Are You Ready For This?

It's amazing how many crazy people - and/or con men and bullshit artists - can fool enough gullible people to dress this well,...

Global Warming: It's All Over Now, Baby Doll

"Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have admitted throwing away much of the raw temperature data on which their predictions of global warming are based.

It means that other academics are not able to check basic calculations said to show a long-term rise in temperature over the past 150 years.

The UEA’s Climatic Research Unit (CRU) was forced to reveal the loss following requests for the data under Freedom of Information legislation."

-- Jonathan Leake, exposing another facet of NewAge thinking - apocalyptic climate hysteria - as a bigger fraud than even I ever suspected (and I suspected almost everything else) in The Times.

So, now, the first question that naturally flows from such news is:

When will Al Gore's trial for treason begin?

Finally,...

Serving Everybody (From The Same Plate)

"What seems incontrovertible at this point is that the global-warming industry (and it is an industry) is suffused to its core with groupthink and bad faith. For many of us, this is not shocking news. But it is shocking evidence. Proving bad faith and groupthink is very hard to do."

-- Jonah Goldberg, probably barking up the wrong tree - or he might be joking - writing for that famously nonsensical humor magazine, The National Review.

"What these e-mails reveal more than anything is the amazing group think of these people. They are absolutely, fanatically convinced of the theory and will go to any lengths to justify it. "

-- "John", making me nervous - but in a good way - while keenly commenting, on climate change, from the Althouse.

Cool (Until The End)

Dr. Dennis Green: Anarchyologist

Claims That Life's 'All An Illusion' Exaggerated

"In a skeptical world, with editors and reporters who actually worked to dig up the facts and put the claims made,...into context, there would be something more,...than a regurgitation of the same old things we've seen in [transcendental meditation] movement press releases for the past few decades, and quotes from both TM salesmen and specially selected consumers of their product.

The title, 'Can Meditation Curb Heart Attacks?' is one of those leading questions that snake-oil salesmen love, since they can then respond with the answer they've already prepared. In fact, that's the strategy of the TM sales pitch for decades, as founding TM salesman Maharishi Mahesh Yogi once stated during a TM teacher training course: 'Every question is a perfect opportunity for the answer we have already prepared.' The New York Times has set the stage, creating a vacuum into which the following stage-managed presentation perfectly fits. A better title might have been, 'Vedic theocrats claim introductory technique of their faith curbs heart attacks.' It would have from the beginning clarified who's making the claim, and the nature of the organization that's making the claim. Unfortunately my expectations of New York Times reporters aren't likely to be fulfilled in my lifetime; this is a sad benchmark of how poor the reporting is in one of the nation's leading newspapers today."

-- Mike Doughney, making me wonder how many global warming "scientists" are into meditation - "Every question is a perfect opportunity for the answer we have already prepared." - while already feeling, as I do, The New York Times is a NewAge mouthpiece, nothing like the TM-Free Blog.

(Sacred) Cow Killing

"The world's biggest animal sacrifice began in Nepal today with the killing of the first of more than 250,000 animals as part of a Hindu festival in the village of Bariyapur, near the border with India.

The event, which happens every five years, began with the decapitation of thousands of buffalo, killed in honour of Gadhimai, a Hindu goddess of power.

With up to a million worshippers on the roads near the festival grounds, this year's fair seems more popular than ever, despite vocal protests from animals rights groups who have called for it to be banned. 'It is the traditional way,' explained 45-year old Manoj Shah, a Nepali driver who has been attending the event since he was six, 'If we want anything, and we come here with an offering to the goddess, within five years all our dreams will be fulfilled.'"

-- Olivia Lang, hanging out with the ignorant - five years from now they'll be broke as ever - without even the "Hindu goddess of power" acting as The Guardian.

Almost Made It Home - Never Touched The Bases

"Hey, I have no great desire to foul up the planet any more than the next person, but if in reality, [Global Warming's] all a fraud, it makes Bernie Madoff look like a Little Leaguer."

-- Bob Faulkner, welcoming The Western World to the con - AKA informing our cultish believers that, financially, they really made The Big Leagues this time - while also explaining how this skeptic can friggin' know with absolute conviction, tonight, there ain't gonna be no God damned joy in Minyanville.

It Always Comes Down To Homer

Whacked-Out, Stupid, And Sick*

*The law firm that should go after these guys,...

Where Global Warming Really Came From

O.K., This Was Funny (And Is It Really So Hard?)

For What It's Worth (Which Ain't Much) "Thanks"

"Oprah Winfrey is going to announce on her live show on Friday that she will be putting an end to the hugely popular talk show in the year 2011.

The 'Oprah Winfrey Show' has achieved a somewhat cult status ever since it first came on air. Oprah has had on her show eminent people from every field, her guest list ranging from Barrack Obama to Tom Cruise."

-- Madhuri Dey, cracking me up with his choice of language - and choice of guests to highlight - but I guess, when you're talking about the end of Oprah, these things can't be helped, even by Tha Indian News.

We've Got "Special" People Here Now (Retarded)

"Adam LeBor’s excellent book, written with perfect restraint, explores how it came to pass that a staggering $65 billion imploded in December 2008 when Madoff admitted that his investment business was 'one big lie'.

As the title suggests, the book is not a biography of Madoff but a study of his 'cult'. LeBor posits that it helps to think of Madoff as a godlike figure whose sociopathic ability to deceive was outweighed only by the vanity of his victims.

Although he seems confounded by the depth of Madoff’s cruelty, LeBor has limited sympathy for the investors who were so keen to join the secretive, exclusive fund that promised returns of 10 to 12 per cent every year.

LeBor’s book neatly chronicles the many shades of complicity. It is stuffed with finely detailed tales of hubris and hypocrisy. Madoff’s acolytes, hoping to avoid more lawsuits, fall over themselves to declare how much money they too have lost.

On the surface, this might seem repetitive, but each story of disintegrated paper wealth brings its own ego to light. Not everyone had the privilege of being defrauded by Madoff."

-- Laura Slattery, from her review of The Believers: How America Fell for Bernard Madoff’s $65 billion Investment Scam, which is an excellent title - just like "cult" - or even The Irish Times.

Famous Last Words: I'm Not Going To Judge You

James Inhofe: "We Won, You Lost - Get A Life!"

"What has Inhofe feeling vindicated?  He points to the collapse of the Copenhagen conference, which was widely expected to produce a Kyoto-style agreement among Western nations to commit economic seppuku by restricting energy production.  However, Inhofe could just as easily point to an event closer to home — Harry Reid’s rescheduling of Boxer’s bill to the spring, where Democrats will undoubtedly run as fast as possible from it in an election year.

Inhofe may have won a battle, but the hysterics aren’t done yet.  We need to ensure that they don’t get another chance to impose a government-run energy rationing system in the future."

-- Hot Air

Conclusion: Our Scientists Have Gone Crazy

"No one really knows what exactly the world climate will look like in the not-so-distant future, that is, in 2015, 2030 or 2050."

-- Gerald Traufetter, coming in from the cold - on Global Warming - since nobody can see any climate change, at Der Spiegel.

It's Long Past Time For This

Wardrobe's Done: Quick - Start Filming

"Someone asked a great question the other day: Why is leftist Hollywood so enamored with dictators and socialism? You would think they would fear having their artistic expression stifled under a Castro or having all their wealth confiscated under Hugo’s socialist or communist regime. It seems counter-intuitive, no…? That’s a damn good question but erroneously based on the premise that we’re discussing normal people.

When you and I picture life under Obama’s vision for America, we see a dreary existence spent in breadlines, drab apartments and small jail cells with rat cages strapped to our face conditioning us to say 'Herstory' instead of 'History.' These Castro-lovers and Polanski-defenders see something completely different.

Watch 'The Lives of Others.' Not only is it one of the best films of the decade, it also answers the opening question. You’ll see how life under fascism is the complete fulfillment of every narcissistic desire Susan Sarandon, Barbra Streisand, Oliver Stone, Sean Penn and the rest of their sorry lot has ever had."

-- John Nolte, yelling "fire" in a crowded theatre - or, rather, yelling "theatre" in a crowded fire - because (one way or another) you're gonna get burned from Big Hollywood.

In China There's No Accounting For Taste

Yes, kids, it's alive.

They Have Standards - And They're Double

"Sarah Palin is no normal politician, and at the Associated Press, apparently 'Going Rogue' is no normal book.

When the former Republican vice presidential candidate and former Alaska governor wrote her autobiography, the AP found a copy before its release date and assigned 11 people to fact check all 432 pages.

Reviewing books and holding public figures accountable is at the core of good journalism, but the treatment Palin's book received appears to be something new for the AP. The organization did not review for accuracy,...either book by Barack Obama,...."

-- Robert Shaffer, giving us eleven new reasons not to trust the mainstream media - Where's the AP's aggressive fact-checking of Oprah's daily program? - not that we ever did trust the mainstream media, except for FOX News.

Fine: Show Him No Allegiance In Return

Really, kids: Give this guy "a childhood to remember",...

The Big Difference Between Obama Supporters And The Nazis: The Nazis Wore Brown Shirts

Why The Saying "Life's A Bitch" Is So Popular

"Even the pooch may be getting better treatment than Pops. In a separate Consumer Reports survey, 22% of women who expected to reduce their holiday spending said they would be cutting back on gifts for their spouse. Only 14% said they would cut back on gifts for their pets. Ruff."

-- Sean Gregory, further revealing why so many women get short-shrift on this blog - they're so kind and rational about the men in their lives - every one of them a "goddess", worthy of an expose' in Time Magazine.

We Are So Fucked (And That's No Joke)

"It is a remarkable fact that Al Gore has had a significant influence on public policy relating to science when he is, in fact, utterly uneducated in scientific matters and is of very limited intelligence.

On the other hand, he's gotten rich, so I guess the joke is on us."

-- "John", illuminating the only metric that allows certain people to make fools of others - making money off of it - which, BTW, explains Oprah's popularity, too, at the Power Line.

Cultish Thinking: You Deserve What You Get

"There was no single moment, [William] Yenner says, when he began to believe that the line between spiritual discipline and authoritarian control had begun to blur. But he contends that [Andrew] Cohen mandated – directly or indirectly – actions such as slapping the face of someone for showing too much ego or pride; banishing followers, at least temporarily, for alleged misbehavior; or requiring followers to shave their heads as a form of humility. In one incident recounted in the book, Yenner says a woman who spoke up to Cohen had red paint thrown in her face as punishment. To this day, says Yenner, it bothers him that he didn’t object.


'You rationalize it,' said Yenner, who writes that he was once told to perform 1,000 prostrations facing Cohen’s photo. 'You start to believe that you deserve what happens.'"

-- Suzanne Wilson, in a review for Yenner's new book, American Guru: A Story of Love, Betrayal and Healing – former students of Andrew Cohen speak out - a review which doesn't even mention that Andrew Cohen's own mother wrote a book about what a scumbag he is - making me think I should throw paint in the reviewer's face (or a cream pie - who's gonna stop me?) since she still hasn't learned to consider others, at American Guru.net.

The Latest Thing In Childcare: Kill The Baby

"In the past 25 years, hundreds of children are believed to have died in the United States after faith-healing parents forbade medical attention to end their sickness or protect their lives. When minors die from a lack of parental care, it is usually a matter of criminal neglect and is often tried as murder. However, when parents say the neglect was an article of faith, courts routinely hand down lighter sentences. Faithful neglect has not been used as a criminal defense, but the claim is surprisingly effective in achieving more lenient sentencing, in which judges appear to render less unto Caesar and more unto God.

Not only does this use place children at risk, it results in the troubling image of courts favoring religious parents over nonreligious parents in a nation committed to the separation of church and state.

Denying children critical care may be divinely ordained for some parents, but it should not be countenanced by the legal system. Until courts refuse to accept religion as a mitigating factor in sentencing in such cases, children will continue to die, neglected as an article of their parents' faith."

-- Jonathan Turley, getting all "crazy in the head" about the law and how it treats parents sending their kids to Jesus - where the Lord's got a play set ready for them and everything - a message which isn't going to resonate much further than here, even though it's in The Washington Post.

Global Warming's Right Around The Corner

"There is a long and distinguished history of dooming. There has been preaching about the end of time since the beginning of time. The Apocalypse. The Rapture. End Times. Armageddon. Y2K. 2012. The possibilities are endless!

In order to be a doomsday prophet, you can't afford to be discouraged by anything. Especially not evidence.

Just treat every day like a close-out going out of business sale. Yes, this is your business as usual. It's a deadline! It's now or never! Everything marked down! Everything must go! Combat short attention spans with shorter timelines.

Oh sure, there have been some like Jim Jones and Heaven's Gate who have killed themselves and their flock, but you're not about discouragement. True doomsday prophets are tax-free and facts-free zones of stay-tuned-or-you'll-miss-something-ness. Doomsday prophecy is a riveting and exciting career where you learn to dodge and duck accountability with your charisma. You're like a charming, tax-exempt whack-a-mole.

When it comes to belief, hope floats but doom sells. Pastor John Hagee, a supporter of Senator John McCain for President, once told his megachurch, 'You could get raptured out of this building before I get finished preaching.' On the tape, you can hear the crowd cheer. 'Yay!' This is the kind of message that separates the megachurches from the meager churches.

The other character trait necessary is not caring that you're wrong. If being accurate is important to you, program calculators for a living. If being proved to be a fraud fills you with anxiety and make you want cower into a fetal position and hide from public life forever, then doomsday prophesy is not your bag. Either yarn rhetorically or go home."

-- Tina Dupuy, telling us everything we need to know about apocalyptic thinking - which the idiot believers fall for, again and again, because they're idiot believers - and doing it before we're all going to die, from reading The Huffington Post.

Throwing The Shrimps On The Barbie

"False imprisonment, coerced abortions and embezzlement of church funds, of physical violence and intimidation, blackmail and the widespread and deliberate abuse of information."

-- Nick Xenophon, a senator in Australia, detailing crimes former Scientologists allege the cult has committed there - while using taxpayer dollars - and giving new meaning to the phrase "down under", at the Australian Broadcasting Company.

As Usual: You're Paying Big Bucks For Bupkis

"I'm happy we did the study, though I'm not exactly happy with the results."

-- G.M "Pooch" Pucilowski, chief judge at the California State Fair wine competition, on a new study showing - for the umpteenth time - wine is a fucking scam (in an article appropriately titled "A Hint of Hype, A Taste of Illusion") that appeared in The Wall Street Journal.

The long-and-short of it, from someone who lived in France:

If you've ever bought a bottle of wine, other than Two Buck Chuck, you're a dumbshit.

See: It Always Sounds Better When YOU Say It