Hollywood, America's most egregious Global Warming offender

Yes that's right! You heard it at Tiny's first. I thought it was important that I break this story before the Oscar's this Sunday, when you will surely hear plenty of Hollywood luminaries lecture us on being "green", the catastrophe coming, and how GW denial is sinful.

You might think I'm calling Hollywood a major offender of GW based on how many of the Hollywood elite travel by private jet, or stay in power sucking hotel suites, or own one or more 5000 sq/ft+ power sucking homes, or who while owning a Prius also own several SUV's, luxury sedans or exotics....no, no, it's not because their personal green footprints are enormous...it's because the product they produce, entertainment, is not green friendly at all!

That's right...after all, the entertainment product they produce is a luxury...it in fact requires energy to consume. While food production, construction and transportation all probably have much bigger green footprints than entertainment, they are necessities. The type of entertainment Hollywood produces is not, and lets face it..the vast majority is also crap.

You see, when I was a kid I didn't use much electricity. I mostly played with balls, bats, MatchBox cars, GI Joes, and road my Schwinn Stingray for hours every day. Today my kids use more power in a day by themselves than my entire family did in a day when I was growing up...that's even with the inefficiency of appliances in the 70's and 80's. The number of American families that run one or more TV's for a good 4-6 hours every night, plus one or more cable boxes, plus the home theatre amplifier, etc....is surely close to 100M.

My personal footprint for just consuming Hollywood's product is huge. It's not unusual for me to be watching TV solo in our family room in front of a power sucking home theatre setup that has so many components it's on a dedicated 30 amp circuit. My wife will be watching a TV driven by a cable box in our bedroom, my son playing Xbox (and so running two devices) in his room and my daughter at our kitchen island drawing while watching Sponge Bob (again two devices because of the cable box). During this intellect sucking entertainment orgy my family engages in, I calculated the power usage to be equivalent to burning 45 - 100 watt light bulbs for 6 hours. This explains my PG&E bill each month....probably about the same as the average home mortgage payment in Ohio.

Of course something less indulgent is going on in most American homes each night, but the aggregate power usage is giant. Then don't forget the other major Hollywood product...movies..I don't go to the movies much anymore and instead do the on-demand and DVD thing...but the green footprint of a single 2 hour movie showing is big....all those people driving to the theatre is the biggest component.

This thin investment most, including Hollywood celebs, have in understanding both GW and energy is laughable. Most seem to think electricity is somehow green! Most electricity in this country doesn't come from wind, solar or hydro...it's oil and coal fired generators and a bit of nuclear. The later of which we should really be invested in.

So Hollywood....if you were serious about being green you would tell us all to turn off our TVs, stop listen to are large amp stereo systems, stop going to the movies....stay home and spend time talking to your family and maybe read more books....we would all be better off. Gore's movie will surely win an Oscar or two...not because it contains truth, but because Hollywood likes to show us that they care about the world...and makes them feel better about being hypocrits in their personal life. So remember when you see a star on Sunday pull up to the red carpet in a borrowed electric car, that he/she probably just flew in from Europe on a private jet and that the outlet that car was plugged into earlier in the day isn't green!

Illegal aliens bank of choice

You may have heard that BofA has a program in the LA area where without a social security number you can get a credit card. Coming under fire for the program, and for good reason, the CEO (Kenneth Lewis) got a letter published in yesterdays WSJ in response.

First, it's funny that he tries to pretend its not about making money on illegals when this program is in the LA area only. Then he tries to claim this is just about helping customers (illegals) build a credit history. And he says "we have an obligation to serve all those in our country who are legally eligible to receive services. To do less would be discriminatory and unfair."....really, if they are in your BofA branch signing up for one of these accounts and they are here ILLEGALLY would that meet you standard for "legally eligible"?

Lewis then tries to hide behind the Patriot Act...which apparently weakly allows financial institutions to accept some foreign government forms of identification when opening an account. Well, that's just flat out wrong. Kenneth even makes the statement that the bank needs to "do our part to support the security of our nation's financial systems". Ya, like taking foreign IDs which have little or no integrity to the process in the countries who issue them as a way to establish financial operations in the US...good job Kenneth...ya, you're a real patriot and doing your part for national security and unity.

But best of all is when little Kenny employs the first law of the 2nd grade rules of universe...in describing the credit cards that probably all Al-Qaeda cells in the country use "They are offered at Bank of America and many other financial institutions as a way for customers to build their credit history."

Bank of America is no longer the bank of America in my eyes.

Big discovery, heat can affect a fever!

I can barely contain myself...I want to scream at the lunacy spawned by global warming hysterics. A study, using data from one lowly children's hospital in Australia found that TWO more children under six years old were admitted with fever to that hospital for every 5 degrees of temperature rise. WHAT? Stop the presses.....and this is just from 2001 to 2002!

Could you imagine how many children under 6 would have shown up at a hospital 10,000 years ago, if there was one around then, when in a several year period certain locations on the planet had 30 degree average rises in temperature. Oh, damn that global warming.

You have to hand it to these idiots at the University of Sydney who I'm sure didn't take into account that it might just be how high the temperature in the Australian city where this hospital is which of course is exacerbated by any rise at all. For example, if they looked at a children's hospital where the hottest summer temperature was 75 degrees would that hospital ever see such a correlation when it went from 70 to 75? Hell no.

I know, lets put a children's hospital, or an elderly care center, dead smack in the middle of Death Valley....watch what happens when the summer temperature from one day to the next goes from 115 to 120!

And how about this statement "And now global warming is becoming more apparent, it is highly likely an increasing number of young children will be turning up at hospital departments with these kinds of common illnesses".

I can't even think or write anything useful after reading this idiotic story....we are doomed.

UPDATE: And yet more idiocy....children are worried and having a hard time going to sleep because of the pending doom due to global warming!!!!!! I don't doubt the survey...you know why these kids even know about the looming disaster caused by global warming? Because our K-8th grade teachers are MORONS. They believe this, they see GW and mans roll in it as a liberal/Democrat position and buy it all. They think its an undeniable fact...a fact...it's not even a theory. I experienced this first hand. When my 2nd grader was in first grade (at a private school I might add) his teacher told the class the GW horror story. My son was worried and echoed the lie, his teacher told as fact, to me. I was furious...I talked to the teacher....explained that first this is not a fact but a theory, that there is no consensus and gave her a boat load of links on the Internet to back up that up. I provided data from experts that show a logical and emotionless analysis of the same data used to convict man of causing GW, but instead convict natural cycles and phenomenon the planet goes through whether we are on this planet or not.

Homophibia is your right

I regularly read syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. and also regularly disagree with what he writes. But, he makes interesting and smart arguments that I enjoy trying to rebut. This week Pitts' column makes the argument that Tim Hardaway's blunt declaration that he hates gays will expose the ugliness of homophobia thus setting about a reversal of its acceptance.

Pitts uses the example of Bull Conner who, as a Birmingham Alabama police commissioner in 1963, put attack dogs and high pressure fire hoses on peaceful and unarmed black civil rights marchers. These images surely gave people a sinking feeling in their stomach. I'm sure it did so because this was a physical attack on citizens by police, by fireman, by city workers sworn to protect and serve those citizens...a physical attack that could seriously harm, or even kill, those just exercising their right to assemble and speak their mind.

An ex-NBA player who was fodder for a radio host, a host that clearly baited him into making a "homophobic" statement, is hardly comparable to those sworn to protect and serve deciding to attack a large group of citizens not breaking the law. Hating someones lifestyle is not even on the same planet as the willingness to physically harm someone just because of the color of their skin.

Surely more disturbing to those who may read this is that I don't even think homophobia should go away. Is the argument that I should accept homosexuality as normal? Or just that it's mean to publicly declare my disdain for their lifestyle? As a conservative I don't get that protection from liberals! I suppose some would argue that, like a black, the gay person is born that way, so to even express hate for them is equivalent to racism.

Sorry I don't buy it! I personally don't hate gays, I hate their lifestyle. I hate that they constantly put their agenda, whose goal is to portray gay as "normal", in our faces constantly. I hate bath houses where men have orgies with strangers. I hate that there is apparently far too many gays having unprotected sex. I hate that gays want people to believe a child isn't better off with a mother and a father, as opposed to two fathers or mothers...and so on.

Racism is bad....racism to the point of hurting people is even worse....the idea that homophobia must be wiped out, is bad in my view. I see it as a slippery slope....after all, a pedophile was also born with his sickening desire so is my hatred of that group also misplaced? We either have freedom of thought, and speech, even when you're diametrically opposed to, or even sickened by, it or we are throwing out the bill of rights and we are no longer a republic.

This defines what I see as a fundamental difference between a conservative and a liberal. Aside from the usual differences (less government, personal responsibility, etc.) a conservative believes the whole is more important than the individual. That it's more important to be good than to feel good. That you should approach the big issues with logic and not emotion. That it's not true that if it doesn't harm others, it's OK. That sometimes what is right, isn't fair to everyone.

Does a gay person have hurt feelings if you tell them to their face you hate them? Surely they do, but you wouldn't want the right of a person to express that hate to be stifled would you? Are our freedoms only protected when you agree with ones ideology? And what hurt, or pain, did Hardaway cause anyway? I see political pundits spewing vitriol on conservatives all the time..I'm not hurt, or pained, or calling for liberalism to go the way of racism! Political correctness and accept everyone run amuck!

Immigrants, not Americans, must adapt

I got an email from my dad today, one of those emails that was forwarded from an email fowarded many times....real or not, doesn't matter, I like what it says.

Email:

Think about this: If you don't want to forward this for fear of offending someone-----YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM !!!!

Will we still be the Country of choice and still be America if we continue to make the changes forced on us by the people from other countries that came to live in America because it is the Country of Choice??????

Think about it! All we have to say is, when will they do something about MY RIGHTS? I celebrate Christmas...........but because it isn't celebrated by everyone.............we can no longer say Merry Christmas. Now it has to be Season's Greetings.

It's not Christmas vacation, it's Winter Break. Isn't it amazing how this winter break ALWAYS occurs over the Christmas holiday?

We've gone so far the other way, bent over backwards to not offend anyone, that I am now being offended. But it seems that no one has a problem with that. This says it all!

This is an editorial written by an American citizen, published in a Tampa, FL Newspaper. He did quite a job; didn't he? Read on, please!

IMMIGRANTS, NOT AMERICANS, MUST ADAPT
I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Americans.

However...... the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the "politically correct! " crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to America. Our population is almost entirely made up of descendants of immigrants. However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand. This idea of America being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity.

As Americans......we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This culture has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.

We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish t o become part of our society, learn the language!

"In God We Trust" is our national motto This is not some Christian, right wing, political slogan.. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women.......on Christian principles....... founded this nation..... and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools.

If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home.......because God is part of our culture.

If Stars and Stripes offend you, or you don't like Uncle Sam, then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from.

This is OUR COUNTRY, our land, and our lifestyle. Our First Amendment gives every citizen the right to express his opinion and we will allow you every opportunity to do so! But once you are done complaining...... whining..... and griping....... about our flag.......our pledge..... our national motto.......or our way of life I highly encourage you to take advantage of one other Great American Freedom...... THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.

It is Time for America to Speak up

If you agree -- pass this along; if you don't agree -- delete it - You are in the WRONG Country!

Homohumorless

Apparently the Mars candy company is gay, meaning they have no balls, as they caved into pressure from the bath house loving, light in the loafers gay rights groups ,The Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, over their funny Super Bowl commercial for Snickers.

Come on Mars, do you really think Snickers, M&M's and your other dime store candies are popular with the homofood folks? I don't think so...they prefer Jacques Torres, La Maison or those handmade truffles you can get at the shop on Polk Street.

Isn't the gay, homo, free-sex lifestyle crowd big on freedom of speech and expression? Do they want us heterosexual men and women to hide our disgust when we accidentally experience a homomoment? And when your DNA ends up so that you don't want to participate in the natural reproductive methods of your species do you also loose your sense of humor.

Good God homos....get a faggot grip....oh no...do I need to go to counseling now?

99.999999% of us knuckle dragging straight guys would react just like the guys in this commercial.....and yet the reaction of those who really DO NOT believe in the freedoms we enjoy is as unhinged as they come. Check out this site where they think Mars actually meant for this ad to be anti-gay and to promote violence against them!!!!! Their evidence is the Mars family being Republican, the ad itself and the Mars website where you could vote on the best ending to the commercial, the best ending that allowed the two men to feel like men again after their lips met.

Meet the Democrats holy man!

This is amazing...I read on littlegreenfootballs that an Iman who has shown support for Hizballah, Hamas, the Ayatollah Khomeini, and Yasser Arafat did the convocation for the Democratic National Committee’s winter meeting.

Present at the meeting was a whose-who of Democrats including all those who are expected to make a run for POTUS in 2008. During the convocation opening the meeting the Iman said:

So guide us to the right path. The path of the people you bless, not the path of the people you doom. Help us God to liberate and fill this earth with justice and peace and love and equality. And help us to stop the war and violence, and oppression and occupation.

Apparently none of the Democrats present has an issue with being one of the doomed!

Funny how Democrats can't stand religion, well especially Christians, Catholics and Jews so I guess it should come as no surprise when they finally embrace some religion its Muslim and with a Muslim of questionable reputation.

Global Warming smart guys predict WaterWorld!

The UN board who released their latest opinion on global warming is very impressive. It consists of scientists (or people with some other label) from 113 governments....does that mean they're in the employ of those governments? And just for fun can anybody give me a list of even say 20 countries with a scientific community that contributes to science in significant ways in the last 10 years? And, can you find any significant university with a degree in climatology?

The same science community that misses weather predictions within the same year by a million miles can seemingly predict that we are in fact doomed by the end of century. Funny though, how in the same sentence suggesting our impending doom there's acknowledgment of a similar thing happening 125,000 years ago.

"And when that happened 125,000 years ago, seas rose between 13 and 20 feet. That is looking like a real possibility for the 22nd Century, the report said, though some scientists fear much of it could happen before the end of the century. "

So, it happened before without fossil fuel burning? Without man-made CO2 being pumped into the atmosphere?

And, if this could happen by the end of the century...within 100 years...where's the proof, the computer model, that shows this could be reversed, stopped or just made less catastrophic even if we could shut off man's entire pollutive output this instant?

Who would have guessed all the bad Costner movies are really a sort of predictive weather vane!

UN should do my local weather

Breitbart.com put out a story today with the headline Global temperature set to rise 1.8-4.0 C by 2100: UN panel...so Breitbart thinks this is pretty certain as they said "set to rise". It gets watered down some in the story where they say "The earth's surface temperature will probably rise", and say it's according to a "best estimate".

Have you ever asked yourself why your local weather man/gal doesn't use words like "best estimate" or "probably"? Even though they don't use qualifiers on their forecast we know it's just that, a forecast, and we expect it to only be sort of close to right. Monday this week the local television meteorologist I watch in the morning said I would see close to 65 degrees and partly cloudy sky's today (Thursday)...nope...more like 52 and complete cloud cover. His temperature was off by 20% and just 4 days out.

Meteorologists can't predict weather to single digit precision in a small area but yet we are willing to believe some UN meteorologist and scientists have a model with infinite more precision over hundreds of years? Why? The nature of black holes is universally recognized as a THEORY. That the earth's dinosaurs became extinct due to a prolonged winter caused by a meteor strike is an universally recognized THEORY. But man causing our recent (according to Al Gore since 1940) global warming of about 1 degree C is a CERTAINTY?
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Maybe the UN should start doing our local weather as they have apparently found the holy grail of temperature forecast models unavailable to our average weatherman! Come on people, apply some logic and reason to what's being reported. What is the motivation of those who report theories on both sides? I'm all for alternative energy, lowering fossil fuel dependence and so on. But ask why your pals in D.C. don't want to develop more nuclear energy or harness wind energy off their pretty summer home shores.

Also, I'm reading some material on how the planet has seen warming cycles every 1500 years, and that CO2 levels are at a historic low over the Earth's history, and that the warming each 1500 years shows no correlation to CO2 levels which have been much higher than we have at present. I will post on this later.