Quantum Spin

Well, due to some spammer having found this obscure blog, I have been forced to refuse Anonymous posts. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause for legitimate posters, but since I am unable to send feedback to the offending servers causing them to explode and burst into flames - well, I do what I can. Thank you to all my sincere commentators and may the spammers rot in digital agony.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

If You Don't Believe...

...the Powers will bring you down.

The founder of the National Hurricane Center, William Gray, is a harsh critic of climate change and receives support from Colorado State University.

A year ago, CSU told him they were going to cease supporting him.

However, since then, CSU has changed its position a mite. They say they'll continue to support his hurricane forecasts, as long as they remain co-authored by a former student of Gray's, Phil Klotzbach. But, if Klotzbach leaves CSU, either the forecasts will be produced at his new location or they will end.

CSU says that Gray's global warming criticisms have nothing to do with this. That it's because they only have a one-man media staff.

Well, OK. Their poor media guy is overworked and can't handle the load of Gray's work. I can see that.

So, how does requiring Gray's forecasts to remain co-authored with Klotzbach change the media guy's workload?

The sole media staffer had a workload 'X' when Gray's forecasts were co-authored with Klotzbach and CSU regretfully had to terminate supporting Gray because of it - according to CSU.

So, under the new and improved plan, under which CSU will continue their support, the sole media staffer will still have a workload 'X', but only as long as Gray's forecasts are co-authored with Klotzbach.

Like, what's the diference on the media guy's workload? How has it changed? That was the reason CSU was going to drop support and their new plan doesn't alter it at all. The only change is that Gray is no longer the main guy in the forecasting; Klotzbach is. Gray's future forecasts are linked to Klotzbach. In fact, if Klotzbach leaves, Gray's status is irrelevant; the forecasts either go with Klotzbach or they come to an end.

Still, no change in the media guy's workload.

Now, I don't know about others, but if I have a staffer who can't handle a certain workload and I want to alleviate his woes, I'll hire him a helper. Keeping his workload the same won't cut it.

So, maybe Prof. Gray has a point in his complaint against CSU. It would also be interesting to learn of Dr. Klotzbach's views on global warming.

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Friday, April 25, 2008

When Government Gets Involved In Business

Things start to fall apart.

From the article;
One factor being blamed for the price hikes is the use of government subsidies to promote the use of corn for ethanol production. An estimated 30% of America’s corn crop now goes to fuel, not food.
Well, maybe if government didn't subsidize the idea, then it would succeed or fail on its own merits in the marketplace. But, can't have that, can we? Gotta have that gubmint in there telling us what to do, what to sell, where to sell it ... running our lives.
"It takes around 400 pounds of corn to make 25 gallons of ethanol," [Benjamin] Senauer, also an applied economics professor at Minnesota, said. "It’s not going to be a very good diet but that’s roughly enough to keep an adult person alive for a year."
Regardless of whether I agree with Senauer's political position, I hate the sort of foolish, emotionalist arguments as he makes here.

Yeah, 400 pounds of corn might keep someone alive for a year, but, at the end of that year, the adult who's only had corn will be in serious shape from vitamin deficiencies.

That adult is going to need more than just 400 pounds of corn to keep himself going.
The most obvious impact the food crisis has had in America, aside from higher prices, is the imposition of rationing at some warehouse stores to deal with a spike in demand for large quantities of rice, oil, and flour. The CEO of Costco Wholesale Corp., James Sinegal, is blaming press hype for the buying limits, which were first reported Monday in The New York Sun.
I agree with Sinegal. I, too, think that the food "crisis" in the US is due to media's incessant need for a shocking headline and to get the scoop.

There were banks before the Depression that were in no danger of defaulting, but, because of word of mouth, a run would develop on a perfectly healthy bank, destroying it.

Now, with the Internet and media operations competing for an ever smaller piece of the pie, a run on anything can happen within minutes.
Speaking in Kansas City, Mo., yesterday, the federal agriculture secretary, Edward Schafer, blamed emotion for the spurt of rice buying at warehouse stores. "We don’t see any evidence of the lack of availability of rice. There are no supply issues," he told reporters, according to Reuters.
Emotion and fear has caused a spike in demand - I wish I'd bought rice futures - fueled in a major part by media's need for attention. I read yesterday that Philipinos in the US were scarfing up rice at stores like Sam's, WalMart and CostCo and shipping it to their families in the Philipines. There really can't be too much of a crisis in the US, if these people feel secure enough in their own needs to ship the rice overseas.

And, what I believe are irresponsible articles like this from the Wall Street Journal do nothing but throw gas on the fire.

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Friday, April 18, 2008

Update: So, It Was A Hoax

The "art" I posted about yesterday was a hoax.

Appears Shvarts' entire goal was simply to "spark conversation and debate on the relationship between art and the human body." The "art" was to fake everyone out.

Well, it seemed to have worked well.

Though I am relieved that she is not committing the heinous acts she claimed were her intents, I still find her newly described "art" repugnant. She twisted and manipulated a very important issue to meet her own ends.

Given this new information - assuming it is true; after all, this confession might be the performance art and she might still intend to carry out the abortion - I must modify my earlier accusation that she was committing murder and say that she is simply an idiot.

But, she does seem to have opened up an entirely new defense against slander, libel or even perjury - maybe others. Just say, "Hey! It was performance art! I was simply trying to spark debate on the human condition."

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Thursday, April 17, 2008

Art Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

But, this is obscene beyond belief.

Beginning next Tuesday, [Art major Aliza] Shvarts [’08] will be displaying her senior art project, a documentation of a nine-month process during which she artificially inseminated herself "as often as possible" while periodically taking abortifacient drugs to induce miscarriages. Her exhibition will feature video recordings of these forced miscarriages as well as preserved collections of the blood from the process.

Is human life merely a toy to be extinguished upon a whim? Of no more importance than a tube of paint?

Is it proper to begin a human being with the INTENT to destroy it?

This was not an accident. This was not a pregnancy gone wrong. This did not threaten the mother's health. This was not a case of rape or incest. This was not a sudden misfortune making the mother unable to care for a child. This was not a child perhaps being born into an unloving relationship. This was not even - what, to my mind was the most inexcusable reason for an abortion - a change of heart.

No, this was none of these things or any of the other reasons given to allow abortion.

This was a cruel, evil woman who intentionally became pregnant for the specific PURPOSE of terminating it.

Murder most foul.

This reprehensible thing known as Shvarts is using oxygen that could be better used by the most vile child molester.

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Friday, April 11, 2008

More Proof Of The Effectiveness Of Gun Laws

I thought Texas was the stereotypical state for random shootings. After all, with our relatively lax gun laws we should be having high noon shootouts every second Thursday and random killings the rest of the time.

But, looks like California, that bastion of strict gun control, takes the award.

Like the article says, "Car-to-car shootings are not uncommon in the area." And, that's with strict gun-control. I wonder why in Texas, with very few gun laws, car-to-car shootings are uncommon.

Just in recent weeks;

  • 110 off-ramp.
  • I-10.
  • US-101.
  • San Diego County highway.
  • San Francisco freeway.

Maybe gun laws don't do what their proponents think they do.

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Wednesday, April 09, 2008

A Democrat Idea I Partly Agree With

Democrats may to require Iraq to use its oil revenue to pay for its own reconstruction.

This is something I wholeheartedly agree with. One of the points Bush made towards finishing up the Gulf War was that Iraq would not have to pay for our effort.

I could see not having them pay upfront, but I always thought that they should refill our coffers, once the war was won.

Now, I am unsure how US legislation has any hold over another sovereign nation. Since when is Iraq under US law? If Iraq were a possession of the US, or a colony - not a bad idea, by the way - then our legislation has teeth. But, as long as Iraq is sovereign, we can't tell them what to do.
We can persuade them, but not dictate to them.

So, how the dems figure to make this work is something I'd like to hear. Sure, we can cut out funding, but that won't force them to make up for the lack. It is still a matter of Iraqi choice.

That was the part I agreed with. Now for what I don't agree with.

The second part of the bill would be to have the Iraqis tke the lead in military operations.

Yeah, that's a great idea. Put the unskilled in charge - there's a sure path to success.

If you go in for major surgery, do you want the skilled surgeon with steady hands to work on you, or the med-school freshman?

This democrat plan is insisting on the freshman.

Leave it to dems to botch up even a good idea...

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