The Saturday Evening Posts

Twenty-year hiatus in rising temperatures has climate scientists puzzled | The Australian

DEBATE about the reality of a two-decade pause in global warming and what it means has made its way from the sceptical fringe to the mainstream.

In a lengthy article this week, The Economist magazine said if climate scientists were credit-rating agencies, then climate sensitivity - the way climate reacts to changes in carbon-dioxide levels - would be on negative watch but not yet downgraded.

Another paper published by leading climate scientist James Hansen, the head of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, says the lower than expected temperature rise between 2000 and the present could be explained by increased emissions from burning coal.

For Hansen the pause is a fact, but it's good news that probably won't last.

International Panel on Climate Change chairman Rajendra Pachauri recently told The Weekend Australian the hiatus would have to last 30 to 40 years "at least" to break the long-term warming trend.

But the fact that global surface temperatures have not followed the expected global warming pattern is now widely accepted.

Research by Ed Hawkins of University of Reading shows surface temperatures since 2005 are already at the low end of the range projections derived from 20 climate models and if they remain flat, they will fall outside the models' range within a few years.

"The global temperature standstill shows that climate models are diverging from observations," says David Whitehouse of the Global Warming Policy Foundation.

"If we have not passed it already, we are on the threshold of global observations becoming incompatible with the consensus theory of climate change," he says.

via www.theaustralian.com.au

WASHINGTON (AP) -- An unusual and widely felt 5.6-magnitude quake in Oklahoma in 2011 was probably caused when oil drilling waste was pushed deep underground, a team of university and federal scientists concluded.

That would make it the most powerful quake to be blamed on deep injections of wastewater, according to a study published Tuesday by the journal Geology. The waste was from traditional drilling, not from the hydraulic fracturing technique, or fracking.

Not everyone agrees, though, with the scientists' conclusion: Oklahoma's state seismologists say the quake was natural.

The Nov. 6 earthquake near Prague, Okla., injured two people, damaged 14 houses and was felt for hundreds of miles in 14 states, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was the largest quake in the central part of the country in decades and largest in Oklahoma records, experts said.

The study by geophysicists at the University of Oklahoma, Columbia University and the USGS says that a day earlier there was a slightly smaller quake in an old oil well used to get r

via hosted.ap.org

» Video: Hundreds Of DHS Armored Trucks On The Move? Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!

Video: Hundreds Of DHS Armored Trucks On The Move?

More footage of military vehicles being delivered surfaces online

Steve Watson
Infowars.com
Mar 25, 2013

Footage of hundreds of armored trucks, similar to ones reportedly purchased recently by the Department Of Homeland Security has appeared online, raising more questions over their intended use.

The video was uploaded to YouTube last week by a user who stated that it was shot in the middle of the desert between Hackberry and Peach Springs, Arizona.

It shows hundreds of military style trucks loaded on to a train, presumably in the process of being delivered domestically for law enforcement or military purposes.

The video raises significant questions in the wake of reports that the Department of Homeland Security, headed by Janet Napolitano, recently purchased around 2,700 MRAP trucks that many believe are to be deployed to local law enforcement agencies around the country.

It is clear that the DHS does have fleets of armoured vehicles intended for use in the US.

Here is a demonstration video of such a vehicle by ICE agents:

via www.infowars.com

Congressmen Demand Answers From DHS On 1.6 Billion Bullet Purchase - Investors.com

A good portion of the 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition are being purchased by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal government's second-largest criminal investigative agency. Yes that's the same ICE that is releasing detained criminal illegal aliens onto our streets because of sequestration cuts.

Jonathan Lasher, the Social Security Administration's assistant inspector general for external relations, explained the purchase of 174,000 hollow-point bullets by saying they were for the Social Security inspector general's office, which has about 295 agents who investigate Social Security fraud and other crimes.

When they say they're cracking down on waste, fraud and abuse, they apparently mean it.

However, as former Marine Richard Mason told reporters with WHPTV News in Pennsylvania recently, hollow-point bullets (which make up the majority of the DHS purchases) are not used for training because they are more expensive than standard firing range rounds .

"We never trained with hollow points, we didn't even see hollow points my entire 4-1/2 years in the Marine Corps," Mason said.

LaMalfa offers one theory that's less sinister than some: The federal government is simply trying to corner the market on ammo and restrict what's available to the American people as part of its gun control efforts.

via news.investors.com

DHS Denies Massive Ammunition Purchase - Washington Whispers (usnews.com)

"They have no answer for that question. They refuse to answer to answer that," Huelskamp said on the video of the purchases. His office told Whispers that he had sent a letter to DHS with his concerns but had not heard back.

In the letter to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, Huelskamp wrote that it had "become clear" that DHS was "purchasing vast quantities of ammunition" and that "estimates show that this ... would be enough for 24 Iraq wars." The Kansas congressman also said the timing of the purchase was "of great interest" because of gun control legislation currently being pushed by the Obama administration.

[READ: DHS Named Worst Federal Agency to Work]

"The extraordinary level of ammunition purchases made by Homeland Security seems to have, in states such as my own, created an extreme shortage of ammunition to the point where many gun owners are unable to purchase any," he wrote.

DHS previously responded to concerns over the purchase voiced by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., noting in a detailed letter sent to the senator's office in February just how much had been purchased and for what purpose.

via www.usnews.com

» Big Sis Refuses To Answer Congress On Bullet Purchases Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!

Speaking at CPAC with Infowars and We Are Change reporter, Luke Rudkowski, Congressman Timothy Huelscamp revealed this week that the Department of Homeland Security has refused to answer questions from “multiple” members of Congress regarding its recent purchase of huge amounts of weapons and ammunition.

“They have no answer for that question. They refuse to answer to answer that.” Huelscamp said.

“I’ve got a list of various questions of agencies about multiple things. Far from being the most transparent administration in the world, they are the most closed and opaque.” The Congressman added.

“They refuse to let us know what is going on, so I don’t really have an answer for that. Multiple members of Congress are asking those questions.” he added.

“It comes down to during the budget process, during the appropriations process, are we willing to hold DHS’s feet to the fire?”

“We’re going to find out… I say we don’t fund them ’til we get an answer. Those type of things really challenge Americans. They are worried about this administration.” Huelscamp urged.

Watch the clip below:

via www.infowars.com

Getting scary!

Why does the devil in 'The Bible' look exactly like President Obama? | Mail Online

Spooky: Viewers noted the Devil from the History Channel series 'The Bible' Satan looks similar to President Barack Obama

Right-wing commentator and radio-host Glenn Beck first pointed out the eerie similarity on Saturday, tweeting, 'Anyone else think the Devil in #TheBible Sunday on History Channel looks exactly like That Guy?'

Others were simply struck by the clear physical match.

via www.dailymail.co.uk

It works with me.

Growing Number Of States Eye Bills To Defy Federal Gun Laws | CNS News

Shortly after voters in Colorado and Washington State approved measures that legalized the recreational use of marijuana, President Obama told Barbara Walters that his Justice Department would not prosecute pot users in these states.

"We've got bigger fish to fry," Obama said.

Although the state measures defy federal law, it appears Barack Obama is giving each state a pass on this issue.

But, will Obama also respect states that pass legislation in defiance of federal law when it comes to firearms?

On March 12 and 14, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed both Sen. Charles Schumer's (D-NY) "Fix Gun Checks Act," which would criminalize all private firearm sales and Sen. Dianne Feinstein's (D-CA) "Assault Weapons Ban."

These bills have a long way to go before they become law - if they ever do - but states across the nation are introducing their own legislation to preemptively defeat any new federal gun laws.

In Ohio, two senators have introduced SB36, which would prohibit firearms seizures, registration and bans in their state.

Sen. Jared Carpenter introduced a bill that would prohibit Kentucky from enforcing new federal gun control laws if they're enacted.  The measure passed by a vote of 34-3.

The Idaho House of Representatives passed a bill that criminalizes the act of enforcing any new federal laws than ban, restrict, confiscate, or require registration of firearms or ammunition in violation of the state's constitution.

HB219 passed by a 55-13 vote.

In Louisiana, Rep. Jim Morris sponsored a bill that "prohibits the enforcement of federal restrictions regarding the ownership or possession of semi-automatic firearms."

The House Public Safety Committee in Oklahoma passed HB2021 that would also prohibit the enforcement of federal gun laws.

House Bill 1076, sponsored by Rep. Steve Toth in Texas, would disallow state and local police from enforcing new gun control measures passed by the federal government.

In Kansas, the House approved three pro-gun bills, one of which prohibits the federal government from enforcing gun laws or bans on firearms and accessories manufactured, sold, or kept in the state.

The "Arizona Firearms: Prohibited Enforcement" bill would make it a Class 6 felony for the federal government to enforce new laws or regulations on guns, accessories and ammunition owned or manufactured in the state.

Senate

via cnsnews.com

Google Glass: The opposition grows | Internet & Media - CNET News

A shot in the dark?

(Credit: Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)

The opposition will congregate in dark corners.

They will whisper with their mouths, while their eyes will scan the room for spies wearing strange spectacles.

The spies will likely be men. How many women would really like to waft down the street wearing Google Glass?

It won't be easy. Once you've been cybernated, there's no turning back. Which is why the refuseniks are already meeting in shaded corners of the Web.

One site is called "Stop The Cyborgs." It claims to be "fighting the algorithmic future one bit at a time."

A sticker being offered on the "Stop The Cyborgs" Web site.

It's going to take a lot of bitty fighting, but the people behind this site -- they're naturally anonymous, in an attempt to stop Google spying on them -- say they're fighting Google Glass in particular.

They say that it will herald a world in which "privacy is impossible and corporate control total."

Some would say that, thanks to Googlies and other bright, deluded sparks, we're there already. The Lord and Master Zuckerberg explained to us a long time ago that he knows us better than we do and that we don't actually want privacy at all.

Still, the people behind this anti-cyborg movement claim that there's no way you'll ever know that someone wearing Google Glass is recording your every word and movement.

There's no way of even knowing if someone else is recording you through their glasses from somewhere in the cloud.

And how are we, whose egos are already more fragile than a porcelain potty, supposed to feel when we know that a glasses-wearer has one eye on us and another on our Klout score or teenage sexting pictures?

The site explains: "Gradually people will stop acting as autonomous individuals, when making decisions and interacting with others, and instead become mere sensor/effector nodes of a global network."

Well, yes. But isn't that the precise dream of those who want their engineering to finally prove that humanity is a deeply inferior species?

via news.cnet.com

Pretty scary predictions.

| A Kildee Comeuppance? Or More Obama Aloofness?

Heard on the Hill — Roll Call's Gossip Blog

A Kildee Comeuppance? Or More Obama Aloofness?

By Jonathan Strong Posted at 6:57 p.m. on March 14

Michigan Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee has been in Congress for a little more than two months, and today the leader of the free world gave him a gentle ribbing about just how new he is to Capitol Hill.

At a closed-door meeting between President Barack Obama and House Democrats, Kildee introduced himself as a freshman, to which Obama said, “Wow, you’re really classing up the place then.”

Kildee then proceeded to ask what one person described as a somewhat “long-winded” question about the importance of creating jobs for his economically distraught district.

“I can tell you’re a freshman because you didn’t pay much attention to the State of the Union,” Obama joked. “I talked about that.”

Amid the resulting laughter, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra of California then offered to provide Kildee a printout of the speech.

Obama was referring to his $1 billion proposal for 15 manufacturing “innovation centers,” the details of which are still somewhat hazy.

Actually, though, the joke was on Obama: On Wednesday, Kildee had met with the White House legislative affairs team about the innovation centers proposal, so he was quite familiar with it.

And his question was broader, about what types of reforms are necessary to reform decaying urban centers like Flint, Mich., which Kildee represents.

“Dan wasn’t specifically talking about innovation centers in his question,” a spokesman said.

via www3.hoh.rollcall.com

Not jerk. A prick.