Science and Edumacation

Hurricane Hysteria

You know all thse hurricanes that global warming is causing? Um, not so much.

The problem with these storms is that Americans have a peculiar proclivity to take money and bury it in a sand dune on a hurricane-prone beach, i.e. a beach house. As a result, the number of beach homes is going up and up, and because the supply is limited (there’s only so much beach), prices have risen astronomically. And the costs and sizes of the homes have also risen, given that increases in real wealth have outpaced inflation.

Politics, Science and Edumacation, The Nanny State, War on Terror

Monday Morning Linkorama

  • NYT on a drug crusader. This guy disconcerts me for two reasons. One, things like this:

    In his article on Avandia, Dr. Nissen was careful to note the limitations of his analysis. In some media interviews, though, he was less guarded. On the ABC television program “Nightline,” Dr. Nissen predicted that the deaths caused by Avandia could “dwarf” the carnage of Sept. 11, 2001.

    Which is nonsense. Second, he seems to be of the school that only 100% safe drugs should be on the market. But, fool that I am, I think people should be allowed to make their decisions. As long as they know the potential risks, they can decide for themselves whether pain-killers like Vioxx or anti-diabetes meds like Avandia are worth it.

  • Apparently, problems at oil refineries are raising prices. Clearly, this is a conspiracy by Bush.
  • Boortz outdoes himself with this stupidity::

    Feingold said that Bush made misleading public statements on the war and went into Iraq without adequate military preparation. You know what? There has never been a war that this country entered with adequate military preparation. Feingold would have to censure FDR if this was the test. There was no way in hell the U.S. was prepared for war in 1941. The Japanese brought the war to us, and we responded. The Islamic fascists have now brought us war once again, and once again we must respond.

    Um, Neal? We had to go into World War II against two major superpowers on short notice in the middle of a Depression. We invaded Iraq with years of preparation times as the only superpower on the planet with a great economy. Those situations aren’t even remotely comparable.

    We could have been prepared. Men like Colin Powell tried to get use prepared with more troops and more allies. But Rummy wouldn’t have it.

    I usually like Boortz — still like him. But these World War II comparisons short circuit my temper. Bush supporters — what few of you remain — please memorize the following:

    World War II was not the only war in American History. Ths situation in Iraq is not even remotely comparable to World War II. If it were, Bush would have, like FDR, cut spending, instituted a draft and raised taxes. He would not be treating the war like it’s an annoyance he can’t seem to get rid of and would spend more time attacking the enemy than the other party.

    • Politics

    Oh, THAT Liberal Media

    Sully links to this note on how the GOP is abusing the filibuster.

    I’ll agree, the GOP is going overboard on the filibuster, adopting a bizarre scorched earth policy. But note this text on the graphic:

    “The longest and most notorious filibusters were against bills on civil rights, voting rights and school busing.”

    The problem: they fail to mention that it was their beloved Democrats who performed the record filibuster of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Granted ,a number of them subsequently fled and were unfortunately brought into the GOP. But the clear implication that the GOP was behind the Civil Rights filibuster is staggering.

    Even when they have something legitimate to criticize the GOP about, the media can’t resist twisting and turning the facts like a twisty turny thing.

    Now I can’t say that I’m completely against what the GOP is doing here – the Dems have 12 years of stupid liberal legislation constipation to try to defecate out. But there is a veto pen, you know.

    Politics, War on Terror

    Ten Things

    I find this post on ten lesson from Iraq fascinating (hat tip, Sully). My favorite:

    (6) Think very hard about the lessons of history. For every case like Munich, in which failing to confront a dictator more forcefully led to disaster, there is a Cuban Missile Crisis, in which a leader’s unwillingness to make the most hawkish response to a dictator’s provocation averted disaster. Trotting out Munich at every possible opportunity only ensures that the next time you find yourself in a Cuban Missile Crisis, your country will be turned to radioactive glass.

    This works both ways. As I noted before, the Reichstag Fire is not the appropriate historical comparison for 9/11. The Maine, the Zimmerman Telegram – these are more appropriate.

    I’ve been on a very big history kick lately, bookwise. This year alone, I’ve read long books on the Civil War, the translation of the Bible, World War II and ancient Rome. The insight it gives me into modern issues is striking.

    'Culture'

    Geek, I Am

    Yeah, I finished it in one night. So what about it?

    All told, I thought it was excellent. My amazon review will be up at some point. There are a handful of negative comments on it over at Amazon and other sites. And it’s amazing, as usual, to see how many of these negative arise from a simple inability to read declarative English sentences.

    Note to the negative nellies (very minor spoiler alert):

    1) You can’t complain that Hermione is dumbed down when she spends large parts of the book saving Harry’s butt and is right about almost everything.

    2) Ron’s books is clearly about how to charm witches in the more conventional sense — manners and style. The one time he uses the book’s advice, it’s giving compliments. It’s not about mind control.

    3) Ginny can not be a Mary Sue in the sixth book and not be a Mary Sue in this one. Doesn’t work that way.

    Actually, looking over the very few negative reviews, is seems like there are some big feminists chips on a few shoulders. The biggests complaints are that the women turn out to be, you know, women.

    'Culture', Politics, War on Terror

    Page 136

    2 Comments

    Yes, I’m reading Deathly Hallows. It’s goofy but there’s something to be said for reading a book and knowing that ten million other people are reading the same thing. It’s the closest my generation will get to a shared cultural experience this side of Janet Jackson’s nipple.

    One of themes in the last couple of books which continues in Hallows is the ruthless and often illegal methods being used by the Ministry of Magic to battle Voldy. Secrecy, kangaroo courts, secret witness, alliance with bad people, etc. And I feel that there’s more to come.

    How long will it be before some Right Wing reactionary decides she’s criticizing George W. Bush? I mean, these guys lost it because they thought Revenge of the Sith had an anti-Bush message.

    I predict that by Wednesday, J. K. Rowling is denounced as a left-wing lunatic who wants the terrorists to win.

    Immigration, Politics

    Illegal Criminals

    Remember how illegal aliens are supposed to committing all these violent crimes?

    Um, not so much:

    Using the 1980, 1990, and 2000 Censuses, we show that 18-40 year-old male immigrants have lower institutionalization rates than the native born in each year. The gap in these institutionalization rates widens over the decades, and by 2000 immigrants have institutionalization rates that are one-fifth of the native born.

    Let’s see if the anti-immigrant hysterics acknowledge this. Don’t hold your breath.

    Politics

    The Plunge

    You think I was a Commie Fag Junkie before? Well, hold on to your hats because I’m with Hillary on the withdrawal business. It’s perfectly reasonable for a United State Senator and Presidential front-runner to ask about withdrawal plans. And it is absolutely deplorable for an Undersecretary of Defense to chide her like a child. And absolutely predictable given the way this President is determined to politicize the entire engine of government.

    Yeah, I know. The Right hates Hillary so anything bad is justified. Wrong. They know damned well that if President Clinton’s pentagon had done this to a GOP senator asking about Kosovo, they would have gone crazy.

    I realize this is becoming too fine a distrinction for the mindless anti-Democrats who are Bush’s only remaining supporters. But the Undersecretary of Defense is not a political office. They are not in the business of supporting the President’s decisions and defending his actions. They are not supposed to be “on message”. Their job is carrying out his orders and leave the politics out of it. And if Hillary becomes President, their job will be to carry out her orders.

    This is getting ridiculous

    'Culture', Science and Edumacation

    Norm

    I’ve referenced Norman Borlaug twice in the last few weeks. I was going to write a long diatribe on how no one knows who this great American is, but Easterbrook, damn him, beat me to it.

    Borlaug is 93 and I hope he’s with us until he’s 193. I’ve heard him on television and his wit and intelligence is as vibrant as ever. But when goes, his tombstone could be inscribed, “one billion saved” as that’s the conservative estimate of how many lives he’s saved worldwide.

    And you probably know more about Brittany Spears’ underwear or lack thereof.

    Pathetic.

    One of Glenn Reynolds’ readers adds:

    Gregg Easterbrook has it half right about why Norman Borlaug is ignored by the press. It’s not because he spent his life serving the poor, per se. Press accounts are filled with stories about those who serve the poor. It’s that Mr. Borlaug didn’t serve the poor by giving away other people’s money, or by demanding that other people give away their money. He served the poor by DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY, which in the view of the press is just as evil as making money, if for no other reason than someone makes money from the developed technology.

    You won’t see any accolades afforded all the brilliant researchers at GE Medical Systems, Pfizer, Merck, Glaxo, Medtronic, or you name it, for precisely the same reason.

    This is an excellent point. Contrast the attention given to people like Bono or Princess Di to Borlaug. It’s amazing.

    Law and Order, Politics, Taxes and Spending

    Shirley, You Can’t Be Serious

  • Owe $1.63 in taxes? Lose your home. Seriously, when are we going to apply some controls to the IRS?
  • David Weigel brings some perspective to the Ellison quote. I mentioned the Zimmerman Telegram; he mentions the Maine and the Gulf of Tonkin. It’s amazing how often I hear from liberals “learn some history, man!” only to find out that they know nothing about history. Seriously, libs, stop talking out of your ass.
  • The Mayor of London wants to spend $4 million celebrating a murderous monster. Seriously, what is wrong with Leftists?
  • Tom Tancredo was the only GOP candidate willing to address the NAACP and got massive applause for it. Seriously, do the Republicans expect to win elections when they write off the black vote every single year. Could you guys at least try to tap into the conservative tendencies of many blacks? Just try, that’s all I’m asking. Dickheads.
  • Due to our last panic about terrorism, an innocent man may be executed. One of the bizarre side effects of our stampede from British Common Law adherence to its spirit of the law toward Napoleonic blind obedience to the letter of the law is that it’s perfectly find to execute an innocent man — so long as the forms were filled out right. On the ther hand, one procedural error would have been enough to give even the guiltiest man off. Seriously, this is law and order?
    • Politics, Science and Edumacation

    Politics 4, Science 1

    Radley Balko calls Carmona out on his own tendency to distort science:

    One issue Carmona didn’t address is medical marijuana. Last year, the FDA put out a baldly political press release claming that “no sound scientific studies supported medical use of marijuana for treatment in the United States.”

    This is flatly wrong. A wide-ranging 1999 Institute of Medicine report actually did show medical benefits from smoked marijuana while also finding minimal harmful side effects. The FDA press release was right in one respect: There have been no conclusive studies since. But there’s a good reason for that: The federal government won’t allow them.

    Carmona didn’t mention medical marijuana in his list of grievances because Carmona isn’t any more interested in actual science on the medical marijuana issue than the Bush administration is. When the New York Times asked him his position on the issue, he gave the odd reply that he was against medical marijuana because, “Smoking is bad for you.”

    In other interviews, Carmona has said medical marijuana is a “science issue, not a political issue,” which would be a great answer had Carmona actually looked at the science during his tenure and not merely at the political landscape.

    And this:

    Last year, for example, Carmona boldly claimed that America’s weight problem was a “terror within,” and that the threat posed by obesity would “dwarf 9/11, or any other terrorist event.”

    Carmona trumpeted claims from the Centers for Disease Control that obesity kills 400,000 Americans each year to support his bizarre and completely out-of-context comparison, despite claims from critics that the 400,000 was exaggerated and flawed by poor methodology.

    The CDC later admitted its obesity mortality estimate was off by a factor of 15.

    Read the whole thing. Don’t expect the left to have hamsters over this they way they do about global warming. Because distorting the facts and politicizing science is only an issue for Republicans. It’s fine when Democrats and nanny-staters do it.

    Astronomy, Sports, Mathematical Malpractice, Whatever Else Pops Into My Head