Blog @ MoreWhat.com

Give thanks, remember those who may not be having the best day and help out where you can. Try to avoid conflict, confrontation, over-consumption or obsessing on anything.

For the troops about all this blog has the resources to do is extend the holiday greeting from here and again express appreciation for your service and expecting there will be significant distribution of items to bring a little holiday spirit to your location.

God bless you and God bless the United States. And thanks to anyone who has made the past year a little better for someone else. The world can use more of that.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

(a repost from last year which is still relevant)

The following is part of Michael Mann’s attempt to convince you the evidence of the greatest scandal in recent science history does not exist.  Just like he tries to tell you the evidence against AGW does not exist.  In his world the truth is what you want it to be.

“There is nothing in the stolen material which indicates that peer-reviewed publications by CRU, and others, on the nature of global warming and related climate change are not of the highest-quality of scientific investigation and interpretation.”

They’ve turned “something innocent into something nefarious,” Mann added.

Now there’s some arrogance.  Not only does Michael Mann suggest the public is stupid but they cannot read.  But if you lie to the public about a political agenda using fake science how much of a leap is it to simply lie when you get caught?

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

I’ll get back to you on this one….

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Not that all environmentally related efforts on the planet should cease given Climategate but you gotta laugh at the timing. Unless the hacker(s) who exposed the AGW freaks for what they are eludes authorities successfully and forever (he/she/they) will not be laughing at things related to timing or time. Maybe the powers that be will at some point realize what a gift this hack was and give the perp a pass. Right.

As a sidenote, guess the WH had to feature this event since President Obama’s Asia trip is being ‘touted’ as a major bust. At least he’s consistent.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

PM-Obama: The next step

India, US Agree on Climate Change

President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have launched what the White House is calling a “green partnership.”

Vidushi Sinha | Washington, DC
25 November 2009

President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have launched what the White House is calling a green partnership, affirming the countries’ commitment to combating climate change and ensuring energy security and clean energy.

India and the United States have agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding to increase cooperation on energy security, clean energy, and climate change.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on a state visit to Washington, said both countries will work together to make the environment cleaner.

“We welcome the president’s commitment to a major program for promotion of renewable energy, and I drew his attention to India’s own ambitious national action plan on climate change which has eight national missions covering both mitigation and adaptation,” Mr. Singh said.

The two leaders said their countries are committed to building a clean energy economy that will drive investment, job creation, and economic growth.

Ron Somers is president of the US-India Business Council. He says India and the United States will soon be close partners in promoting green technology.

“We will be focusing on new collaborations that are going to become platform not only for India to fight global warming or United States to fight global warming but a platform that we together develop to provide technologies for the world. So I see tremendous opportunities coming,” Somers said. “It’s all about low carbon emitting technology.”

But India and China have rejected mandated cuts in carbon emissions. Both countries say rich, developed nations should lead the way in cutting greenhouse gases.

They argue that their economic growth would be stunted if there were mandated cuts.

The US and India have agreed that the Copenhagen climate conference, in early December, should involve targets for emission cuts for developed countries but only mitigation actions — such as improving energy efficiency — for developing countries.

Recently, India announced it would produce 20 Gigawatts of solar power by 2022.

Bo Kong, directs the Global Energy and Climate Initiative at Johns Hopkins University. He says that target is impossible for India.

“Within such a short time frame - we are talking about building about 20 - 20 gigawatts of power plants which translates into at least over 10,000 solar power plants between 2009 to 2020 - in less than 10 years - so I am very suspicious,” Kong said.

Experts say India can only make inroads into green technology if it has financial and technological support from rich countries.

Prime Minister Singh and President Obama agreed to support public and private intiatives that will invest in clean energy projects in India.

On the topic of what has been referred to as climategate, a word. Scandal is a word. But more words than that are presented by the following source which sums up the situation rather well. Don’t be fooled by the excerpt presented here. The account is balanced and may be completely on point.

If you own any shares in alternative energy companies I should start dumping them NOW. The conspiracy behind the Anthropogenic Global Warming myth (aka AGW; aka ManBearPig) has been suddenly, brutally and quite deliciously exposed after a hacker broke into the computers at the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit (aka Hadley CRU) and released 61 megabites of confidential files onto the internet

And another group of words from WSJ demonstrate the single item that many seem to ignore.

The documents, hacked from the Climatic Research Unit at East Anglia University in the U.K., show that some climate researchers declined to share their data with fellow scientists, and sought to keep researchers with dissenting views from publishing in leading scientific journals.

If ’spin’ can be defined as emphasizing your argument and diminishing that of your opposition rather than simply lying about a situation for damage control then the following from the MSM demonstrates the strategy.

Skeptics have also pounced on an e-mail from Jones to colleagues that reads: “I’ve just completed Mike’s Nature trick of adding in the real temps to each series for the last 20 years (ie from 1981 onwards) and from 1961 for Keith’s to hide the decline.”

It’s not so much that AGW ’skeptics’ have ‘pounced’ on anything but anticipate those embarrassed by climategate will do their best to dismiss this event just as they do to others who do not agree with their arguments about something they named AGW.

Providing these hacked docs are genuine, which seems to be the case and is mentioned in the link for the first excerpt above, less than honorable actions were taken by AGW scientists that may include fudging the numbers and sabotaging opposing conclusions from fellow scientists. What that demonstrates is a breech of trust without which science is not science. How do you expect people to accept your findings if you engaged in dishonest tactics to support an agenda that has nothing to do with science?

That’s the word, science. If it is not honest, it is not science.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Mr. Dobbs, who left the network last week, has said in recent days that he is considering a third-party run for a New Jersey Senate seat in 2012, or possibly for president. Polls show voters unhappy with both parties, and strategists believe Mr. Dobbs could tap populist anger over economy issues just as Ross Perot did in the 1990s.

First, though, Mr. Dobbs is working to repair what a spokesman conceded is a glaring flaw: His reputation for antipathy toward Latino immigrants. In a little-noticed interview Friday, Mr. Dobbs told Spanish-language network Telemundo he now supports a plan to legalize millions of undocumented workers, a stance he long lambasted as an unfair “amnesty.”

Only one thought to express here. Is there any other way to interpret this report other than one of two possible explanations?

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Republican Leader discusses health care, Afghanistan, economy

‘If the majority is hell-bent on ignoring the wishes of the American people, they have 60 votes in the Senate’

related: text on this story at Republican.Senate.Gov

The liberals, the Democratic party POLS and others of a similar mindset would have you believe healthcare reform is a noble endeavor. President Obama has called for transparency and accountability and failed to deliver. Democratic party House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have promoted ‘a New Direction for America’ since the 2006 midterms and failed to deliver. In addition, a promise from Speaker Pelosi touted an end to the culture of corruption in Washington, DC. None of this has taken place.

As is the usual case with liberals they must find a villain to use in pursuit of their agenda. As with other items in their agenda they seek to convince you to pay for their power grab that includes diminishing your freedom, and in the case of healthcare reform, pay for their control over your health decisions and access. What was first described as healthcare reform has now been changed by the Dems to health insurance reform. As stated earlier, they must suggest a villain in an attempt to convince you they are fixing a problem. There real mission is to takeover healthcare in this country and your role in it.

This was the inspiration for this post. From the US Senate website regarding the ‘floor schedule.’

Floor Schedule

Monday, Nov 30, 2009

2:00 p.m.: Convene and begin a period of morning business.

Thereafter, resume consideration of H.R.3590, regarding health care reform.

Here are some simple questions to ask yourself about the Democratic majority’s pursuit of healthcare control. Read the following and ask yourself why the Dems would do this?

H.R.3590
Title: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the first-time homebuyers credit in the case of members of the Armed Forces and certain other Federal employees, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Rangel, Charles B. [NY-15] (introduced 9/17/2009) Cosponsors (40)
Related Bills: H.R.3780, S.1728
Latest Major Action: 11/21/2009 Senate floor actions. Status: Measure laid before Senate by motion.
Note: H.R. 3590 is expected to be the vehicle for the Senate health care bill - the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. See the draft amendment from democrats.senate.gov.

If you follow the link to the liberal Senate site you may find the news items highlighted when this post was prepared. If not, they are presented here with comments.

Momentum Continues To Grow In Support Of The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act

Not true. There is growing unrest, skepticism and polls indicating most people believe this agenda will be a failure and do nothing but add more debt and raise deficits for the future.

Health Reform Process Has Been Transparent

Not true. The bills were developed in closed door sessions shutting out the minority party. The documents were withheld from the public until outrage caused their release. Many voting for the bills never read them. In the Senate, Harry Reid bought the vote of Mary Landrieu with hundreds of millions in Medicaid dollars for her state. In the House, Rep Cao of LA voted for that version of the liberal bill for a similar reason. Obama promised him funds and other help for his state if he would. And you have to ask yourself why the Dems would use an unrelated bill as ‘the vehicle for’ their healthcare takeover legislation?

Reid: Supporters Of Reform Can See The Finish Line But Much Work Lies Ahead

If they can see the finish line they are hallucinating or have more funds to buy votes for this healthcare scam. Those funds belong to the taxpayer. The work that lies ahead is finding honest support for healthcare reform which the liberals renamed health insurance reform. These bills are neither.

Reid: Moving To Debate On Senate Health Proposal Shows The American People We’re Serious About Reform

Not true. It shows that Reid is serious about a sham takeover of Americans healthcare.

Reid, Baucus, Dodd and Harkin Introduce the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Not true. While they may have had something to do with its introduction, there is nothing about the bill that protects patients or makes healthcare affordable. The CBO has shown many times that this bill and the others will raise premiums, the national debt and deficits when the real cost of the bills are included.

The Democratic party majority in Washington, DC is unleashing a disaster on our nation when it can least afford it. If you sit idly by and let it happen you share the responsibility for this mess. Continue to contact your elected reps to help stop this insanity. If you think healthcare has problems now, just wait and see what Congress does to it if you let them.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

The hacked emails and other docs that were published on the internet from a ‘leading’ global warming proponent source has raised some discussion. There is the expected shock and dismay that anyone would do such a thing. And there is some commentary on the real point of all this. As an interesting side note, of the 100 entries on the first page of a Google search, about five mainstream news sources cover the story. The NYT, WaPo, LAT, AP and the WSJ are there. But the vast majority of hits comes from lesser known sources. But then who cares what the MSM has to say about it?

The source of the hacked docs had this to say. “The selective publication of some stolen emails and other papers taken out of context is mischievous and cannot be considered a genuine attempt to engage with this issue in a responsible way,” the university said. A completely laughable response from a source who has engaged in dissemination of fake science and other unscrupulous tactics to promote an agenda that to date was suspected but largely hidden. BTW, these were ‘good’ hackers regardless of their intentions as they have exposed a sinister plot.

So what kind of material is in the hacked docs. The emails include discussions of apparent efforts to make sure that reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nations group that monitors climate science, include their own views and exclude others. In addition, emails show that climate scientists declined to make their data available to scientists whose views they disagreed with. Imagine that, the United Nations is involved. There efforts and those of others involved in this sham have conspired to present only what supports their agenda. So who will now step forward to attempt a whitewash of this latest revelation in fake science?

It will come from people like this. …the director of the East Anglia climate center, suggested to climate scientist Michael Mann of Penn State University that skeptics’ research was unwelcome: We “will keep them out somehow — even if we have to redefine what the peer-review literature is!” Neither man could be reached for comment Sunday. Opposing viewpoints in a discussion of science will be kept out somehow. That’s reassuring. So much for the validity of any information from the AGW crowd.

The people that will speak out for truth in science are more closely exemplified by this example. “This is horrible,” said Pat Michaels, a climate scientist at the Cato Institute in Washington who is mentioned negatively in the emails. “This is what everyone feared. Over the years, it has become increasingly difficult for anyone who does not view global warming as an end-of-the-world issue to publish papers. This isn’t questionable practice, this is unethical.”

That would be putting it mildly. If there was any question about the honesty of those supporting AGW on this blog before it is certainly gone now. AGW has been exposed for what it is…. fake science.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

As a post-script, the MSM was mentioned as well as a comment of who cares. Of the five listed specifically, this blog views the WSJ as credible and at one time held that view of WaPo. The others listed rarely get it right.

ClimateGate: Both sides of the pond demand probes into data manipulation scandal 

related: Health Care Debate is Now Officially Underway (a text version)

related: The Vote Tonight (a text version)

related: 10 Things You Should Know About this Bill (a text version)

Just a short post for posterity to illuminate Senator Mary Landrieu’s price tag for a vote. If it weren’t so pathetic and typical of POLS it would be funny for one reason. Landrieu is so clueless she could not decide whether to admit or deny her vote was paid for with Medicaid dollars for Louisiana. $100 million for a vote on HarryCare. First she denies she was paid for her vote and then admits she would do it again.

After reports surfaced of $100 million for Louisiana was added to the Senate’s health care reform legislation, originally from ABC News, and subsequently commented upon by prominent lefties, like U.S. News and World Report’s Bonnie Erbe as my colleague Noel Sheppard pointed out, Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., took the Senate floor on Nov. 21 to announce she would vote in favor to proceed forward with the Senate Democratic leadership’s bill.

First there was Blanco, then Nagin, now Landrieu. And the Army Corps of Engineers gets blamed for Katrina in court. Sometimes justice is illusive. Much of what caused the problems in NOLA comes from a long history that few are willing to review. And that mindset is alive and well with Landrieu and HarryCare.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Wheeling & dealing: Snowe pow-wows with Obama; Landrieu, Schumer, Daschle behind the scenes (Michelle Malkin) 

Nothing like political rhetoric to muddy the waters before a weekend stealth vote on so-called healthcare reform. Both major parties are guilty of playing politics. Within this rhetorical battle a few reminders should be stated. Currently the Democratic party is in the majority. They control the White House and Congress. With that political advantage comes power and responsibility. We already know the GOP misused that advantage their last time at bat. The Dems are doing the same now.

(RTTNews) - In advance of a crucial vote Saturday, leading Senate Democrats criticized their Republican opponents for seeking to stop health reform efforts without advancing an alternative.

“Senate Republicans want to talk about the number of pages in this bill; we want to talk about the number of people who will get affordable care,” Durbin said. “Our bill is two thousand pages long and it helps hundreds of millions of people.”

He added, “The Republican bill is zero pages long and helps no one. The choice is clear. It’s time to pass this health reform bill.”

Let’s be clear. The GOP may not have introduced a bill in Congress as an ‘alternative’ to the several submitted by the Democrats. Just as John Boehner touts CBO scoring of a GOP alternative proposal Dick Durbin and other Dems suggest the GOP has no proposal. Here’s a link to the CBO scoring of a GOP proposal the Dems say does not exist.

Most bills introduced in Congress never see the light of day. If they make it to committee that is where they die most of the time. That’s the upside. Those that survive the introduction may not pass. Those that do pass become law. Of those that become law the debate continues as to their benefit for the public. The Democratic party is responsible for the current healthcare reform proposals in Congress. The GOP is currently in the minority status and as such has few tools available to advance alternative proposals.

But what they have suggested makes sense. We should do this thing, healthcare reform, in smaller more manageable steps. That is contrary to the Democratic plan to pass legislation that is huge, restrictive, manipulative, debt raising, deficit increasing, budget busting and an overall hijacking of personal freedom. Say all you want about that not being true but nearly every report from the CBO to the MSM documents the dangerous effects of what they propose.

Once again it is time to contact your elected reps and demand a sensible approach to reform and that is not included in the current proposals being advanced by the liberal majority. The manipulation of the legislative process and the speed with which the Dems seek passage should be warning enough. Let’s back up and start over before any more damage is produced.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

What is commonly referred to as information technology is a topic worthy of much discussion. There is no shortage of resources dedicated to this very theme. And there is no shortage of content lauding the benefit of all things techie including the bells and whistles offered by most vendors. But what is the state of IT in all its manifestations most notably the products and services offered?

The most frequent target of this blog when criticizing popular technology has been Microsoft. There are few who would defend the Darth Vader of information technology but the software giant is not alone with its failures. Just one passing shot on MS seems timely here. Even if Windows 7 becomes known as a reasonable operating system (no believers here) it does not reconcile the many years of marketing ripoffs that the vast majority of the consuming public willingly accepted. The view here is that even if Windows 7 is viewed favorably and for valid reasons it is a typical product life cycle strategy from Microsoft. Rip them off as long as you can and when that doesn’t work anymore give them something less annoying that may actually work.

The wireless industry is ripe for criticism but that will have to wait for a subsequent post. An accidental find in the news provides the perfect introduction to slam the so-called ’social networking’ phenomenon. The author of this post does not myspace, facebook or twitter or anything else social networking. Because social networking is not social networking. And who better to make the case in point than a co-founder of Twitter?

Twitter co-founder Stone, meanwhile, was called upon to defend his company against the charge that tweets are pointless musing while social networking sites are making people more isolated as they turn to their computer screens rather than meeting people in real life.

“I may send out a tweet that is seemingly of little value to most people like, ‘I am enjoying a beer at Logan International Airport in Boston’ and someone may say, ‘who cares?’,” Stone said. “But someone else who is walking through the airport and receives that tweet on their mobile in real time could join me for a beer, and we could come up with an idea for a company that is wildly successful and we will have turned that lead into gold.

“That is happening a million times a second because people are communicating publicly. It is untrue that we are becoming more isolated because of these tools, I think we are connecting more and we are finding new ways to do good.

What do you expect? When confronted with such a question a person in Stone’s position should be prepared to give an answer to support the marketing hype. So let’s analyze that statement from a practical point of view. How many ideas for ‘a company that is wildly successful’ occur every day? Given a ‘twit’ frequency of one million times a second you have a better chance of hitting the lottery than spawning ‘a wildly successful company’ by Stones own words. And the lottery is a losing proposition based on typical chances of winning.

Stone continues….

“A friend of mine asked me, ‘what do you hope people will say about Twitter in five or 10 years?’ and my answer to him, which I was surprised to hear myself say, was that I hope people will not consider Twitter a triumph of technology, instead that they will consider it a triumph of humanity.”

Does this marketing hogwash really require a response? Okay, here’s one.

Hey Stone, you and some others came up with yet one more way to attract enough traffic to a website for it to be successful. That’s it, nothing more. There is no redeeming quality to characterize this effort as anything else. In defense of this conclusion consider MySpace. Who did this enterprise benefit more, the general public or pedophiles? Yes, that appraisal may be extreme but the same can be said of Facebook or Twitter. They claim to be one thing and end up largely serving the benefit of those with less than altruistic intentions.

Most things IT simply carry an old philosophy in business. If they will buy it and you can sell it, go nuts. It has little to do with improving life through technology.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com