jlc

Good summation. 1+ for Borg.

Jan

Yes, and I think those fears are being fanned. Who would not fear a reactionary Christian theocracy? (Middle Ages: Been there; done that. Don't want to go there again.)

Jan
current Middle Ages are much more fun...

You agree with the historical evidence; I agree that CO2 is a greenhouse gas. What we do not agree on is the projections of that data into the future.

We also both agree that one cannot just 'take the answer I want'. So: this is a viable discussion. But what is happening - and is the source of the this thread - is that people who disagree with the socially-selected 'right' answer are being threatened with jail (and denied publication and tenure). That is bad.

Jan

I just looked up the Bakken Oil fields. "With over 200 oil rigs running and more than 2100 wells being drilled per year, North Dakota is poised to take over Alaska as the second largest oil producing state in the country. " They seem to be producing about half a million barrels of oil per day.

I think that constitutes "drilling".

Jan

Yes, it is. And it is even better because this seems to be the sort of 'luck you make'. They did not stop looking.

I am still puzzled at some of the closing comments, though.

Jan

Yeah, Flootus, I caught that too. It made me wonder if this were just some PR trick. The idea that, after giving a lot of geological details, did not know the quantity or quality of the oil...does not make sense to me. The article began with the type of statements that are made after all the necessary research has been done.

Jan, a bit puzzled

So you could overturn such a clause? That is very good news.

Jan

I don't agree, term. A person could be a brilliant inventor but careless about 'bureaucratic nonsense' and just sign some form - and be trapped. You assume that someone who can do one thing well (invent) can do something else well (understand legalese) in addition.

I think the answer is not 'if they sign, they are not worthwhile' but - as mccannon says - they must be cautioned to read carefully even if they despise legalese. And the existence of such a clause implies that it is worthwhile to the companies to 'net' unwary prey.

Jan

Hmmm. That sounds like 300 million 'opportunities'...

Jan
(and 3D printers)

I have a big problem with the FDA. For years, in the medical industry, I have known about testing procedures that have been in use in other countries (marginal places, like Europe, for example) for a decade before they were permitted to be utilized in the US. How many people died because the test that would have detected their cancer was held up by the FDA?

Then I read about antivenins: Since about 2002, the FDA has not approved any anti-coral-snake antivenin for use in the US; the existing supplies outdated in 2004. Now, if you are bit by a coral snake, all they can give you is anti-rattlesnake antivenin (which should help somewhat, but not for the neurotoxins that are specific for the coral snake).

Yes, I am aware of the colchicine debacle (though I did not know about the other meds, good info, that). I too would like to get my choice of meds from India if I need them...

Medical science, in dealing with the FDA, is like a competitive swimmer trying to win a meet with an anvil tied to his ankle.

Jan

How on earth would they expect to enforce this? If I bought a gun from a friend, who would ever know?

Jan

At least you are willing to discuss the issue, CG, instead of spouting epithets or saying that everyone who disagrees with you should be jailed! I am one of the people who disagree with you on this issue. It took me a couple of hours of research, back in about 2002, to begin to doubt anthropogenic global warming, and about 2 days worth to be fairly sure that the warmist agenda was unfounded.

Please consider that the Earth was 'about as warm as it is now' during the Roman settlement of Britain (grape vineyards in S. England!). At that time, the Earth had about 300M people. At the time of US Independence, the world's population had climbed to about 3.5B...and we were in a little ice age.

It is pretty obvious that an attempt to relate the temperature of the planet to human activity is very like geocentricity: and attempt to make ourselves more central than we are to the topic under discussion. We humans have very little effect on global temperatures.

Jan

That is where I am currently at in mine own cogitations. The only other thing I can say is that there is still time left to for people to become stars...or make an idiot of themselves.

And I will vote as if my vote counted, even though I will be doing no more than neutralizing one of the votes of the liberals around me.

Jan

Weird legal things certainly impacted the LOTR production, so I can see this might be the case. Still, if there is an active fan base and money to be made, one might see a path to a series as well as some movies (and let's hope the series would be better than the most recent movie).

Jan

Thank you for letting us know about this. I will look forward to watching the episode.

Hmmm. I wonder if the studios would permit them to make a profit off ads accompanying their video...? (Or maybe the studios will eventually get a clue as to what people would like to watch. Not gritty, not depressing...After all, it worked to revive the VW bug.)

Jan

Oh yeah. "We'll practice trickle-down economics and you can continue to give trickle up poverty your best shot.
Since it often so offends you, we'll keep our history, our name and our flag."

I would personally add, "We will keep our borders secure. You are welcome to apply to immigrate to our country, but you had better come prepared to use English in official and business communication, and to work your butt off to get ahead. And if you do not subscribe to the tenants of freedom for every class of individual, irregardless of gender, race or religion...don't bother filling out the form."

Jan

Kitties are good too!

Jan, dog person, but likes cats as well

Sorry, jbrenner. Did not mean to accidentally introduce a taint of rationality into a discussion of the EPA and other gov agencies.

Jan, not really apologetic

More on The Martian - SPOILER ALERT

Wm and Ellen and I went to see The Martian yesterday evening. One of the things that is clear, upon reflecting upon movie, is the degree to which it is completely natural that geek culture owns all of the major characters. The single representative of ‘normals’ amongst the main cast is Annie Montrose, the NASA PR guru. In the same way that most shows now include a ‘token geek’ to act as a foil for the plot and represent how ‘out of it’ geeks are, Annie is the ‘token normal’ and holds the reverse role: she shows how lost most people would be amongst the brilliant eclectic geeks around her. The most wonderful scene that illustrates this was when the Council of Elrond was called, in the NASA Director’s office, and the Armani-clad Teddy Sanders, Director of NASA, immediately chimes in, "If this is the Council of Elrond, I want to be Glorfindel."; Annie Montrose is vastly puzzled but everyone else is quite comfortable with the metaphor.

The NASA Director was also played in a much more sympathetic fashion that in the book. I did miss the line (after Mitch Henderson, the Mission Commander, calls Teddy Sanders a coward for NAKing the Rich Purnell maneuver) where Teddy turns to Annie for moral support and (in the book) Annie says that she wished that Mitch had punched the Director out instead of just calling him the coward he is. (That was not in the movie; sigh.)

There was an interesting thread, also in the book but not so clear there as in the movie, of the scientists of the world being a subculture that transcended national boundaries. This is actually true, I think, but not often portrayed in such a subtle manner (true of music too).

While The Martian is quite reminiscent of the SF that we read as kids, where people go out into space and have wonderful adventures solving complex and dangerous problems, it is also a thoroughly modern movie. The distribution of race and gender is across the board in all roles, and the fact that a clueless Rastafarian astrophysicist is hailed as “a steely-eyed rocketman” by the Hermes crew is a good example of how careless of race and gender the plot is. (Even better, there is never an explanation for that message – because ‘of course you understand it’.) I was talking with a colleague at work a week or so ago, and we both had to adjust our identities to reading SF when we were young because there were no female (me) lead characters or black (him) lead characters in the books. This is SO not true for this movie! And it is not PC tokenism – these people obviously belong in the roles they inhabit.

It is important, crucially so, that you understand that there is NO Villain in this movie. Like the old SF novels, there is no one, twirling a waxed mustache, whom you must overcome as a plot element: it is an adventure of the spirit, and a triumph of intellect over the uncaring intransigence of the universe.

There needs to be a lot more movies like The Martian.


Jan

Hmmm. There may not be any contradictions in nature, but there are contradictions in how humans perceive nature: wavicles, for instance, and much of quantum mechanics (is the cat alive or dead?).

The people to whom I refer, I have know for over 30 years. (I know: How unCalifornian of me!) They not only talk-the-talk of being friends, they walk-the-walk.

I too have relatives and other people I know who I cannot depend on to 'have my back', not because they do not have good will towards me - they do - but because their deeds make them untrustworthy. So I interact with them pleasantly, but do not rely on them.

If I have more thoughts or observations on this, I will be glad to discuss them further with you.

Jan

Can we have play-doh and frolicking puppies? Please.

Jan

One of the things that the article did not mention is that now (this year) the small businesses (<50 employees) are no longer 'grandfathered' or 'grandmothered' protection from Obamacare. This certainly gives one pause in hiring new employees.

Jan

Interesting exposition, MichaelA. I agree with Heinlein in many respects (one of the threads that lead to my joining the military was the idea that the flip side of being able to vote is being willing to defend the country). I think that you have an excellent point that there are 'adults' and 'adults by accident of birthdate'. Have you seen/read of the experiments in delayed gratification?
http://www.ted.com/talks/joachim_de_p...

I do not agree that behind each criminal child is a negligent adult. Some recent surveys have indicated that criminality is genetic to at least a certain degree - and a parent is not responsible for psychopathic/sociopathic behavior in a child (these seem to be substantially genetic).

It would be intriguing to have a 'test for adulthood' like we have a 'test for IQ'. I wonder what percentage of adults would not eat the marshmallow.

Jan

So, a student-handled vial is discovered to be without a label. You can plausibly rule out some categories of hazmat (eg you know if it could not be radioactive). Can you not just dispose of it in a maximum-safe manner?

Why is this even reportable? (I assume that if only a few people know of the existence of the unlabeled vial, it could be disposed of like the dead garter snakes were.)

Jan

Can you give an example of what you mean? I recall a story of a man who was hired to go to a hotel construction site a break of day - before anyone else got there - and police the site to pick up any dead animals lest one of them be reported to the EPA (garter snakes were a special problem, apparently).

I do not have a comparable image in my mind of what sort of an accidental student violation could result in such a fine.

Jan