Sunday, December 2, 2012

Connecting the Global Cooling Dots


By Alan Caruba

Winter doesn’t officially begin until December 21, but winter has a mind of its own as does all of nature. While the United Nations charlatans gathered in Doha, Qatar to try to save its global warming hoax by first calling it “climate change” and then by fashioning a funding mechanism to transfer the wealth of developed countries to those who are not, winter has arrived “early” around the world.

That might just have something to do with the cooling cycle that has been active for the past sixteen years, “inconveniently” blowing a big hole in the global warming lies we’ve been hearing and reading since the late 1980s.

From IceAgeNow.info, a site by Robert W. Felix, the author of a book about ice ages (the Earth has been through quite a few in its 4.5 billion years), here are some recent news stories:

On December 1, “Heavy snowfall severs Russia” told of “Hundreds of drivers (who) were caught by surprise in a 40km traffic jam after an unexpected snowfall and heavy winds.”

On November 30, “Finland snowstorm causes blackouts” reported that “Tens of thousands of households were without electricity on Friday as the result of a storm that dumped heavy snow across southern Finland and sent winds gusting up to 27 meters per second, felling trees and downing power lines.” That same day, across the former land bridge between Russia and North America, “Fairbanks – Coldest back-to-back November on record” was a news item what reported “The mercury hit 30 below for the first time this winter at Fairbanks International Airport…”

On November 29, the news was about a “Severe snow storm hits northern Japan” during which it was “blasted by an intense snow storm causing widespread havoc to residents of Hokkaido and Northern Honshu.”

On November 28, “Snowfall paralyzes life in China” was the headline of a report that “China has experienced the biggest snowfall in 52 years. Snow caused power outages in 57 villages, brought down thousands of trees and killed numerous domestic animals. Temperatures fell by as much as 14 degrees below zero in some areas.”

You don’t have to be a meteorologist to connect the dots. It is getting colder in the northern hemisphere of the world. To those who would dismiss this, saying that Russia has always been famous for its winters, that is the equivalent of whistling past the graveyard. 

In England, a November 29 report in The Telegraph, reported that “Councils are gearng up for what could be Britain’s coldest winter in 100 years, as sub-zero temperatures and snow follow days of downpours that have devastated large parts of the country.” The Met Office, England’s equivalent of the U.S. Weather Bureau, warned that “The forthcoming cold snap, caused by clear skies and northerly winds, could herald the start of a freezing winter.”

This was not unforeseen, however. In late January 2012, the British daily, The Mail, reported that “The supposed ‘consensus’ on man-made global warming is facing an inconvenient challenge after the release of new temperature data showing the planning has not warmed for the past 15 years. The figures suggest that we could even be heading for a mini ice age to rival the 70-year temperature drop that saw frost fairs held on the Thames in the 17th century.” England and much of the northern Europe and North America was gripped by a mini ice age that lasted from 1300 to 1850.

It is no secret to climate scientists that the sun is in what they call a “grand minimum” by way of describing relatively few magnetic storms, also known as sun spots. Few storms means less solar radiation and, since the sun is the primary source of heat for the Earth that means things get colder here. This is worth keeping in mind when the Secretary General of the United Nations or any other lying politician or alleged scientist tells you otherwise.

In a new book worth reading, “The Whole Story of Climate” by E. Kirsten Peters, the author brings a wealth of knowledge to the subject from the standpoint of a geologist. As to the claim that carbon dioxide emissions are the “cause” of a warming that is not happening, she points out that “The fact is, if human beings had remained hunter-gatherers throughout our entire history, never producing a single molecule of greenhouse gases through agriculture or industry, climate today would still be changing. It would be lurching toward higher temperatures, crashing toward vastly colder temperatures, or at least swinging toward something different from what has been. That’s just the nature of Earth’s climate.”

Preceding the introduction and rise of humans was an age known as the Pleistocene Epoch about 1.8 million years ago. It “was not a time of only monotonous cold. In fact, it alternated between long periods of cold—lasting roughly 100,000 years—and short periods of considerably warming times—lasting about 10,000 years.”

We humans are the result of the Holocene Epoch, a much more temperate, warmer period that followed the Pleistocene and, writes Peters, “From the Earth’s point of view, the Holocene is no different at all from other brief, warm intervals in the Pleistocene…” We are now about 11,500 years into this warmer cycle and, if the current cooling cycle continues and gets colder, we are knocking on the door of the next ice age.

Nor is this a problem only for the northern hemisphere. Southern hemisphere polar sea ice expanded in September 2012 to its greatest extent since satellites began measuring the Antarctic ice cap in 1979.
 
That’s what Robert W. Felix has been warning about in his book, “Not by Fire, But by Ice”, published initially in 2005. He’s not alone. Habibullo Abdusamatov of the Pulkovo Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences predicts that there will be a sharp drop in the temperature of the Earth starting in 2014. He’s predicting it will last about 200 years.

We are well past when the next ice age—mini or not—should have begun and, if all the global warming charlatans are right, we can actually THANK heightened levels of carbon dioxide for delaying it! However, the truth is that higher or lower levels of carbon dioxide show up centuries after any shift in the Earth’s temperature.

Just as the recent weather reports indicate, lower temperatures, greater snowfall, and other miseries of a colder Earth are in the future of the billions who live in the northern hemisphere. Bundle up.

© Alan Caruba, 2012

Coop Party Place

The Coop on the Shark Tank Show

Coop Birthday Party Place - Christmas Special #409 12/04/2012
 
Shark Tank Christmas Special - 12/04/2012
Juliet Boydstun & Lucinda Lent
Founder's of the "Coop"

Holy Coop Batman, this looks like a lot of FUN. These Coop Chicks Juliet Boydstun & Lucinda Lent just might be on to something here. A fun filled, jam packed, kid (and Adult) friendly party place that you won't forget anytime soon. The Coop is located in Studio City, CA and guarantees that the young and not so young will have a Great Time inside the Party Place.

Throwing the ultimate "customized" party is what the Coop is all about. In fact, this is the preferred place that a lot of celebrities bring their kid's during special events. An entire place filled with all kinds of things to keep the kids entertained while you enjoy a nice cup of coffee in a relaxed atmosphere.

Planning The Ultimate "Personalized" Birthday Party 

Read More Here-->>>

Rent A Christmas Tree

Christmas Tree Rental On Shark Tank

 Living Christmas Tree - Christmas Special  #409 12/04/2012

Live Christmas Tree Rental
Santa Claus youngest Son, Scotty, is getting into the family business. Scotty Claus - Martin from Los Angeles, CA represents the "new age" way in buying and recycling Christmas tree's. Keep the tree's alive and re-use the same Christmas Tree year after year. Can you imagine the memories your entire family will cherish watching them all grow up along side a real Living Christmas Tree as it to changes with the seasons and matures into a Family Tradition. The best part is you only take care of your tree during the Holidays and then a crew comes by and takes it back to the tree farm until next year.

Have you been to a landscape nursery lately?Read More Here-->>>

Saturday, December 1, 2012

The Launch Pad by Randall Stross - Book review




The Launch Pad

Inside Y Combinator, Silicon Valley's Most Exclusive School for Startups


By: Randall Stross

Published: September 27, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 288 pages
ISBN-10: 1591845297
ISBN-13: 978-1591845294
Publisher: Portfolio/Penguin












"Individual angel investors have long made seed investments in software startups. But YC pioneered its own twist: mass-producing startups by investing not one at a time but in semiannual batches", writes New York Times Digital Domain columnist Randall Stross, in his eye opening and fascinating book The Launch Pad: Inside Y Combinator, Silicon Valley's Most Exclusive School for Startups. The author describes how one batch of sixty companies went through the process of seeking funding through the exclusive Silicon Valley school for startup businesses known as Y Combinator.

Randall Stross takes the reader on an groundbreaking tour of the entire journey for five dozen hopeful software startup companies in the summer of 2011. The author was granted unprecedented access to Y Combinator (YC) entrepreneur and investor Paul Graham, and uncovered the thinking and vision behind this unique school for potential Silicon Valley ventures. Randall Stross follows the would be Google and Twitter type companies, as they vie for cherished and fiercely sought after spots in the school, the preparation of their products and plans of the funding hopefuls over the summer months, and the final revelation of the products for potential funding on the final Demo Day.


Randall Stross (photo left) Randall places a very human face on the struggles, successes and failures of these would be software businesses of the future. The author provides what amounts to a guided tour of the activities, philosophy, and outcomes of the Y Combinator experience. Not every company that enters the YC program succeeds. On the other hand, the startups are pushed very hard, by YC founder and self proclaimed hacker Paul Graham, to achieve greatness. The emphasis on taking large numbers of potential startups through the intensive engagement is part of the secret of the organization's success.

Producing such high profile success stories as Dropbox, Airbnb, and Heroku has developed and enhanced the school\s reputation and verified its methodology as effective and instrumental in achieving positive outcomes. Randall Stoss tkes the reader behind the scenes as well. The author presents the insider stories of meetings not open to the public, long hours of fatiguing work, and the personal experiences of those potential entrepreneurs who accepted the Y Combinator challenge.

For me, the power of the book is how Randall Stross combines the human element of the would be software entrepreneurs in search of funding, with the overall story and process of the inner workings of Y Combinator. The author provides insights into how the future of technology, and of how people live and work, is being created in this Silicon Valley startup school, and through the investments of venture capitalists and angel investors. Randall Stross presents the Y Combinator founder as both visionary and hacker, as well as a bottom line oriented business leader seeking investment opportunities that will yield enormous profits. The YC story is one where the romanticism of hacking and disruptive technology meets the harsh realities of business plans and return on investment. The book is an object lesson in the process of Silicon Valley style funding, and the creation of the future today.

I highly recommend the landmark and revealing book The Launch Pad: Inside Y Combinator, Silicon Valley's Most Exclusive School for Startups by Randall Stross, to any would be entrepreneurs, seekers of venture capital, providers of venture capital funds, and anyone interested in how the real world of startup schools works in Silicon Valley. This book will both entertain and inform you, as you follow the trials and triumphs of tomorrow's business success stories.

Jasmine Getting Acupunctured



"Who's got the bright idea that turning a dog into a pin cushion is a good pastime?" Jasmine asks. "Wait a minute, there are treats with that?" Sigh. "OK, bring it on, then."

Jasmine actually doesn't mind it much at all.

Well, unless the needle hits a sensitive spot.

She thinks that having her own visitor is kinda fun, in spite of the silly needles. Having to stay still is another story—BORING! But as long as there is a supply of treats, one can survive that also.

The upside is that the present combination of her diet, supplements, chiropractic care, underwater treadmill and the acupuncture seems to be working.

Not forgetting her stem cell treatments, of course, which did great things for Jasmine.

All her vets seem to agree on that. Jasmine is more full of herself than ever, and her body seems to be able to keep up with it just fine.

"Couldn't we just do the visitor and treats WITHOUT the needles?" Jasmine asks.

Well, no, honey, that's not how that works. Gotta put up with them needles, just like you have to put up with your tooth-brushing, baths and all those other fun things people do to you. It's because of all those things that you're feeling as good as you are.

***

Related articles:
OK, I Am A Sucker: We're Going Through With The SLIT 
Jasmine's Episodes: Back To The Allergies Dilemma 
This Is What Jasmine's Episode Looks Like
Gotta Try Everything Once (Or Twice): On The Quest To Figure Out Jasmine's Episodes 
Thundershirt vs. Jasmine's Episodes
Jasmine's Mysterious Swelling And Another Experience With VetLiveThe Diagnosis Is In: Jasmine Has An Interdigital Cyst
Jasmine's Mysterious Swelling And Interdigital Cyst Update  
Is Crawling Under Things Some Kind Of Secret Physical Therapy?  
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Senior Sensory Systems Function: Zero Defects  
It Looks Like A Keeper: Jasmine's New Integrative Vet 
Jasmine's Acute Lameness
Jasmine Doesn't Like "Doing Time"
Our Of Jail Free Pass
When It's Looks Too Good To Be True … The Lameness Returns
The Day Of The Treatment
First Time For Everything: A Healing Crisis(?)  
From Zero To Sixty In Four Days: Stem Cells At Work
The Calm After The Storm 
If It Was Easy, It Wouldn't Be Jasmine
Practicing What I Preach: Jasmine's Semi Annual Wellness Exam  
No Skimping On Oral Care 
Our Own Emergency Vet Horror (Part I)
Our Own Emergency Vet Horror (Part II) 

***
Meet Jasmine
I'm Still Standing! (Happy Birthday, Jasmine)
How Dogs Think (Well, Jasmine Anyway)
How The Oddysey Started: Jasmine's ACL Injury
Jasmine is Vet-Stem's poster child!
Rant About Quality Of Life Versus Quantity, And Differential Diagnoses
Jasmine Is Headed For Her Next Stem Cell Treatment
Jasmine's Stem Cells Are In
Arthritis? What Arthritis? 
Guess Who Is An Ever-Ready Bunny And Really Liking The Bit Of Snow We Got? 
Don't Knock It Until You Tried It: Animal Chiropractic 
Jasmine's Fur Analysis
Back At Chiropractic Care

America Went Over the Fiscal Cliff Long Ago


By Alan Caruba

I doubt that President Obama will compromise with the House Republicans on anything that might be done to avoid the January 2nd “fiscal cliff” that kicks in with higher taxes for everyone.

Obama has made it clear that increasing the tax rates on “millionaires” is his goal and he made that clear throughout the campaign. The income that would be generated from the increased rates would generate enough money to run the nation for about a week or so at most. In politics perception often trumps reality. And those “millionaires” are mostly middle class folks earning $250,000 or more.

As Chris Cox and Bill Archer, two veterans of the House, chairman of key committees, now in the private sector, wrote in a November 26 Wall Street Journal commentary, “The actual liabilities of the federal government—including Social Security, Medicare, and federal employees’ future retirement benefits—already exceed $86 trillion, or 550% of GDP” (Gross Domestic Product, i.e., the total the U.S. earns from the sale of all goods and services annually).

We are so far passed the fiscal cliff that the U.S. is unlikely to be able to borrow its way out of this huge debt. Cox and Archer said that “Borrowing on this scale could collapse the capacity of global capital markets—and bankrupt not only the programs themselves but the entire federal government.”

“When the accrued expenses of the government’s entitlement programs are counted, it becomes clear that to collect enough tax revenue just to avoid going deeper in debt would require $8 trillion in tax collections annually.”

By adding $6 trillion in debt during his first term, it seems to me that Obama’s goal has been to bring the nation to financial ruin. He added more debt that all the combined presidents before him. He squandered billions on bailouts of General Motors and Chrysler, loans to “green” companies, and increases in programs like food stamps. He cut off new sources of income from the energy sector and, with them, the prospect of jobs that would be generated. At one point he advocated developing algae—pond scum—as a new source of energy.

The total amount of earnings from individuals and corporations is not sufficient to cover the debt and operating expenses of a federal government that has been steadily expanding since early in the last century. Cox and Archer noted that “all individuals filing tax returns in America and earning more than $66,193 per year have an adjusted gross income of $5.1 trillion. In 2006, when corporate taxable income peaked before the recession, all corporations in the U.S. had a total income for tax purposes of $1.6 trillion.”

That’s a total of $6.7 trillion available and we have more than $8 trillion per year in liabilities. The U.S. is borrowing $4 million a day to pay the interest owed on its debt and other liabilities.

The tax system of the U.S. was created in 1913 with the introduction of the income tax and hasn’t seriously been updated since 1986, just over a quarter century ago. As Mitt Romney told a fund-raiser during the campaign, 47% of Americans pay no income tax at all. He caught a lot of flack for telling the truth.

On Election Day, responding to exit polls, 63% of Americans said they were opposed to increasing taxes. Two years earlier when the midterm elections returned power to the Republicans in the House where the Constitution mandates that all spending bills must originate, a compromise resulted in the extension of the Bush tax cuts for two years. Even Obama said it would be a mistake to raise taxes during a bad economy. He doesn’t have to compromise now and he won’t.

I have no doubt that Obama will blame whatever occurs regarding the “fiscal cliff” on the Republicans, but a January 2011 article by Paul Bedard in US News and WorldReport spelled out a plan by the House GOP to eliminate $2.5 trillion in spending over the next ten years. It’s not that Republicans haven’t a plan. It’s that Obama’s plan is to raise everyone’s taxes and keep on spending.

As Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and an opponent of all tax increases, wrote in mid-November, “Obama’s present demand is that the top two marginal tax rates be increased to 39.6% plus the 3.8% Obamacare tax surcharge for a top rate of 43.4%. The death tax would also jump back to 55%, capital gains tax would jump from 15% to 23.8%, and the tax on dividends would increase from 15% to 39.6%”, more than double its present rate.

“If Obama follows through on his threat,” wrote Norquist, “and refuses to extend the Bush tax cuts, then there would be an automatic $500 billion tax increase beginning on January 1, 2013, that would total $5 trillion over a decade.”

In plain words, Americans who still have jobs, who have invested in the stock market, and who have any savings, will be impoverished within a decade, if not sooner. The middle class is already paying 50% of what they earn in income taxes, payroll taxes, state taxes, property taxes, and taxes on gas, telephone use, and other levies.

Obama has not talked of cutting government spending, relying on the automatic “sequestration” that would begin in January. His Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, called the effect on the U.S. military “catastrophic” though the cuts would reduce what Norquist calls “the Obama debt machine” and would in theory strengthen the economy.

I say “in theory”, but federal regulations in 2011 added more than $231 billion in regulatory costs to private businesses and state and local governments, adding up to 133 million hours of paperwork, according to the American Action Forum. Tons more regulations are in the pipeline, particularly from the Environmental Protection Agency. When you add in the 28 taxes hidden in Obamacare, it is clear that there will be precious little money left over for anything than the bare necessities of life.

Americans have been ill-served by their government, composed of those elected to exercise good judgment regarding the economy. It has been going on for a very long time and now the bill is coming due.

America is living in the greatest debt bubble the world has ever seen. I suspect most are completely unaware of it.

America went over the fiscal cliff decades ago and now is in free-fall. Life here and around the world is going to get very ugly.

© Alan Caruba, 2012

Fat Ass Fudge

Fat Ass Fudge on Shark Tank

Christmas Special 12-04-12
Christmas Special on Tuesday December 4, 2012
Fat Ass Fudge on Shark Tank Christmas Special
So where does a name like Fat Ass Fudge come from? From one of the few people that could call you that and get away with it. When Donna McCue was celebrating her 60th birthday with all 7 of her brother's and sister's she made her famous fudge dating back to her Grandma's secret recipe. Her brother convinced Donna that she should sell her fudge and asked what she would call it. Without hesitation she says "I would probably name it after what you called me growing up, Fat Ass". The name stuck not because it will actually make your ass fat but because it hasRead More Here-->>>