From the archives: April 22, 2009

Wednesday has turned out to be a day
Marked, weather-wise, by coolness and drizzle,
And lack of any tennis activity--
Efforts to arrange some have been a fizzle.

For most of the day, thus far,
Ken has been engaged in “news” commentary
Concerned with making clear that the New York Times
Of telling it like it is, tends to be chary.

Preferring almost always to tell it
Like they wish it to be
Without regard to the facts
Or to their position’s legit- or illegitimacy.

The result for today….
To: Op-ed@nytimes.com
Eyes always on the prize
By Special K
Disassociated Press
April 22, 2009

Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Tuesday, April 21, 2009 -- 10:15 PM ET
U.S. Adopted Harsh Interrogations Without Examining Their Past Use
An examination by The New York Times shows that an
extraordinary consensus in 2002 by cabinet members and
lawmakers embracing brutal interrogation methods was possible
largely because no one involved investigated the gruesome
origins of the techniques.(all emphasis added)
Read More (if the foregoing isn't enough!)
http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na

Act in haste, repent at leisure.
Look before you leap.
Stop, look and listen,
Before you cross the street
Use your eyes and use your ears
Before you use your feet.

Generally good advice, especially so for many of those same lawmakers
Who now strongly embrace "hasty legislation",
And, e.g., without any informed thought or debate
Pass trillion dollar bailouts quite unhealthy for the nation.

But when the country’s fate was on the line
Those favoring firm interrogation
Might be excused at not having conducted basic etiological research
As to the firm-interrogation techniques' origination.

For news gathering organizations such as, e.g., the N Y Times,
That seek still another Pulitzer prize
(Especially one for keeping score on water-boarding competition at Gitmo)***
Some show of impartiality (theoretically at least) would be wise.

However, articles such as the one referenced above
Suggest lack of impartiality
By intimating that organizers of that competition
In doing so acted hastily, peremptorily, and probably sadistically.

Some objective (dispassionate, uninvolved) but naïve observers
Will by Times’ reporting surely be led to believe
That merely agreeing to hold such a competition is something
Of which only uninformed, ignorant (possibly even sadistic) organizers could conceive.

However, objective and realistic observers (none of whom edits and/or reports for the Times)
Recognize that the legitimacy of water-boarding at Gitmo is akin to that of capital punishment:
Governmentally sanctioned for particularly heinous behavior--and, still contested as “brutal” by some--
But something that others (the majority) accept as meet and proper as well as legal, hence view with no outward show of discontent.

That lawmakers who today legislate boondoggles without thought (or research)
Had enough “instinctive” understanding of “imminent peril” back then
To collectively endorse un-researched, but appropriate preventive action
Should be a source of national satisfaction--

But, after all, in water-boarding competition, the Times roots for the dunkees to win;
And is giving aid and comfort to many of the same lawmakers--
Who are seeking political cover, now that the punishment has thwarted the crime,
And wish to distance themselves from their, then, wise behavior--

By saying they did something “wrong” because they weren’t properly briefed at the time.

Editor’s note.

The Disassociated Press seldom endorses reporters’ opinions,
But given the direction in which “news” is being spun in the nation, today,
Readers could do much worse than pay close and careful attention
To the sage observations and opinions proffered here by Special K.
___________
***
The Times Wins 5 Pulitzer Prizes
By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA
The five prizes for The New York Times were the second most in its history.
The Las Vegas Sun won the public service prize.

And next year it seems certain
That the N Y Times will add one Pulitzer more
For its series on waterboarding competition at Gitmo
And the two guys who chalked up“266” (dunkings) each, for a record indoor (tie) score.

A weekend-news sampler
By Special K
Disassociated Press
September 14, 2009

Nothing of great moment or pith
Occurred over the just completed weekend,
And this reporter accordingly has elected
Use of “pithiness” as an index of “newsworthiness” to suspend.

So readers are hereby informed
Not to expect anything smacking of either moment or pith
(And if any such thing should be perceived herein
This reporter should be notified forthwith).

New 'hockey stick' graph on climate change under fire
Written by Christopher Booker, Telegraph
Saturday, September 12 2009 13:11

A number of readers wrote in to express surprise at the recent letter from the US scientist
Dr Michael Mann claiming that his famous "hockey stick" graph, showing temperatures
having suddenly soared at the end of the 20th century to unprecedented levels, had been
endorsed by the US National Academy of Sciences. Neither of the two Congressional
inquiries involving the NAS did anything of the kind. Both found that the computer
model used to create Dr Mann's "hockey stick", completely rewriting climate history,
was fundamentally flawed.

"Hockey" is an old southern U.S. expression for "dung"
That may be apt, thusly used,
When referring to Professor Mann's "hockey stick"
That with a climate-change trend, instead, was confused.

And it would be helpful to all concerned
If the average global temperature of "yesterday"
Could be reported for easy comparison
With the average global temperature of "today".

Along with the corresponding distributions of local observations;
Also appropriate regional summaries of a similar nature
Designed to permit assessment of regional differences
By all concerned including those in each national legislature.

Until we are apprised of what "average world temperature" means,
What its “current” value is and what it was "yesterday",
And the degree of stability in the rank-ordering of corresponding "local" values, for example,
We won't be able properly to evaluate what folks like Prof. Mann say.
***
The Church Mouse Blog: Climate change campaigns
By The Church Mouse
Much talk over the past few days of the various climate change campaigns.
Christian Aid have been getting in the news with their 'Mass Visual
Trespass' and other activities encouraging Gordon Brown to go to
Copenhagen. ... Mouse has noted, however, that there is not yet a single unifying
campaign in the run up to Copenhagen. There are lots of things going on, but not
a single message which all the campaigning can unite behind. This is odd, since
the message is really quite simple - world leaders must agree on a plan to make
significant cuts in CO2 emissions (emphasis added).

1 comments:
Special K said...
Cutting CO2 emissions, per se, is a reasonable goal
To the extent that such emissions pollute--
Never mind as a means to stop "climate change",
A quixotic goal, not one for thinkers astute.

The globe may or may not be getting "warmer"--
Average global temperature (however it may be taken)
Is not now reported daily
To permit assessment of changes (if any) breathtaking.

Until someone brings clarity to its discussion,
“Climate change" will surely remain
A phenomenon which much has been made of
That no one has (as yet) managed to explain.
13 September 2009 18:39
***
Resilience and Arctic Climate Change at Resilience Science
By Garry Peterson
coping with ecological suprise in a human dominated world.

An important consideration for conservation and management in the Arctic, for example, is whether alteration of species composition of plant and animal communities due to climate change will lead to alternate ecosystem states or persistent instability (60) (Fig. 4B),
or whether system states can rebound from abiotic perturbations due to species resilience
(emphasis added).

One has to admit that the Arctic
Is a pretty well isolated ecosystem;
Changes can come and go willy nilly
Before most folks in the world will have missed 'em.

Someone like Al Gore can come along
And elicit belief in an ephemeral cause retrograde
Because it's made out to be "world-saving",
But of "reality" is largely a charade.

And will remain so until, mirabile dictu,
What "climate change" is--with clearly linked causes and manifestations--
Becomes widely known and clearly understood
Through normal processes of familiarization.

In the meantime, we can't expect anything approaching “consensus”
On sundry approaches designed to “stop ‘climate change’"--
A phrase that implies doing something about "something" undefined
Hence the very notion of getting agreement on how to do it would seem to be a bit strange.

But nothing that may be said or done in the future
Can surpass in sheer “unfathomability”
“(A)biotic perturbations due to species resilience”,
To understand which would require atypical (out of range) verbal facility.

13 September 2009
IntLawGrrls: Patent law & climate change
By noreply@blogger.com (Estelle Derclaye)
Many thanks to IntLawGrrls for this giving me this opportunity to appear as a guest blogger
especially on a topic that is close to my heart – finding solutions to global warming.
I am an intellectual property lawyer, and in the course of my research I wondered whether
intellectual property law can do something to alleviate the global warming problem.
. . . Very few would also now deny that humans are the cause of this greenhouse
effect and the correlated climate change....(emphasis added).

Perhaps no more would deny it
Than would express belief in its existence,
Going along with the media flow,
Taking the path of least resistance

But Ms. Derclaye may be on to something
In proposing that intellectual property law
Can help deal with the global warming problem,
Being, as it is, largely free of (perceptible) fault or flaw.

Given the chameleonesque quality of “climate change”
Almost every discipline potentially has a role
In slowing, stopping, or preventing “it” altogether--
Or ameliorating ill effects as “climate change” takes “its” inevitable toll.

There can be little doubt that it’s a widely used term
That passes trippingly on many a tongue
Variously eliciting expressions of either shock and dismay or utter disbelief
On the part of ordinary folk, be they aged, aging, mature, maturing or young.

But like Omar, as the story goes,
After hearing about “it” arguments galore
They’ll conclude “it” remains a great mystery
Whose meaning is no clearer than it was before..
***

Putting cattle on a diet to curb climate change
CNN International
A rare good news story when it comes to climate change. While there is no
magic bullet, and no one solution that will work for all animals, we are
getting ...(emphasis added).


Developing a diet for bovines
To curb climate change,
Though quite an eye-catching header,
Is conceptually exceedingly strange.

Far more reasonable, or so it would seem to be,
To develop filters or pads for what they ordinarily pass--
Both up front and behind--
That gives rise to methane, a recognized greenhouse gas.