Uh, It's Jayvee.
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![jtotheizzoe:
Valentine’s Day Climate Denial Bombshell
In documents leaked yesterday, The Heartland Institute, a right-wing think tank funded at various times by the Koch family, ExxonMobil and and R.J. Reynolds, detailed plans to create a K-12 curriculum designed to dissuade teachers from teaching science in order to support climate change denial.
A key passage:
We are pursuing a proposal…to produce a global warming curriculum for K-12 schools…[this] effort will focus on providing curriculum that shows that the topic of climate change is controversial and uncertain – two key points that are effective at dissuading teachers from teaching science.
A coal industry consultant named David Wojick (who has a Ph.D. in something called “Philosophy of Science”) was to be paid $100,000 to design these classroom materials. Heartland also targeted publications like Forbes as new mouthpieces, since
“Efforts at places such as Forbes are especially important now that they have begun to allow high-profile climate scientists (such as [Peter] Gleick) to post warmist science essays that counter our own. This influential audience has usually been reliably anti-climate and it is important to keep opposing voices out.”
The documents were released by an anonymous leak, and have thus far been verified by budget comparisons, tax documents and metadata in the documents that were released. Ironically, Heartland was one of the cheerleaders for the manufactured email-leak controversy known as “ClimateGate” in 2009-2010.
This is some of the most damning proof I’ve ever seen of the depth of organization, money and conspiracy that goes into today’s science denialism movement.
Rundown of good coverage:
DeSmogBlog has released the full documents and has more background
Bad Astronomy for comparisons with ClimateGate
Shawn Otto details the denialist machine at HuffPo Science
Chris Mooney at Science Progress’ Intersection blog
And this seems a bit reminiscent to some current events, doesn’t it?](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzfyop2qt01qbh26io1_1280.jpg)
Valentine’s Day Climate Denial Bombshell
In documents leaked yesterday, The Heartland Institute, a right-wing think tank funded at various times by the Koch family, ExxonMobil and and R.J. Reynolds, detailed plans to create a K-12 curriculum designed to dissuade teachers from teaching science in order to support climate change denial.
A key passage:
We are pursuing a proposal…to produce a global warming curriculum for K-12 schools…[this] effort will focus on providing curriculum that shows that the topic of climate change is controversial and uncertain – two key points that are effective at dissuading teachers from teaching science.
A coal industry consultant named David Wojick (who has a Ph.D. in something called “Philosophy of Science”) was to be paid $100,000 to design these classroom materials. Heartland also targeted publications like Forbes as new mouthpieces, since
“Efforts at places such as Forbes are especially important now that they have begun to allow high-profile climate scientists (such as [Peter] Gleick) to post warmist science essays that counter our own. This influential audience has usually been reliably anti-climate and it is important to keep opposing voices out.”
The documents were released by an anonymous leak, and have thus far been verified by budget comparisons, tax documents and metadata in the documents that were released. Ironically, Heartland was one of the cheerleaders for the manufactured email-leak controversy known as “ClimateGate” in 2009-2010.
This is some of the most damning proof I’ve ever seen of the depth of organization, money and conspiracy that goes into today’s science denialism movement.
Rundown of good coverage:
- DeSmogBlog has released the full documents and has more background
- Bad Astronomy for comparisons with ClimateGate
- Shawn Otto details the denialist machine at HuffPo Science
- Chris Mooney at Science Progress’ Intersection blog
And this seems a bit reminiscent to some current events, doesn’t it?
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Strong quake jolts Negros-Cebu; tsunami alert lifted MANILA, Philippines (8th UPDATE) – A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck between the islands of Negros and Cebu before noon Monday, killing at least 1 person and prompting government volcanologists to raise a tsunami alert.
Director Renato Solidum of the the Philippine Institute for Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the quake struck 5 kilometers northwest of Tayasan, Negros Oriental at 11: 49 a.m. The quake was tectonic in origin, he said.
The main quake was followed by four aftershocks measuring between magnitudes 4.5 to 5.8. Phivolcs seismologist Dr. Ishmael Narag said the trend in their data suggests that the region is unlikely to experience another earthquake with a magnitude higher than 6.9.
Phivolcs raised tsunami alert level 2 in Negros and Cebu, warning residents in coastal areas to seek higher ground. The alert was lifted at 2:30 p.m.
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) chief Benito Ramos said the quake has killed one person - a child from Tayasan, Negros Oriental who was killed after a wall fell on him.
A report from June Perez of DYAB Cebu said the quake caused slight panic in Cebu City as residents started running to different establishments.
The alert was lifted at 2:30PM.
People particularly in Cebu City area are in a state of panic when hearsay that a tsunami was going towards Cebu spread like wildfire. Ironically, this happened just as the PHIVOLCS cancelled the Tsunami Alerts Level 2 in Negros and in Cebu which they issued earlier after the quake. These photos [1,2,3] by @candezehere on Twitter show people scrambling and panicking after hearing that a tsunami was coming.
Keep calm, folks.
(via uhitsjayvee)
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Strong quake jolts Negros-Cebu; tsunami alert raised MANILA, Philippines (6th UPDATE) – A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck between the islands of Negros and Cebu before noon Monday, killing at least 1 person and prompting government volcanologists to raise a tsunami alert.
Director Renato Solidum of the the Philippine Institute for Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the quake struck 5 kilometers northwest of Tayasan, Negros Oriental at 11: 49 a.m. The quake was tectonic in origin, he said.
The main quake was followed by four aftershocks measuring between magnitudes 4.5 to 5.8.
Phivolcs raised tsunami alert level 2 in Negros and Cebu, warning residents in coastal areas to seek higher ground.
“This means that people living near the shoreline must be watchful of rising sea level. We will be monitoring the levels and might lift the tsunami alert by 2 p.m.,” Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo told radio dzMM.
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) chief Benito Ramos said the quake has killed one person - a child from Tayasan, Negros Oriental who was killed after a wall fell on him.
A report from June Perez of DYAB Cebu said the quake caused slight panic in Cebu City as residents started running to different establishments.
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The United States has fallen 27 places in the Press Freedom Index. The reason? The many arrests of journalists covering Occupy protests.
The Philippines rose up sixteen spots this year, from 156 to 140. Read some salient points of the report here, or download the full report here. It is an improvement but a lot still has to be done: justice has not yet been served against the perpetrators of the Maguindanao massacre, and reports of journalists being killed still do rounds in the news.
(via strawhatlouis)
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While the country’s leading TV stations are showing me a Christmas party and a gag show, the city of my birth still does not have running water; some areas still without electricity; and people still needing food, clothing and water.
I must say though, the international press is doing a better job at covering the disaster. Below are some links:
- Storms pound Philippines in the thick of night, kill at least 436 (msnbc)
- Philippines Flooding Kills At Least 436 (TIME)
- Philippines storm kills hundreds in Mindanao flash floods (BBC)
- Philippines Typhoon Floods ‘Kill Up To 440’ (skynews)
- Philippines tropical storm kills hundreds (Guardian)
For those willing to help out, as the picture above suggests, please click through the pic. The Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan is collecting relief goods and donations for the victims of the flood.
From my end, I can now rest, after finally being able to communicate with my family. They evacuated our house as soon as they observed the waters of the Iponan River (which is just few meters from our house) rise.
My brother told me that things happened fast. So fast they weren’t even able to wear their slippers when they left. But at least they are now all safe and accounted for. Thank God!
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Nepal. November 1. More than 100 Tibetan exiles were detained Tuesday as they gathered to pray for nine young Tibetans who set themselves on fire to protest Chinese rule. Five of the nine Tibetans died from their injuries. Nepalese police clashed with demonstrators after authorities entered the prayer meeting and removed a banner of the Dalai Lama.
Read more at the Associated Press. [Photos: Prakash Mathema/AFP/Getty Images; Niranjan Shrestha/AP; Narendra Shrestha/EPA]
(via pantslessprogressive)
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We came, we saw, 30,000 Libyans died
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton boasts about Muammar Gaddafi’s death, “We came, we saw, he died.”
It is an apt summary of the White House’s foreign policy towards Libya, though it might be better phrased as “We came, we saw, 30,000 Libyans died.”
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Gadhafi put on display in shopping center freezer Moammar Gadhafi’s blood-streaked body was on display in a commercial freezer at a shopping center as Libyan authorities argued about what to do with his remains and questions deepened over official accounts of the longtime dictator’s death.
Also Friday, new video emerged of his violent, chaotic last moments, showing fighters beating him as they drag him away.
Nearly every aspect of Thursday’s killing of Gadhafi was mired in confusion, a sign of the difficulties ahead for Libya. Its new rulers are disorganized, its people embittered and divided. But the ruling National Transitional Council said it would declare the country’s liberation on Saturday, the starting point for a timetable that calls for a new interim government within a month and elections within eight months.
The top U.N. rights chief raised concerns that Gadhafi may have been shot to death after being captured alive. The fate of his body seemed tied up in squabbles among Libya’s factions, as fighters from Misrata — a city brutally besieged by Gadhafi’s forces during the civil war — seemed to claim ownership of it, forcing the delay of a planned burial Friday.
This is disturbing beyond words.
Truly, this is disturbing. And for those who might click the link above, be warned of also equally disturbing pictures.
Although I understand the anger the Libyan people might have with the man, I hope they also would not forget the Islamic traditions concerning the dead. I would like to believe that the revolutionaries are faithful Muslims being that they frequently invoke Allah in the battles.
This makes me wonder though what could have happened to the Marcoses in the Philippines if the crowds in the 1986 Revolution had caught them. Were it not for the Americans, they might have suffered a similar fate.
Oh dear Lord. This isn’t humane or fair even for a dictator. His body was kicked on the streets and paraded through them. They’re celebrating so much over this that they’re forgetting their humanity. I can’t say that without any credibility, though. I am a guy who wasn’t under such a reign as them. I guess this should be the perfect reason why we should all temper our emotions.
And the resemblance to the Marcoses is uncanny. Marcos and Gathafi are both in preservation and aren’t buried. Now this makes me question my positions on the Marcos burial.
I won’t be sleeping well tonight.
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Rick Perry’s Environmental Appointees Censor Report to Remove Climate Change Effects
The appointees of Gov. Good-Hair took a heavy “editing” hand to a paper on sea level rise in Galveston Bay. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is notoriously denialist when it comes to climate change, but this really takes the cake.
In a report commissioned to determine the environmental health of Galveston Bay (a coastal area near Houston), the TCEQ censored all mentions of man-made climate change and rising sea levels.
The scientists are fighting back, though. They released the edited form of the document to the press (above), showing the numerous deletions, and are refusing to allow its publication with their names attached. Click here to look through their censorship job at Mother Jones.
(via jtotheizzoe)
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Muslim Students Convicted of Being Mean to Israeli Ambassador
Last year, when Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren announced his intention to speak at the University of California at Irvine, some members of the school’s Muslim Students Union plotted to inform Oren of their feelings about some of Israel’s policies. They used their voices to do so. This is illegal!
Today 10 members of the so-called “Irvine 11” (charges against one of the original eleven students were dropped) were convicted on misdemeanor charges of disrupting a meeting and conspiracy to disrupt a meeting in a Santa Ana, Calif., court.
(continued)
Freedom of speech, anyone? My bad. They’re Muslim students voicing their objection against Israel’s occupation of Palestine. Now that, it seems so here, is a crime. Duly noted.
So now I can’t tell somebody my thoughts because it’s a misdemeanor. Impressive, America. /sarcasm.
EDIT: Oh, and I can’t help but think about the impunity that other people get when they do the same thing. I also can’t help but think that this being told to an Israeli ambassador aggravated the charges. Both are still laughable.
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Hundreds Of Protesters Descend To ‘Occupy Wall Street’ cwnl:
Hundreds of demonstrators took to The Streets of Manhattan’s Financial District on Saturday in a largely peaceful protest aimed at drawing attention to the role powerful financial interests played in wreaking havoc on America’s economy.
A totally valid point we keep seeing on Twitter — why Saturday? If you’re going to start this, why not Monday? To give a good comparison: Back in 2000, Rage Against the Machine and Michael Moore drew a TON of press for shooting the music video for “Sleep Now in the Fire” in front of Wall Street … on a Wednesday. On Saturday, the people you’re protesting against are largely at home. And while this is the symbolic home of the stock market, the real home of the stock market has largely moved to New Jersey. This is not to undercut the points being made by the protests … but to point out the logistics at hand. If this is only the start, then our point is moot, but if the movement loses steam in a few days, the initial impact of the moment will be lost. Will be interesting to see where it goes from here.
(via shortformblog)
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“The initial, mistaken information will be retweeted more than any subsequent correction — I’ve started calling this the Law of Incorrect Tweets. The point is to emphasize that a piece of misinformation is often far more appealing and interesting than the subsequent correction. People are therefore more inclined to retweet or like a false news report than to pay attention to any subsequent correction.” —Craig Silverman, Eight Simple Rules for Doing Accurate Journalism
“If your mother tells you she loves you, check it out,” Silverman adds.
(via copyeditor)
(via copyeditor)
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Algorithmic trading to replace humans in the stock market
The Foresight panel in the UK has predicted that algorithmic trading, the use of computer programs to track and respond to market fluctuations and trading, will soon replace human traders almost exclusively.
As it stands today, about 75% of U.S. stock trading is generated by computers. There are certainly benefits, such as lower costs and greater efficiency. But there are also risks that come with algorithmic programming, such as feedback loops that can drive negative market trends.
The change to full computerized trading is likely inevitable, so it won’t be a question of whether it should be stopped. Rather, how can we ensure that the algorithms are as safe and neutral as possible?
(via jtotheizzoe)
