Japanese scientists look at anthropogenic global warming

Here are two quotes from a report that was commissioned by the Japan Society of Energy and Resources, and released last month.

Shunichi Akasofu (head of the International Arctic Research Center):

We should be cautious, IPCC's [The U.N. International Panel on Climate Change’ s] theory that atmospheric temperature has risen since 2000 in correspondence with CO₂ is nothing but a hypothesis...  They should have verified this hypothesis by supercomputer, but before anyone noticed, this hypothesis has been substituted for “truth”.  This “truth” is not observationally accurate testimony.

Kanya Kusano (Program Director and Group Leader for the Earth Simulator at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science & Technology):

...Climate models are still in the phase of reliance on trial and error experiential models.  There are still no successful precedents.  The significance of this is that climate change theory is still dominated by anthropogenic greenhouse gas causation; the IPCC 4th Evaluation Report's conclusion that from now on atmospheric temperatures are likely to continuously, monotonously increase, should be perceived as an unprovable hypothesis...

Of the five scientists involved in producing the JSER report, three conclude that the theory of human-caused recent climate change is at best unproven, and at worst unprovable.  As The Register’s Andrew Orlowski writes, this marks

...a dramatic break with the UN and Western-backed hypothesis of climate change...

Orlowski also notes that the authors’ disagreement with the IPCC’s conclusions and procedures is sufficiently strong that

Remarkably, the subtle and nuanced language typical in such reports has been set aside.

D’you suppose that the global warming climate change “consensus” isn’t quite as unanimous as has been advertised?

Orlowski’s article, along with three pages of translations of key passages (from which the above quotes were extracted) is here.

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Attempt at DTV transition leads to gunfire, SWAT standoff

His shut off the cable, and then...

The 70-year-old gunman... could not get his digital converter box to work.  Police took Walter Hoover into custody after a brief standoff and charged him with unlawful use of a firearm.

I’ve sometimes entertained thoughts of shooting MY set.  But only because of the programming...

Elsewhere:

Via:  Radio-Info
Previously.

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R.I.P. Socks

Via: Gateway via Breda

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Den Beste, writing about anime

One way to wake things up on a dull Saturday morning:

They’ve got a publicity picture which includes the heroine, and the blurb for the series begins this way:  “Rin Asogi doesn’t stand out in a crowd, but that’s okay by her.”

Um, actually, from the picture she damned well stands out a lot.  Them’s E cups, I do believe...

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Quick! Lock the door and pull the covers over your head!

Everything Seemingly Is Spinning Out of Control

• “Second Elephant at Zoo Tests Positive for Herpes Virus”--headline, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Feb. 19
• “Experts Warn of ‘Terminator’-Style Military-Robot Rebellion”--headline, FoxNews.com, Feb. 20
• “Cops Clock Man Driving 137 MPH in ’93 Honda Civic”--headline, Associated Press, Feb. 19
• “Drunk Santa Fell on Me, Woman Claims”--headline, ChicagoBreakingNews.com, Feb. 19
• “Invasion of Aquatic Aliens”--headline, Standard Journal (Rexburg, Idaho), Feb. 17
• “ ‘Pull My Finger’ iPhone Fart App Dispute Lingers”--headline, Wired.com, Feb. 18
• “French Get a Sober Warning to Give Up Wine for Their Health”--headline, Times (London), Feb. 20

From Best of the Web Today

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Change - If you can believe it

Quoted at Gateway Pundit

“I would like to say tonight that if the American people will let the Republicans back in charge, the 60% of this bill that won't be spent until after the next election, we'll cut it off and let it go to the Americans.”

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX)
Hannity Show
February 19, 2009

Okay, that accounts for Rep.Gohmert.  But can we trust the RINOs?

LATER:  In the comments:

If the Republicans hadn’t been making and breaking promises like this since 1996, I’d feel optimistic.  The Republicans need to show us something - not just make empty promises to try to win back voters they have been p1$$1ng on for at least 8 years.

Exactly.

Related:  Carly Fiorina????

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Off the air (cont'd)

Og closes Neanderpundit, promises direct action in the future:

I’m sick to death of blogdrama and whiney pussy trolls and fucktards.  I’m tired of engaging whiny pussies online, only to have them run off unscathed.  I deal with those people differently in person, and that's how I will engage fucktards from now on, and they will not be pleased with the result.

Please Sir!  Can I have the popcorn concession?

Later:  Looks like everybody’s getting settled in.

Previously.

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“When Vice President Biden and I stand naked in the reflecting pool and chirp like birds.”

I’d put this one in the “consider the source” category:

...the White House is looking to install a small video or computer screen into the podium used by the president for press conferences and events in the White House.  “It would make it easier for the comms guys to pass along information without being obvious about it,” says [an unnamed former communications] adviser.

The screen would indicate whom to call on, seat placement for journalists, pass along notes or points to hit, and so forth, says the adviser. - American Spectator “Washington Prowler”

True or not, the idea raises some amusing possibilities:

“Mr. President, when will we see the end to this recession?”...

“Uh, uh,” ... “When Vice President Biden and I stand naked in the reflecting pool and chirp like birds.  Hey, that can’t be right.  Rahm, are you sure that’s what I’m supposed to say?”

Via:  Flopping Aces  (who don’t get it quite right, as the Prowler item mentions a monitor only.)

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SFX: “crickets”

Yeah, I know it’s bad form to jack somebody up with “Hey, why didn’t you blog about <insert pet issue here>.”

So let me simply note my surprise to discover that there seems to be no mention whatever^[1] of the CPSIA lead-in-children’s-books fiasco at Tor Books editors Teresa and Patrick Nielsen Haydn’s literary salon, Making Light, a site where I’ve enjoyed innumerable “favorite books” threads, and also discussions like this one.

Can’t believe they haven’t heard about it; don’t want to believe that the silence has anything to do with their politics.

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The consequences of sanctuaries

Wall Street Journal:

A suspected U.S. missile strike^[1] killed more than two dozen Taliban militants in Pakistan, while separately authorities announced they will impose Islamic law across a wide swath of the northwest as part of a peace deal with one of the group's factions.
...[omit 3 paragraphs]...
The decision by the North West Frontier Province to enact Islamic law, known as shariah, in the Malakand region means yielding to a major demand of the Taliban fighting in Swat.

The move came after peace talks with Sufi Mohammed, a Taliban spiritual leader, said Amir Haider Khan Hoti, the province's chief minister.

He played down the change, saying it only meant enforcing existing laws and added that the 12,000 soldiers who have been fighting in Swat would now go on “reactive mode.”
...
The Taliban already holds sway over much of the region and has imposed Islamic law in the areas it controls.  It has begun reshaping life, shuttering or destroying schools for girls, pressing women to remain indoors and forcing men to grow beards, and closing movie theaters and CD stores.  It has beheaded those caught violating its strict code.

So what we have here is Pakistan’s government effectively admitting that is has no authority in the Swat Valley region, which lies adjacent to, but is not part of, the “semi-autonomous tribal areas” where Talaban/Al Quada activity has been a problem in the past.  Now the cancer of shariah, with its mysogyny and atrocities, spreads to another part of that world.  Shades of 2000!

And yet another “success” of the Bush administration’s policy of tiptoeing around the sensibilities of the Pakistanis in particular (and the Muslims in general) by permitting Islamist sanctuaries to continue to exist within Pakistan’s territory.

Leaving the question for President Obama: Will it be “deal with ’em now,” or “deal with ’em later:”  Will you take action to suppress the spreading Taliban influence (despite Pakistan’s feigned(?) protests), or wait until the next group of Taliban-trained terrorists comes out of the ’stans?


Elsewhere:

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