If All You See…

By William Teach December 23, 2020 – 1:00 pm

…are evil plastic bottles of water and cans of soda, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The Other McCain, with a post recommending to be patient.

Read: If All You See… »

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NY Times: Travel Restrictions Are Nice, But, We Really Need To Surveille All You People

By William Teach December 23, 2020 – 10:30 am

If you remember, the NY Times wasn’t particularly enthused about President Trump’s travel bans, first on China then on Europe. Just like the rest of their Democratic Party Comrades. Now? The editorial board has Ideas

The Coronavirus Is Mutating, and America’s Leaders Are Flying Blind

A new and potentially more contagious variant of the coronavirus has been detected in Britain and elsewhere. With the Trump administration continuing to do little to address the pandemic, state and local leaders have, again, been left to deal with this problem on their own.

To that end, on Monday Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York persuaded major airlines to require people traveling from Britain to New York to first clear a coronavirus test. Mr. Cuomo’s willingness to act quickly and decisively here is commendable — refreshing in a year rife with failures to do exactly that — and the move seems reasonable in the face of federal inaction and many unknowns.

It wasn’t so commendable when Trump did this, eh? It’s also sorta beyond Cuomo’s actual Constitutional, federal and state, powers.

Genomic surveillance is also one of the few ways officials can determine whether, where and how to put travel restrictions in place. Without this data, even the fastest-acting, best-intentioned leaders — like Mr. Cuomo, in this case — are flying blind. They have no way to know which countries such measures should focus on, or whether such an effort would be worth the political blowback. For instance, it may not be worth it if the variant in question is already circulating widely in the United States, or if only a tiny amount of spread is being driven by overseas cases.

Well, sure, looking at the genomes of those who have COVID could be worthwhile. But, is that really, really what the NYTEB is pushing?

But to truly solve this problem, federal officials need to increase the nation’s disease surveillance efforts, and in particular its genomic surveillance. Until they do that, Americans everywhere will be stuck in the same place we’ve been for the better part of this year: making often brutal sacrifices to try to slow the spread of the virus ourselves.

Yeah, not just genome, but, surveillance on everyone, in order to track everyone. Where they go, who they see. Like states try and do with your smartphones. How soon till some Dem party run states start requiring this, rather than asking? As for sacrifices, what sacrifices have politicians and the news media made? They’re still getting paychecks. They aren’t going out of business

It’s unfair that individuals and small businesses have borne so much of that pain. But right now, it’s the only way to squelch this mutant — and any other that has yet to be detected.

You peons will just have to suffer more. It’s easy for people who aren’t being hit with loss of money, etc, who really do not have skin in the game.

Van’s tweet is mostly aimed at the Irish government, but, he’s utterly correct. It’s easy for news outlets to call for draconian measures, when they do not have to pay the penalties.

Read: NY Times: Travel Restrictions Are Nice, But, We Really Need To Surveille All You People »

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Climate Cult Says Dangerous Temperatures Will Be Here Soon

By William Teach December 23, 2020 – 8:03 am

The best way to stop this from happening is taxing you and restricting you from eating delicious steaks and other meat, force you to take no more than 2 minute showers, and have you take the train to work. Or walk. Or bike. Anything but fossil fuels

Climate change: New study says ‘dangerous’ temperatures will be here sooner than we think

Climate scientists say it’s almost certain we’ll cross the threshold for a “dangerous” level of global warming as soon as 2038, possibly as early as 2027, if drastic measures aren’t taken.

It’s a gloomier scenario than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has put forward, they say; but being based on real-world historical data, sadly perhaps more accurate.

“Climate skeptics have argued that global warming projections are unreliable because they depend on faulty supercomputer models,” said Bruno Tremblay, a professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at McGill University and co-author of a new study looking at the future state of the climate.

“While these criticisms are unwarranted, they underscore the need for independent and different approaches to predicting future warming.”

How much do you want to bet that neither the raw data nor the methodology will be shared? Of course, if they are using the smoothed/adjusted data from places like NOAA and the UK Met Office, this projection is unreliable.

The threshold for 1.5C of warming will be passed sometime between 2027 and 2042, they say – depending on what actions humanity takes. The IPCC’s estimate is 2052.

Under a best-case scenario, where emissions are phased out by 2100, the world has an 80 percent chance of keeping temperature rises below 1.5C this century, and a 97 percent chance of keeping it below 2C.

In the middle scenario – emissions rising to 2050, then falling to about half that level by 2100 – it’s almost certain we’ll pass 1.5C mid-century, and 94 percent likelihood of breaching 2K by 2100.

The third scenario – emissions keep rising through the 21st century – the 1.5C threshold will be breached in the 2030s or 2040s, and 2C in the 2050s.

The Medieval Warm Period and the Minoan Warm period (from around 1500 BC to 600 BC) were both way warmer than today, especially the latter. It’s debatable if the Roman Warm Period (O AD to about 550 AD) was as warm as now, but, it was pretty warm. Why? No fossil fueled vehicles, right? Reconstructions also show the possibility of the two warm periods prior to the Minoan were way, way warmer. Regardless, this is all about the Doom, trying to scare people into giving up their money and freedom. And, setting the stage that if some countries Do Something then their models won’t fail.

Read: Climate Cult Says Dangerous Temperatures Will Be Here Soon »

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Trump Calls COVID Package A Disgrace, Wants $2000 Checks To Citizens

By William Teach December 23, 2020 – 7:41 am

This isn’t out of the blue, as President Trump has mentioned wanting $2,000 relief payments since not long after the first COVID relief passed

Donald Trump demands bigger stimulus checks in $900 billion COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress

In an unexpected video posted to Twitter on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump denounced a sweeping COVID-19 relief package he was expected to sign, calling it a “disgrace” and urging congressional leaders to make several changes to the bill including increasing direct payments for Americans.

“It’s called the COVID relief bill, but it has almost nothing to do with COVID,” he said in a video posted just moments after he issued a raft of pardons for several allies. “I’m asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000 or $4,000 for a couple.”

The president stopped short of saying he would veto the bipartisan legislation but was expected to sign the measure alongside a $1.4 trillion spending bill to fund the government. Trump called on Congress to remove “wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation,” appearing to conflate the relief bill with the government spending measure. (snip)

“I am also asking Congress to immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation, and to send me a suitable bill, or else the next administration will have to deliver a Covid relief package,” Trump said. “And maybe that administration will be me, and we will get it done.”

Let’s be honest, most citizens are conflating the two measures, since they were joined and Congress voted on them together.

(Breitbart) Trump criticized the bill for extending direct coronavirus relief payments to family members of illegal aliens, getting up to $1,800 each.

“This is far more than the Americans are given,” Trump said.

The also president lamented that the bill also failed to provide substantial aid to restaurants and small businesses.

Trump berated members of Congress for failing to even read the massive bill before passing it quickly in the last hours before the Christmas holiday.

“It’s called the COVID relief bill, but it has almost nothing to do with COVID,” he said.

“Congress found plenty of money for foreign countries and lobbyists and special interests, while sending the bare minimum to the American people who need it,” Trump said.

Nancy Pelosi is in favor of the $2,000 payment, though, she, as House Speaker, didn’t work particularly hard to help the American people with the COVID relief bill. Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are also on-board with the $2,000 payout. Congress could easily strip tens of billions, if not more, from the COVID relief and government spending measures to pay for this and help for small businesses and such.

Yes, it would be much better to open the economy, get people working, but, at this point, a lot of people are hurting because of the lockdowns and such.

Read: Trump Calls COVID Package A Disgrace, Wants $2000 Checks To Citizens »

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Surprise: Next COVID Deal Could Be Even Harder To Get

By William Teach December 22, 2020 – 3:00 pm

By now I’m sure you’ve read tons and tons on all the insanity put in the COVID relief bill (don’t forget, it was essentially two bills, a COVID relief one and one for funding stuff for Government) instead of simply taking care of the American people. And the next one could be harder

The next stimulus deal will be even harder to get

Congress passed three coronavirus stimulus bills in March, and started working on a fourth bill in April. That’s the bill Congress is finally poised to pass this week—eight months later.

One reason it took so long to pass the fourth, $900 billion relief package was the 2020 elections, with both Democrats and Republicans making absurd demands to show voters how committed they were to core party principles prior to Election Day. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who now hails the $900 billion bill as a historic success, insisted in the fall that a fourth bill must entail at least $2.2 trillion in spending. Less is more, apparently. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in the fall it would be fiscally imprudent to spend more than $500 billion, but he has now signed off on nearly twice as much.

Many economists say that, while welcome and necessary, the latest $900 billion package still isn’t nearly enough to power the economy back from the huge decline in output and jobs that have followed widespread business shutdowns. There’s little aid for states and cities reeling from tax revenue shortfalls that are forcing the layoffs of cops, firefighters, teachers and other public-payroll workers. A new $300 weekly payment to unemployed workers will expire in March, well before vaccines are likely to be widespread and the economy back to normal. The new bill will extend an eviction moratorium set to expire on Dec. 31 by just one month.

One reason it took so long is because politicians, mostly Democrats, wanted to add too much in the way of insane partisan measures, and McConnell and the White House were having none of it. Pelosi was putting poison pills in there in order to Blame Bush Trump. She wanted to play hardcore games rather than help the American people. Think that’s too crazy?

Pelosi and many other Democrats say they’ll pass more stimulus as needed in 2021. Don’t count on that. The first issue is the Senate, now controlled by Republicans who tolerate deficit spending when a Republican is in the White House but become fiscal hawks when a Democrat is president. McConnell and a core group of fellow conservatives simply hate aid packages for cities and states, which they view as “blue-state bailouts” that let Democratic states off the hook for poor management of their own budgets.

Yup, the states and cities who were the most hardcore with lockdowns (which didn’t work, based on the spread of COVID in Blue areas) destroyed their economies.

If Democrats win both Senate seats, they’ll control Congress by one vote. But a slim majority won’t let them pass whatever legislation they want. At least a couple conservative Democrats could block some spending, and the Senate can only bypass filibuster rules to pass one spending bill per year without a 60-vote supermajority. So Democrats would get one shot at an additional stimulus bill if they control both houses of Congress and can muster agreement from essentially all of their members. If it sounds easy, you try it.

Do Dems dump the filibuster rules? They should remember that they won’t control the Senate forever, and if they go hardcore, they’ll kiss it goodbye in 2022, along with, most likely, the House.

And people will remember the insanity of the current bill, where they get a whopping $600 and locked out of their businesses. Seriously, look at this thread.

Read: Surprise: Next COVID Deal Could Be Even Harder To Get »

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If All You See…

By William Teach December 22, 2020 – 1:00 pm

…are uniforms of consumerism causing extra winter precipitation, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Raised On Hoecakes, with a post on frozen cherry pie regulations.

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Excitable Pete Buttigieg Wants Millions Of New Electric Vehicles On The Road

By William Teach December 22, 2020 – 10:30 am

You know Pete. He’s the guy Biden picked to be Transportation Secretary

Well, good luck powering all this with “clean energy”. Perhaps if Warmists would agree to build nuclear power plants, but, the majority of them are against that.

https://twitter.com/Kevgenus/status/1341187124163428354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1341187124163428354%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitchy.com%2Fbrettt-3136%2F2020%2F12%2F21%2Ffuture-transportation-secretary-pete-buttigieg-says-we-must-put-millions-of-new-electric-cars-on-the-road%2F

Beyond that, who’s paying for the EVs? They aren’t cheap, you know. The least expensive out there, excluding the tiny ones like those you rent in places like Bermuda (which makes sense there), is the Mini Cooper SE, with a range of 110 miles and a base price of $30,750. For that kind of money you could get a Honda Accord EXL or the Toyota Camry equivalent, higher end standard sedans, or the same trim levels for the CRV or RAV4. Their hybrid versions aren’t that much more expensive. And will go a lot longer, have a much lower cost of ownership, and much higher residual values.

(Toledo Blade)  Pete Buttigieg, the presidential hopeful and Indiana mayor, revealed something new about his whip at Tuesday’s Democratic debate.

“I didn’t realize it was unusual to have empty factories that I would see out the windows of my dad’s Chevy Cavalier when he would drive me to school until I went to college,” Mr. Buttigieg said of his hometown of South Bend, where he’s mayor. “Now I drive my own Chevy. It’s a Chevy Cruze, made in Lordstown, which is now one more symbol of the broken promises this president has made to workers.”

OK, that was during the 2019 Democratic primaries. Does anyone think Pete has changed it for an EV?

Read: Excitable Pete Buttigieg Wants Millions Of New Electric Vehicles On The Road »

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Climate Cultists Now Coming After 5G

By William Teach December 22, 2020 – 8:31 am

Sure, this is only one French government advisor based on a report from one council, but, how quickly might this spread throughout the Warmist community? Of course, are all the Warmists willing to give up their own acquisition of 5G smartphones?

5G Could Worsen Climate Change, Claims French Government Advisor

The widespread installation of fifth generation cellular broadband networks (5G) will likely increase greenhouse gas emissions over the next ten years, according to France’s High Council on Climate.

The report by the independent government advisory body, commissioned by the French Senate, found that 5G deployment in France would result in between 2.7 and 6.7 million tons of CO2-equivalent in 2030. That’s a significant increase compared to the tech sector’s current total environmental impact – about 15 million tons of CO2-equivalent.

The main impact comes from the manufacturing of the many component parts of 5G infrastructure and the new devices that will be produced to use it. Those devices use raw materials which must be mined, causing more emissions.

So far, much of the opposition to the rollout of 5G towers has been on health grounds, with critics citing unsubstantiated claims that the signals are hurting humans. Some internet conspiracy theories have even said 5G causes the COVID19 pandemic, again without offering any evidence.

In response, French President Emmanuel Macron has doubled down on his commitment to rolling out 5G, saying its critics were subscribing to an “Amish model” of living. “We’re going to explain, to debate, to put an end to all the false ideas but yes, France will make the 5G shift,” he said at a tech event in Paris in September.

I wonder how long till his tune changes based on climate cult beliefs?

Critics say the High Council on Climate’s report casts a wide net to encompass emissions that might happen whether or not 5G is rolled out. For example, it counts the emissions caused by manufacturing new 5G-compatible smartphones and the construction of telecoms infrastructure and data centers. It also factors in an expected increase in electricity consumption, assuming an increase in internet use as a result of the faster speeds.

Most stuff climate cult casts way too wide of a net. They’re using a giant trawler net instead of a little one used for a 5 gallon guppy tank. It’s the norm for these folks. Will they start going after 5G in force? Or leave it alone, and then start demanding people pay taxes/fees as carbon offsets? Once the Cult of Climastrology starts on something, they do not ever stop.

Read: Climate Cultists Now Coming After 5G »

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NY Times: Here’s What Happens When You Get Vaccinated

By William Teach December 22, 2020 – 8:08 am

What are your bets on what happens?

What You Can Do Post-Vaccine, and When

Vaccines are here, bringing hope of the pandemic’s end. But even when you get your dose, it won’t mean an immediate return to life as you knew it.

Scientists cite several reasons for staying masked and cautious as you start your post-vaccine life. Vaccines don’t offer perfect protection; we don’t yet know whether vaccinated people can spread the virus; and coronavirus is likely to continue its rapid spread until a large majority of the population is vaccinated or has survived a natural infection.

Because vaccines will not be a ticket back to 2019, Uma Karmarkar, a neuroeconomist at the University of California, San Diego, recommends that people think about “how we are moving forward” instead of “getting back to normal.” (Neuroeconomics bridges neuroscience, psychology and economics.)

Vaccination provides you and society the best way to move forward. Some parts of life will begin to feel different as soon as the vaccine kicks in. Other changes will take longer. When it comes to thinking about what’s safe, it may help to think of post-vaccine life in several phases.

What’s safer to do once I’m vaccinated?

When people are fully vaccinated (a week or two after the second dose), but most others aren’t yet, their lives probably shouldn’t change very much, experts say. It will most likely be safer for them to do things like visit the grocery store or the post office. But vaccinated people should still wear masks and avoid large groups and indoor gatherings.

Hmm, doesn’t really seem like much of a change

What’s safer to do once my friends and family are vaccinated?

If you and the people you want to see are all vaccinated, it should be safer to socialize with them, including indoors, experts said. But being in large groups or traveling, when there’s no way to know if the people around you have been vaccinated, will remain risky, they said.

Eric Lofgren, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Washington State University, said at that point, he would restart in-person board game nights and one-on-one meetings with students, but he wouldn’t fly on vacation or go to a movie theater.

“Immunity is not an on/off switch; it’s a dial,” he said. “If you’re below herd immunity, the virus is still happily circulating in the population and there’s always a chance the vaccine isn’t working for you.”

You know, it might seem common sense, but, in this day and age and after all the government Covid authoritarianism this year, does it seem like they are reaching for ways to keep controlling everyone? And once we have at least 70% immunized and/or with acquired immunity, what happens?

Scientists also say it’s unlikely that life will look exactly like 2019 again. In the new normal, there may be more mask-wearing during flu season or in crowded places because awareness has been raised. And there will probably be more systems in place to prevent pandemics from being as deadly, Castor said. These include methods for tracking emerging infections and screening before activities like flying.

Seems more like they are looking for reasons to continue controlling citizens, eh?

Read: NY Times: Here’s What Happens When You Get Vaccinated »

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Warmists Slip Climate Change (scam) Legislation Into COVID Relief Bill

By William Teach December 21, 2020 – 3:00 pm

Some Republican should have slipped in some of their own, such as restricting Congressional Believers in anthropogenic climate change from using government fossil fueled vehicles, flying on government fossil fueled planes, and no reimbursements for fossil fuels used for their official business

Climate Change Legislation Included in Coronavirus Relief Deal

Congressional negotiators inserted a bipartisan measure to curtail planet-warming chemicals used in air-conditioners and refrigerators in the huge government spending and coronavirus relief package that is expected to head to President Trump’s desk on Monday.

The legislation would be the first significant climate change law to pass Congress since at least 2009.

Also riding on the larger package is a separate bill to promote renewable energy by directing about $35 billion in existing government spending toward the development of wind, solar and other clean energy sources over the next five years.

Both bills are backed by some of the Senate’s most powerful Republicans, creating a rare party rebuke to President Trump on the issue of global warming, after he has spent the past four years mocking and systematically rolling back every major climate change rule.

Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, called the bill to reduce planet-warming chemicals “the single biggest victory in the fight against climate change to pass this body in a decade.”

First, there’s no proof that Republicans are even aware of these measures. Second, Chuck had his chance in 2009, but, instead decided to do Obamacare. Third, there really are no good alternatives to the refrigerants (mostly HFCs are used now) used in refrigerators and AC units at this time. Most are experimental, and very expensive, up to 10 times the cost. So, that should seriously jack up the price of AC units and fridges. And the new refrigerants can also be dangerous. And, it would also mess with chemicals used in other products, like fire extinguishers.

Now, if they want to use the $35 billion for R&D, I’m good with that. It would have been much better for all that money in Obama’s Stimulus to be used for R&D rather than actual construction. Would have been nicer to use that $35 billion for citizens and small businesses, though.

Oh, and when does the NY Times replace all their AC units and refrigerators to be compliant?

Read: Warmists Slip Climate Change (scam) Legislation Into COVID Relief Bill »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 9 Comments | Trackback URL
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