Saturday, September 28, 2013

SAR #13271



What has free trade done for you lately?

Summary Execution: All you need know about the new IPCC report is that global surface temperatures will “likely” be 4.7 to 8.6ºC above the levels seen during 1986 – 2005. That's 8 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit above today's 'norm.' Why? Because we are doing nothing to cut our carbon emissions; in fact, they are now 50% above what they were a decade ago and still increasing. Ha, and you thought the fight over the debt ceiling was important.

Qui Bono? Analysis of the US drone strikes in Pakistan reveals that they have little or no effect on insurgent violence back in Afghanistan – even those attacks that kill actual militant leaders appear to have little or no benefit to the US effort.

No And Yes: During a Senate hearing, the Director of NSA declined to say if the agency was collecting cell phone GPS location data while it is vacuuming up the content of the calls. Which means they are. He did say that he thought it “in the nation's best interest” for the agency to collect all US electronic communications and store them forever. The Director of National Intelligence, at the same hearing, claimed that NSA's collect everything, everywhere, all the time “is necessary.” They blamed the leaks and the “sensational headlines” for the public anger at being constantly watched and listened to, and not the fact that the citizens might not want to have all their electronic communications and activities spied upon.

Stumble: Customer confidence has fallen to a five-month low, with the biggest two-month decline this year and the largest miss vs. expectations on record. Citi analysts noted this pattern suggests “significant downside risk to US equities.”

Whale/Oil: ExxonMobil has managed to kill about 100 melon-headed whales while searching for oil off Madagascar using sonar “booms” to search for oil.
 
Fear Itself: Christian groups in Kansas have gone to court to try to stop the schools from teaching science at all grade levels, because faith-based creationism is not being included and they are sure learning about science will create “a hostile learning environment for those of faith.” I certainly hope so.

The Parting Shot:
The gang's all here...


2 comments:

kwark said...

Glad to see you back in the saddle CKM!

Re Fear Itself: I have a co-worker who parrots this sort of "thinking". I suggested that a reasonable compromise would be to have a classroom session offering "faith-based" teaching about creation provided that kids got to hear EVERY religion's version of "the truth", not just his fire and brimstone flavor of Christianity. Let's just say he was as upset by that notion as the current situation. Asking what he had to fear from such an arrangement was not a good follow-up question.

Charles Kingsley Michaelson, III said...

Yeah, and the same question should be asked of the GOP - if Obamacare is so bad and doomed to fail, what are you afraid of?

And I'm not back, yet. Just faking it. Got a test or two and a "procedure" early this week and hope to get the seal of approval then.