Tuesday, April 27, 2010
We're Idiots
Meet the biggest idiots in sport.
No bunch of sports fans are more stupid than the storm, not even the
Wellington Saints.
What type of fan, would take the moral highground, and make
out their team lying as victims and hero's.
They aren't real fans, a real fan, wouldn't stand there and
scream out that they will support their team until the
die they die.
A real fan wouldnt start singing his team songs and give
their players a standing ovation after what this club did.
The Storm players, the Storm Coaches, The management, screwed
the fans, screwed their sport, they lied, they cheated, they
committed fraud, and worst of all they tried to play the
part of the good guy, and they insulted every human being,
when they played dumb.
You cannot tell me, that you thought all these luxury items
that showed up at your house were above board, for cripes sake
the players were giving free boats!!!!
Here is what a real fan would of done, they would of shown up, and
not clapped, they wouldn't made any noise in protest.
The banners real fans would of taken, would of told the players
of the hurt and disgust they feel for them.
That is what real fans would of done, Melbourne doesnt have feel fans
though.
Shame on this club, they deserve no sympathy.
Lets hope the guilty parties will be found guilty.
Time will tell.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Australia Shelves Emissions Trading Plan Until 2013
In what is the final act of a prolonged death spiral, the Rudd government has put off its proposed emissions trading scheme until at least 2013. From ABC News:The targets set forth in the legislation could not have been met in any case, as I show in this paper (it has since been updated and is just about to be submitted), so perhaps the reprieve will enable a rethink. The Rudd government recently admitted that the bulk of the emissions reductions would have had to come from offsets. In any case a lot will happen between now and 2013, in Australian politics, but also with respect to other national climate policies and international negotiations.It was once a centrepiece of the Federal Government's election strategy, but now the emissions trading scheme (ETS) has been relegated to the shelf until at least 2013.
Delaying the scheme means the Government could save $2.5 billion from its budget over the next three years, because it would not be paying compensation to households and industries.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd recently said climate change remained a fundamental economic, environmental and moral challenge, whether it was popular or not.
But Government sources say it was decided last week to remove the scheme from next month's budget, bowing to the political reality that the Senate is unlikely to pass the ETS any time soon.
The Upper House has already blocked the ETS legislation twice.
The bills are before the Parliament again but the Senate has delayed the debate while it examines the deal that Mr Rudd struck with former Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull.
The bottom line is that neither the Opposition, now led by Tony Abbott, nor the Greens like the amended legislation, so it remains in limbo.
I had an op-ed at ABC News on the ETS just last month in which I wrote:
Emissions reductions targets are offered up with little understanding of the implications for energy supply or the economy. Complex legislation is proposed that obscures the simple math of decarbonisation.Does Australia's step-back from the ETS represent a fresh start? Time will tell.
When push comes to shove no politician wants to impose economic discomfort on his or her constituents, so they look desperately for magical solutions. Emissions trading has provided that illusion up to now.
Australia, the United States and Japan, in particular are at a crossroads in climate policy. The decisions that they make at this juncture will shape climate policy around the world, leading up to the summit in Mexico at the end of the year and beyond.
Will they continue in pursuit of magical solutions? Or will they start fresh, with an approach grounded in the realities of the simple math of decarbonisation?
The success or failure of emissions reductions efforts depends on their answers.
Last days' endeavours
Tuesday
Oa jerks 20kg: 5/5
Jerks 2x20: 5, 68 (10min), 3
Jerks 2x24: 5, 40 (7min)
Jerks 2x28: 4
Jerks 2x26: 5x 6reps
Prehab squats bw & 20kg
Stretch
Monday
Oa swing + snatch 16kg: 10/10
Snatch 20kg: 5/5, 60L/57R (ca 8:30), 15/15
Snatch 26kg: 3/3, 10/10
Sunday
Running 4,5km.
Tired Monday, so I saved jerks for today. Happy with last sessions, though still tired. Last week, I went from no running at all to three sessions (stupid - I know). Maybe that's the reason? No leg or foot pains, however.
Oa jerks 20kg: 5/5
Jerks 2x20: 5, 68 (10min), 3
Jerks 2x24: 5, 40 (7min)
Jerks 2x28: 4
Jerks 2x26: 5x 6reps
Prehab squats bw & 20kg
Stretch
Monday
Oa swing + snatch 16kg: 10/10
Snatch 20kg: 5/5, 60L/57R (ca 8:30), 15/15
Snatch 26kg: 3/3, 10/10
Sunday
Running 4,5km.
Tired Monday, so I saved jerks for today. Happy with last sessions, though still tired. Last week, I went from no running at all to three sessions (stupid - I know). Maybe that's the reason? No leg or foot pains, however.
Heathrow in Context
One of the issues being debated in the UK election is the potential expansion of Heathrow airport, and air travel in general in the UK as a part of "green" policies. On this issue Labor seems to have it right, as they argue that economic growth requires expanding air travel capacity. Looking at the graph above, it is easy to see why the debate over Heathrow (and air travel in the UK generally) is entirely of symbolic importance. Of course, the other parties have their own problems, the Lib Dems are adamantly opposed to nuclear power, the Conservatives are populated by "climate skeptics," while none of the three seems to understand the simple math of emissions reductions targets and timetables (while the Green party explains that good climate policy means being unpopular, enough said).The UK election won't be decided on environmental issues. However, whatever government emerges from this most interesting of elections will face some real challenges related to climate policy. I suppose that the good news for the new government is that nobody else around the world has it figured out either.
2010 Gordon Conference on Science and Technology Policy
2010 GRC on Science & Technology Policy
The 2010 Gordon Conference on Science and Technology Policy will focus on a wide range of research at the intersection of science, technology, policy and society. The 2010 Conference will focus in particular on further developing partnerships between North American and European researchers. Invited speakers represent a variety of scientific disciplines in the policy sciences, social and natural sciences as well as the humanities. The Conference will bring together a collection of investigators who are at the forefront of their field, and will provide opportunities for junior scientists and graduate students to present their work in poster format and exchange ideas with leaders in the field. The collegial atmosphere of this Conference, with programmed discussion sessions as well as opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, provides an avenue for scholars from different disciplines to brainstorm and promotes cross-disciplinary collaborations in the various research areas represented.
Location:
Waterville Valley Resort, Waterville Valley, NH, United States
Dates:
Sunday, August 08, 2010 - Friday, August 13, 2010
Chairs:
Roger A Pielke (University of Colorado)
Michele S Garfinkel (J. Craig Venter Institute)
Vice Chairs:
Susan Cozzens (Georgia Institute of Technology)
Web Site:
http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?year=2010&program=scipolicy
Online Application:
http://www.grc.org/application.aspx?id=10385
Application Deadline
Location:
Waterville Valley Resort, Waterville Valley, NH, United States
Dates:
Sunday, August 08, 2010 - Friday, August 13, 2010
Chairs:
Roger A Pielke (University of Colorado)
Michele S Garfinkel (J. Craig Venter Institute)
Vice Chairs:
Susan Cozzens (Georgia Institute of Technology)
Web Site:
http://www.grc.org/programs.
Online Application:
http://www.grc.org/
Application Deadline
Applications for this meeting must be submitted by July 18, 2010. Please apply early, as some meetings become oversubscribed (full) before this deadline. If the meeting is oversubscribed, it will be stated here. Applications will still be accepted for oversubscribed meetings. However, they will only be considered by the Conference Chair if more seats become available due to cancellations.
HEROES-Ron Paul
I have a lot of heroes, and they are quite different from one another in careers, lifestyles, and the like. But there are common elements in my heroes. They are all individualists. They see the world a bit differently than the rest of us, and they have the courage to stand in opposition to that world. They also have other attributes I admire such as being autodidactic, multiskilled, and the like. But of all my heroes, the one who comes closest to being my ultimate hero is Ron Paul.
Ron Paul is an intelligent, principled, and courageous man. He is an MD. He served in the Air Force as a flight surgeon. He taught himself economics. He ran for Congress and won. And he has been a valiant promoter and defender of freedom. People try and dismiss him as a kook and a crank, but they end up agreeing with him when they hear him speak.
I remember back during the 2008 primaries being ridiculed for supporting Ron Paul. Now, people remember me for supporting him when no one else would listen. People listen to Dr. Paul now. He is not a brilliant orator. He is not a slick politician. His popularity comes from his ideas, and they are important.
I do not always agree with Ron Paul, but he is without a doubt a great champion of liberty. I don't know what the future holds for him, but he would make a great president. As it stands, he is a great man, and I admire him.
