout this series we will refer to these IPCC conclusions about climate change as the "consensus" view because, as we will see, this view has been supported by almost all scientific organizations with expertise in relevant climate change science issues and most scientists that actually do climate change research.
By the early 1990s, a "consensus" had developed in the scientific community that warming had occurred and that humans were at least partially responsible. (Edwards 2007:6)
Yet, criticisms of IPCC's conclusions have been frequently made by skeptical scientists, some of whom are affiliated with conservative think tanks, while others are scientists playing the appropriate role of a scientific skeptic, a role necessary for science to advance, that is producing peer-reviewed scientific papers that challenge conventional scientific wisdom.
Skeptical claims about the consensus view are of many types and range from claims that IPCC is overestimating adverse climate change impacts to assertions that there is no evidence that observed warming is attributable to human actions. Some of the ideological climate change deniers discussed later in this series have argued that the entire body of science supporting the consensus view is a hoax.
Recent reports have concluded that the vast majority of scientists actually doing research in the field support the consensus scientific view. For example, a 2009 study–published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States–polled 1,372 climate researchers and resulted in the following two conclusions.
(i) 97-98% of the climate researchers most actively publishing in the field support the tenets of ACC (Anthropogenic Climate Change) outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and
(ii) The relative climate expertise and scientific prominence of the researchers unconvinced of ACC are substantially below that of the convinced researchers.
(Anderegga et. al 2010)
Another poll performed in 2009 of 3,146 of known 10,257 Earth scientists concluded that 76 out of 79 climatologists who "listed climate science as their area of expertise and who also have published more than 50% of their recent peer-reviewed papers on the subject of climate change" believe that mean global temperatures have risen compared to pre-1800s levels, and 75 out of 77 believe that human activity is a significant factor in changing mean global temperatures. (Doran and Zimmerman, 2009)
In response to arguments from some climate change skeptics, many scientific organizations with expertise relevant to climate change have endorsed the consensus position that "most of the global warming in recent decades can be attributed to human activities" including the following:
• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• American Astronomical Society
• American Chemical Society
• American Geophysical Union
• American Institute of Physics
• American Meteorological Society
• American Physical Society
• Australian Coral Reef Society
• Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society
• Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO
• British Antarctic Survey
• Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences
• Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society
• Environmental Protection Agency
• European Federation of Geologists
• European Geosciences Union
• European Physical Society
• Federation of American Scientists
• Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies
• Geological Society of America
• Geological Society of Australia
• International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA)
• International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics
• National Center for Atmospheric Research
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Royal Meteorological Society
• Royal Society of the UK
(Skeptical Science, 2010)
The Academies of Science from nineteen different countries all endorse the consensus view. Eleven countries have signed a joint statement endorsing the consensus position.
They are:
• Academia Brasiliera de Ciencias (Brazil)
• Royal Society of Canada
• Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Academie des Sciences (France)
• Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina (Germany)
• Indian National Science Academy
• Accademia dei Lincei (Italy)
• Science Council of Japan
• Russian Academy of Sciences
• Royal Society (United Kingdom)
• National Academy of Sciences (USA):
(Skeptical Science, 2010):
From this it can be seen that the consensus view articulated by IPCC is strongly supported by the vast majority of climate change scientists that actually do research on human-induced climate change and organizations comprised of scientists with relevant climate change expertise. For this reason, the IPCC consensus position is entitled to strong respect that, at the very minimum, climate change poses a legitimate significant threat to human well-being and the natural resources on which life depends.
In fact, some critics have contended that the IPCC reports tend to underestimate climate change dangers and risks because the process that leads to the IPCC conclusions give representatives from countries that have consistently opposed the adoption of international climate regimes power to pressure the IPCC scientists to report only the lowest common denominator. (For a discussion of the limits of IPCC, see, Brown, 2008) In fact observations of actual greenhouse gas atmospheric concentrations, temperatures, and sea level rise are near or exceeding IPCC worst-case predictions. One recent comparison of greenhouse gas concentrations, temperatures, and sea-level rise observations versus predictions concluded:
Overall, these observational data underscore the concerns about global climate change. Previous projections, as summarized by IPCC, have not exaggerated but may in some respects even have underestimated the climate changes that have been observed.
(Rahmstorf et al., 2007)
It is important as a mater of ethics to remember that if the consensus view is wrong, it could be wrong in two directions. That is, not only could IPCC be overstating the magnitude and timing of climate change in the future, they may be understating the harshness of climate change harms..
However, even if one concludes that there is a strong scientific basis for the mainstream scientific conclusion that human-induced climate change is a great threat to people around the world and the ecological systems on which they depend, this does not mean that responsible scientific skepticism may not play an important role in climate change science in the future. Yet, as we shall see, much of the ideological climate disinformation that has been prominent in the climate change debate in the United States and a few other developed countries is sometimes deeply ethically abhorrent.
This consensus is not a consensus on all scientific issues in climate science; it is a consensus about the fact that the planet is warming, that this warming is largely human caused, and that under business-as-usual we are headed to potentially catastrophic impacts for humans and the natural resources on which life depends.
Furthermore, these harms are likely to be most harshly experienced by many of the Earth's poorest people.
Mainstream climate science openly acknowledges uncertainties that could affect the warming response of the global climate system to increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases. As Hulme notes:
Some uncertainty originates from incomplete understanding of how the physical climate works-the effect of atmospheric aerosols on clouds, for example, or the role of deep oceans in altering surplus heat exchange. Some of these uncertainties can be reduced over tie, or at least quantified formally. Other sources of uncertainty emerge from the innate unpredictability of large, complex, chaotic systems such as the global atmosphere and oceans. (Holme, 2009 :83)
In fact all uncertainties about the impacts of human activities on the climate system will likely never completely be resolved. This is so because, the climate system is comprised of many interlocking systems including the atmosphere, the oceans, the cryosphere (ice and snow), the land surface (soil and reflecting substances), and the biosphere (ecosystems, agriculture, forests, etc). (Edwards, xv) It is also a chaotic system which means that small changes in inputs can create large system responses as thresholds are exceeded that create non-linear responses. It is very unlikely that humans will ever be able to eliminate all uncertainties that have confounded accurate climate system predictions. Yet the scientific basis for concluding that humans are affecting the climate system in a way that could cause harsh consequences for tens of millions of people is a matter about which a strong scientific consensus has emerged.
The next entry in this series will examine several specific tactics of the climate change disinformation campaign though an ethical lens after discussing the nature of the disinformation movement. The third in the series will examine other tactics of that have been deployed to undermine mainstream science. The last entry will make recommendations for responsible climate science skepticism in light of what was discussed earlier in the series and with full recognition that skepticism should be encouraged provided it plays by the rules of science.
Donald A. Brown
Associate Professor,
Environmental Ethics, Science and Law
Penn State University
Agrarwala, Shardul and Stiener Anderson, 1999, Indispensability and Indefensibility?:The United States In Climate Treaty Negotiations. " 2w Governance 5, December 1999).
Brown, Donald, 2008, Ethical Issues Raised by the Work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): Report On The Bali Workshop (COP-13). Climate Ethics. http://rockblogs.psu.edu/climate/2008/02/report-on-the-workshop-at-the-13th-conference-of-the-parties-of-the-united-nations-framework-convention-on-climate-change.html
Doran, Peter T.; Maggie Kendall Zimmerman, 2009. Examining the Scientific Consensus on Climate Change, EOS 90 (3): 22-23
Edwards, Paul, 2006, A Vast Machine: Computer Models, Climate Data, and The Politics of Global Warming, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.
Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC), 2007, IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007, Working Group I, Summary for Policy Makers,
Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC), 2010a, History,
Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC), 2010c,
Jonas. H. 1979, Imperative of Responsibility, In Search for Ethics In A Technological Age, University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Rahmstorfl Stepen, Anny Cazenave, John A. Church, James E. Hansen,Ralph F. Keeling, David E. Parker, Richard C. J. Somervilles, 2007, Recent Climate Observations Compared to Projections, Science, Vol 316 , May 2007
Skeptical Science, 2010, What the Science Says: shttp://www.skepticalscience.com/global-warming-scientific-consensus-intermediate.htm (retrieved, Jan 3, 2011)


text:
Boulder, CO – Ashley Bruner and Ieasia Walker each scored 15 points as the fourth-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks rolled into the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 74-52 win over the 13th-seeded South Dakota State Jackrabbits at Coors Events Center.
Bruner also brought down 11 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season for South Carolina (25-7) which will take on 12th-seed Kansas in the round of 32 after the Wildcats took out fifth-seeded Colorado, 67-52. The Gamecocks also got 13 points off the bench from Elem Ibian and 11 points from Tiffany Mitchell.
Ashley Eide finished with 15 points as the only double-figure scorer for South Dakota State (25-8).
At the end of the first half South Carolina led 44-26 after shooting a sizzling 60.7 percent from the field while forcing 10 turnovers from the Jackrabbits.
After the break the Gamecocks cooled to 33.3 percent shooting but it was enough to hold off the Jackrabbits who recorded just nine field goals on 32.1 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes.
In addition to their 40-28 edge on the boards, the Gamecocks also outscored the Jackrabbits, 42-22, in the paint. South Dakota State scored 25 points off turnovers in the losing effort.


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Starting today, Japanese designer Yuri Suzuki will be soliciting help from visitors to the Platform21 show in Amsterdam to develop a working Rube Goldberg breakfast machine.
Apparently, the machine will utilize recycled Platform21 projects to complete tasks like "frying eggs, juicing oranges, brewing coffee, making toast, and serving it all on a plate with jam, meat and cheese." With each passing day, the machine will evolve and take on new tasks—adding dishes to the breakfast menu. Sounds delicious, but will it be able to compete with Pee Wee's technology?
[Platform21 via Designboom]


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Oh, I know what you're thinking. Ramen? Dried ramen!?! That's not cooking! That's 30¢, broke-as-a-joke, college dorm food that insults dedicated ramen chefs making it fresh in Kyoto every day.
Hey! Stick with me here. I wanna go to Hokkaido for the fresh ramen as much as the next gal but even dried American ramen is better than no ramen.
Would you believe that I'd never had ramen until my husband, Michael Thompson, introduced me to it last year!? Yes, at the ripe old age of thirty-eight, I fell madly in love with Maruchan Ramen. It became my default, never-let-me-down comfort food for a quick breakfast, lunch, supper or a midnight snack.
But...something was missing. Even with the Oriental flavor packet, it hinted at greater things and I was determined that our ramen would be not just a quick, easy and cheap meal, but delicious, nutritious and satisfying as well.
Do you enjoy this blog?


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Gmail edges Hotmail as world's top e-mail service
No more disputes over which service is No. 1. ComScore says Google's Gmail has taken the global lead over Microsoft's Hotmail.
Google's Gmail is top dog in e-mail, according to ComScore, which tracks Web site traffic.
In data for October released by ComScore, Gmail saw 287.9 million unique worldwide visitors during the period, edging out Microsoft's Hotmail, which finished with 286.2 million unique visitors. The findings were first reported by GigaOm.
In third place was Yahoo, the once mighty e-mail power, with 281.7 million, according to ComScore. Yahoo, however, holds a comfortable lead in the United States with 76.7 million, compared to second-place Gmail with 69.1 million and third-place Hotmail with 35.5 million.
The data appears to end any dispute about Gmail's dominance in the global market. Last summer, Google claimed to be the largest based on its own internal numbers but the company's assertion wasn't backed up by third-party data.
Services and Software Guides
Streaming Services
Web Hosting & Websites
Other Services & Software


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Windows Live Mail - SMTP Authentication Configuration for Mail Relay Outboud Service
To assist our users in using our Mail Relay Outgoing service, this document describe the procedures on how to configure Windows Live Mail - SMTP Authentication Configuration to work with the service at DnsExit.com.
1. Open Windows Live Mail
2. From the Tools menu select Accounts...
3. In the Internet Accounts window, highlight the your e-mail account and select Properties
4. In the new window select the Servers tab change Outgoing mail (SMTP) to relay.dnsexit.com and check My server requires authentication
5. Click on Settings button to bring up Outgoing Mail Server Accout setup window. Check on Log on using and enter your account login name and password. Check the Remember password so thay you won't be asked for login repeatly. The Log on using Secure Password Authentication is optional but suggested.
6. Under the step 4 window, select the Advanced tab and make
the following changes:
• Under Outgoing server (SMTP) enter Server Port Number value to 25, 26, or 940. If your ISP does not block port 25, you should better use 25. Be sure to leave This server requires a secure connection (SSL) unchecked.
6. Click OK
7. Click Close and the e-mail should be set-up.


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This two-story slab-on-grade enclosure is designed for Atlanta, GA (Mixed-Humid Climate). It features a vented attic with a raised heel truss and cavity insulation at the attic floor, and asphalt shingles. The 2x6 advanced wood frame walls are insulated with cavity insulation and feature a fiber cement cladding. The rim joist is insulated with rigid foam blocking or spray foam and cavity insulation on the interior. The slab is left uninsulated with the slab edge insulated and finished on the exterior with 1" rigid insulation and fiber cement cover board.
Enclosure Design
Construction Recommendations
- Foundation: Slab-on-grade
- Above Grade Wall: Wood frame
- Cladding: Fibercement siding
- Attic: Vented
- Roof: Asphalt shingles
Building Science Notes
Ducts in conditioned space - This building profile is designed to accommodate HVAC equipment and ducts in the living space, with the equipment typically in an interior closet. HVAC ducts should not be run in exterior walls or the slab, locations that increase the potential for condensation and consequential air quality problems.
Air sealing details at transitions – Air sealing can be particularly difficult, but no less important, at assembly transitions such as band joists and between attached garages and living spaces. These are discussed below because they have proven to be a consistent challenge for builders.
Figure 8
Band joists – Continuity of an exterior air barrier can be maintained at the band joist with sealed or taped housewrap or rigid foam insulation. Continuity of an interior air barrier can be maintained through a combination of cut foam blocks and sealant/caulk, rigid draftstopping material (wood blocking) and sealant/caulk, or spray foam. Note that neither cellulose nor fiberglass (batt or blown) can be used for the air barrier. The air barrier detail on second-story band joists is important because it is inaccessible (covered by structural/finish floor and ceiling finish) after construction. The air barrier/thermal barrier detail is important on ground floor band joists because of the thermal bridge that can occur at the top of basement and crawlspace foundation walls (as the result of the air barrier and thermal barrier moving from the outside to the inside of the building enclosure and termite inspection zones located at the top of basement and crawlspace foundation walls). Note that while fiberglass batts fulfill the requirement for protection from ignition in the open band joists, fiberglass batt material by itself cannot maintain the air barrier.
Attached garages – The building enclosure surfaces shared between conditioned space and an unconditioned garage must have a continuous air barrier. See Figure 8 for details in terms of using sealants and rigid insulation to create a continuous air barrier between the attached garage and living space. For more details see Air Sealing / Air Drywall Approach Details.
Drying mechanisms – In any climate, vapor control is based on the relationships among the following: the permeability of wall components, the type of cladding (reservoir or non-reservoir), the presence/lack/nature of an air space, and the magnitude/duration of the vapor drive (based on the relationship between the exterior and interior moisture content and temperature differences). This is not always possible when rigid exterior insulating sheathings (with low vapor permeability) are used; drying must take place primarily to the interior (the majority of drying occurring during the summer months).
In Mixed-Humid climates, roof and wall assemblies are best designed to dry to both the exterior and interior. This is not always possible when rigid exterior insulating sheathings are used due to their low vapor permeability. With insulating sheathings only inward drying is possible. Accordingly, the majority of drying occurs to the interior during the summer months. Therefore, interior vapor barriers should not be installed. Note that there is a difference between an interior vapor barrier and an interior vapor retarder (see "Insulations, Sheathings, and Vapor Diffusion Retarders"). Since the interior finish is more vapor permeable than the exterior sheathing, this assembly has greater drying potential to the interior (more cooling season drying potential) than to the exterior (less heating season drying potential). See Material Compatibility and Substitutions.
Drainage plane, air barrier, vapor control – The drainage plane runs along the exterior surface of the foam sheathing. All vertical joints must be shiplapped, flashed, or sealed; all horizontal joints must be sealed or taped.
This building profile has a continuous air barrier on the interior (Airtight Drywall Approach on ceiling and walls; see Air Sealing / Air Drywall Approach Details) and on the exterior walls (the sealed rigid insulation).
In Mixed climates, wall and roof assemblies can be designed to dry primarily to the exterior (during the heating season), to the interior (during the cooling season) or in both directions. This last, the bi-directional drying potential, is generally the preferred approach. For more detailed discussion of the three approaches, see the discussion of wall and roof design in the Builder's Guides.
Rough opening flashing – Flashing must be installed at the plane of the XPS rigid insulation for drainage plane continuity. See Figure 9 and the Water Management Guide for sequential flashing details.
Figure 9
Advanced framing – This wall assembly replaces structural sheathing with cross bracing or some alternative for shear resistance. Thermal performance and reduced drywall cracking are additional benefits of a comprehensive approach to advanced. See Advanced Framing for details.
Framing on slabs – Installing a capillary break between the sill plate and a concrete slab on all walls—exterior, interior, partition—is good practice. A closed cell foam sill sealer or gasket works well. Alternatively, a strip of sheet polyethylene can be used. This isolates the framing from any source of moisture that may be either in or on the concrete slab (and using sill sealer on all walls maintains wall height exactly the same).
Soil gas ventilation – The sub-slab to roof vent system handles conditions that are difficult if not impossible to assess prior to completion of the structure—resultant confined concentrations of air-borne radon, soil treatments (termiticides, pesticides) methane, etc. The cost of this "ounce" of prevention is well balanced against the cost of the "pound" of cure.
Sub-slab stone bed - The four-inch deep, 3/4-inch stone bed functions as a granular capillary break, a drainage pad, and a sub-slab air pressure field extender for the soil gas ventilation system. Without it, a soil gas ventilation system is not practically possible and the only capillary break between the slab and ground is the polyethylene vapor barrier.
Thermal barrier – Cavity-warming exterior rigid insulation is important in this climate where the average monthly temperature for the coldest month of the year goes below 45°F (see Unvented Roofs for more information). The rule of thumb that BSC uses is 1/4-inch of rigid insulation per 1,000 heating degree days (HDD); one inch of rigid insulation works well for this climate. In this climate, the heat loss through the slab perimeter is significant enough to warrant insulation. Note that the insulation system must comply with local codes for protection against insects, particularly termites.
Climate Specific Details
Vented attic – Soffit and ridge vents provide more effective attic ventilation than gable-end vents. Gable exhaust fans do not provide effective attic ventilation. They are generally temperature-controlled, when relative humidity is often the condition that requires higher ventilation rates. This can also depressurize the house causing loss of conditioned air. Generally, the area of the gable and soffit vents, combined with the leakage of the attic ceiling, is such that the fan pulls air not just from the exterior vent but from the conditioned space below.
Mechanical systems
- Heating and Cooling – Recommend sealed combustion 90+ condensing gas furnace or air-source heat pump, Energy Star-rated or better (HSPF ≥ 8.0). See Energy Star Air-Source Heat Pumps. Follow appropriate sizing procedures. See the Cooling System Sizing Procedures for more detailed information.
- Ducting - Single return requires transfer grilles to provide path and avoid pressurizing bedrooms as shown in Figures 10a-d.
Figure 10a-d
Mechanical ventilation
- Intermittent central-fan-integrated supply, designed to ASHRAE 62.2 rate, with fan cycling control set to operate the central air handler as much as 33% of the time, but not less than 25% of the time, occurring within at least every three hours to provide ventilation air distribution and whole-house averaging of air quality and comfort conditions ($125 to $150). Optionally include a normally closed motorized damper in the outside air duct with the AirCycler® FRV control (+$50 to $60). Optional dehumidification separate from cooling (+$300 to $350). See Figures 11, 12 and 13.
Supplemental dehumidification - Although high performance homes in this climate rarely require supplemental dehumidification, it is:
… one of three strategies appropriate for conditioned crawlspaces (see Building Science Notes),
… may be desired in homes with full basement foundations, and,
… is strongly recommended when occupants require humidity control (and high-efficiency air filtration) for asthma trigger control.
There are a number of different ways to accomplish supplemental dehumidification with varying costs and performance advantages (for a detailed discussion of supplemental dehumidification see Conditioning Air). Described below is one low-cost yet effective approach and one more costly but higher performance/systems-engineered approach:
1. Ducted stand-alone dehumidifier: This system is a "site-constructed" one consisting of an off-the-shelf standard dehumidifier ducted in the attic and controlled by a dehumidistat located in the living space. This arrangement of individual components has proven to be an effective and economical system for the production home building setting. The installed cost ranges from approximately $350 to $550. The system is comprised of a GE dehumidifier model AHG40FCG1 (dehumidifier located in attic in an insulated enclosure and ducted to living space), Honeywell dehumidistat model H8808C located in living space, and Honeywell switching relay (with transformer) model RA89A 1074. See Figure 13a. The selection of the dehumidifier is based largely on the fact that it has a blower wheel rather than paddle fan that moves air more efficiently in its ducted box configuration.
Note: The following manufacturers make Energy Star-qualified blower wheel stand-alone dehumidifiers:
- LG Electronics (all models):
- Haier America (all models):
- Heat Controller (all BHD models use a turbo-impeller with turned blades):
- Or you can check the EPA Energy Star website for dehumidifiers from these manufacturers
2. Aprilaire 1700: This is a truly engineered, coherently manufactured, supplemental dehumidification system with built-in air filtration, ducted design, and a controls package that integrates central blower cycling for distribution, dehumidification and intermittent introduction of outside air ventilation. The system is also designed for flexibility-it can be connected to the conditioned space directly or to the central air distribution system in a number of configurations. It's also compact and lightweight enough to be set on or hung from most framing. The product cost for this system is currently about $1,100. For more information, see: http://aprilaire.com.
For more information on other high performance supplemental dehumidification systems, see: http://www.thermastor.com.
Termite management – Termites are best managed with a three-pronged approach that deals with the three things termites need—cover from sunlight, moisture, and food (wood or paper):
- Reduced cover – Keep plantings 3 feet away from the building perimeter, thin the ground cover (wood mulch or pea stone) to no more than two inches depth for the first 18 inches around the building, and maintain any termite inspection zone on the foundation.
- Control moisture – Maintain slope away from building as shown, carry roof load of water at least three feet away from building, and make sure that irrigation is directed away from the building.
- Chemical treatment – Use an environmentally-appropriate soil treatment (such as Termidor®) and a building materials treatment (such as Bora-Care®) for termite-prone near-grade wood materials (see also Field Experience Notes below).
- Inter-relationship of first three points – Since a builder and a homeowner's ability to employ or stick to each of the three strategies above will vary, make sure that an inability to fully employ one strategy is compensated for by complete rigor with the others. For example, if for some reason, chemical treatment of soil or building materials is not an option, then complete rigor in moisture control and ground cover is required.
Field Experience Notes
Gable end exterior sheathing detail - Continuity of the drainage plane on gable end walls must be maintained. We recommend the detail shown in Figure 14.
Figure 14
Flashing details – Since the vinyl siding is a screened wall cladding system, flashing details should be accomplished in the plane of drainage (building paper or house wrap), not the cladding. Do not caulk siding and do not rely on the "J"-channel as part of the drainage plane. (In other words, never consider vinyl siding, aluminum siding or any siding, for that matter--as the weather barrier).
Termite control – Local codes and interpretations by building inspectors can make details involving rigid insulation difficult. We have found that building officials accept the flashing/fibercement board shown in the building profile and in Figure 15.
Figure 15
Termite flashing continuity – In order for the metal flashing to be effective, all joints must be epoxy-sealed (or welded) and the horizontal edge must be epoxy-sealed to the concrete.
Air sealing – The hardest spots are not the fields but the margins/edges of assemblies. Air sealing at transitions such as rim joists and eaves requires either exacting blocking and caulk/sealant or spray foam insulation. Many Building America production builders have found the labor savings of spray foam insulating/air sealing to be well worth the added material cost.
HVAC commissioning – The most efficient equipment means little if the system is not set up and started up properly. Follow high performance start-up procedures (although this resource is primarily for refrigerant cooling systems, most of it applies to heat pumps).
Energy trusses – There are a number of different truss configurations that yield greater depth at the heel, but they vary quite a bit in cost. The truss shown in Figure 16 (sometimes called a "slider" truss) has proven to be among the most cost-competitive. And of course, the pitch of the roof affects just how much insulation you can get at this location, regardless of the type of truss.
Figure 16
Advanced framing – For a technical resource that may help with resistance to advanced framing methods from local code officials, see the Building Safety Journal article written by Peter Yost.
Material Compatibility and Substitutions
Exterior sheathing – The use of other common exterior sheathing materials - OSB, plywood or thin-profile structural sheathing (e.g. Thermo-ply®)—in this assembly must be done with recognition of the impact on heat and moisture transfer.
Both OSB and plywood are more vapor permeable than rigid foam insulation, a good thing when the cavity-warming ability of the rigid insulation is lost. But keep in mind that behind the brick veneer (a reservoir cladding), the greater vapor permeability of the OSB or plywood heightens the importance of the continuous 1-inch air space.
On the other hand, Thermo-ply® is less vapor permeable than rigid foam insulation and will pretty much eliminate drying potential to the exterior, a potential problem during the heating season, particularly the further north you build in this Mixed climate. Builders in the northern half of this climate region who use Thermo-ply® as an exterior sheathing should ensure that controlled ventilation and occupant use of point exhaust fans keep the interior relative humidity below 30% during the peak of their heating season.
Rim joist blocking – An alternative to this detail is to spray foam insulation on the rim joist to maintain air barrier continuity at this transition.
Drainage plane on rigid insulation – an alternative to flashing, shiplapping or sealing the XPS insulation for continuity of the drainage plane is to apply a housewrap to the outside of the insulation—the housewrap then becomes the continuous drainage plane.
Interior latex paint - The substitution of low permeability interior finishes (vinyl wall paper, oil-based paints) for latex paint is strongly discouraged as drying to the interior is important in mixed-humid climates.
Cavity insulation materials – Acceptable cavity insulation includes any that have a relatively high vapor permeability—cellulose, fiberglass, foam (as long as air sealing is accomplished by a separate component or system when cellulose or fiberglass is used). User discretion can be based on properties other than building science.
Flooring – Many finished flooring materials — either because of their impermeability (sheet vinyl, for example) or sensitivity to moisture (wood strip flooring, for example) — should only be installed over a slab with low w/c ratio (≈0.45 or less) or a slab allowed to dry (2) prior to installation of flooring. In general sheet vinyl flooring should be avoided.
Gypsum wallboard – Areas of potentially high moisture, such as bathrooms, basements, kitchens, are excellent candidates for non-paper faced wallboard systems (e.g. James Hardie's Hardibacker®, GP's DensArmor®, USG's Fiberock®). In addition, paper-faced gypsum board should never be used as interior sheathing or backer for tub or shower surrounds where ceramic tile or marble (any material with joints or grout lines) is used as the finish.
L-channel detail on cladding at base of exterior wall – Any stop can be used at the bottom, exposed edge of the rigid insulation to prevent insects and rodents intrusion, as long as it does not interfere with the foam's function as the drainage plane.
XPS vs. EPS exterior foundation foam insulation – There are three rigid insulations appropriate for exterior use on foundations where the insulation will extend below grade and be in contact with soil conditions:
- XPS – This material's density, impact resistance, and resistance to liquid penetration make it the preferred material.
- EPS – In areas where resistance to insects—termites and carpenter ants—is a desired or required characteristic of the insulation, EPS may be indicated because it is the only foam insulation that comes with a borate-treatment. However, water penetration and subsequent leaching of the borate treatment require a capillary break between the soil and the insulation, This is best accomplished with a gravel layer and Enkadrain® mat just exterior to the EPS insulation.
- Rigid fiberglass - A great material for exterior insulation because of its drainability and resistance to insect degradation. However, availability of this material has been and remains the main constraint of its use.


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by John Hawkins | April 1, 2011 1:36 am
'Here's the bottom line: Democrats are rooting for a government shutdown. We're listening to the people who sent us here to cut spending so we can grow our economy.' — John Boehner[1]
Reducing and eliminating needless spending and programs are appropriate, but a wholesale reduction in spending, without considering economic, cultural, and social impacts is simply irresponsible. We must also be mindful that many of the proposed spending reductions would disproportionately affect the neediest among us, including housing and heating assistance. — Scott Brown[2]
The liberal mainstream media, notice how they have tried to destroy Sarah Palin. Notice how the more popular Michele Bachmann gets, the more they try to destroy her. You want to know why they go after those two ladies more viciously? Because they know that Michele Bachmann or Sarah Palin is going to draw a lot of the women vote away from the Democrat Party. They are scared to death of that, if they were to run and get the nomination. They are doubly scared that a real black man might run against Barack Obama. — Herman Cain[3]
On Monday night, Obama gave a speech intended to explain America's mission and purpose in our new Libyan adventure. He said: "Some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries. The United States of America is different." He forgot to add: "However, the United States of America will be turning a blind eye to atrocities in Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan, the Ivory Coast and Bahrain." — Ann Coulter[4]
Democrats couldn't care less about the interests of their own country. Indeed, if there were the slightest possibility that our intervention in Libya would somehow benefit the United States, they would hysterically oppose it. — Ann Coulter[4]
If I was head of DNC, I would be quietly rooting for (a government shutdown). I know who's going to get blamed – we've been down this road before. — Howard Dean[5]
(Libya) was not — it was not a vital national interest to the United States, but it was an interest and it was an interest for all of the reasons Secretary Clinton talked about. The engagement of the Arabs, the engagement of the Europeans, the general humanitarian question that was at stake. — Robert Gates[6]
The Republicans in Congress claim they're concerned about the budget balance, but it's a disguise! It's not true! It's a lie! That's not what they want. They want — they want other people not to be able to have their own opinions. They don't deserve the freedoms that are in the Constitution! But we'll give it to them anyway. — Frank Lautenberg
Obama has zero experience. If, uh, intelligence is in part based on experience, and I do believe it is, and a very, very large part based on experience, Obama is a babe in the woods. — Mike Malloy[7]
I need NOW's defense like a fish needs a bicycle. I don't want them to defend me. — Sarah Palin[8]
Never modest about himself, Obama is supremely modest about his country. — Charles Krauthammer[9]
I think what we are doing is enforcing a resolution that has a very clear set of goals, which is protecting the Libyan people, averting a humanitarian crisis, and setting up a no-fly zone. Obviously that involves kinetic military action, particularly on the front end. But again, the nature of our commitment is that we are not getting into an open-ended war, a land invasion in Libya. — Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes[10]
Libya, in that sense, is a classic post-nationalist, post-modern military intervention: As in Kosovo, we're do-gooders in a land with no good guys. But, unlike Kosovo, not only is there no strategic national interest in what we're doing, the intended result is likely to be explicitly at odds with U.S. interests. — Mark Steyn[11]
Alternatively, suppose Qaddafi winds up hanging from a lamppost in his favorite party dress. If you're a Third World dictator, what lessons would you draw? Qaddafi was the thug who came in from the cold, the one who (in the wake of Saddam's fall) renounced his nuclear program and was supposedly rehabilitated in the chancelleries of the West. He was "a strong partner in the war on terrorism," according to U.S. diplomats. And what did Washington do? They overthrew him anyway. — Mark Steyn[12]
The blood-soaked butcher next door in Sudan is the first head of state to be charged by the International Criminal Court with genocide, but nobody's planning on toppling him. Iran's going nuclear with impunity, but Obama sends fraternal greetings to the "Supreme Leader" of the "Islamic Republic." North Korea is more or less openly trading as the one-stop bargain-basement for all your nuke needs, and we're standing idly by. But the one cooperative dictator's getting million-dollar-a-pop cruise missiles lobbed in his tent all night long. If you were the average Third World loon, which role model makes most sense? Colonel Cooperative in Tripoli? Or Ayatollah Death-to-the-Great-Satan in Tehran? America is teaching the lesson that the best way to avoid the attentions of whimsical "liberal interventionists" is to get yourself an easily affordable nuclear program from Pyongyang or anywhere else as soon as possible. — Mark Steyn[12]
They don't just need conservatives to be wrong; they need them to be discredited completely. They need them to be crazy and racist and evil because those are three groups of people you just don't listen to, period. Crazy, racist and evil are three immediate disqualifiers from public discourse. — Lee Stranahan[13]
Source URL: https://rightwingnews.com/this-week-in-quotes/this-week-in-quotes-march-25-march-31/
Copyright ©2023 John Hawkins' Right Wing News unless otherwise noted.


text:
Warning: If you have small children they should leave the room or if the sight of gore turns your stomach or if silliness isn't your thing then this blog entry might not be for you.
Once upon a time a little Easter bunny was hopping his way from house to house delivering all the good little boys and girls huge baskets of delicious sweets and treats.
When all of a sudden Mr. Easter Bunny was intercepted by a black and white cur.
Insanity, nay, pandemonium ensued!
Will the carnage ever stop!
Avert your eyes now! Someone please help!
But wait...what is this? A lull, no, a truce is made.
The black and white mongrel invites (insists, actually) that Mr. Easter Bunny come inside with all his chocolate knickknacks and view the parlor from within.
Ah, yes, this day the ending is happy. Mr. Bunny and the Z-monster split the goodies evenly. Fat on candied indulgences they laugh about and relive the day's frightful and inappropriate transgressions.


text:
"Lesson 25: Home Storage," The Latter-day Saint Woman: Basic Manual for Women, Part B (2000), 214–20
"Lesson 25: Home Storage," The Latter-day Saint Woman: Basic Manual for Women, Part B, 214–20
Lesson 25
Home Storage
The purpose of this lesson is to aid and encourage us in building our home storage.
Why We Need Home Storage
If government regulations make it illegal to store food, modify this lesson to fit local needs and circumstances.
President Spencer W. Kimball gave us this counsel regarding home storage:
"We reaffirm the previous counsel the Church has always given, to acquire and maintain a year's supply—a year's supply of the basic commodities for us. …
"We encourage families to have on hand this year's supply; and we say it over and over and over and repeat over and over the scripture of the Lord where He says, 'Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?' [Luke 6:46]" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1976, 171; or Ensign, May 1976, 125).
What have the prophets counseled us to do with regard to storing basic commodities?
President J. Reuben Clark Jr. said, "Let every head of every household see to it that he has on hand enough food and clothing, and, where possible, fuel also, for at least a year ahead" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1937, 26).
The counsel to have a year's supply of food, clothing, and other necessary items is wise counsel for several reasons. A disaster such as a flood, an earthquake, or a snowstorm could hit a city or an entire region, cutting off roads and making it impossible for food and other items to be transported to the markets. Political unrest or strikes by truckers, shippers, or rail workers could interfere with the transport of foods. Other types of disasters, such as famine resulting from drought, hurricanes, floods, and even wars, have occurred in many countries and could occur again. When such disasters affect the entire community, food and other supplies often cannot be obtained, even if money is available. A family can also experience an emergency in the form of illness or unemployment that results in a lack of income, making it necessary to rely on home storage.
Sister Cherry Lee Davis and her family gained a testimony of home storage through experiencing an emergency firsthand. Brother and Sister Davis were converts to the Church and knew about home storage, but they did not intend to start their own program for a while. Because they planned to move a long distance to a new home, they felt it would be foolish to bother with home storage at that time. However, Sister Davis often fasted and prayed for guidance. Without realizing it, she began a food storage program. Each time she went to the store, she bought a little extra of some foods. Before long the kitchen cupboards were full, and she had to store foods in the bedroom. When her husband asked her what she was doing, she replied, "I guess I am storing food." When he asked why, all she could reply was, "Because I have to." She could not give any more reason for her actions than that. She said, "The more I prayed about it, the more of a compulsion I had to buy groceries. Deep inside me was the comfortable, rewarding feeling that I was being obedient."
Sister Davis learned ways to prepare some of the foods she stored by attending demonstrations, by reading, and by practicing making various recipes. When at last she felt that these foods were well prepared, another impression came to her to buy more and more food. She described her reaction: "'Why?' I asked in prayer, but there was no answer. I just had to get more. So I did, confused and bewildered, but obedient. I could just see the space this food would take in the truck we intended to rent [to travel to our new home]."
When the Davis family finally moved to their new home, all their furniture and some 15 or 20 boxes of food just barely fit in the truck they rented. By the time they paid for the truck, rented a small home, and paid all their other expenses, they had very little money left. On top of all this Brother Davis had difficulty finding a job. When he did find one, it paid so little that after they paid the bills they had nothing left for food. Then Sister Davis knew the reason for all her food storage—it was actually their food supply for the roughest months of their marriage.
Looking back on those months of eating their stored food, she says: "I smile. I had fought so hard not to store food, and yet the Lord in his infinite wisdom and love had guided and taught me a very valuable lesson in this small miracle of being prepared" ("Our Small Miracle," Ensign, Aug. 1978, 21).
What temporal blessings did the Davis family receive as a result of their home storage program?
In addition to the blessings of temporal security during emergencies, maintaining a home storage program can also bring spiritual blessings. Whenever we obey any commandment or counsel from the prophet, our testimony and faith can be strengthened. We may, as a result of our obedience, receive spiritual rewards that we did not expect.
What spiritual blessings did the Davis family receive?
Another family that was well organized with home storage lost all of their possessions in a severe flood, and all of their livestock were drowned. But in spite of their great losses, they said, "If you'll live the commandments, you'll be prepared for what happens. … Even though all our food storage was destroyed, we had a peace of mind that we had done what the prophet had told us to do. We're also spiritually prepared and we can now face what has happened" (Gerry Avant and Karlyn Holland, "LDS in Texas Safe after Flood," Church News, 12 Aug. 1978, 4).
A Year's Supply
Families can store many items for future use, but the home storage discussed in this lesson pertains to food, clothing, and, where possible, fuel. Our goal is to provide for the needs of our families for an entire year. Most people find it difficult or even impossible to immediately store the items necessary for maintaining themselves for an entire year. A year's supply is a realistic goal, however, if items are stored in an orderly manner. In order to reach our goal of a year's supply, we may be wise to start with a smaller, short-term goal. Obtaining home storage to sustain themselves for one week may be a big accomplishment for some families. For other families, the goal of acquiring home storage for a period of three weeks, two months, or a year will present no problem. When our goal of storage for a few days or weeks has been reached, our families can then set a new goal and work toward it until we finally have home storage that could maintain us for a year.
What goal could you and your family realistically start with?
Storing Food
Elder Ezra Taft Benson said:
"The Lord has warned us of famines, but the righteous will have listened to prophets and stored at least a year's supply of survival food. …
"The revelation to store food may be as essential to our temporal salvation today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah. …
"I know that this welfare program is inspired of God. I have witnessed with my own eyes the ravages of hunger and destitution as, under the direction of the president of the Church, I spent a year in war-torn Europe at the close of World War II, without my family, distributing food, clothing, and bedding to our needy members. I have looked into the sunken eyes of Saints, in almost the last stages of starvation. I have seen faithful mothers carrying their children, three and four years of age, who were unable to walk because of malnutrition. … I have seen grown men weep as they ran their hands through the wheat and beans sent to them from … [the Saints in] America" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1973, 90–91, 93; or Ensign, Jan. 1974, 69, 81–82).
Because food is so important to good health and even to life itself, it is one of the most important parts of a home storage program. It is wise to store the basic foods our families are willing to eat, and to know how to prepare the foods in order to avoid wasting food during times of emergency. Store a variety of foods, because we need variety during emergencies in order to maintain good health. The needs of your family will determine the amount of food you should store.
What foods are available that you know how to prepare, that your family will eat, and that you could store as part of your home storage?
Stored foods do not last indefinitely. Therefore, we should rotate them, eating older stored foods first and replacing them with freshly preserved foods. This rotation plan is a continuing process.
How could we rotate stored foods?
One way to assure proper rotation of foods is by marking the date on packages of food as they are purchased or stored. Put recently purchased food on the shelf behind foods purchased earlier. As you prepare meals, this will make it easier for you to use the older foods first.
Food can be preserved in various ways.
Ask the assigned sister to present some of the ways to preserve foods (see lesson 26, "Home Production," in The Latter-day Saint Woman, Part A). What methods of preserving foods work well in your area?
When selecting a method of preserving food, consider expense, need for special equipment, and dependability of the method. Consider whether it is a new method in your area or one that has been used successfully by many people for a long time.
Once foods are preserved, they must be stored in a way that will keep them clean and safe to eat. There are several ways of storing foods that should always be followed, regardless of the method used to preserve them.
Keep foods cool. Store them in a dark or shady place, away from sunlight.
Protect foods from moisture. Dried foods will spoil if they get wet before they are used. Foods preserved by other methods may spoil from excess moisture.
Protect foods in packages or containers. The best containers prevent dust from reaching the food and make it difficult or even impossible for insects and animals to eat the food.
What places in your home are cool and dark or shady? How can you protect foods from excess moisture? How can you protect foods from dust and animals?
Storing Water
Water should be stored for emergency purposes. Start with clean, pure water. Store the water in a clean, tightly closed glass or heavy plastic container. Although water stored in this manner should keep indefinitely, it is usually a good idea to pour out or use the stored water and replenish the supply every few months. If you are not sure whether the water is safe to use after it is stored, you can sterilize it by boiling it for at least 10 minutes. Or you can add a small amount of household bleach solution or chlorine in proportions of two drops of bleach or chlorine per quart of water or one-half teaspoon of bleach or chlorine to five gallons of water. (See 1973–74 Relief Society Courses of Study, 102.)
Storing Clothing
It may be useful to store extra clothing. Storing clothing is essential for families with active, growing children, because their present clothes will not fit them later. All family members' clothes may also wear out. Extra clothing should be stored where climate changes greatly from one season to another.
Some families, especially those with growing children, may be wise to save the clothes that one child outgrows for the next child to wear. Outgrown clothing for both children and adults can be remade into clothing for younger family members. Storing extra fabric to make new clothing can also be useful. Needles, thread, and other sewing items should be part of every home storage so that torn clothing can be mended.
What clothing would be useful for you to store, considering your own circumstances?
Storing Fuel
We also need to have fuel in our home storage. Fuel will be needed to cook foods in an emergency. It is also necessary in some climates to heat our homes during times of extreme cold.
In your local circumstances, what ways could you use to store cooking fuel? What provisions need to be made for heating your home during cold weather?
Storing Other Useful Items
A complete home storage program includes storing other useful items. For example, soap should be included, both for washing clothing and for personal hygiene. We might also include things such as batteries, matches, and candles in our storage.
When Elder Ezra Taft Benson was in Germany following World War II, he had an experience that illustrates the value of a complete home storage program. Immediately after he addressed a group of more than 500 Saints, he "invited all of the mothers to come forward. To each he gave a bar of soap. As this simple gift was placed in their hands, some began to shed tears of gratitude. …
"Finally all of the mothers who were expecting or nursing children were asked to come forward. … To each Elder Benson gave a large … orange. … These mothers could not believe their good fortune.
"As one of these mothers came forward she spotted a spool of thread and a needle which Elder Benson had removed from his suitcase in the process of unloading from it the items he was distributing. … She [asked] … whether she might have the spool of thread and the needle instead of the orange. …
"A few moments later this mother was on her way back to her seat with her needle and thread. As she walked down the center aisle, [a sister] … stopped her and said, '… I know you will be willing to share the needle and thread with some of the rest of us. Our need is as great as yours'" (Bonnie J. Babbel, "The Habit of Being Grateful," Instructor, Sept. 1970, 318–19).
These people suffered greatly because they lacked some simple but important items. We can prepare ourselves against such extreme suffering by having a complete home storage program.
If you do not have a household of your own, what can you do to be prepared with a home storage program?
We have been counseled to store food, clothing, fuel, and other necessary items, such as those needed for first aid and sewing, to take care of our families' needs for a year. Even though we may feel it is impossible to obtain the needed items at once, we can begin a home storage program with a small goal, according to our families' circumstances, of purchasing a few extra items each time we shop. When our families are prepared with a home storage program, we can expect to receive great temporal and spiritual blessings. The Lord has counseled, "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear" (D&C 38:30).
Elder Ezra Taft Benson said: "Thanks be to God for a prophet, for this inspired [welfare] program, and for Saints who so managed … that they could provide for their own and still share with others. What a marvelous way to become a savior on Mount Zion!" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1973, 93; or Ensign, Jan. 1974, 82).
Discuss your home storage program with your family. Begin to make specific plans for developing or improving your program. List the foods you wish to include, consider your circumstances, and decide how you can best preserve and store them. Consider also what fuel, clothing, and other items should be included.
Additional Scriptures
Genesis 41–45 (Egyptians and Israelites saved from the famine by Joseph's food storage)
Teacher Preparation
Before presenting this lesson:
Ask a sister to present a list of methods of preserving and storing foods, using the information in lesson 26, "Home Production," in The Latter-day Saint Woman, Part A.
Find out as much as you can about foods that store well in your area and what methods of preserving and storing have worked. Talk to older people who know the traditional ways of storing foods. If possible, preserve and store some foods according to the methods learned in this lesson and display these for the sisters.
If you do not already know how to make water safe to drink, ask local health authorities to teach you effective methods.
Lesson 21, "Managing Family Finances," lesson 22, "Nutrition for the Family," and lesson 25, "Home Gardening," in The Latter-day Saint Woman, Part A, and lesson 22, "Maternal and Infant Care," in this manual will help answer questions on managing money, nutrition, and gardening.
Assign class members to present any stories, scriptures, or quotations you wish.


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In a bid to cut down on fraud and inappropriate content, the organization responsible for administering Russia's .ru top-level domain names is tightening its procedures.
Starting April 1, anyone who registers a .ru domain will need to provide a copy of their passport or, for businesses, legal registration papers. Right now, domains can be set up with no verification — a practice that has allowed scammers to quickly set up .ru domains under bogus names.
The changes will help Russia align its rules with international best practices, said Olga Ermakova, informational projects manager with the Coordination Center for the .ru top-level domain, in an e-mail interview. The .ru administrators care about the "cleanness" of the domain, she added. "We don't need negative content, and such content is often [created] by unknown users."
Loopholes in the domain name system help spammers, scammers and operators of pornographic Web sites to avoid detection on the Internet by concealing their identity. Criminals often play a cat-and-mouse game with law enforcement and security experts, popping up on different domains as soon as their malicious servers are identified.
Criminals in eastern Europe have used .ru domains for a while, registering domain names under fake identities and using them to send spam or set up command-and-control servers to send instructions to networks of hacked computers.
With the new domain registration requirements, it will be more difficult for criminals to continue with business as usual. At the very least, the requirement that registrants must submit paper documents will make setting up domains a more costly and time-consuming process.
"It's pushing the malicious activity elsewhere," said Rodney Joffe, chief technologist with Neustar, a DNS service provider. "If it's so much of a hassle, they'll say, 'Screw it. I'm going to register another top-level domain.'"
Russia has been under pressure to clean up the .ru system, which is widely perceived as a safe haven for scammers. China made similar changes last month to the way that its .cn space is administered.
Joffe said it's too early to say how effective the .cn changes have been.
The .ru domain has been a top source of fraud of late, agreed Robert Birkner, chief strategy officer with Hexonet, a domain name service company. But even if it is cleaned up, criminals will have other places to go. Vietnam's .vn domain and Indonesia's .id have also been a problem lately, he said.
Earlier this week, representatives from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.K.'s Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) lobbied the group responsible for coordinating the Internet's domain name system to enforce tighter name recognition policies. Now it is "ridiculously easy" to register a domain name under false details, said Paul Hoare, senior manager and head of e-crime operations with SOCA.
Last month, a study of Internet domain name databases found that only 23 percent of records were accurate.
(Jeremy Kirk in London contributed to this story.)


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Samsung said it expects to ship 10 million Galaxy S III smartphones by the end of July. The phone went on sale in the U.S. last week, it was available in Europe since late May, and began shipping in South Korea Monday, Reuters reports. The company expects its latest iPhone rival to be the fastest-selling smartphone it has ever produced.
Samsung does not disclose sales figures to consumers, like Apple, so the company is referring to 10 million shipments to carriers, not people. By the end of July, when Samsung expects to hit the milestone, the Galaxy S III should be on sale from nearly 300 mobile carriers around the world – including the top four U.S. networks. More than 50 million units of previous Galaxy S models were sold globally in the past two years.
It doesn't look like Samsung will have trouble reaching the milestone sales for the S III, despite the company quoting some component supply issues that affected availability by now. Prior to release, Samsung said more than 100 carriers placed 9 million pre-orders globally.
In the U.S. the phone arrived to glooming reviews, living up to the hype and being called the Android phone to beat. To refresh your memory, the Samsung Galaxy S III has a 4.8-inch screen with a resolution of 1280 pixels by 720 pixels, an 8MP camera with 1080p video-capture capability and starts at $200 with a two-year contract for the 16GB model.
In the Android market, the S III's closest competitor would be HTC One X, which features similar specifications, but uses HTC's Sense UI on top of Android 4.0, whereas reviewers found Samsung's TouchWiz UI quite bloated.
In a welcomed twist, the U.S. version of the Galaxy S III won't look different or sports other names varying by carrier, as it was the case with previous models. So, whether you are buying from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon, the phone will look the same, so it's just a case of picking your favorite network, storage capacity and pricing plan.
Follow Daniel Ionescu and Today @ PCWorld on Twitter


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A technique used on a grey-scale or colour bitmap display to make diagonal edges appear smoother by setting pixels near the edge to intermediate colours according to where the edge crosses them.The most common example is black characters on a white background. Without anti-aliasing, diagonal edges appear jagged, like staircases, which may be noticeable on a low resolution display. If the display can show intermediate greys then anti-aliasing can be applied. A pixel will be black if it is completely within the black area, or white if it is completely outside the black area, or an intermediate shade of grey according to the proportions of it which overlap the black and white areas. The technique works similarly with other foreground and background colours. "Aliasing" refers to the fact that many points (which would differ in the real image) are mapped or "aliased" to the same pixel (with a single value) in the digital representation.
Last updated: 1998-03-13
Nearby terms:
antenna gain ♦ Anthony Hoare ♦ anti-aliasing ♦ antichain ♦ antisymmetric
Try this search on Wikipedia, Wiktionary, Google, OneLook.


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On November 13th, this blog and the blogs listed below will be dark in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America. As fellow writers and as TV fans, we are coming together to express our strong support for the writers and their goals. We believe that when a writer's work makes money for a company, that writer deserves to be paid.
Many writers depend on residuals for a stable income, and that income shouldn't be based on an outdated formula which ignores the existence of new media and all but a tiny percentage of DVD sales. The talented writers responsible for so much of what we love about television should and must be paid fairly and equitably, and we will stand with them until they reach that goal. For everyone's sake, and for the sake of television, we hope both sides can come to an agreement quickly.
To further that goal, we are asking our readers to sign this petition and to contact the following television networks, voicing support for the writers and for a return to the negotiating table:
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521
(818) 460-7777
7800 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 575-2345
NBC / Universal
After the blackout, we intend to continue our campaign to support the WGA until the dispute has been resolved fairly. Since we will not be posting any new content today, we encourage our readers to visit United Hollywood instead for frequent updates about the strike.
In solidarity —
Daemon's TV
Ducky Does TV
Gabby Babble
Give Me My Remote
Glowy Box
I am a TV Junkie
Mikey Likes TV
Pass the Remote
The Pie Maker
Ramblings of a TV Whore
Seriously? OMG! WTF?
Silly Pipe Dreams
Tube Talk
The CineManiac
The Media Pundit
The TV Addict
TV Series Finale
Watch with Intelligence


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Tom Coughlin: We have to win all four remaining games
The Giants suffered a tough loss to the Redskins on Monday night.
It left them one game up on the Cowboys and the Redskins in the race for the NFC East division and guaranteed that they won't win more than three games in the division this season. They split with both teams and the winner of the Cowboys-Redskins game later this season will have at least four divisional wins, which doesn't bode well for their chances of winning a tiebreak.
There's always the Wild Card race, where the Giants do own a tiebreak on the Seahawks, but they might not control their own fate in that race after another loss. That's why coach Tom Coughlin didn't pull any punches on Tuesday when discussing what his team needs to do now.
"We have to win literally every one of our games. That's how I look at it," Coughlin said, via Jenny Vrentas of the Newark Star-Ledger.
Coughlin also said he wanted the team to "pay specific attention" to how teams lose games around the league. Presumably, he'd like them to pay special attention to how penalties can undermine a team's chances of winning.
The nine penalties committed by the Giants were a major reason why they lost. They had penalties on each of their first two offensive drives that forced the team to settle for field goals, they had penalties on several kick returns to cost them field position and they had a penalty on a late third down pass to Martellus Bennett that wiped out a first down. Maybe the Giants still don't win if they eliminate those errors, but it's a lot easier to like their chances if they do.


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About The New Farm Range
Crafted from reclaimed pine with a rustic tawny stain, the New Farm collection embodies the balance and simplicity of country style furniture. Its weathered finish and visible knots and nail holes evoke the character and patina of old wood. This collection features old-fashioned timber drawer glides, diagonal supports on table bases and traditional country style top profiles.
The Outlet Homewares & Furniture specialise in reclaimed timber furniture which is made from pine shipping pallets, sourced from all over the world. Nail holes, timber knots, colour variations and timber block patches are a common and are not considered a fault.
Product Measurements
1500W x 750D x 785H


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- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra as needed
- 4 (8-ounce) boneless pork chops, about 1 & 1/2 inches thick
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 scallions, pale green and white parts only, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, at room temperature
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cooking Instructions
In a large, heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, to taste, and sprinkle with the red pepper flakes. Add the pork to the pan and cook until cooked through. For about 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Remove the pork from the pan, cover loosely with foil, and set aside.
In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, honey, garlic, scallions, and rosemary to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the honey has dissolved. Simmer for 9 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Arrange the pork chops on a platter and drizzle with the glaze. Enjoy!


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