UN urges huge increase in green energy to avert climate disaster

UN urges huge increase in green energy to avert climate disaster | Environment | The Observer

Mitigation of Climate Change, by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a panel of 200 scientists, will make it clear that by far the most realistic option for the future is to triple or even quadruple the use of renewable power plants. 
Only through such decisive action will carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere be kept below the critical level of 480 parts per million (ppm), before the middle of the century. 
If levels go beyond this figure, the chances of curtailing global mayhem are poor, they will say.

The report – the third in a series by the IPCC designed to highlight the climate crisis now facing the planet – is intended as an urgent wake-up call to nations to commit around 1-2% of GDP in order to replace power plants that burn fossil fuels, the major cause of global warming, with renewable sources.

Hercules Actor Kevin Sorbo: Hollywood, Media Ignoring ‘The Crime of the Century’ | CNS News

Hercules Actor Kevin Sorbo: Hollywood, Media Ignoring ‘The Crime of the Century’ | CNS News: "Kevin Sorbo says “this is a story that needs to be told” and “if the media won’t do their job, then we can do it ourselves. We can and we must. During the 30 years of Gosnell’s killing spree, many people knew what was going on and did nothing. It’s almost impossible to believe but it’s true.”

“This story has had almost no media coverage because the media are so agenda-driven, they don’t want to report on it,” Sorbo says.  “But it’s a story that needs to be told. But for reasons you can probably guess, it has thus far been ignored. No one wants to talk about it because the details are too damaging to certain political agendas.”"

History for April 13

History for April 13 - On-This-Day.com:

Palm Sunday/Orthodox Palm Sunday-Holy Week begins.

Birth anniversary of Thomas Jefferson, third president of the US (1742-1826).

Birth anniversaries of authors Samuel Beckett (1906-89) and Eudora Welty (1909-2001).

Happy Birthday! Tony Dow, Garry Kasparov, Rick Schroder

1860 - The first mail was delivered via Pony Express when a westbound rider arrived in Sacremento, CA from St. Joseph, MO. 


1949 - Philip S. Hench and associates announced that cortizone was an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. 


1959 - A Vatican edict prohibited Roman Catholics from voting for Communists. 


1964 - Sidney Poitier became the first black to win an Oscar for best actor. It was for his role in the movie "Lilies of the Field." 


1972 - The first strike in the history of major league baseball ended. Players had walked off the field 13 days earlier. 





1981 - Washington Post reporter Janet Cooke received a Pulitzer Prize for her feature about an 8-year-old heroin addict named "Jimmy." Cooke relinquished the prize two days later after admitting she had fabricated the story. 





1997 - Tiger Woods became the youngest person to win the Masters Tournament at the age of 21. He also set a record when he finished at 18 under par. 


1999 - Jack Kervorkian was sentenced in Pontiac, MI, to 10 to 25 years in prison for the second-degree murder of Thomas Youk. Youk's assisted suicide was videotaped and shown on "60 Minutes" in 1998. 


2002 - Venezuela's interim president, Pedro Carmona, resigned a day after taking office. Thousands of protesters had supported over the ousting of president Hugo Chavez. 

Greta Van Susteren Backs Democrat Into a Corner, Forces Him to Admit Big Lie After He Accused Tea Party of Dishonesty

Greta Van Susteren Backs Democrat Into a Corner, Forces Him to Admit Big Lie After He Accused Tea Party of Dishonesty | Video | TheBlaze.com:
"Democrat Mike Dickinson recently promised to wage “war” on the NRA, Tea Party and Fox News. On Thursday, he was confronted by Greta Van Susteren in a tense exchange that ended with an embarrassing admission.
“Why do you hate me?” Van Susteren asked, immediately getting to business.
Dickinson, who apparently is not actually running for Congress, said he has a problem with her network as a whole."

George Will: ‘I’m quite confident that we’re going to rebel against this abusive government’ | TheBlaze.com

George Will: ‘I’m quite confident that we’re going to rebel against this abusive government’ | TheBlaze.com:

"Will: I’m quite confident that we’re going to rebel against this abusive government. I think that, you know Winston Churchill said, “The American people invariably do the right thing after they have exhausted all the alternatives.” And I think we’re beginning to get to the bottom of the list of alternatives, and to realize that arithmetic is inexorable. You can’t make 2+2 equal 7, and sooner or later arithmetic is going to force realism upon us.

I’m quite confident that we’re going to rebel against this abusive government."

Moron students don't get connection between school tuition and school employee compensation-----MSU students march to protest tuition increases, lack of student voice

MSU students march to protest tuition increases, lack of student voice | Detroit Free Press | freep.com
"The march would be about many things.
Debt was one of them.
On the marchers’ list of demands were a tuition freeze and a return to the funding levels for higher education that prevailed before Gov. Rick Snyder took office. 
They want that funding tied to minority enrollment and retention rates and 50 percent student representation on the university’s Board of Trustees.

...“Student debt rises every year,” he said. “Tuition goes up every . I think it’s a start of something, students saying, ‘We’ve had enough.’ ”
Most students at MSU graduate without any debt at all, but for those who do, the amounts they owe have risen consistently.
According to the Project on Student Debt, 41 percent of the graduating class of 2008 had debt and owed $17,347 on average. For the graduating class of 2012, 46 percent had borrowed and owed $24,987.
Tuition has risen by 90 percent over the last decade (by just over 50 percent after adjusting for inflation), though the university has also dramatically increased the financial aid it offers to low-income students.
“Student unionism has emerged as a voice for the students that exists outside of the institution,” said Duncan Tarr, a sophomore.
“It’s autonomous. It doesn’t get its power through handouts from the administration.”

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.