Archive for the 'Critical Thinking' Category

Reuters: What happened to Global Warming?

Published on May 16, 2008 in Climate, Critical Thinking, Current Events, Environment, Global Warming, Media, Media Bias and News. 0 Comments

Gerard Wynn, over at asks “What happened to ?”

It’s not just that it’s disappeared from headlines this year - shoved off by the credit crunch and natural disasters, for example. It can’t be ignored that 2007 came and went as another very warm year - the 7th hottest on record since 1850 according to the World Meteorological Organization.

But it wasn’t a record. In fact that was 1998, a full 10 years ago - the year of an exceptional El Nino, a Pacific weather pattern which heats the whole globe. So is not living up to the hype?

Two weeks ago Leibniz Institute’s Noel Keenlyside stirred an academic hornet’s
nest by saying that we may have to wait longer - a decade or more - for another
peak year, because a natural weakening in ocean currents may be cooling sea
temperatures.

Many scientists flatly rejected the idea, saying Keenlyside had over-estimated the effect. But some pointed out that a recent switch in a weather pattern called the North Atlantic Oscillation could indeed cool temperatures globally.

Along with the gratuitous photograph of floating ice, this author actually covered a little of the other side. Well one paragraph anyway.

Meanwhile one or two doubters are already saying the present lull in warming
casts doubt on just how far manmade are influencing the . MIT’s Richard Lindzen reckoned that if it was as bad as all that temperatures would be rising faster.

What do you think?

Well, what do you think? You could always comment here, there, or both.

Research Causes Global Warming?

Published on May 8, 2008 in Climate, Critical Thinking, Current Events, Environment, Global Warming and News. 6 Comments

It sure seems like just about everything can be blamed on anthropogenic these days. From acne or the end of beer as we know it, to psychiatric illness and smaller brains, it all can and has been attributed to that evil . And of course it’s all our fault for improving our lives through the use of energy. More specifically it’s all or mostly America’s fault.

As crazy as the alleged effects are, the causes are getting pretty absurd as well. We all know that CO2 is the alleged culprit. We are also told that we have to make drastic changes to the way we live - even pay taxes on the CO2 we are responsible for. But now we can add research to the seemingly endless list of human activities contributing to . According to Hervé Philippe, a Université de Montréal professor of biochemistry, his own research produces more than twice the amount of CO2 than the average American. (44 tons vs. 20 tons respectively).

I did my PhD on nucleotide sequencing in the hope of advancing our knowledge of biodiversity, but I never thought that the research itself could have a negative impact on biodiversity,
he said, during a recent biology department symposium.

The solution?

For universities, he recommends having less frequent international conferences, increasing the use of -conferences, avoiding research on well explored topics, reducing publications and evaluating the amount of CO2 produced by research projects

So there you have it: is official caused by hot air from the researchers themselves.

of Montreal (2008, May 7). Research Contributes To , Professor Discovers. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 8, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/05/080507155305.htm

Fitna the Movie - Geert Wilders’ film about the Quran

Published on March 30, 2008 in Censorship, Critical Thinking, Current Events, Islam, Media, Terrorism, Theology and Video. 1577 Comments

I’ve decided to join the crowd of those that have a copy of Fitna posted. I’ll wait to see if I too get some persuasion from the “ of Peace” to remove it.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the as an “offensively anti-Islamic film”, “hate speech” and “incitement to violence.”

Following is the text of the statement by UN SG Ban Ki-moon on the film :

I condemn, in the strongest terms, the airing of ’ offensively anti-Islamic film. There is no justification for hate speech or incitement to violence. The right of free expression is not at stake here. I acknowledge the efforts of the Government of the Netherlands to stop the broadcast of this film, and appeal for calm to those understandably offended by it. must always be accompanied by social responsibility.

The United Nations is the centre of the world’s efforts to advance mutual respect, understanding and dialogue. We must also recognize that the real fault line is not between and Western societies, as some would have us believe, but between small minorities of extremists on different sides with a vested interest in stirring hostility and conflict.

It baffles the mind to think that pointing out that has violent roots in the is considered an “incitement to violence”. If it’s untrue then how is it inciting violence from such a “peaceful” ?

It’s sad to see the LiveLeak pulled due to threats of violence along with a few others around the net. However, it’s encouraging to see the growing number of sites that have it posted in spite of (or perhaps due to) the threats and censorship elsewhere.

http://malagent.com/flavor/Fitna-Eng.flv

Continue reading ‘Fitna the Movie - Geert Wilders’ film about the Quran’

Gore Compares Global Warming Skeptics to Flat Earth Believers

Published on March 28, 2008 in Al Gore, Climate, Critical Thinking, Current Events, Environment, Global Warming and Media. 0 Comments

Gore PresentationOn South Park frantically tries to convince people that “Man-Bear-Pig” is real and out to get them - in real life the self appointed Global Savior peddles Man Made & Catastrophe. However, unlike South Park, folks in the “real world” believe him. On Gore’s appearance in the upcoming edition of 60 Minutes he says that being skeptical is the same as believing the earth is flat.

those people are in such a tiny, tiny minority now with their point of view, they’re almost like the ones who still believe that the moon landing was staged in a movie lot in Arizona and those who believe the world is flat,
…That demeans them a little bit, but it’s not that far off,”

http://www.metrocad.us/malagent/flavor/gore60.flv

I can only hope that one day when humanity regains a little common sense that Gore will be ridiculed and mocked for centuries.

[H/T: Flopping Aces]

Ron Paul Poll Experiment Results

Published on November 13, 2007 in 2008, Conspiracy Theories, Critical Thinking, Current Events, Republican, Ron Paul, Stupidity and elections. 23 Comments

Nice oneThis is it, the long awaited results of the Experiment. Way back on November 1st, I posted a poll asking whether Ron Paul would get the GOP nomination. This was in response to a near constant onslaught of I’ve received on a couple of my websites (including this one), my myspace account and a couple of my email accounts. Oh yeah, and the fact that I’ve driven under a couple of overpasses and watched people hanging painted bed sheets from them.

998193452_f06e74853b_o.jpg

The results of the look pretty straightforward and simple at first:

Ron Paul Poll Results 1

One might get the impression from these results that 351 people voted - 32% (112) in favor of “Absolutely” getting the nomination along with 9% voting “Probably” and another less confident 6% opting for “Maybe” he’ll be nominated. Well one would be wrong. Like I said, this was an experiment.

Continue reading ‘Ron Paul Poll Experiment Results’

David Horowitz - Turning the University Around

Published on November 9, 2007 in Arab, Books, Censorship, Critical Thinking, Current Events, Education, History, Islam, Law, Media, Media Bias, Middle East, Moonbats, News, People, Terrorism, Video and Video Games. 0 Comments

David Horowitz was one of the founders of the New in the 1960s and the editor of its most influential magazine, Ramparts. He is the author, with Peter Collier, of a number of bestselling dynastic biographies on the Rockefellers, the Kennedys, the Fords, and the Roosevelts. With Collier he also wrote Destructive Generation (1989), a chronicle of their break with the 1960s , that has been compared to Whittaker Chambers’ Witness and other classic works documenting a break from totalitarianism.

Among Horowitz’s more recent are: Radical Son (1996), a memoir tracing his odyssey from “red-diaper baby” to conservative activist that George Gilder described as “the first great autobiography of his generation”; Uncivil Wars (2002), which chronicles his crusade against intolerance and racial McCarthyism on college campuses; Illusions (2003), a one-volume course on the history of our time from the Cold to the on terror; Unholy Alliance (2004), which examines the pact between radical and the American ; and The : the 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America (2006), which reveals a shocking and perverse culture of academics who are poisoning the minds of today’s college students. Horowitz is also the author of The of Bad Faith, How to Beat the Democrats, and The Art of Political . The latter was described by White House political strategist Karl Rove as “the perfect guide to winning on the political battlefield.”
Continue reading ‘David Horowitz - Turning the University Around’

Robert Spencer - The Next Moves of Radical Islam

Published on November 9, 2007 in Books, Critical Thinking, Current Events, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Television, Terrorism, Theology, Video and Video Games. 0 Comments

is the director of Watch, a project of the David Horowitz Center, and the author of two New York Times bestsellers on Islamic . Spencer has written seven , ten monographs, and well over two hundred articles about and Islamic . Along with the bestsellers The Truth About Muhammad (Regnery) and The Politically Incorrect Guide to (and the Crusades) (Regnery), he is the author of Unveiled: Disturbing Questions About the World’s Fastest Growing Faith (Encounter) and Onward : How Still Threatens America and the West (Regnery). He is coauthor, with Daniel Ali, of Inside : A Guide for Catholics (Ascension), and editor of the essay collection The Myth of Islamic Tolerance: How Islamic Law Treats Non- (Prometheus). His latest book, of Peace? Why Christianity Is and Isn’t, is coming in August 2007 from Regnery Publishing.

Jihad Watch #46

Published on November 9, 2007 in Crime, Critical Thinking, Current Events, Islam, People, Terrorism, Theology, Video and War. 0 Comments

Part 3 of Robert’s look into the ’s Islam Is Peace campaign. From Jihadwatch.com

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi - Muslims will Conquer Europe

Published on November 9, 2007 in Arab, Critical Thinking, Current Events, Education, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Media, News, Television, Terrorism, Theology and Video. 0 Comments

Sheik Yousuf - will Conquer - TV July 28, 2007

“You will invade the Arabian Peninsula and will grant it (to you). Then (you will conquer) Persia and will grant it (to you). Then, you will invade Ar-Rum and will grant it (to you). Then, you will invade The Dajjal and will grant him (to you).” Nafi’ said to Jabir, “O Jabir! We do not believe that the Dajjal will appear until Ar-Rum is conquered.” [Ibid., no. 2028]

The land of Ar-Rum is and Rome is its heart. The Messenger of gave us the good tidings that we will conquer Rome, the capital of Christendom today, after the conquered the first capital of Christendom, Constantinople.


Ahmad narrated that Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al-Aas said, “While we were around the Messenger of ) writing (the ) the Messenger of sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam was asked ‘Which of these two cities will be conquered first, Constantinople or Romiyah (Rome)?’ He said, ‘The city of Heraclius will first be conquered.’ He meant Constantinople.” [Al-Hakim, Al-Mustadrak, vol. 4, p. 508. Also, see As-Silsilah as-Sahihah, vol. 1]

Marine’s Dad Vows to Shut Down Westboro Baptist

Published on November 3, 2007 in Critical Thinking, Current Events, Kansas, Military, Moonbats, News, People, Theology and Video. 14 Comments

Albert Snyder the father of a fallen Marine, has won $10.9 million in a against the for protesting at his son Matthew’s funeral. Living in Kansas I am particularly ashamed of the Topeka based church run by Fred Phelps. Albert Snyder says he does not expect to receive the $10 million but he intends to collect everything they have…westboro-baptist.jpg

“I do not expect to collect $10 million, but I do intend to collect everything they have,” [1]

WBC is trying to turn this into a of and speech issue. If there is a good reason to have limits on the 1st Amendment these people and their actions are definitely it.

“Not only did you fail to stop our preaching, but our message has gone forth to the entire world,” the statement said.

“Thank God for the $10.9 million verdict!” Church officials said the verdict would have no effect on their picketing plans. They plan to protest at two Friday: one for Army Sgt. Scott Turner in Norton, Kan., and one for Army Staff Sgt. Larry Rougle in Kearns, Utah.

Church officials say they take their pickets to to protest the military’s[sic] defense of a country that tolerates homosexuality. They expressed confidence that an appellate court will overturn the verdict because the First Amendment protects their speech and . [2]

westboro-protestors-01.jpgThese lunatics not only protest the of fallen U.S. but also were going to protest at the of the Amish girls killed in PA. last year.[3]

The of Topeka, Kan., planned to boycott for the victims Thursday and Friday but later canceled the in exchange for airtime. The church claims on its Web site that the shooting spree was carried out by a “mad man” in retribution for Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell’s “blasphemous sins against WBC.”[4]

Sgt Joel MurrayWhen my brothers friend, Army Sgt. Joel Murray was killed in Iraq by an IED along with several other on September 4th,[5] Westboro Baptist protesters were at his funeral in Salina, KS with “Thank God for IEDs”signs wearing their usual “God Hates America” shirts.[6]

Westboro Baptist Protest 01Albert Snyder filed this a few months after his 20 year old son was killed in Iraq in March of 2006. As expected the article states the case may be tied up in appeals for some time before a final resolution. Snyder has set up a website and a legal fund. He says that he has received thousands of phone calls, letters and emails. Continue reading ‘Marine’s Dad Vows to Shut Down Westboro Baptist’