Spring has sprung: And to prove it, wearing my shorts and stripped to the waist I went and sat in the garden for all of 20 minutes! I could see the curtains twitching as some of my elderly, lady neighbours took advantage in order to catch a glimpse of my body - insatiable, they are, insatiable! Dammit, after a seemingly endless, wet, windy Winter it was such a tremendous pleasure to feel the sun on my body. I am told that it is "A Good Thing" for old codgers like me to soak up as much sunshine as possible because it is the best way to ingest vitamin D which provides energy - and as the 'Memsahib' would tell you in strong terms, I am definitely lacking in energy!
More sun news: I have mentioned before that over recent years I have become rather bored with all this AGW nonsense. I am incapable of understanding the science but just one look at the eye-ball swivelling, mouth-dribbling, demented 'Greenies' who insist on moaning that we're all doomed is enough to convince me that man-made effects on the world's temperatures are minimal. Anyway, finding the topic tedious I rarely visit that temple of proper scientific methodology 'What's Up With That' but this morning I took a quick look. Happily, the host, Anthony Watts had an article reporting that some Swiss boffins were convinced that the activities of the sun had a direct bearing on our global temperatures. Well - duh! - I thought, I've been saying that for years and I didn't even pass 'O'-level physics! Anyway, as usual there was a comment trail of at least 230 but, happily, amongst them were several from Leif Svalgaard, an acerbic planetary swot whose usually brief and to the point comments crack me up even though I don't understand them. I really like his style even though he has the temerity to disagree with my 'theory' that it's 'those bloody sunspots wot dunnit'!
Sometimes I worry about my e-pal Malcolm Pollack: Normally he is a very amiable fellow, although on occasions his grumpiness can edge dangerously close to 'Warp Factor 9' - but then, if I lived in America these days I suspect I might get a bit curmudgeonly! Anyway today I came across a fascinating post on his blog on the subject of how to build a pyramid of skulls - yeeeeeees, quite!
A somewhat esoteric subject but when you think about the technicalities of piling up neatly some 70,000 skulls it becomes rather fascinating. How you set about producing 70,000 skulls is a subject best avoided!
The 'Heffalump' injects some realism into the 'Remoaners': Simon Heffer in The Telegraph has been doing his homework and quotes extensively from two reports issued by some economic swots on a realistic estimate of our future outside the EU.
A new Policy Exchange report by two Cambridge economists Graham Gudgin and Ken Coutts) and two from Ulster University (Neil Gibson and Jordan Buchanan) has interesting findings for those of us bored witless by the continuation of the idiotic Project Fear, the bouquet of lies used to try to bully us into voting Remain, which ended the political careers of David Cameron and trainee journalist George Osborne.
They remind us that the immediate forecasts of the Treasury, IMF and the OECD were, in order, wrong, wrong and wrong again! What none of the 'scaredy cats' amongst the 'Remoaners' ever tell us is that ever since the euro was introduced, British exports have gone down, down, down. Indeed, they fail to tell us that British exports to the EU will drop to more or less the same level in 2030 whether or not we Brexit! In addition:
And, given new migration controls, the report concludes that “per capita GDP is predicted to be higher by 2030 as a result of Brexit as slightly less GDP is shared among a smaller population.”
Cue: chorus of wailing and much gnashing of teeth from the Remoaners!
A sign of the times, Mr. President: So best not to ignore it! As some of you know from the number of referrals I make to him, I much admire the proprietor of I Hate The Media. He is the epitome of a crusty old conservative - now why would that appeal to me? Anyway, it appears that after a mere 11 weeks in office, 'The Donald' has pissed him off 'yuuuugely'! Apparently, his favourite Congressman is under political assault from the Trump team for failing to support their own shambles of a medical scheme and which was 'designed'(!) to replace Obama's. Not good politics, Don baby, to attack your own party members.
Feeling a bit sweaty, Mr. Assange? To be honest, I didn't think they 'did' elections in South America but according to the WSJ, Ecuador is poised to elect a new 'el Presidento'. The 'Leftie' candidate is called Lenin Moreno - yeeeees, quite! - and his opponent is Mr. Guillermo Lasso. The former promises to protect Mr. Assange forever but Mr. Lasso says he will boot him out of the Ecuadorean embassy in London. I think, Julian, you can expect a warm reception!
No more rumbles
Well of all things to have to do on April Fools day, we spent the day out of town at a funeral. The weather was perfect.
The sun plays a role in warming or not warming? The object will surely come in for some heavy criticism.
About Malcolm Pollack's collection of skulls and pyramids...it has been cold in his part of the world too. Vitamin D may play a role as well. Unhinging the jaws might help the pile stay put?
Posted by: Whitewall | Sunday, 02 April 2017 at 12:56
Pyramids of skulls? Why not something more ... uhmm sporting, perhaps?
"Former US counterterrorism official Paul J. Murphy wrote that "One hundred Georgian soldiers were herded into the central stadium in Gagra where they were beheaded and their heads used as footballs in a soccer match."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamil_Basayev
Posted by: JK | Sunday, 02 April 2017 at 16:23
David, sorry old boy but what any one of us believes about AGW is irrelevant at this point. There are plenty of other reasons to move to clean energy (particularly health effects), and the transition is already under way. For example, there are two huge wind farms within about 50 miles of where I live. There is also a large scale solar installation near Indianapolis International airport. Except for sorting out details and oil company propaganda the controversy is over.
Most of the reason Trump has an historically low approval rating is that Republicans have set up impossible and/or contradictory goals over the last 40 years. The only things they all agree on are that Democrats and liberals are always wrong, dishonest, stupid, evil, un-American and ugly. That might give wingers a thrill, but it's not much of a plan for running a country.
Posted by: Bob | Sunday, 02 April 2017 at 16:48
Well, JK, I hope the 'nasties' were wearing proper football boots - heavy things, heads!
I'm very happy for you, Bob, and I don't want any complaints about the cost and the lack of power when the wind fails to blow!
Even so, I suppose it's true that the Dems have never wavered in their desire for more government, more bureaucrats, more rule by 'diktat'!
Posted by: David Duff | Sunday, 02 April 2017 at 17:15
"Even so, I suppose it's true that the Dems have never wavered in their desire for more government, more bureaucrats, more rule by 'diktat'!"
Socialism finally done by the "right people"!
"The Kraut" rule: Liberals think conservatives are evil. Conservatives think liberals are stupid. The two don't mix.
Posted by: Whitewall | Sunday, 02 April 2017 at 17:41
Eh Bob?
Remember t'other day me passing along the info that you'd won the Arkansas Lottery with me additionally mentioning you'd must go on that little birdhunt with Dick in Stuttgart Arkansas?
"UPDATE: The Arkansas Lottery confirmed this afternoon that the ticket was sold in Stuttgart, but a winner has not yet come forward to claim the prize. The ticket was purchased Thursday morning at the All Stop Valero at 408 East 22nd Street."
http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2017/04/01/arkansan-wins-177-million-in-megamillions-drawing
*Now please Bob all I'd ask is, you don't go yapping off that somehow ol' JK figured out a way to rig the results. I had trouble enough last year getting the ASP to renew my CCW - Only thing saved me was the FBI mentioning in its background report I'd held a TS/C clearance at some point in the past. Talk about possible rigging could cause headaches.
Posted by: JK | Sunday, 02 April 2017 at 18:35
As always, JK, reading your comments is somewhere between trying to solve the Times' crossword and deciphering the Dead Sea Scrolls!
Posted by: David Duff | Sunday, 02 April 2017 at 18:59
See here David. (The lottery drawing in which *the Stuttgartner* won wasn't "known" until 28 hours after my comment.)
http://duffandnonsense.typepad.com/duff_nonsense/2017/03/trump-will-tremble.html?cid=6a00d8341c5caf53ef01b7c8e80d69970b#comment-6a00d8341c5caf53ef01b7c8e80d69970b
Posted by: JK | Sunday, 02 April 2017 at 22:09
First blood to the EU in the Brexit talks.
Actually, first, second, and third blood, a double Cannae, and a maneuver of the central position all in one. Blighty left looking stupid and resorting to sabre rattling.
It's pretty obvious that the EU has said to Spain "We'll let you veto the trade deal over Gibraltar in exchange for supporting Scotland's accession to the EU. And we'll never support Catalonian independence or accession to the EU - like we didn't encourage Scotland's independence or accession to the EU while the UK was in the EU".
The Spanish decided any aspirations the Catalonians have to independence and accession to the EU was suitably boxed in, and therefore having a pop at the Rock was a no brainer.
So the EU has pinned Blighty frontally with the realization that the EU simply doesn't care if there's no trade deal aka hard Brexit - they've happily let Spain decide the matter of whether or not a trade deal occurs.
And Spain will provide the southern pincer movement by sticking the Gibraltar knife into the Brexit proceedings.
Meanwhile Scotland is offered accession to the EU with no offence to Spain, thereby jabbing the northern pincer into Blighty's position at no detriment to EU / nation state solidarity.
And the dimwit Brexiteer response? Sabre-rattling - An admission that the diplomatic battle was lost before it hardly started.
As I've said many a time and oft: This is going to be a toe-curling humiliation and embarrassment. And it will likely disintegrate the UK.
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Monday, 03 April 2017 at 02:54
Hello Lawrence. My memory isn't what it was, so remind me how long after Cannae was Rome rased to the ground and sown with salt.
Posted by: Backofanenvelope | Monday, 03 April 2017 at 10:13
BOE, was that an allusion to the mighty British armed forces that will come to the rescue if things get really pooey with the EU?
The armed forces whose modern destroyers are tethered to Portsmouth dock due to design failures in their engines, whose aircraft carriers are incomplete, part owned by France (now the stalwart of the enemy), and stocked with no aircraft (project for which likely to be cancelled), and whose ground forces lost the last two conflicts and couldn't hold a medium sized city in the ME without calling on the Yanks and local militia to rescue them.
Don Quixote wouldn't even need Sancho Panza to help him out - he could stick his pike in Gib and claim it as his fiefdom with no trouble whatsoever.
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Monday, 03 April 2017 at 14:06
And if a full frontal assault and two flanks collapsing isn't bad enough, imagine what the EU and the Oirish are gonna get up to in Blighty's rear - all connotations included.
I mean, you have worked out what they're gonna do, right, the Euros and their diplomacy with the Paddies?
The end will come with the EU's diplomacy reference London.
I mean, you have worked out what they're gonna do, right, the Euros and their diplomacy with the Londoners?
One right through the spine of old John Bull.
On the subject of Bulls, what a pertinent metaphor the Spanish weekend hobby is, and how ironic it should be them that have it as their hobby: Pierced all around, the coup de grace skilfully applied to old John Bull, a merciful release for all concerned ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e0PeJbtTKA
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Monday, 03 April 2017 at 14:25
David, you're probably familiar with batteries. Just try to imagine really big ones:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_battery#Applications
There are also other promising technologies for storing energy during off hours.
-
JK,
I'm not big on conspiracies, but you might have a problem with higher powers, especially since you were part of the intelligence community. Don't let Trump get hold of your conspiracy denial or he'll be tweeting it as another distraction.
Posted by: Bob | Monday, 03 April 2017 at 17:08
I was alluding, as I am sure you realise, to the fact that in spite of their clever battle tactics, in the end, it was the Carthaginians who got well and truly stuffed.
Mr Toosk is like any other man charged with herding cats. There are a dozen elections in the next two years, presidential, national and provincial. Some of his cats will escape and one or two will be shot. Things will be different. All we have to do is keep our heads down and let them get on with it.
Posted by: backofanenvelope | Monday, 03 April 2017 at 17:18