tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post1800529447896796426..comments2024-03-28T15:48:48.514-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: The Worst American Keeps At It. (It's not Donald Trump!)David Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-53718773967361010072016-11-05T16:02:33.408-07:002016-11-05T16:02:33.408-07:00onward
onwardonward<br /><br />onwardDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-20909544446413055972016-11-05T14:22:25.637-07:002016-11-05T14:22:25.637-07:00As far as paying to remove carbon dioxide from the...As far as paying to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, lets keep in mind a few things,<br /><br />On a global level we have vastly expanded our debt sense the great recession and we have only gotten very modest growth. <br />we globally added 57 trillion in debt from 2008-2015 but the economy only grew by 10.3 trillion. <br /><br />When enough people realize that climate change is happening and sea level rise is unavoidable, the value of the at risk properties will plummet. For example when people realize that their property in southern Florida will have a good chance of being under water within 20 years how are they going to sell their property? <br />occam's comicnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-34983689894191418752016-11-05T14:07:56.341-07:002016-11-05T14:07:56.341-07:00Paul SB:
If Trump supporters organize a transit s...Paul SB:<br /><i><br />If Trump supporters organize a transit strike on election day specifically to disenfranchise voters who they expect to vote for their opponent...<br /></i><br /><br />I'm not (yet) <b>that</b> paranoid to think the entire strike is for Trump's benefit. However, I <b>do</b> wonder if the strike organizers know or care that they might throw the election to Trump, and also if Trump is negotiating behind the scenes with one side or the other to drag the strike out past Tuesday. As crazy as that sounds, it gives one plausible reason why Trump thinks he can win Pennsylvania when all the polls have had that state consistently out of reach for months.<br /><br />I wouldn't suspect the union to be the party making things happen to help Trump, but that statement that "Union attorney Ralph Teti said he doesn't think the strike would cause an issue on Election Day" concerns me, as he is obviously lying, and one has to wonder in what pursuit he is doing so.<br /> LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-61647679986230818042016-11-05T13:42:37.481-07:002016-11-05T13:42:37.481-07:00Ok let me review what i am saying,
There are two ...Ok let me review what i am saying,<br /><br />There are two main climatic states appear in the geological record.<br />An icehouse - one with polar ice caps <br />and a greenhouse - one without polar ice caps.<br /> <br />The northern and southern hemispheres are semi-independent climatic systems.<br />You can have the whole earth be in the icehouse state, you can have the whole world in a greenhouse state, and you can have the earth split with one hemisphere in the icehouse state and the other in the greenhouse state. (the pliocene climate optimum about 3.5 million years ago is a good example of this.)<br /><br />What determines which climate state you are in, is the temperature difference between the equator and the pole. <br /><br />The north pole is undergoing the feared process of polar amplification.<br />The albedo effect is already a strong and increasing effect that you can see with the large reduction in arctic sea ice and you can see it in the temperature measurements of the arctic. <br />http://ocean.dmi.dk/arctic/meant80n.uk.php<br /><br />It is my understanding that there is at least twice as much carbon in the permafrost and methane hydrates in the arctic as there is carbon in the atmosphere. Far more carbon than the human race has so far emitted. Don't forget when the permafrost starts to warm up and the organic matter starts to decay, the decay process is exothermic. So as the permafrost gets wet and heats up in the summer, the exothermic decay process can become self-sustaining through out much of the winter. (this is already happening.)<br /> http://climatenewsnetwork.net/arctic-methane-emissions-persist-in-winter/<br /><br />The arctic sea ice cap has been preventing the winds from stirring up the arctic seas, but with large loss of sea ice in the last decade we have seen arctic cyclones happening when large stretches of open water melt out. These cyclones will be stirring up the water column in the arctic seas, and that cant be a good thing for the methane hydrates.<br /><br />Those arctic cyclones will also be sending a lot of warmth and wetness to Greenland vastly accelerating the melting of the ice in Greenland.<br /><br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /> occam's comicnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-18168407616484125732016-11-05T13:01:55.854-07:002016-11-05T13:01:55.854-07:00Larry,
If Trump supporters organize a transit str...Larry,<br /><br />If Trump supporters organize a transit strike on election day specifically to disenfranchise voters who they expect to vote for their opponent, then who is trying to rig the election? This is totally typical high-t whiner behavior, accusing other people of doing exactly what they are doing (then no doubt rationalizing afterwards that "everyone does it" much like our buddies Straw Ranch & The Ent).<br /><br />BTW: I was reading one of my daughter's comics.Paul SBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-2565126936390587912016-11-05T12:52:07.731-07:002016-11-05T12:52:07.731-07:00Donzelion,
I think that must have been my fault. ...Donzelion,<br /><br />I think that must have been my fault. I thought you said the San Dimas Yogurtland on Lone Hill. I sat there for about 45 minutes reading, and assuming something must have come up. Turns out I was just a few blocks down the road. Paul SBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-43367553406528514442016-11-05T12:38:17.629-07:002016-11-05T12:38:17.629-07:00donzelion:
maybe you missed me for that other guy...donzelion:<br /><i><br />maybe you missed me for that other guy reading one of our host's books? <br /></i><br /><br />Wouldn't that other guy have been Paul?LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-77520640501354118262016-11-05T12:36:44.957-07:002016-11-05T12:36:44.957-07:00@donzelion,
Supporters of Cruz or Rubio or even J...@donzelion,<br /><br />Supporters of Cruz or Rubio or even Jeb Bush were more "not Hillary" voters. Trump supporters seem to be Trump supporters first and everything else a distant second. Trump supporters hate Hillary only because she's a threat to Trump.<br /><br />And what they like about him is everything that normal people would find immediately disqualifying. They like that he's mean to other people and gets away with it. They like that he gets what he wants through intimidation. Most of all, as exemplified by locumranch, they like him <b>because</b> normal people find him unqualified--"You can't tell them who not to vote for!"<br /><br />LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-29386180455725168162016-11-05T12:14:42.869-07:002016-11-05T12:14:42.869-07:00David S: a very fair distinction between types of ...David S: a very fair distinction between types of unions. I can't see Trump's calls to "bring back the jobs" convincing many with a college education - you can't build a wall and tell them "if you leave, you pay special taxes." BUT the thing with trump is that his supporters don't care about logic, don't care about hypocrisy, don't care about crime, don't care about faith, and don't care about reality - at least, any reality other than 'he's not Hillary.' donzelionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05991849781932619746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-19969086231173860272016-11-05T12:09:20.288-07:002016-11-05T12:09:20.288-07:00Well, Paul, looks like we missed each other someho...Well, Paul, looks like we missed each other somehow maybe you missed me for that other guy reading one of our host's books? Hmmm, well, need to head off to pasadena but let's try again next week after I'm back full time in glendora (having my flat fixed, so staying in Orange county lately).donzelionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05991849781932619746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-28251692259539641652016-11-05T11:48:52.000-07:002016-11-05T11:48:52.000-07:00Well, looks like I missed you somehow Paul. Shuck...Well, looks like I missed you somehow Paul. Shucks, thought we said 11 at berries (they open at 11). Maybe I marked that down wrong...donzelionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05991849781932619746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-53861444848152930482016-11-05T11:08:25.497-07:002016-11-05T11:08:25.497-07:00@David S
If you are correct, then the management ...@David S<br /><br />If you are correct, then the management may well want Trump to win, or at least is indifferent to the possibility. They may not negotiate in good faith because dragging the strike out to Tuesday is a win-win for them. Even if management doesn't particularly support Trump, they may also hold out expecting that a judge will order the strike to halt for Election Day.<br /><br />I'm thinking that if they do help Trump win, even if that's not their intent--if all they are doing is separating the immediate goal of the strike from any ancillary effects--if Trump becomes president,they will(in the words of Dave Sim) "get what they want, but not be very happy about it."<br /><br />LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-35199400067880912262016-11-05T11:06:11.803-07:002016-11-05T11:06:11.803-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.donzelionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05991849781932619746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-85411390145491195762016-11-05T10:39:04.789-07:002016-11-05T10:39:04.789-07:00There are really two kinds of unions. Unions for j...There are really two kinds of unions. Unions for jobs that can be moved overseas/affected by globalization (think automotive factory workers) and unions for jobs that can't (think hotel workers). These two groups can have different goals. I can see auto worker unions being attracted to Trump's "bring jobs back to America" claims. But I don't really see transit unions falling into that bucket.<br /><br />More likely he is timing the strike threat at this time because it will get the most attention<br /><br /><br />David S.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-74183173959118538982016-11-05T10:32:43.980-07:002016-11-05T10:32:43.980-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.donzelionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05991849781932619746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-79057388510680883862016-11-05T10:20:45.922-07:002016-11-05T10:20:45.922-07:00This really concerns, and I wonder what the more k...This really concerns, and I wonder what the more knowledgeable members of our community think:<br /><br />http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/philadelphia-commuters-hit-clogged-roads-strikes-day-43298728<br /><br /><i><br />On Thursday, the authority asked for assurances from the union that it would suspend its walkout on Election Day if no contract agreement is reached by then. Pennsylvania is a battleground state, and the vote in overwhelmingly Democratic Philadelphia is critically important to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton as she battles Republican Donald Trump.<br /><br />Union attorney Ralph Teti said he doesn't think the strike would cause an issue on Election Day, suggesting the campaigns are up to the task of getting supporters to the polls.<br /></i><br /><br />The statement that the transit strike probably won't cause an issue on Election Day reeks of John Roberts's assertion that unlimited money in politics would probably not unleash corruption. It's like Mike Pence laughing off as absurd the idea that Trump said things that Trump actually said. It's pure sophistry meant to pretend one does not have an agenda.<br /><br />It troubles me greatly that, no matter how much he dresses it up in "probably won't matter" language, a <b>union</b> boss seems to be defending a job action which will benefit Republicans. If he doesn't realize that a President Trump (with Republican Congress and therefore Supreme Court) would be more harmful to his membership than the contract talks ever could, then he's a freakin' idiot. And if, as seems more likely, he's acting as a stooge for Trump, then the question is what sort of union is in favor of Trump? I know this sounds like insane speculation, but I have to wonder why Donald Trump has been saying all along that he can win Pennsylvania, even though the polls have said otherwise for months.<br /><br />If minorities in Philadelphia can't get to the polls, Pennsylvania could fall, and if Pennsylvania goes to Trump, it is just barely conceivable that he could pull out a win. Could a <b>union</b> actually want that outcome enough to make it happen?<br />LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-33078616317252551032016-11-05T08:21:52.204-07:002016-11-05T08:21:52.204-07:00Donzelion,
Should you see this before 11:00, I am...Donzelion,<br /><br />Should you see this before 11:00, I am dressed in brown, with my caffeine formula t-shirt.Paul SBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-69424642384010586202016-11-05T07:59:36.363-07:002016-11-05T07:59:36.363-07:00Alfred,
The clarion call for evidence hasn't t...Alfred,<br />The clarion call for evidence hasn't turned up much, so I'll concede the point. While the relationship between rotational speed and the number of cells produced by the Coriolis Effect is well established, the fact that the borders between cells shift (and not just with season, a simple result of the Earth's tilted axis changing where solar insolation is most concentrated) made it seem possible that the Polar and Hadley cells could move closer together, squeezing out the Ferrel, much like an occluded front on a global scale. Maybe Occam can point us to some evidence that this is a possibility.<br /><br />As far as paying for it goes, even if the average per capita income of the world is going up, the amount of displacement this would cause would be enormous. How costly this would be in both money and human life would depend on how quickly a change like that happens. Whole societies have disappeared as a result of fairly show climate change. I grew up not far from the Four Corners region and used to love scrambling around in Anasazi ruins. They hit a huge drought and went poof, abandoning the region. That can't have been a whole lot of fun, some exciting adventure for them.<br /><br />But speculations are not good for much if they don't have good evidence to back them.Paul SBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-45756430650858957082016-11-05T07:54:37.890-07:002016-11-05T07:54:37.890-07:00George Will may indeed be rapidly moving to irrele...George Will may indeed be rapidly moving to irrelevance, but his history is indeed repugnant. Years of cherry picking, distortion and innuendo in service to the Republicans. His most galling to me has been the greenhouse denial. That's going to cost a lot.Jumperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11794110173836133321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-54208596549957094612016-11-05T04:38:33.827-07:002016-11-05T04:38:33.827-07:00ooooh! Because smartypants types use "eviden...ooooh! Because smartypants types use "evidence" and "facts" to prod folks toward choosing "smarter" or better" "outcomes"... that means those smartypants types are "forcing" good old regular folks to vote in certain ways! Such bullies! I mean "bullies."David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-60391041475971491732016-11-05T03:59:00.729-07:002016-11-05T03:59:00.729-07:00@Alfred,
Not to beat a dead horse, but I didn'...@Alfred,<br /><br />Not to beat a dead horse, but I didn't intend either water or heat to completely model an economy. The metaphors were simply meant to illustrate that Supply Side "trickle down" only seems appropriate if money tends to disperse from high concentrations to low concentrations, when in fact, it tends more the opposite direction.<br /><br />"Trickle-down" suggests that results are best achieved by introducing money in exactly the wrong place in the model. I meant nothing more sophisticated than that.<br />LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-45666749079260124012016-11-05T03:55:36.488-07:002016-11-05T03:55:36.488-07:00locumranch:
I meant in the Pre-Indoctrination Era...locumranch:<br /><i><br />I meant in the Pre-Indoctrination Era when people were allowed to vote their own consciences, choice, prejudices, voice & preferences, no matter how 'unenlightened' those opinions may have appeared to the self-appointed guardians of all that is said to be wise, just, holy & scientific.<br /></i><br /><br />What is stopping you from doing just that on Tuesday? Are you truly contending that other people's disapproval, expressed in typy-words on a screen, amounts to voter suppression? Or that social pressure to vote a certain way is a recent phenomenon, rather than something that has existed since at least the Jefferson/Burr election of 1800?<br /><br />Seriously, and without sarcasm, what exactly are you complaining about here?<br /><br /><i><br /> And, ironically, it is only the remnants of the failed conservative movement that still supports the individual right to liberty, bad decisions, free speech & regression.<br /></i><br /><br />No, you support your own <b>personal</b> right to those things, and claim absolute power to curtail the liberty, decisions, or speech of anyone whose freedom inconveniences yours. To quote Orwell again, "That's a different thing; in fact the opposite thing," from supporting liberty.<br /><br /><i><br />This means that simple wealth redistribution, in the form of further quantitative easing, taking from the rich, giving to the poor & radically increasing the minimum wage, will cause the same type of supply-dependent hyperinflation that decimated Venezuela.<br /></i><br /><br />I used to think that too, but hyperinflation hasn't happened for 15 years now. Paul Krugman spends a lot of time explaining why. <br /><i><br />If not for financial hoarding by the top 10%, this type of supply-side monetary catastrophe would have already happened <br /></i><br /><br />You're reversing cause and effect. Financial hoarding doesn't just make Quantitative Easing possible, it is what made it <b>necessary</b>. It was a way to get that money moving without resorting to French Revolution remedies--or Second Amendment remedies, as you would refer to them.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-20484813046902370972016-11-05T02:05:40.903-07:002016-11-05T02:05:40.903-07:00By "resurgent democracy", I meant in the...<br />By "resurgent democracy", I meant in the Pre-Indoctrination Era when people were allowed to vote their own consciences, choice, prejudices, voice & preferences, no matter how 'unenlightened' those opinions may have appeared to the self-appointed guardians of all that is said to be wise, just, holy & scientific.<br /><br />And, by "a defunct GOP", I was referring only to the core US Republican establishment, not to the conservative movement entire. Conservatives (aka 'those who resist change') have been & will always be with us in one form or another, for time immemorial, much like those who wax nostalgic for the the bad old cold war days when allegiance for & against democracy was a matter of visible military uniform.<br /><br />The modern progressive has become its opposite: It has switched sides; it has become illiberal; and, it spends the bulk of its energies eliminating individual choice, conscience, prejudice, voice & preference in favour of its own monstrous Identity Politic and AGW-based fear tactics . And, ironically, it is only the remnants of the failed conservative movement that still supports the individual right to liberty, bad decisions, free speech & regression.<br /><br />Finally, it is important to realise that the progressive solution to wealth inequality is absurd. As Alfred notes above, "money isn't conserved". This means that simple wealth redistribution, in the form of further quantitative easing, taking from the rich, giving to the poor & radically increasing the minimum wage, will cause the same type of supply-dependent hyperinflation that decimated Venezuela.<br /><br />If not for financial hoarding by the top 10%, this type of supply-side monetary catastrophe would have already happened following the Obama decision to increase the US monetary supply by 350% using quantitative easing. For all its good intents, such attempts at wealth redistribution would be analogous to dumping, and the sudden increase in circulating US currency would destroy USD value precipitously.<br /><br />AGW & the Trump Nation: "They're coming to get you, Barbara", so be very very afraid, DO what your masters tell you to do, or the climate change zombies will eat your ignorant brains.<br /><br /><br />Best<br />____<br />@Alfred: Reciprocity dictates that you don't get to dictate who the rest of us choose when we don't get to dictate our choices to you.<br />@David: http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/214696/the-orthodox-vote-for-trumplocumranchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-74288689017472259792016-11-04T23:25:03.308-07:002016-11-04T23:25:03.308-07:00As I understand it, the band structure is mostly a...As I understand it, the band structure is mostly a matter of rotation speed and not the energy in the system coming from the sun or trapped by the green house. Driving the whole system IS the heat imbalance, but the cells are still going to split due to planetary rotation.<br /><br />What does make sense to me, though, is a highly chaotic boundary between the polar and mid-latitude cells. We already see this with seasonal variations. The Ferrel cell is a discontinuous eddy between the other two, but the Hadley cell (equatorial) is where the real action is.<br /><br />I'm not saying change won't happen. I'm arguing against unsupported fear. The Earth's rotation rate isn't going to change anytime soon, so the Coriolis force that creates the Ferrel eddies will remain. Show me the science (instead of the fear) that this part of the model will change and I'll consider it. That is the argument to be made against fear no matter who posts it. Stay Calm. Show us the Science. 8)<br /><br />Serious and expensive? Maybe. I might even say Probably. However, the world is becoming wealthier at quite a clip. Expensive relative to world GDP? Maybe not.Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-22680063603538071872016-11-04T21:33:03.453-07:002016-11-04T21:33:03.453-07:00Alfred,
If there is less energy in the northern ...Alfred, <br /><br />If there is less energy in the northern hemisphere, it would be possible for the Polar and Ferrel Cells to merge. I'm not an expert here, but look at the Jupiter example you gave. Higher energy results in more bands, lower energy in less. The Ferrel Cells are the weakest of the 6, and they are also responsible for the Westerlies that bring oceanic moisture to the west coasts of northern continents. I can't say I'm sure that losing the Ferrel Cell is likely, but the consequences would be pretty serious. Human habitations are built around the climate patterns of past centuries. If they change too much, too quickly, huge cities may end up being abandoned and tens or hundreds of millions of people displaced. <br /><br />Global warming is not something that is likely to destroy the human race, but it will have some very serious and expensive consequences. Paul SBnoreply@blogger.com