2010 - The year "AGW" finally died

I don't miss it but I think we can safely state that this was the year "Anthropogenic Global Warming" (aka AGW) finally died. (cue the classic "Bye, Bye American Pie" clip).

As I have made fun of these ridiculous assertions before, I will display the parody (to left) from NoConcensus.com and their diligent debunk.   I would add that to Donna's "Top 10" posts - including this revealing bit of investigative journalism - that many of the "so-called experts" were working for the IPCC as young grad students and I can only conclude, merely completing their MA or PHd requirements (which, no doubt led to their advisors granting these degree's).  Can there be anymore tawdry instances of self-dealing?

This is further expanded in yesterday article from the National Post that (IMHO) thoroughly discredits the assertions of the IPCC that AGW is "concensus" as many of the reported 2,500 "scientists" did not endorse the IPCC reports.

The Morgantaler Effect

A very interesting article that finally provides a clear explanation of how Henry Morgantaler "gamed" our Criminal Court system through "civil disobedience".  It involved a legal strategy called Jury Nullification - where a jury fails to uphold the law because it goes against their community principals of freedom.  Which is what happened to Morgantaler - but then the Appellate Court overturned those decisions and substituted a conviction.  That brought in legislation by the Federal Government that restricted Appeal Courts to just overturning a decision - not substituting an alternative conviction and sentence.  That appeal was challenged and finally reached the Supreme Court in 1988 - just after the Charter of Rights was brought in in 1983 - and the Supreme's found that it was an undue restriction upon a "Women's right to chose" and impinged on her reproductive freedom.

This article suggests that advocates of "Assisted Suicide" will follow the same path of 1) "civil disobedience" in order to 2) provoke a Jury Trial by peers who will not find them guilty, or will find them guilty of a lessor charge. That will be 3) Appealled  and eventually lead to 4) a Supreme Court decision that will find individual rights to healthcare treatment include not submitting to it and that 5) it would be a infringement upon an individuals rights NOT TO allow them to seek help in ending their own lives through "assisted suicide".

Chilling rhetoric.

Is Toronto in decline?

Following closely on post about municipal taxation is this article about the decline of the "middle class" in Toronto.   I reject it.   Having grown up in Toronto (1968-1993) for much of the period under discussion 1970-2005 - all this chart reflects is the flight to the suburbs.    It also shows that 39% of the city fluctuated between +/-20% around the average income level.

Finally, this deranged liberal editorial in most recent issue of Walrus Magazine.  Why is it this magazine us always moaning about not recieving finding by something/someone - in Nov 2009 was all about underfunded higher education (written none other than by Roger Martin, Dean of UofT Rotman School)

Municipal Taxes only ever go up

Given that Edmonton City Council just approved a 3.8% budget approval, city tax will continue to rise.  I have never seen them fall - ever - and with market-value assessment, home assessment values are biased to reflect the most recent sales activity during booms and remain are stubbornly high.  Calgary also set increase to 5%.

The National Post weighs in here.
  

Spooky

Ok, this is spooky.
A Top Secret US Military Project called HAARP based in in Alaska can according to this History Channel video alter weather patterns by influencing the jet-stream.  (It that why it was rather warm yesterday?)

A view from Quebec

Via Joanne Marcotte's blog I was directed to the blog of www.antagoniste.net who describes the breathtaking misrepresentation of Carole Beaulieu of L'actualité Magazine, in her commentary on "The Pitfalls of Populism":

Le député conservateur Maxime Bernier a déclaré à Québec, en octobre, que « la liberté et la responsabilité individuelles sont considérées comme des valeurs rétrogrades par nos élites ». Ah, les maudites élites ! Qu'il fait bon les haïr, quand on travaille 10 heures par jour dans une usine. Mais c'est qui, l'élite ? N'est-ce pas le médecin qui a sauvé la vie de votre mère ? L'enseignant qui a réussi à faire apprendre à lire à votre fils dyslexique ? L'ingénieur qui a fondé l'entreprise où vous travaillez et qui vient de créer 50 nouveaux emplois ? Et ces gens-là ne croient pas à la responsabilité individuelle ? « Bonyenne ! »

Bernier veut faire avaler aux Québécois que tous les gens instruits de leur société (c'est la définition de l'élite, non ?) méprisent la liberté. C'est complètement faux.Maxime Bernier, qui dit défendre « le peuple », ne respecte tout simplement pas son intelligence.

[Google Translation: Conservative MP Maxime Bernier said in Quebec City in October that "freedom and individual responsibility are seen as retrograde values by our elites." Ah, the damned elites! It is good to hate, when you work 10 hours a day in a factory. But who are the elite?  Is it not the doctor who saved the life of your mother?  A teacher who has succeeded in teaching your dyslexic son to read?  The engineer who founded the company where you work and who has created 50 new jobs?  And these people do not believe in individual responsibility? "Bonyenne!"

Bernier wants all Quebecers to swallow (the idea) that educated people in their society (the definition of the elite, right?) despise freedom. This is completely false. Maxime Bernier, who claims to defend "the people" simply does not respect their intelligence.] 

The elite is neither the doctor nor the teacher nor the engineer ... It has nothing to do with them.

The elite consists of people who feel they have a moral duty to impose on the people some choices in life, because it would be more intelligent and informed to do than the plebs.  It has nothing to do with ones level of education, but much to do with the desire of some people to control others' lives. An intellectual is not necessarily an "elite" (and vice versa).

It ends with this wonderful quote by Ronald Regan:

"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem."

and these video's.

Good for a laugh

We're starting a Tim Geithner death watch. 
[Count me in!  Even more so a after having to hear this idiotic drivel. Controlling Current Account (deficits) huh, good luck!]

And how about this "Ron Paul is about to totally revolutionize the House Monetary Policy Panel!"
It won't make an difference to the Fed, but it will sure make it more fun.

Interesting that so many are so critical of the Fed - which is spurring greater interest in a Gold Standard!

Finally, Sarah Palin has it right - again.

QE2 - Grant's Reply

We, the Sheeple

Today is Municipal Voting Day.  Do your job.

Could I care less about the UN?

Again, Liberal hand-wringing on CBC has escalated into an anxiety attack over this momentous event.  Rex Murphy at the National Post got it right "the UN has nothing over us".  And even better:

If Michael Ignatieff has the power to work his dominion over the combined nations of the world — to bend China, the Arab bloc, Latin America and Africa to his imperious will — why oh why he is wasting his time running around the parochial sandbox with Stephen Harper in Ottawa?

David Frum continues with this line of thinking today by noting that we seem to have invented a new Olympic Event - Solo Boxing.    As he points out - there was no "conspiracy" against Canada.  If the Americans have been unsuccessful at the UN on our account, they have been just as hapless for themselves.  And there is the pity.