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You are here: Home / Science & Technology / Sadly, Al Gore is Still Fat, So I’m Not Sure Anyone Will Care

Sadly, Al Gore is Still Fat, So I’m Not Sure Anyone Will Care

by John Cole|  March 31, 20106:23 pm| 96 Comments

This post is in: Science & Technology, Our Failed Media Experiment

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I’m sure the media and right wing blogs will give this the same amount of attention they gave the climate change denialists will ignore this completely:

The UK scientist at the center of the “Climategate” controversy over leaked e-mails has been cleared of hiding or manipulating data by a parliamentary committee.

But lawmakers who had been investigating the row over global warming science said in a report published Wednesday that climate scientists must publish all their raw data and methods to ensure the research is “irreproachable.”

***

The Commons report said the leaked emails suggested a “blunt refusal” by Jones to share scientific data but its chairman Phil Willis said there was no evidence that Jones hid or manipulated data to back up his own science.

If the NY Times behavior in the ACORN case is any example, I’m pretty sure they will get around to clarifying their part in the climate change denialist binge around the time Manhattan is submerged by ten feet of sea water. And, in fairness, if they continue to employ Douthat, Brooks, and Friedman, I’m ok with that outcome.

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Reader Interactions

96Comments

  1. 1.

    russell

    March 31, 2010 at 6:24 pm

    dude, close your cross-out tag

  2. 2.

    MTmofo

    March 31, 2010 at 6:25 pm

    Rogue strike-out command!! Duck and cover.

  3. 3.

    FormerSwingVoter

    March 31, 2010 at 6:26 pm

    5 posts by Cole in just over an hour. Did he declare that he was taking the rest of the day off from posting earlier, and I missed it?

  4. 4.

    Zifnab

    March 31, 2010 at 6:26 pm

    Nonsense. This just proves the judicial system is rife with Al Gore’s cronies. How many global warming dollars are lining the court’s pockets? Which justices are members of the Sierra Club? Countertops! I demand to see countertops!

    Damn you activist judges.

  5. 5.

    Batocchio

    March 31, 2010 at 6:29 pm

    @FormerSwingVoter:

    Did he declare that he was taking the rest of the day off from posting earlier, and I missed it?

    Anything to avoid arranging the house for a while. (That’s why I’d do it, anyway.)

  6. 6.

    Chad S

    March 31, 2010 at 6:30 pm

    The NYT slug on this was “U.K. Panel Calls Climate Data Valid” on the wire story. The Post of course had to say “British officials issue mixed report on ‘Climategate’ ”

    Dickholes.

  7. 7.

    JGabriel

    March 31, 2010 at 6:34 pm

    John Cole @ Top:

    … around the time Manhattan is submerged by ten feet of sea water. And, in fairness, if they continue to employ Douthat, Brooks, and Friedman, I’m ok with that outcome.

    Hey! I and 1.6 million other people live in Manhattan!

    Why do you hate .5% of Americans?

    .

  8. 8.

    Jager

    March 31, 2010 at 6:36 pm

    What floor of the Times building do Douthat, Brooks and Friedman work on? Ten feet of water may not get the job done!

  9. 9.

    Joseph Nobles

    March 31, 2010 at 6:36 pm

    OT: The /b/tards have taken over the Hutaree message boards. I dare not click over, being at work, but I thought you folks needed to know. The link is to Sadly, No which will give your letters of transit to what’s left of the message boards.

  10. 10.

    El Cid

    March 31, 2010 at 6:39 pm

    @Joseph Nobles: A personal word of warning: Do not visit and scroll through those /b/tard captured boards if you have recently eaten, or, perhaps, have ever considered eating again in your lifetime.

  11. 11.

    soonergrunt

    March 31, 2010 at 6:39 pm

    If the NY Times behavior in the ACORN case is any example, I’m pretty sure they will get around to clarifying their part in the climate change denialist binge around the time Manhattan is submerged by ten feet of sea water. And, in fairness, if they continue to employ Douthat, Brooks, and Friedman, I’m ok with that outcome.

    I would agree, excpet those fuckers don’t office or live on the first floor. Now if we can get a rogue wave or two aimed at the Times building, we’re talking.

  12. 12.

    El Cid

    March 31, 2010 at 6:41 pm

    Also, why wouldn’t the right just lie about what the report said, and claim that it proved their point? Like, what, the FOXNOOZ viewers will rush to examine it and come to their own conclusions? Glenn Blecch is above such open deceit?

  13. 13.

    gwangung

    March 31, 2010 at 6:43 pm

    Also, why wouldn’t the right just lie about what the report said, and claim that it proved their point?

    Like George Will?

  14. 14.

    Rey

    March 31, 2010 at 6:44 pm

    Damn Cole, did you go gault or galt or whatever it is the hell you do when we end up with 5 or 6 posts in an hour?

  15. 15.

    El Cid

    March 31, 2010 at 6:45 pm

    @gwangung: Exactly. And presuming the absence of someone like Krugman or Vanden Heuvel on This Weak on ABC, he’d just lie his way through the round table discussion with Cokie or Sam just saying that ‘other’ people have seen the report in a different light.

  16. 16.

    furioso ateo

    March 31, 2010 at 6:45 pm

    Maybe if Al McFattyGore lost some weight, then the world would stop heating up. It only does it because it wants him to sweat off some pounds. It’s worried about his health.

  17. 17.

    SiubhanDuinne

    March 31, 2010 at 6:46 pm

    John, I hope you know that we are keeping count. Since you warned us lo, these many hours ago, that you were busy and wouldn’t be back until dinner, you’ve put up an additional six posts.

    Oh well, what do I know? Maybe you eat dinner early.

    (I haven’t participated in the Late Unpleasantness, but I’m glad to see things back to whatever passes as normal. I really do love this place.)

    /kumbaya

  18. 18.

    arguingwithsignposts

    March 31, 2010 at 6:47 pm

    @Rey:
    The check is in the mail.

    I’ll respect you in the morning.

    I’m from your government, and I am here to help you.

    John Cole: I’m taking a break from blogging for the rest of the day

  19. 19.

    El Cid

    March 31, 2010 at 6:47 pm

    @furioso ateo: Then they’d go nuts on how the ay-leetist Algore spent a billion dollars’ worth of electricity and petroleum on his in-home gym which included exercise equipment which had petrochemical plastics in ’em!

  20. 20.

    Roger Moore

    March 31, 2010 at 6:51 pm

    @soonergrunt:

    Now if we can get a rogue wave jetliner or two aimed at the Times building, we’re talking.

    Fixt.

  21. 21.

    Eric U.

    March 31, 2010 at 6:59 pm

    as long as we get to tie Douthat, Brooks, and Friedman to a light pole when the water starts rising, I’m ok with their continued employment.

  22. 22.

    MikeJ

    March 31, 2010 at 7:00 pm

    @Roger Moore: Fuck you, Ann Coulter-ite.

  23. 23.

    Kryptik

    March 31, 2010 at 7:00 pm

    The point isn’t to actually have the data to prove points. Most of the data is so arcane and inaccessible to the layman, more likely, that no one could understand whether it proves or disproves anything.

    The point is to use it like the “ClimateGate” emails were: take it out of context, use a cut up point and manipulate it to say “SEE, they’re lying to us, Global Warming is a lie and they’re stealing all our money for beer and chicken!”

  24. 24.

    Zifnab

    March 31, 2010 at 7:03 pm

    @Roger Moore: Glenn Beck disapproves of your misuse of the most high and holy of wingnut holidays.

  25. 25.

    Calouste

    March 31, 2010 at 7:05 pm

    Real Americans ™ stopped paying attention to what the UK parliament did in 1776. Why are you not a Real American ™, John Cole?

  26. 26.

    asiangrrlMN

    March 31, 2010 at 7:06 pm

    @Kryptik: Yes, except your spelling and persnickety grammatical ways in your made-up quote give away the fact that you aren’t an actual teabagger. I’m just sayin’.

    In addition, the news has long since stopped being about informing, if it ever was. It’s now infotainment twenty-four seven. And, sadly, infotainment is now accepted as a real word.

  27. 27.

    maus

    March 31, 2010 at 7:07 pm

    “Al Gore is fat lol” is pretty much the LaRoucheite motto, with some ZOG / british royals hatred shoehorned in.

  28. 28.

    Will

    March 31, 2010 at 7:07 pm

    …but but Al Gore is fat & it snowed really bad during the winter (except in Canada which is weird) ergo Global Warming is a hoax.

  29. 29.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    March 31, 2010 at 7:11 pm

    Will Gore’s weight problem preclude him from presiding over Climate Death Panels?

  30. 30.

    furioso ateo

    March 31, 2010 at 7:13 pm

    @Kryptik: If I went through all the effort to set up a huge global conspiracy that hoodwinked the world’s governments into giving me money, I’d eat something better than chicken. At least steak, maybe foie gras if I felt really decadent.

  31. 31.

    RoryBellows

    March 31, 2010 at 7:13 pm

    Hey, I live in Manhattan and I resent that remark. No way I’m listening to Friedman’s stories about golfing with the founder of Intel as we raft to “New” New Jersey on 10 feet of Greenland’s melted ice.

  32. 32.

    LD50

    March 31, 2010 at 7:13 pm

    I don’t think it’s fair to be calling Al Gore fat when Michael Moore is even fatter.

  33. 33.

    demo woman

    March 31, 2010 at 7:14 pm

    @Will: lol.. Rather than being five degrees below normal, now we are five degrees above normal. But it did snow several times down here in GA so climate change is a hoax.

  34. 34.

    BIRDZILLA 2.0

    March 31, 2010 at 7:16 pm

    So a bunch of EuroPEON LIEberals found a EuroPEON LIEberal innocent. WHAT A SURPRISE. Apparently there’s nothing wrong with using TRICKS to HIDE DATA.

    If the CRU wants to REALLY clear their name, they need to turn their data over to a genuinely nonpartisan, independent and scholarly auditing body. I recommend it be led by JAMES INHOFE and VOX DAY.

    ALSO, MICHAEL MOORE is FAT. And AL GORE. ALSO.

  35. 35.

    jl

    March 31, 2010 at 7:16 pm

    Gore’s fat? That is a red herring tossed out by both sides.

    The real truth about global warming, that people like Cole will never tell you, is that Tunch is eating the climate. And he is still hungry.

    Because of skimpy bedtime snacks.

    Another failure of do-gooder liberal social policies that have unintended consequences.

    We will up to our necks in giant white furballs any year now.

  36. 36.

    Bubblegum Tate

    March 31, 2010 at 7:17 pm

    Funny you should mention it, John. Here’s the latest global warming hoax update straight outta crazyville.

  37. 37.

    rootless-e

    March 31, 2010 at 7:20 pm

    Speaking of shitty journalism

    Duncan Black’s shitty journalism

    Drill, Baby, Drill
    Who’d we elect again?

    WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is proposing to open vast expanses of water along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling, much of it for the first time, officials said Tuesday.
    http://www.eschatonblog.com/2010/03/drill-baby-drill.html

    Mr. Obama said several times during his presidential campaign that he supported expanded offshore drilling http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/01/science/earth/01energy.html?pagewanted=2

    How hard is that? But when you have a crappy narrative, I guess “factesque” is good enough.

  38. 38.

    Bubblegum Tate

    March 31, 2010 at 7:20 pm

    @asiangrrlMN:

    In addition, the news has long since stopped being about informing, if it ever was. It’s now infotainment twenty-four seven. And, sadly, infotainment is now accepted as a real word.

    The was a classic “hilarious because it’s true” quip from 30 Rock a couple weeks back when Elizabeth Banks’ CNBC reporter character declared, “It’s a 24-hour news cycle, Jack–we don’t have time to do it right anymore.”

  39. 39.

    Joseph Nobles

    March 31, 2010 at 7:22 pm

    @Bubblegum Tate:

    Wow, with that and the recent Luntz memo on financial regulation, it appears that the Republican message is now: “Nah, nah, nah, you’re doing it all wrong.”

  40. 40.

    Martian Buddy

    March 31, 2010 at 7:25 pm

    They’ll just do what the Troofers did with the 9/11 Commission report: dismiss it unread as a whitewash and cite it as further evidence of a conspiracy to silence da troof.

  41. 41.

    jl

    March 31, 2010 at 7:27 pm

    @Bubblegum Tate:
    Thanks for the global warming hoax update.
    The scandalous revelations clearly show that the con-man Al Gore is really fat.

    In the supposed smoking gun, the NASA scientist’s admission that the National Climate Data Center had better data than NASA led to following question: what did the NCDC have to say?

    From NCDC Frequently Asked Questions:

    Global Climate Change Questions

    Is the climate warming?
    Globally, annually–averaged surface temperature has increased by just under 1 °C since the late 1800s. The rate of increase over the past 50 years is nearly twice that of the past century. However, this warming trend is not uniform across the planet. [ Read More ]

    How do we know the Earth’s climate is warming?
    Millions of temperature observations have been made at thousands of locations around Earth over more than two centuries. These observations are processed, quality controlled, and then used to examine their behavior over time. [ Read More ]

    How do we know humans are the primary cause of the warming?
    While natural variability does play an important role in climate change, a large body of evidence supports the conclusion that human activity is the primary driver of the current warming. [ Read More ]

    http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/faqs/index.html

  42. 42.

    Keith G

    March 31, 2010 at 7:32 pm

    As I recall at the time, the (correct) knock on the scientists was that these guys got tired of their work being willfully distorted and they rather in-artfully contemplated remedies to each other via emails. It was never about “cooking the books”.

    But yet again, the noise machine cranked up and began painting these folk as snake oil salesmen. We live in interesting times.

    BTW, I read the posts from earlier today. The tone of this place seems just right. These are tough times. Thoughtful people should get emotionally charged over what we are witnessing. Yet for every heated exchange that happns here, there are also moments of people reaching out to support, encourage, laugh and cry with other members of this community. I am typing on a new laptop that I bought upon the suggestion of folks here. I think John and the rest are getting it right.

  43. 43.

    El Cid

    March 31, 2010 at 7:32 pm

    @Martian Buddy: In both cases, vast numbers of people with no actual related scientific training feel entirely confident in pronouncing with absolute certainty generalizations about which they couldn’t provide the first scientific argument.

    I can’t either, and though I’m happy to engage in amateur debate I never think I’m doing actual science.

    I keep asking a variety of people this question:

    IF the only mechanism by which the Earth releases heat from energy absorbed by the Sun into space is that of longwave infrared photons leaving the upper atmosphere, and IF increased levels of ‘greenhouse’ gases such as CO2 decrease the rate at which those same longwave IR photons leave the upper atmosphere, and IF direct observations clearly indicate increased levels of those ‘greenhouse’ gases such as CO2 in the upper atmosphere — and all 3 of those IF’s are indeed the case —

    …then how can the overall heat level of the Earth’s energy budget NOT rise?

    And further, how can the overall rise of the heat present in Earth’s total energy budget not affect the climate?

  44. 44.

    Bubblegum Tate

    March 31, 2010 at 7:35 pm

    @jl:

    The scandalous revelations clearly show that the con-man Al Gore is really fat.

    Indeed. And with that fact in mind, how can you possible trust anything Al Gore says?

    (In all seriousness, Mark Noonan has been demanding for some time now that Al Gore be sent to prison for “perpetrating this hoax.” Now that’s good crazy!)

  45. 45.

    RedKitten

    March 31, 2010 at 7:36 pm

    I MUST have this shirt!

    Dammit, you have to be a citizen or resident to donate and get one! Bah!

  46. 46.

    MikeJ

    March 31, 2010 at 7:38 pm

    @RedKitten: Biden-bot.

  47. 47.

    Seebach

    March 31, 2010 at 7:39 pm

    Dammit. Got so caught up in the piracy thread that I totally missed the Catholics love raping children thread. My life is ruined now.

  48. 48.

    Martin

    March 31, 2010 at 7:39 pm

    @RedKitten: Ok, that’s pretty fucking funny.

  49. 49.

    arguingwithsignposts

    March 31, 2010 at 7:39 pm

    @RedKitten:
    LOL. I’m glad those f**kers in the White House have a f**king sense of humor!

  50. 50.

    jl

    March 31, 2010 at 7:40 pm

    @El Cid:

    Wikipedia has some good resources. I have used them to help me get through some textbook chapters.

    Here is a sample article:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiative_forcing

    There is a very good one that takes you through all the basic calculations for a simple greenhouse effect model, but I’ll have to look for the name of the entry.

  51. 51.

    arguingwithsignposts

    March 31, 2010 at 7:41 pm

    @RedKitten:
    Maybe one of your fellow BJ commenters will donate for you and “launder” the shirt purchase. :)

    @Seebach: Won’t someone think of the tone?

  52. 52.

    soonergrunt

    March 31, 2010 at 7:43 pm

    OT–
    This is hilarious:
    http://www.blackpeopleloveus.com/

  53. 53.

    RedKitten

    March 31, 2010 at 7:44 pm

    @arguingwithsignposts: I couldn’t possibly ask one of them to donate and select a women’s XL t-shirt, to then be repaid by me via email money transfer. That just wouldn’t be right.

  54. 54.

    Seebach

    March 31, 2010 at 7:45 pm

    @arguingwithsignposts: Come now, I know it’s impolitic. But until people actually start calling Catholics complicit, they’re apparently going to keep funding the Catholic church. Perhaps the threat of hell from funding child rape and the social disgust people will feel from the term “Catholic” is what it takes, since the change won’t be coming from the top down.

  55. 55.

    soonergrunt

    March 31, 2010 at 7:47 pm

    @RedKitten: honestly, the whole repaid by you part could be considered a donation by you in violation of the law.
    People get in trouble for making donations in the names of their minor children even.
    Now if you had something to trade like a giant inflatable beaver, that would be cool for somebody. I can’t help you. I am (or was until friday) a government contractor.

  56. 56.

    arguingwithsignposts

    March 31, 2010 at 7:47 pm

    @Seebach:
    Oh, I agree. BTW, Chris Matthews was on fire with his commentary today re: the Catholic Church, although he didn’t go far enough IMHO.

  57. 57.

    Keith G

    March 31, 2010 at 7:48 pm

    @RedKitten: I’d be happy to arrange a way to get one to ya. All it takes is me or some other B-J Yank buying two and sending one north.

    Edit: Sooner, I doubt they would care, but it wouldn’t be the first federal law I broke gleefully.

  58. 58.

    arguingwithsignposts

    March 31, 2010 at 7:49 pm

    @soonergrunt:

    honestly, the whole repaid by you part could be considered a donation by you in violation of the law.

    What if the other BJ’er gave it to her as a “gift” and she gave them a gift of cash that was not related to the t-shirt?

    I’m just asking, because it’s sorta shitty that someone can’t buy the damned t-shirt without having to be subject to FEC rules.

  59. 59.

    LuciaMia

    March 31, 2010 at 7:49 pm

    Happy Birthday, Mr. Gore. Perhaps if you and your lockbox had won back in 2000, Social Security would be in a better place right now.
    Funny how I hear a lot of RW pundits rattling on about ‘lock boxes’ lately.

  60. 60.

    El Cid

    March 31, 2010 at 7:49 pm

    @jl: I’ve seen a lot of those — even posted many arguments back when I had the patience and interest to argue with some lunatic jackoff taking over some comment board.

    But if you’re dealing with someone who has the ability to appreciate radiative forcing equations, you’re already dealing with someone who’s either amenable to science or has a bunch of memorized bullshit.

    More commonly I’m just dealing with the echo chambers.

    There’s only so many rational ways to respond when someone points out that there’s only 1 major mechanism for the Earth to re-release absorbed energy back into space.

    You deny it, you suggest other alternatives, or you’re just a person who can’t wrap your head around any of it.

  61. 61.

    Linda Featheringill

    March 31, 2010 at 7:53 pm

    Al Gore is fat? Linda Featheringill is fat. Ergo, everything I say must be wrong.

    Oh, well.

  62. 62.

    arguingwithsignposts

    March 31, 2010 at 7:55 pm

    @Linda Featheringill:

    Al Gore is fat? Linda Featheringill is fat. Ergo, everything I say must be wrong.

    Al Gore is fat.
    Linda Featheringill says she is fat (I’m not gonna say it!)
    Ergo, Linda Featheringill invented the internet!

  63. 63.

    bobbo

    March 31, 2010 at 7:59 pm

    I’m sure the media and its source, right wing blogs . . .

    fixed

  64. 64.

    mcd410x

    March 31, 2010 at 8:00 pm

    Where’s my fucking pony?

  65. 65.

    Libby

    March 31, 2010 at 8:02 pm

    I blogged this too, but you did it so much better. Co-sign this post.

  66. 66.

    furioso ateo

    March 31, 2010 at 8:02 pm

    @mcd410x: I’m holding out for the Unicorn.

    Conversely, I’d settle for the rainbow-powered muscle car.

    If I got both I could power my muscle car with the rainbows my Unicorn craps out! Recycling, bitches!

  67. 67.

    demo woman

    March 31, 2010 at 8:03 pm

    @RedKitten: You can’t have mine. When I received the email, I of course ordered one and forwarded the email to a friend with a follow up phone call. You can’t have hers either. It is so cool though.

  68. 68.

    Bender

    March 31, 2010 at 8:11 pm

    around the time Manhattan is submerged by ten feet of sea water.

    Heh. Global warming fear-mongers are so 2006. SCIENCE!!

  69. 69.

    asiangrrlMN

    March 31, 2010 at 8:14 pm

    @RedKitten: Thank you for the link. I am donating for mine now. If there’s any way to get you one without either of us getting in trouble, I’m in.

  70. 70.

    arguingwithsignposts

    March 31, 2010 at 8:16 pm

    BTW, I note that the BFD t-shirt is listed as a “men’s” t-shirt. Apparently, women can’t get the f**king t-shirt in their shape!

  71. 71.

    IndyLib

    March 31, 2010 at 8:17 pm

    @RedKitten:
    This is pretty close. Same price, Canadian friendly.

    http://www.cafepress.com/+a_big_deal_white_tshirt,437587698

  72. 72.

    soonergrunt

    March 31, 2010 at 8:19 pm

    @arguingwithsignposts: that’s what I was getting at with the whole inflatable giant beaver thing.
    I haven’t been able to find one of those either. I want to put it in my front yard at christmas.

  73. 73.

    asiangrrlMN

    March 31, 2010 at 8:22 pm

    @arguingwithsignposts: They have women’s sizes, though. I wish they had black. Oh well!

    @Bubblegum Tate: Yep. That about sums it up.

  74. 74.

    AngusJackBootedThugOfMeat

    March 31, 2010 at 8:24 pm

    @BIRDZILLA 2.0:

    Fail.

    The true Birdzilla is not the Birdzilla that can release a new version.

  75. 75.

    arguingwithsignposts

    March 31, 2010 at 8:26 pm

    @soonergrunt:

    that’s what I was getting at with the whole inflatable giant beaver thing.

    Maybe she has some extra universal health care laying around that she could give to us. :)

    But I’m sure there’s got to be a giant inflatable beaver *somewhere* in Canada.

  76. 76.

    IndyLib

    March 31, 2010 at 8:26 pm

    Speaking of things OFA , I got a call with a request to meet one on one with a local representative to see if I would like to get more involved in local organizing. So come April 6 I have a meeting with an official Obot. I am interested to see if they have any viable plans to get a Dem elected to replace the asshat Congresscritter (Paul “lets privitize social security” Ryan) that I’m currently forced to put up with.

  77. 77.

    MattR

    March 31, 2010 at 8:31 pm

    @arguingwithsignposts:

    Maybe she has some extra universal health care laying around that she could give to us. :)

    I not only have a plan to escape to Canada for the health care if I need it, but it has recently been expanded to include a sham gay wedding so I can bring a friend with me.

  78. 78.

    Linda Featheringill

    March 31, 2010 at 8:34 pm

    To aws:

    Yes. Of course I invented the internet!

    [you gave me a good laugh. just what I needed. Thanks. ]

  79. 79.

    RedKitten

    March 31, 2010 at 8:39 pm

    @soonergrunt:

    @arguingwithsignposts: that’s what I was getting at with the whole inflatable giant beaver thing.

    Oh, you mean like the one at the Olympics? Yeah, those are neat. You can get them at Canadian Tire, in the sporting goods section.

  80. 80.

    Happy Cesar Chavez Day

    March 31, 2010 at 8:49 pm

    Also Al Gore’s, Ewan McGregor’s, Christopher Walken’s, Sen. Leahy, Sen. Begich, Barney Frank’s, Liz Claiborne’s, Gordie Howe’s, Richard Chamberlain’s, Rhea Perlman’s, Haydn’s, and Descartes’ Birthday.

  81. 81.

    soonergrunt

    March 31, 2010 at 9:02 pm

    @RedKitten: WIN!
    Having trouble finding it, but I’ll get it. It’s not like I have a whole lot to do these days.
    Yeah. I was watching the closing ceremonies and the inflatable beavers came out and I immediately thought “I have GOT to get me one of those!”
    It’s the kind of thing you didn’t know you need until you see it.

  82. 82.

    Martian Buddy

    March 31, 2010 at 9:04 pm

    @El Cid: I’m embarrassed to admit that when I was younger, I would have given you a BS talking point about increased solar output–at least until someone pointed me in the direction of a post on RealClimate where the author indicated that yes, climatologists are aware that the sun exists and no, solar variance can’t account for the increase we’re seeing.

    This is one of the reasons why I love the internets; there are lots of great scientific blogs out there aimed at explaining complicated things to misinformed types like myself.

  83. 83.

    RedKitten

    March 31, 2010 at 9:10 pm

    @soonergrunt: You do realize I was just teasing you, right? You can’t get them at Canadian Tire.

    I did however, find where you can get them.

  84. 84.

    RedKitten

    March 31, 2010 at 9:11 pm

    And if you can’t afford the Giant Inflatable Beaver, you can always buy the t-shirt.

  85. 85.

    MattR

    March 31, 2010 at 9:19 pm

    @RedKitten: Since you are on a roll, can you find me any of the red mittens?

  86. 86.

    El Cid

    March 31, 2010 at 9:27 pm

    @Martian Buddy: That’s one of the points that most puzzled me when asserted so strongly by anthropogenic global warming deniers — did they really think that the scientists who had satellites in space and had sent probes to other planets and had thousands and thousands of ground-based telescopes and sensors were unaware of the Sun and had not been measuring its output and the radiation arriving at and entering the Earth’s atmosphere?

    I mean, there appear to be millions and millions of fellow Americans who have either listened to some dumbasses and/or convinced themselves that, man, them thar pointy-headed science types sure must not have thunk of the SUN when they’s thinkin’ about their Urf models and ‘warmin’ stuff.

    Do they think that scientists don’t actually study the Sun, we just all learn about it in grade school and then just go on and forget about it except for encountering the Sun in some science fiction movies?

    Who actually convinces themselves that thousands and thousands of scientists working on questions regarding climate change due to changes in global energy budgets here on Earth hadn’t thought to look at the fucking Sun?

    How do people convince themselves of this shit, FOXNOOZ or AM talk radio notwithstanding?

    Do they think that when they say this, NASA scientists will respond ‘HOLY SHIT! THEY’RE RIGHT! THE SUN IS HOT! THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING!’

    Or do they think that this sort of question gets a scientist hustled into a black limo only to be replaced minutes later by an evil exact duplicate?

  87. 87.

    soonergrunt

    March 31, 2010 at 9:36 pm

    @RedKitten: Man!
    Why the hell can’t you get them at Canadian Tire? It seems that you can get everything else there!

    It looks like the t-shirt, unfortunately. If I buy the beaver, I can’t get the new car.
    The beavers came on the ceremony show, and I turned to my wife and said “I need one of those!”
    And she just looked at me with that look she gives me when I’ve said something particularly stupid.

  88. 88.

    Martian Buddy

    March 31, 2010 at 10:02 pm

    @El Cid:

    Or do they think that this sort of question gets a scientist hustled into a black limo only to be replaced minutes later by an evil exact duplicate?

    That was more or less the belief I held; it was a vast conspiracy to make everyone conform to liberal environmentalist beliefs and brave conservative skeptics were silenced by the iron fist of the vast green conspiracy. Being a young-earth creationist (and thus already prone to seeing science as a plot to destroy my faith) didn’t help matters any, nor did my abject ignorance of how the scientific community actually works.

  89. 89.

    soonergrunt

    March 31, 2010 at 10:07 pm

    @Martian Buddy: What cured you? How did you first start to come to the light, as it were?
    I’m curious because there might be a useful lesson in there.

  90. 90.

    Joel

    March 31, 2010 at 10:08 pm

    Does this mean that I can call Marc Thiessen a fat fucking liar and punch him in the neck?

  91. 91.

    El Cid

    March 31, 2010 at 10:10 pm

    @Martian Buddy: You ever read Stephen J. Gould? He made a very interesting point about how when Bishop Ussher made the argument that the Earth, based upon Biblical genealogy and problems presented from various clear observable facts, was about 6,000 years old, that this was an advance from the prior dictum that the Earth was permanent, had always existed, and was unchanging. By pushing this argument, Ussher established that there was a question to be settled about the Earth’s age.

  92. 92.

    RedKitten

    March 31, 2010 at 10:12 pm

    @MattR: There are all kinds of those mittens on EBay. But if you want, I can take a look tomorrow at Zellers to see if they have any left. If so, I’ll grab you a pair and you can send me your addy. I’m assuming you want men’s size?

  93. 93.

    MattR

    March 31, 2010 at 10:30 pm

    @RedKitten: I scoured the Zellars of Toronto when I was there during the Olympics but had no luck. I am not sure what the sizes are, but the mittens will end up going to my adult sister. If you manage to find a pair, I will trade you for a t-shirt.

  94. 94.

    Martian Buddy

    March 31, 2010 at 10:37 pm

    @soonergrunt: It’s not any one thing I can put my finger on, but more of a gradual process of constantly butting up against evidence that my beliefs were wrong. For example, I was still an ardent creationist when I started 9th grade biology (but not, I hasten to add, a class-disrupting one.) By the time I got through marine biology and into zoology, though, I’d given up on the notion of man and dinosaur co-existing.

    @El Cid: Gould is one of those people that I’ve been meaning to read. It’s another one of those points that highlights my ignorance at the time, though. Back then, I would have told you that Christians had always believed the Earth was young–so science wasn’t the only thing I was ignorant about.

  95. 95.

    RedKitten

    April 1, 2010 at 4:27 am

    @MattR: Done and done. I’ll look tomorrow and will let you know.

  96. 96.

    Paul L.

    April 1, 2010 at 7:20 am

    I’m sure the media and right wing blogs will give this the same amount of attention they gave the climate change denialists will ignore this completely:

    My favorite Wing/Paul nut Vox found some interesting huge disclaimers in your absolute vindication of all things climate change.

    they’d seen no evidence…as far as it was able to ascertain…did not cover all the issues and would not be as in-depth

    Translation: we found nothing too terribly damning… mostly because we were careful not to look very hard. Please, please, please be sure to notice all the qualifiers we were careful to insert so we don’t look like we were covering anything up when more in-depth investigations reach opposite conclusions.

    When is John going to join The Brad Blog is proclaiming that did not pose as a pimp.

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