AdamSmith

I must be the poopy equivalent of ice-nine. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice-nine

One condo renovation, the architect specified a toilet that had 2 flush volumes -- low for #1, high for #2. But the flush was electrically driven, so wastrel that way. Indeed can't win for losing.

My pleasure. SoCal is supposed to be desert and scrub, as you say. Our old idea that natural resources are infinite thus infinitely squanderable gets us to this point. Then compounded by perverse incentives. Just like raising corn on the high plains, a supremely unnatural endeavor that takes huge inputs of water and fertilizer to make it go. And then to grant subsidies to use that corn to produce ethanol, to try and get free of our petro-addiction -- but of course what is that very fertilizer but a petrochemical. Not to mention -- speaking of poop -- our mortal sin of using purified drinking-grade water just to flush away our night soil. What the third world would give for a few drops a day of what we waste every hour. And so forth and so on and on.

Scam scam scam scam scam! I know several escorts for whom Apollon21 took their pics from their ads. It used those pics to advertise those escorts on its own site, without ever contacting the escorts in any way. Note also all the up-front fees that Apollon21 asks for. DANGER, WILL ROBINSON!

Hope! NSA phone surveillance revealed by Edward Snowden ruled illegalhttp://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/may/07/nsa-phone-records-program-illegal-court

Re: golf courses, the renowned Pinehurst No. 2 where the men's and women's U.S. Open was played last year (about which I went on and on here about 11-year-old Lucy Li) had recently been restored to its original 1940s-and-before design. Among other things, this involved removing acres of lush green grass from the fairways and returning them to sand and native wiregrass, which slashed water consumption dramatically.

Doody Golem A doody golem is a man-like creature composed entirely of human feces. He or she is molded to look like a human. Unlike normal golems, a doody golem is much harder to destroy requiring a high concentration of fiber to solidify the monster in its place before smashing it into pieces. "Yankele, your doody golem is destroying our entire village!" "And what would you have me do, destroy it?" "That, and stop making living beings out of your own fecal matter!" http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Doody+Golem

This chart is not from the article below, but is fascinating & relevant: Global carbon dioxide levels break 400ppm milestone Record carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in the atmosphere were recorded worldwide in March, in what scientists said marked a significant milestone for global warming. Figures released by the US science agency Noaa on Wednesday show that for the first time since records began, the parts per million (ppm) of CO2 in the atmosphere were over 400 globally for a month. The measure is the key indicator of the amount of planet-warming gases man is putting into the atmosphere at record rates, and the current concentrations are unprecedented in millions of years. The new global record follows the breaking of the 400ppm CO2 threshold in some local areas in 2012 and 2013, and comes nearly three decades after what is considered the safe level of 350ppm was passed. Reaching 400ppm as a global average is a significant milestone, said Pieter Tans, lead scientist on Noaas greenhouse gas network. This marks the fact that humans burning fossil fuels have caused global carbon dioxide concentrations to rise more than 120ppm since pre-industrial times, added Tans. Half of that rise has occurred since 1980.... http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/06/global-carbon-dioxide-levels-break-400ppm-milestone

Picking on those you love.

Picking on Star Trek is Fun I've been watching Star Trek since the '70s and I love it ... I really do ... but until J.J. Abrams brought us Star Trek (2009), Trek had always lacked that physical realistic believability. As a viewer, I generally don't care if the budget never permitted it or if the TOS was made in the '60s. I want believable effects and acting which enhances the story and envelopes my suspended reality into that universe (although the CBS remasters were a good start). True fans want to feel that the fantasy is real and therefore it's our duty to nitpick everything and poke fun at the inconsistencies so the producers will know how little they can get away with. The following are a few notables that always annoy me when I re-watch the series (note: most of my observations are based on TOS, TNG, and the movies; I've more or less missed out on most of DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise, and I won't even go into the animated series for my own sanity): TOS Enterprise Phasers Starfleet issued. High-quality and screeching. Turn the knob clockwise to make blue. Epic Special Effects Failures So cool that even today's CGI can't come close. All the things ILM would never have done. Firearm Safety 101 We come in peace ... shoot to kill. Kirk-Fu The Bruce Lee of the final frontier. Faster than a speeding bullet. The result of extensive tactical combat training on alien worlds and scientifically-proven systems of close quarter battle. Behold the Way of the Tiberius. No Pain, No Gain The first step in any diplomatic situation or negotiation between hostile parties. The definitive how-to guide for all things expressive, complete with illustrations. Humans With Stuff On Their Heads Extremely-convincing and so authentic that you would never, ever guess there was a human being underneath the war paint. Where Are The Seat Belts? The reason the phrase "All hands, brace for impact" is common within the fleet and why starships are the ultimate rollercoaster adventure ride. Fun for everyone when artificial gravity is out of order. Starfleet Uniforms Clothes that you'd never want to wear on the playground because you'd get beat up. The WunderKind Michael Jackson and Mozart weren't in the habit of saving the ship every week. Light Sources Multiple key lights make odd visual continuity. Press Any Button To Save The Ship Buttons, buttons, buttons - they're everywhere and I can't take it anymore! Someone grab the technical manual! Relic Transporter Sounds Scotty deserved better than this. Stuck On The Bridge Thou shall not become trapped on your own ship like a sucker. The Simplistic Self-Destruct Code Based on such quality entropy that it makes me want to use it as a combination on my luggage. Always Cloudy On Planet X Today's weather report most likely calls for constant overcast on any beam-down location. Highly-localized lighting available for photographic and filming convenience. Really, Really Fast Impulse Power Trust us, it's not warp speed. It's an optical illusion. Why Did They Even Make These Episodes "The City On The Edge Of Forever," "The Doomsday Machine," "Amok Time," "Elaan Of Troyius," "Journey To Babel," "Measure Of A Man," "Yesterday's Enterprise," "Schisms," "Cause And Effect," "Tapestry," "Unification" - great episodes that I always reach for any day. Then you have these other gems... Vortex Of Awe And Wonder When the warp speed button is pushed, one must go out in the most dazzling and visually spectacular method available. The starship equivalent of 0-to-60 in 3 seconds flat with skid marks leading off into the sunset. Everywhere You Go, There's Earth Episode 12: "Look, it's Earth!" ... Episode 17: "Look, it feels like Earth!" ... Episode 21: "Look, we're back at Earth, sort of!"... Episode 28: "We've got to go back in time on Earth to save Earth as we know it!" ... Episode 33: "Look, another planet that looks and feels just like Earth!" (Shall I go on?) Earthquakes On The Ship Since we can't shake the camera this time around, you lean right while I lean left. It'll be sure to confuse everyone. Worf's Half-Klingon Teeth While the medical facility on a starship is top-notch, the dental services leaves a bit to be desired. Or, what happens when Worf forgets to bring the co-payment to the office. The Vulcan Power-Throw Spock had special powers - the mind-meld, the nerve pinch, and now comes the most destructive arsenal in Vulcan martial arts training... Starfleet's Finest - Red Shirts If your job is to walk around the ship carrying a phaser all day long and the Captain taps you on the shoulder, you know what's coming. Ships Are Expensive When there's a shortage of hull material or original ideas within the galaxy, thou shall look into old boxes of plastic model parts. One-Shot Soft Spots We can't take any more hits like that, Captain ... but did you know we only need one well-placed torpedo to win? Nagging On Nemesis Star Trek, where the villains in the most powerful ship who have never lost a battle can never win because the script says so. Mainscreen Movie Night All the perks of working on the bridge: constant sensor pings, monitor read-outs that don't mean anything, and of course, the 60" high-definition plasma at the front of the room. When Stunt Doubles Are Obvious Every senior officer has a non-identical twin who will gladly take punishment when the time comes. Two Kirks Are Better Than One When the idea of duplication leads to more duplicate story-telling. Insurrection, Fun For The Whole Family There are times when I wish I could get a refund on the movie ticket. Captain LamoSoft Names to be afraid of when being assigned a post after acadamy graduation or to consider when thinking of a transfer to another ship. Recycled Klingon D-7 Shots There is apparently only one D-7 beauty shot angle, and that's the one we're going to use over and over again. Blow Up The Ship And Save The Day In case of emergency, break glass. Allowed only once per week. Cheap Shields What happens when Starfleet outsources research work to the Delta Quadrant. http://trekannoyances.com/index.html

P.S. No erectile connotations!

Kuru is an incurable degenerative neurological disorder endemic to tribal regions of Papua New Guinea. It is a type of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, caused by a prion found in humans.[1] The term "kuru" derives from the Fore word "kuria/guria" ("to shake"),[2] a reference to the body tremors that are a classic symptom of the disease; it is also known among the Fore as the "laughing sickness" due to the pathologic bursts of laughter people would display when afflicted with the disease. It is now widely accepted that Kuru was transmitted among members of the Fore tribe of Papua New Guinea via funerary cannibalism.[3]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuru_%28disease%29 http://prettyawfulthings.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ispa0y9bcxl4_t.jpg

Very cool. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/04/gps-history-of-cartography-amazing-maps

So before I go down on anybody I'll have to ask them what your doctor does now -- "Have you been out of the country in the last 30 days?"

http://www.motifake.com/forum/download/file.php?id=14177&sid=19ff18bf4458a0216658196e5ab0bb64

He did also turn heads by saying the faithful should nonetheless not "breed like rabbits." http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/20/catholics-dont-have-to-breed-like-rabbits-says-pope-francis

The inadvertent hilarity of the Heartland Institute vs. Pope Francis Each e-mail from their press office offers a mix of comedy and tragedy. by John Timmer - Apr 30, 2015 12:44pm EDT Ars Technica A little while back, word filtered out that Pope Francis was going to devote an encyclical to climate change. It's not much of a surprise; his tenure has featured a strong emphasis on caring for the poor, and the poor are in no position to air-condition, flood-proof, and bioengineer their way out of the worst impacts of climate change. As part of the preparation for the encyclical, there's a meeting going on at the Vatican Science Academy that's focused on climate change. Guests include everyone from Ban Ki-moon to Nobel Prize winning scientists. Not on the guest list was the Heartland Institute, most notable for putting up a billboard suggesting that people who cared about climate change might be just as deranged as Ted Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber. When in Rome...But Heartland decided to go to Rome anyway. I know this because someone has signed me up to its press mailing list, which offers up quotes from expertise-free "experts" that make you wonder whether some of them might need an intervention—or simply a trip back to Earth from whatever planet they seem to be inhabiting. In the case of the meeting at the Vatican, Heartland starts off relatively restrained. "The Heartland Institute," its release says, "has brought real scientists to Rome this week to dissuade Pope Francis from lending his moral authority to the politicized and unscientific climate agenda of the United Nations." While there are two people with scientific training among the people Heartland has brought, the group is also taking someone with a PhD in Scottish history and the former general counsel for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Virginia, along with Marc Morano, a former staffer for Sen. James Inhofe (the Oklahoma republican who has called climate change a hoax), who is now a full-time climate troll who publishes the contact information of scientists so they can be harassed. And Christopher Monckton, who is, well... a bit bonkers. The group's president, Joseph Bast, is a bit less restrained, saying, "The Holy Father is being misled by ‘experts’ at the United Nations who have proven unworthy of his trust." And, of course, the real issue here—money—gets prominent billing, with the release warning the Pope that "there is no need for a radical reordering of global economies that will cause massive reductions in human freedom and prosperity." If the idea of the Pope changing his mind because a bunch of fringe figures used some of the Koch's money to hop a plane to Rome amuses you, you should do your best to get on the Heartland mailing list as well. But in case you can't or won't sign up, I thought I'd share some of the gems that have appeared in my inbox over the last year or so. Earth Day, Shmearth Day!Heartland Science Director Jay Lehr also railed against Earth Day: "Anti-progress zealots began to realize EPA and environmental issues could be used to stop people from improving their lives by ensuring the economy could not advance and energy would never become inexpensive," he wrote. "Today’s Earth Day is all but a symbol of evil, managed by those who care not at all for humans and in fact do no good for nature or the animal world. Most activities are vile recriminations staged by those who wish to keep the poor just where they are: poor.” On the same topic, Heartland also quotes one Alan Caruba, who is the founder of something called The National Anxiety Center: "Earth Day was declared in 1970 and for the past 45 years we have all been living in the Environmental Insane Asylum, being told over and over again to believe things that are the equivalent of Green hallucinations." Heartland also pushed out a press release when President Obama gave a speech linking climate change to impacts on human health. Folks at Heartland didn't like it. “If President Barack Obama really was ‘committed to combating the health impacts of climate change and protecting the health of future generations,’" said Tom Harris, a mechanical engineer who wound up as the executive director of the International Climate Science Coalition, "he would promote an expansion of coal-fired electricity generation." Which is quite certainly the form of electricity generation that causes the most health problems. Alan Caruba also made another appearance. In this case, he completely ignored any health implications in order to rant about, among other things, solar power. "Many sellers of solar panels for residents are using fraudulent claims, hyping the so-called economic benefits of these systems. If the public is made aware of the fraud, sales will cease except for the most brain-challenged people in the country," he wrote. He went on to say that "President Barack Obama is fully engaged in the huge ‘climate change’ hoax that lacks any basis in science." Facts are hardCaruba also came out with this whopper about the US plan to cut carbon emissions: "[Obama] failed to mention that such levels would be comparable to what they were in the U.S. Civil War era 150 years ago." 2005 emissions were 7.1 billion tons; Obama plans to cut that to 5.3 billion tonnes. That rate was actually last seen in the mid-1980s. When the administration announced new rules governing the release of methane during drilling, which sane people might consider wasteful, Heartland blew another gasket. "Contrary to radical environmentalists’ claims, Methane is NOT an important greenhouse gas (GHG); it has a totally negligible impact on climate," said Fred Singer. Of course, methane currently has nearly 30 percent of the impact of carbon dioxide—not exactly "totally negligible." Singer has been involved with various think tanks that oppose any action on climate change for 25 years now. Others just argued that despite the boom in fossil fuel production during Obama's term, the president was actually trying to push energy companies out of business. "Now that the United States is the world’s biggest energy producer—though suffering as a victim of its own success—President Obama is embarking on a crazed plan that will kick our nation’s oil-and-gas producers while they are down," said Marita Noon, the executive director of the Citizens Alliance for Responsible Energy. Meanwhile, the managing editor of Environment & Climate News, Sterling Burnett, said, "Once again, without any reason other than to please his radical environmental constituents, President Obama is making it harder for the oil and gas industry to do business." That's just this year so far. With the majority of the year still to come, I'm sure there will be many other chances to enjoy the Heartland's missives. Though they do make me worry about these people—they seem so angry... http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/04/30/the-inadvertent-hilarity-of-the-heartland-institute-vs-pope-francis/

Who’s Afraid of Pope Francis? Garry Wills An authentic pope should be a scary one. Jesus scared the dickens out of people (it cost him his life). Is Pope Francis truly scary? One might think so from the reaction of some guardians of orthodoxy, men like New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, who thinks he must threaten the pope with schism to protect the sanctity of marriage, since “this pope may be preserved from error only if the church itself resists him.” But ecclesiastical nitpickers have no armies of similar thinkers to summon. This is not even medium scary. Now, however, something is looming that has billionaires shaking in their boots, and when Catholic billionaires shake, Catholic bishops get sympathetic shudders. These are the men who build their churches, hospitals, schools, and libraries. Catholic lore has made winning over such Money Men the mark of the true church leader—the Bing Crosby priest crooning dollars out of a cranky donor in Going My Way, or the J. F. Powers priest putting up with a wealthy boor to get a golf course for his retreat house. Cardinal Timothy Dolan was recently reminded of these facts of churchly life by Kenneth Langone, a co-founder of Home Depot. The cardinal is working to restore St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, at a cost of $175 million. Langone asked why he and his fellow benefactors should raise such money when the pope is denouncing “the idolatry of money.” He said the pope’s criticism will make his fellow donors “incapable of feeling compassion for the poor.” But this, too, was a minor threat. Langone was simply threatening to withhold money. Now, as the pope prepares a major encyclical on climate change, to be released this summer, the billionaires are spending a great deal of their money in a direct assault on him. They are calling in their chits, their kept scientists, their rigged conferences, their sycophantic beneficiaries, their bought publicists to discredit words of the pope that have not even been issued: “He would do his flock and the world a disservice by putting his moral authority behind the United Nations’ unscientific agenda on the climate,” they say. They do not know exactly what the pope is going to say in his forthcoming encyclical on preserving God’s creation, but they know what he will not say. He will not deny that the poor suffer from actions that despoil the earth. Everything he has said and done so far shows that Francis always stands for the poor. Those who profit from what harms the earth have to keep the poor out of sight. They have trouble enough fighting off the scientific, economic, and political arguments against bastioned privilege. Bringing basic morality to the fore could be fatal to them. That is why they are mounting such a public pre-emptive strike against the encyclical before it even appears. They must not only discredit the pope’s words (whatever they turn out to be), they must block them, ridicule them, destroy them. The measure of their fear is demonstrated by an article in First Things, the Catholic journal that defended the donations to bishops of the pederast religious founder Marcial Maciel. The First Things writer Maureen Mullarkey calls the pope “an ideologue and a meddlesome egoist,” and continues: “Francis sullies his office by using demagogic formulations to bully the populace into reflexive climate action with no more substantive guide than theologized propaganda.” The editor of First Things later apologized for the uncivil tone of this piece—but he ran the piece, which is the real act of incivility. These people are really, really scared. When they calm down enough to make some kind of argument, they fall back on their mantra of recent years, claiming nobody really knows anything for sure about the state of the earth. “I’m not a scientist,” they say. Such professed ignorance would make honest people try to learn from the scientists what they do not know. Instead, the implication is that “If I don’t know, nobody can know; it is arrogant to pretend anyone else can know what I don’t know.” They are now adapting this argument to fit the pope. He is not a scientist, we are assured, so he cannot say anything on scientific matters. Actually, this pope knows more about scientific method than people realize. He spent three years as a young man doing experiments in a chemistry laboratory under a very strict supervisor, Esther Balestrino de Careaga. But this is beside the point. The real issue here is not science vs. ignorance, or the UN vs. xenophobia, or my 97 percent of experts against your 3 percent. It is a case of the immensely rich few against the many deprived poor. The few are getting much of their wealth from interlocking interests that despoil the earth. The fact that the poor get poorer in this process is easily dismissed, denied, or derided. The poor have no voice. Till now. If the pope were not a plausible voice for the poor, his opponents would not be running so scared. Their fear is a testimony to him. http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2015/apr/30/whos-afraid-pope-francis/

I think the problem is better characterized as bread and circuses. That gets closer to the decline-and-fall aspect, no?