Yes, they would wish us dead. ----------Global Warming Loon: “I’d Like Nothing Better Than If Thousands of Middle-Class White People Died In An Extreme Weather Event”…

Global Warming Loon: “I’d Like Nothing Better Than If Thousands of Middle-Class White People Died In An Extreme Weather Event”… | Weasel Zippers:

Via Climate Nuremberg:

Part of being a science communicator is hoping a natural disaster kills as many members of the audience as possible, as soon as possible, with as much media exposure as possible. As a communicator myself, I’d like nothing better than if thousands of middle-class white people died in an extreme weather event—preferably one with global warming’s fingerprints on it. Live on cable news. Tomorrow.The hardest thing about communicating the deadliness of the climate problem is that it isn’t killing anyone. And just between us, let’s be honest: the average member of the public is a bit (how can I put it politely?) of a moron. It’s all well and good for the science to tell us global warming is more dangerous than Nazism, but Joe Q. Flyover doesn’t understand science. He wants evidence.So we’ve probably reached the limits of what science communication can achieve. At this point only nature herself can close the consensus gap—or the fear gap.

Large Study Finds Vegetarians Have Poorer Health, Lower Quality of Life Than Meat-Eaters

RealClearScience - Large Study Finds Vegetarians Have Poorer Health, Lower Quality of Life Than Meat-Eaters:
"A vegetarian diet is associated with higher rates of allergies, cancer, and mental illness, as well as a poorer quality of life compared to carnivorous diets, according to a new study.
The research, published in February in the journal PLoS ONE, surveyed 1,320 Austrians, evenly portioned to four different nutritional groups: a vegetarian diet, a carnivorous diet rich in fruits and vegetables, a carnivorous diet less rich in meat, and a carnivorous diet rich in meat.
Subjects were matched based on age, sex, income, education, and occupation.
All information was attained through face-to-face interviews.
The results were bleak for vegetarians.
"Overall, vegetarians are in a poorer state of health compared to the other dietary habit groups," the authors reported.
Vegetarians suffered from higher rates of allergies, cancer, anxiety, and depression. 
They were also vaccinated less often than all of the other groups, and visited the doctor for preventative check-ups less frequently than subjects eating a carnivorous diet rich in fruits and vegetables."

The Charts Obama Doesn't Want You to See

The Charts Obama Doesn't Want You to See

EPA coal rules leaving US vulnerable to power blackouts? | Fox News

EPA coal rules leaving US vulnerable to power blackouts? | Fox News:

"Facing the Obama administration's so-called "war on coal," some utility officials are warning that fewer coal-fired power plants could leave the U.S. power system vulnerable to blackouts in the near future.
The officials warn that intense summer heat or extreme winter cold could soon be too much for the system to handle.

"I worry about the potential of brownouts and blackouts if we're ... actually depending on this generation that's going to be retired," Nick Akins, from American Electric Power, told Fox News in an interview.
Pro-coal advocates say the administration's focus on its environmental agenda challenges the reliability of the nation's power grid. "

Senator speaks out in favor of Nevada rancher as militias join battle with federal agents accused of acting like they're in 'Tienanmen Square' in fight over disputed ranch land

Senator speaks out in favor of Nevada rancher as militias join battle with federal agents accused of acting like they're in 'Tienanmen Square' in fight over disputed ranch land | Mail Online:

Militia members brandish AK-47s and pistols as they gather in stand-off with federal agents over last Nevada rancher's right to graze his cattle 

• Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) has said the feds are 'overreaching'
• Politicians have compared the standoff to Tiananmen Square 
• The Bundy family says they've owned the 600,000 acres since 1870 but the Bureau of Land Management says they are illegally grazing 
• The dispute began in 1993 when land was reclassified as to federal property to protect a rare desert tortoise, the government claimed
• Federal officers stormed the property this week with helicopters and snipers to back up about 200 armed agents
• They have reportedly seized around 350 of Cliven Bundy's 900 cattle
• Tensions escalated after private militias poured in to support the family 

Feds Offer $1.5 Million Grant for Job Creation

Feds Offer $1.5 Million Grant for Job Creation – in Belize | CNS News:
"On Monday, the State Department announced a $1.5 million grant opportunity for “job creations for at-risk neighborhoods” – in Belize.
The grant, under the jurisdiction of the State Department’s Mission to Belize, is available to “U.S. or overseas-based non-governmental and non-profit organizations (NGOs), Public International Organizations (PIOs) and Educational Institutions,” according to the announcement.
....The grant description for the 2014 $1.5 million grant is brief and does not provide much information about the kind of programs that will be funded."

Hilariously Stupid Science Questions: Yes, Again!

RealClearScience - Hilariously Stupid Science Questions: Yes, Again!

It's never stupid to ask a question about science, but that doesn't mean there aren't hilariously stupid science questions! One, two, three times already, we've shared selections of them. (Wow, RCS, run stuff into the ground much?) We'd now like to share twelve more. And we'll contine sharing them until they stop being funny. As always, our hats are tipped to theesteemed panel of "logic-dodging" jokesters over at Reddit that came up with most of these zany, thigh-slapping queries.

Why would string need a theory? (from RCS reader David Eisenberg)

Where on the periodic table is the element of Surprise? (from RCS reader Nemo_of_Erehwon)

How did the thesaurus survive the dinosaur extinction?

We've long known the speed of light, but what is the speed of heavy?

My neighbor said he's an "acidic Jew". Are there basic Jews? What happens if you combine one of each?

Why does the amount of people required to change a light bulb vary so greatly between cultural groups?

Do hydrophobic objects yell slurs at water when they see it?

Where on the periodic table is the element of surprise? Has it been discovered yet or is it expected to appear suddenly?

Is a right angle 90° celsius or 90° fahrenheit?

If you put a vial of Germanium (Ge) next to a vial of Francium (Fr), will the Ge occupy the Fr?

How did humans reproduce before the discovery of alcohol?

Looking at a map of the US, I noticed that the states all perfectly fit together with no gaps. How is this possible?

If Pluto is a Dwarf planet, shouldn't we try to contact the Dwarves living there?

via Reddit

Report: CO2 Is Not a Pollutant, Provides ‘Beneficial Impacts’ to Planet | CNS News

Report: CO2 Is Not a Pollutant, Provides ‘Beneficial Impacts’ to Planet | CNS News:

“One of the overall important findings of our report is that atmospheric CO2 is not a pollutant,” Idso said. “It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that offers many biosphereric benefits.
“Probably chiefly known among all of these benefits is that elevated levels of atmospheric CO2 tend to increase the biomass and productivity of nearly all plants and ecosystems on earth,” Idso said.

Some of the other findings in the biological impacts report summary include:"

History for April 12

History for April 12 - On-This-Day.com
Birth anniversary of Henry Clay (1777-1852), US statesman and three-time presidential candidate.

And happy birthday to Shannon Doherty, Dan Lauria, David Letterman



1606 - England adopted the original Union Jack as its flag.



1770 - The British Parliament repealed the Townsend Acts.











1861 - Fort Sumter was shelled by Confederacy, starting America's Civil War.


1864 - Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest captured Fort Pillow, in Tennessee and slaughters the black Union troops there. He was a pledged delegate from Tennessee to the New York Democratic national convention of 4 July 1868











1877 - A catcher's mask was used in a baseball game for the first time by James Alexander Tyng.


1916 - American cavalrymen and Mexican bandit troops clashed at Parrel, Mexico.


1945 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt died in Warm Spring, GA. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 63. Harry S Truman became president.


1961 - Soviet Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin became first man to orbit the Earth.


1985 - Federal inspectors declared that four animals of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus were not unicorns. They were goats with horns that had been surgically implanted.


1989 - In the U.S.S.R, ration cards were issued for the first time since World War II. The ration was prompted by a sugar shortage.


1992 - Disneyland Paris opened in Marne-La-Vallee, France.

In light of President Obama’s comments on LBJ, you may enjoy what one critic wrote about his ‘anti-poverty’ agenda back in 1964 | TheBlaze.com

In light of President Obama’s comments on LBJ, you may enjoy what one critic wrote about his ‘anti-poverty’ agenda back in 1964 | TheBlaze.com:

"During President Obama’s address at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library honoring the 50th Anniversary of President Johnson’s signing of the Civil Rights Act, the president praised Johnson, not only in terms of his passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but in fighting for civil rights such as “a decent job, decent wages, health care” — in other words for the entirety of the Great Society agenda.
Tying this argument into today, Obama cast his opponents in the “debate about equality and opportunity and the role of government in ensuring each” as analogous to those of 50 years ago, who “dismiss the Great Society as a failed experiment and an encroachment on liberty, who argue the government has become the true source of all that ails us and that poverty is due to the moral failings of those who suffer from it.”"

If He Looks Stupid, He Probably Is

RealClearScience - If He Looks Stupid, He Probably Is
In a new study, both male and female subjects were able to accurately evaluate the intelligence of men simply by viewing photographs of their faces.

While many avow that you can't judge a book by its cover, researchers Karel Kleisner, Veronika Chvátalová, and Jaroslav Flegr, all based out of Charles University in the Czech Republic, showed that if that book is a man, you probably can. 

For the study, which is published in PLoS ONE, 80 science students from Charles University -- 40 men and 40 women -- took an in-depth exam to gauge their IQ and were subsequently photographed with neutral face expressions. Another 160 participants assessed the photographs, judging the subjects' attractiveness and intelligence on a scale of 1 (the highest ranking) to 7 (lowest ranking).

......So why could both men and women accurately predict the intelligence of men, but not women, based on their looks?

One explanation the researchers put forth is that physical cues of intelligence may be sexually dimorphic. So while intelligence may be physically plastered on the faces of men, women may signal it in other ways.

Why Massive Auto Recalls Are Becoming the Norm

Why Massive Auto Recalls Are Becoming the Norm | Motherboard:

That last point is key. 
The average number of vehicles per recall has increased since the NHTSA first started instituting recalls in the 1960s, and it's in large part because of the increased sharing of parts across models. 
Designing and testing auto parts is a laborious, expensive process, and it's a hell of a lot cheaper to make one windshield wiper motor and share it across as many cars as possible as it is to design a bespoke model each time. 
But that means if a part fails, it affects a lot of vehicles.
.....There's a third factor that ties in as well: Automakers are also recalling more cars because regulators have taken a much more aggressive stance. 

Trey Gowdy Erupts During House Floor Speech Aimed at Dems Making Excuses for Ex-IRS Official Lois Lerner

Trey Gowdy Erupts During House Floor Speech Aimed at Dems Making Excuses for Ex-IRS Official Lois Lerner | Video | TheBlaze.com:
“Can you imagine a fact pattern where somebody takes the stand and says, ‘I didn’t rob the bank.
But I’m not gonna answer why my fingerprints are on the demand note,’” Gowdy continued.
“‘And I’m not gonna tell you why I’m on the surveillance footage with a gun in my hand.
And I’m not gonna tell you why the dye pack blew up in my car. I’m just gonna tell you I didn’t rob the bank!’ That’s not the way our system works.”"

Announcing Our 11th Annual Photo Contest Finalists| Smithsonian

Announcing Our 11th Annual Photo Contest Finalists | Photo Contest | Smithsonian

Chattanooga Twins Dead in Recliners For 3 Years Before Being Found By Police

Chattanooga Twins Dead in Recliners For 3 Years Before Being Found By Police:
"A pair of 63-year-old twin men were found dead in their Chattanooga, Tenn. home, having apparently died together three years before. 
Investigators are so far unable to say what happened.
The Associated Press reports that Andrew and Anthony Johnson had lived in the same home for decades. They were occasionally seen by neighbors mowing the lawn, gardening in surgical masks, or going out for groceries, but no one ever spoke to them.
"I didn't even know their names," said across the street neighbor Linda Maffett, a 73-year-old retiree.
Police found the skeletal remains of the twins on March 29 after a relative requested a check on them.
The brothers were decomposing in recliners in the living room."

Michigan School Funding Up, Results Flat

Michigan School Funding Up, Results Flat [Michigan Capitol Confidential]:
"Michigan School Funding Up, Results Flat
State spent $7,500 per pupil in 1972, over $12,000 today

Michigan per-pupil spending and SAT scores.
Overall, Michigan school spending has increased significantly over the past few decades, but test scores have remained relatively flat.

A new study from the Cato Institute, using information from the National Center for Education Statistics, found Michigan saw a large increase in spending with few apparent educational benefits.
"Inflation-adjusted per pupil spending in Michigan rose dramatically from 1972 to 2009 — going from $7,500 to over $12,000 in today's dollars. 
That's a 70 percent increase," said Andrew Coulson, director of Cato's Center for Educational Freedom and author of the study.
"Over that same period, the state's academic achievement rose by less than 1 percent.
It's hard to look at those numbers and not be disappointed.""

10 Of The Worst Cities To Live In Michigan

10 Of The Worst Cities To Live In Michigan - InfoBarrel:
"Muskegon
With a correctional facility and some of the worst crime and highest rates of poverty, Muskegon is one of the worst cities in Michigan.
Though a day trip can be worth seeing Michigan Adventure, make sure to lock your car and keep your valuables near you. 
Housing values show now hope of climbing, another reason this spot is on the list of the worst cities in Michigan to live."

Federal Judge Criticizes Eric Holder for ‘Unprecedented’ Action That Executive Branch Had ‘No Authority’ to Take | TheBlaze.com

Federal Judge Criticizes Eric Holder for ‘Unprecedented’ Action That Executive Branch Had ‘No Authority’ to Take | TheBlaze.com:

"U.S. Circuit Judge William Pryor Jr., a member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, expressed his unease with Holder directive to federal prosecutors on reducing prosecutions and sentencing for drug crimes, thus bypassing the regular commission process.
“The law provides the executive no authority to establish national sentencing policies based on speculation about how we and Congress might vote on a proposed amendment,” Pryor said."

New York pays more police in retirement than to patrol our streets

Article | Cop Out:

New York pays more police in retirement than to patrol our streets — yet pols do nothing to address our skyrocketing pension costs

Last week, Mayor Bloomberg scolded the NYPD’s critics, from The New York Times to the Democratic mayoral candidates. 
The mayor said that "the attacks most often come from those who play no constructive role in keeping our city safe."

The mayor is right — but there’s another threat to the NYPD’s crime-fighting success, too. We now have more retired cops than active police officers, and the multibillion-dollar bill for their pension and health benefits harms our ability to hire new ones.

In December 2001, a month before Bloomberg took office, New York had 39,297 cops. Today, the city has 34,510 to protect us — and by the time the mayor leaves office in eight months, we’ll have 34,483 — a cut of nearly 5,000 pairs of eyes.

Yet spending has increased. During Bloomberg’s final year, city will spend $8.7 billion on the police department, nearly double the 2002 figure and more than three times the rate of inflation.

Muslim Immigrants, Prez of Muslim Grp Ran Largest Shoplifting Ring in History; $3 Milln Vicky’s Secret Undies in Vegas

EXCLUSIVE: Muslim Immigrants, Prez of Muslim Grp Ran Largest Shoplifting Ring in History; $3 Milln Vicky’s Secret Undies in Vegas:
"Yesterday, Detroit-area police announced that they busted what is likely Michigan’s largest ever shoplifting ring, the operations of which spanned the country and included shoplifting of $3 million in underwear from Victoria’s Secret in Las Vegas. 
But what neither the media nor the cops noted is that the two men running the ring are Bangladeshi Muslim immigrants (my sources in the know say), and one of the men apparently heads a Muslim organization.
Uh-huh, more JebBushian “Acts of Love”!
As is typical in Islam, the men had three American chick slaves working for them.
Did the profits go to finance Islamic terrorism?"

There's No Bailout for Puerto Rico

There's No Bailout for Puerto Rico - Bloomberg View:

It’s been clear for a while that Puerto Rico is going to have to default on its debt:
Puerto Rico has $70 billion in debt outstanding, all of it needing to be repaid with interest -- and the simple fact is that there’s no way it’s going to be able to do that, if its economy continues to shrink and its most talented nationals continue to decamp for the mainland, where their prospects are much brighter. Labor mobility from Puerto Rico to the rest of the US, and particularly to Florida, has never been higher, while most of the migration in the other direction comes in the form of retirees, who are not exactly going to kick-start the economy. In fact, in terms of the labor force participation rate, they’re just going to make matters worse, on an island where only 1.2 million of the 3.4 million inhabitants are employed.
In many ways, Puerto Rico is similar to those other tourist destinations, Portugal and Greece -- it’s highly indebted; it’s not particularly well educated (only half of Puerto Ricans over 25 have graduated from high school, and only a quarter of high-school graduates go on to get a bachelor’s degree); and it is hobbled by being unable to devalue its currency.
All of this is a clear recipe for default: if Puerto Rico can’t repay that $70 billion in debt, then it won’t. 

Fears science project resembled weapon get teacher suspended

Fears science project resembled weapon get teacher suspended | The Daily Caller:
"Schiller got into trouble after two of his students turned in science projects designed to shoot little projectiles, reports the Los Angeles Times.
One of the projects used compressed air (but was not actually connected to any air).
The other one was coil gun: a tube surrounded by a coil and powered by a standard AA battery.
An unidentified school employee saw the air-pressure projectile device and got scared because, to her, it looked like a fearsome weapon. 
The amount of knowledge the employee has concerning science – if any – is unclear.
As a result of the unnamed employee’s fears, Schiller – who actually never got to see either the air-pressure project or the coil project except in photos – was dismissed from the classroom indefinitely."

Why Meat Prices Are Going To Continue Soaring For The Foreseeable Future

Why Meat Prices Are Going To Continue Soaring For The Foreseeable Future | Zero Hedge
The average price of USDA choice-grade beef has soared to $5.28 a pound, and the average price of a pound of bacon has skyrocketed to $5.46.
Unfortunately for those that like to eat meat, this is just the beginning of the price increases.

Due to an absolutely crippling drought that won’t let go of the western half of the country, the total size of the U.S. cattle herd has shrunk for seven years in a row, and it is now the smallest that is has been since 1951.
But back in 1951, we had less than half the number of mouths to feed.

And a devastating pig virus that has never been seen in the United States before has already killed up to 6 million pigs in this country and continues to spread like wildfire.
What all of this means is that the supply of meat is going to be tight for the foreseeable future even as demand for meat continues to go up. 
This is going to result in much higher prices, and so food is going to put a much larger dent in American family budgets in the months and years to come.
One year ago, the average price of USDA choice-grade beef was $4.91. 
 Now it is up to $5.28, and the Los Angeles Times says that we should not expect prices to come down “any time soon”…

New York’s SAFE Act Allows Police to Seize Firearms Without a Warrant: Lawsuit

New York’s SAFE Act Allows Police to Seize Firearms Without a Warrant: Lawsuit | TheBlaze.com:

"New York’s hastily-passed gun control law “mandates that law enforcement personnel seize, without a warrant, probable cause or hearing” some firearms, a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New York’s Eastern District alleges."