This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: WTF?

  • Well, Well, Well – What Have We Here?

    No, I didn’t write what follows.  But I rather wish I had.  I can’t find a damn thing here I disagree with, and it sums up the issue both succinctly and well.

    I am skeptical humans are the main cause of climate change and that it will be catastrophic in the near future. There is no scientific proof of this hypothesis, yet we are told “the debate is over” and “the science is settled.”

    My skepticism begins with the believers’ certainty they can predict the global climate with a computer model. The entire basis for the doomsday climate change scenario is the hypothesis increased atmospheric carbon dioxide due to fossil fuel emissions will heat the Earth to unlivable temperatures.

    In fact, the Earth has been warming very gradually for 300 years, since the Little Ice Age ended, long before heavy use of fossil fuels. Prior to the Little Ice Age, during the Medieval Warm Period, Vikings colonized Greenland and Newfoundland, when it was warmer there than today. And during Roman times, it was warmer, long before fossil fuels revolutionized civilization.

    Yes, the above was indeed written by a self-professed “climate change skeptic.”  However, you might find the identity of that self professed “climate change skeptic” a bit surprising.

    It was written by a guy named Dr. Patrick Moore.

    Yes, that Dr. Patrick Moore.  The same guy who co-founded Greenpeace and who served as its General Director for seven years.  The man just might know a thing or two about science – including the Earth’s environment and how it functions.

    I can’t say I see eye-to-eye with Dr. Moore on all issues.  But I have to say that I do agree with him here.  And I will also say this about the man:  he does seem to have the guts to speak the truth as he sees it when doing so is unpopular.

    The quote above is from this article by Dr. Moore.  It’s not very long, and is IMO very much worth the time to read.  It seems I’m not the only one who thinks we ought to “follow the money”.

    I’m guessing this ought to go over well among our “good friends” in the       grubbing for grants      “politically correct conclusions-here”       modern-day Luddite       global warming “true believer” community.  For that crowd it’s really gotta sting when one of the co-founders of Greenpeace tells them they’re full of it and are talking out of their 4th point of contact.

    Hell, maybe it will even make a few of their pointy little PC heads explode – figuratively speaking, of course.  IMO that would be a good thing.  (smile)

  • National Heroes

    There’s an old saying: “Poor is the Nation that has no heroes, but beggared is the Nation that has and forgets them.”

    But tell me: what are we to make of a prospective nation that counts among its heroes a suicide bomber and terrorist who committed mass murder – and erects a public monument to them?

    I just don’t get it.

  • What A Crock!

    Among those trying to make a buck by screwing over GIs, add . . . the freaking Girl Scouts???

    Well, according to the Girl Scouts – no.  Rather, it’s the company with whom they’ve contracted to ship Girl Scout Cookies.

    As you might expect, Girl Scout Cookies can now be ordered online.  However, if you have them shipped to a “military address”, there’s a slight surcharge – as in $20 per order.

    The surcharge applies to military addresses overseas, including AK and HI.  Well, I can understand that – to an extent.  Shipping to those locations does often cost a bit more.

    But the extra fee also applies to military addresses in CONUS.

    I wish I was kidding – but I’m not.  I’m dead serious.

    Talk about an example of pure, outrageous bullsh!t.  Think about it: USPS is available at every installation in CONUS.  APO service is available overseas.  And any reputable shipping company can access US military installations in CONUS, AK, and Hawaii to deliver packages.

    Hey, I can see an extra fee for AK/HI/OCONUS.  But hell:  even in AK and HI, actual cost plus a fixed handling fee should be the norm – not some bogus $20 per order “surcharge”.

    Not convinced?  OK, then you tell me: why should a package delivered to, say, Fort Hood, TX, cost any more than one delivered to the adjacent community of Kileen?

    The answer: it shouldn’t – because it freaking doesn’t.  Shippers typically operate on a zone pricing basis.  Whoever is adding that extra fee for CONUS military addresses is simply generating profit via screwing over the troops and their dependents.

    As I said above: the Girl Scouts are blaming their “shipper” for this blatantly outrageous fee.  Maybe that’s actually true.

    However, given some of the other stuff I’ve seen lately about the Girl Scouts, their policies, and their political agenda . . . well, let’s just say I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that they’re getting a hefty chunk of that “surcharge”.

  • Yer Sunday Silly: Look, Up In the Sky! It’s a . . . WTF?

    Well, it appears we in the USA have no monopoly on government stupidity – or gullibility. Looks like the folks in New Zealand can give us a run for out money.

    In the city of Auckland, the city council commissioned some public art. They paid the artist the equivalent $147,000 (US).

    They got what is purportedly a sculpture of a cloud – indeed, it’s titled “Transit Cloud” . It’s currently suspended over a walkway near a major transit hub, on public display. It’s seen by thousands daily.

    I say it purportedly looks like a cloud because, well, that’s not exactly what I’d say it looks like to me. But I guess YMMV.

    The sculptor says his “sculpture” was indeed supposed to represent a cloud, and further that he “was confident it would look different once 50 metres (165 feet) of neon lights were connected to it and lit up inside the structure.”

    Yeah, right. Somehow, I don’t think so – at least not in broad daylight when people can see it.

    You could not make this sh!t up if you tried.

  • Regarding All That “New Medical Research” You See In the Media . . .

    . . . maybe you might want to read this article.

    Caveat lector.   Sounds to me like it might be a good idea to talk things over with a medical professional before acting on any odd-sounding ideas you read based on “new medical research”.

  • Well, I did it

    Well, I did it

    We had planned it.  Weeks before we had talked about doing it. I was nervous during the drive up, wondering about what could happen. Things like this can change your life forever. That is, if you believe the things you read on the internet.

    The first night I was tired. The next day we had talked about it but I got a stomach virus and spent most of the day trying to hold my insides, inside.

    Then it happened, it was spontaneous, the way it should have been.  We just did it.  It was not disappointing but also it did not live up to the hype on the internet.

    If anything I found it fun and amusing instead of scandalous. I am glad I did not have to pay full price and was happy that I had the option to pause things if I needed to.

    I admit it. From a hidden compound, I downloaded and watched “The Interview.”

    I can see why it pissed the North Koreans off so bad. I half expected there to be some sort of disclaimer from Sony, ‘Watch at your own risk,’ or ‘Watching this movie may cause acts of terrorism to fall upon you and your loved ones.’  I was wondering when the North Korean spies would burst through the door and shoot the TV. None of that happened. I was entertained and don’t regret watching the movie. It had some plot twists and kept me entertained and wondering what would happen next.

    If you find yourself with a couple of hours to kill, have a warped sense of humor, and no kids under foot, it’s worth the $5.99. Plus you can drink the beverage of your choice and pause it when the phone rings or nature calls.

    I am a closet Seth Rogen fan. I find him funny and wrong.  He is kind of like that friend you have had forever that you know is going to say or do the wrong thing. You know, the one you hang out with because deep down you see in him a part of yourself.

     

    I give it 3 out of 5 bullets for artistic merit

    5 out of 5 for topic

    4 out of 5 for being funny.

  • A Follow Up on that VA “Waiting List” Scandal

    Remember Sharon Helman, former VA employee? She was the director of the VA Medical Center in Phoenix, AZ, when the “secret waiting list” scandal broke.

    After a VA internal investigation, she was fired.  Recently her termination was upheld on appeal. But it probably wasn’t upheld for the reasons you might think.

    Helman was alleged to have engaged in three forms of misconduct: (1) being responsible for delayed veterans healthcare and falsified data regarding medical appointments; (2) retaliation against whistle-blowers; and (3) receiving improper (and unreported) gifts from a former boss-turned-lobbyist.

    As it turns out, only one of those allegations were deemed an acceptable reason for her termination.

    The first allegation – delayed patient care and falsified data – was not accepted by the Administrative Law Judge hearing her case. The judge ruled that the VA had not provided sufficient proof of Helman’s culpability regarding that allegation. And while the judge did find that proof of the second allegation (whistle-blower retaliation) to be sufficient, he also ruled that Helman’s misconduct was not serious enough to warrant being fired.

    However, the third allegation thankfully turned out differently. The judge ruled that at least nine of the twelve (!) allegations against Helman regarding improper acceptance of unreported gifts were fully substantiated. On these grounds, he allowed her termination from the civil service to stand.

    The Arizona Republic/AZ Central site has an article with more details. When I read the article, I found those details fairly disgusting – so if you just ate, maybe you want to wait a while before you read the article.

    Helman was a senior executive at the VA. I’m guessing she was neither the finest nor the worst at her level within the agency.

    With people like this in senior positions, is there any wonder why the VA has serious problems?

  • Yer Sunday Oddity: Mac Sabbath

    For better or worse, McDonalds is an American cultural icon.  So is heavy metal music.

    And when the two meet, the result is . . . well, just plain weird.  In a kinda-creepy-but-it-works-anyway way.

    Enjoy – I think.  (smile)

    If you’re still “hungry” after that, here’s a second helping.

    Hey, I warned ya it was both kinda creepy and weird. (smile)