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from the very-cool-when-he's-hot-under-the-collar dept.
The Center for American Progress reports:
Obama is famously low key. That's why on the hit Comedy Central show "Key & Peele", Keegan-Michael Key plays "Luther, President Obama's anger translator". The [annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner], however, is a rare place where the President can cut loose--as long as he uses humor.
In a hilarious admission that he has been too low key to convey the moral outrage justified by humanity's myopic march toward self-destruction--and by the brazen denial of climate science by many conservatives--Obama brought out "Luther" to express that outrage. And then, in an ingenious twist, Obama became so outraged that he didn't need Luther and in fact Luther himself couldn't take the genuinely angry Obama, who says of denial, "What kind of stupid, shortsighted, irresponsible, bull-"
Here's a video of the event.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2015, @08:51AM
The question about the climate is about denial of what exactly? That the climate changes and is not now set in stone? That we will all drown within 10 years? That it's all man made? That there is a chance to stop it? That all the big natural "disasters" that happen are because of climate change? That when something bad does not happen, it's just weather, not climate? That cars should be outlawed, because they are the root of all evil? That none of the environmental scientist aren't just playing into their own idealogy/cash? That none of the non-environmental scientist aren't just playing into their own idealogy/cash? That shit happens?
Some of those things should not be denied, some should. Some of it is under "investigation" and are not set in stone. Infact none of that is set in stone. It is not black and white you know.
I'm just fucking tired of people calling others "denier" when some of the things are questioned, and not accepted as the ultimate truth. The point is to find the truth and extent of what is happening and base the limits on those facts. There really aren't that many facts going around today about climate change or global warming or whatever you personally want to call it. Science works by questioning things. That's how things get investigated.
That MOOC course sounds nothing more than brainwashing and how to do more brainwashing yourself. Probaganda and nothing more.
"A typical response of scientists to science denial is to teach more science. But that only provides half of what’s needed. Scientific research has offered us a solution: build resistance to science denial by exposing people to a weak form of science denial."
Holy fucking shit. Translated: 'If unquestioned current theories are not enough, we'll just attack you personally until you accept the ultimate truth'
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2015, @09:13AM
nothing more than brainwashing and how to do more brainwashing yourself.
When a brain is too dirty to understand and accept science, it is a good thing for it to be washed. And it is better to do it yourself, because if we have to do it for you at the climate change re-education camps, we will not be so gentle. Now we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. But you really need to stop being so negative!
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2015, @09:43AM
You're on a train, and are approaching something that looks like a strong wall. You know if the train hits a strong wall, a big disaster is the result. You are told that acting on the controls of the train affects the movement of the train, and that if you don't act quickly you'll no longer be able to stop the train before it hits the wall. However, you've got no unambiguous proof that the wall is really massive (it might just look massive, after all), and there are some people telling you that any correlation between acting on the controls and train movements that have been observed are pure coincidence. They also warn you of the inconveniences caused by halting the train.
So what do you do, halt the train, or run the train into the wall in the hope that it won't be as massive as it looks?
(Score: 4, Funny) by c0lo on Tuesday April 28 2015, @12:44PM
No, you're not on a train.
You're waiting for a train. A train that'll take you far away. You know where you hope this train will take you. But you can't know for sure. Yet it doesn't matter. Now, tell me why?
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Tuesday April 28 2015, @01:24PM
> You're waiting for a train. A train that'll take you far away. You know where you hope this train will take you. But you can't know for sure. Yet it doesn't matter. Now, tell me why?
I've never seen a turtle.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2015, @06:46PM
You're on a train
No, you're not on a train.
You're on a train called "denial"?
Not as much fun as "A Streetcar Named Desire", but deniers can't be choosers!! (Stella!!!!!!!)
(Score: 4, Insightful) by fritsd on Tuesday April 28 2015, @02:09PM
They also scream at you that they'll sue you for your last penny, if you cause the train to halt and thereby cause them to miss their important appointment.
FTFY.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by fritsd on Tuesday April 28 2015, @02:15PM
Anecdote: something similar actually happened to me. In my life I have (so far) pulled the emergency brake of a train thrice; twice to save someone's life (running along on the outside with their hand stuck inside), and once to save someone's fingers (stuck between the door from the inside, so invisible from the outside, and with 10 minutes to the next station). I was screamed at for causing the train delay, and threatened to have to pay a € 250 fine (the other two times I was thanked instead). I'm glad I never had to pay, otherwise I might be reluctant to pull the brake the next time I see the same event unfolding.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2015, @12:42AM
After three incidents I have to conclude that you must be putting people in jeopardy to create an excuse to pull the brake.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday April 28 2015, @03:26PM
What matters most is, that you take your meds.
ICE is having a Pretti Good season.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2015, @03:43PM
I suppose you have first-hand experience about that.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2015, @08:59PM
That analogy only holds if you acknowledge the big hairy toll-taking troll who guards the engine room. He'll only let you turn the knobs on the controls some amount proportional to all of the things that you care or enjoy about modern living that you turn over to him.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Wednesday April 29 2015, @01:18AM
And you left out that he left the back door unlocked and fell asleep.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by sjames on Tuesday April 28 2015, @09:52AM
When someone says "it's day time" and you poke your eyes out and say "no, it's not", you're gonna get called a denier. it's that simple.
Unfortunately, there have been so many of those that even asking reasonable questions gets you lumped into their camp, Part of that of course is that the deniers generally wear a veneer of vague reasonability kinda like some spammers try to choose subject lines that seem like an email you might actually want to read. But look deeper and you'll find yet another "It snowed on the coldest day of winter so there is no global warming anywhere ever" or even lunatic fringe stuff about Kenyan conspiracies and such.
You MAY just be that unfortunate guy who sent an email with a subject line matching one of the spam runs.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2015, @10:41AM
From what I've read ships are a bigger problem [wikipedia.org] due to lack of regulation to limit their pollution and the sheer amount of cargo they are shipping across the globe, for example goods manufactured in China shipped to the west.
(Score: 2) by wantkitteh on Tuesday April 28 2015, @11:25AM
That's an invalid comparison. No-one pops to work on a bulk cargo freighter and stops off at an out-of-town supermarket on the way home to pick up milk and bread, just like no company would shift 50,000 units of widgets from the manufacturer to the retail store by shuttling cars back and forth to China.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2015, @11:46AM
It's true you cannot draw a direct comparison. The issue is that the ships are producing more pollution per kilo carried than road vehicles. Car emissions are heavily regulated because governments have control over their construction and use. The engines and fuel of container ships aren't subject to the same restrictions.
It's easy for governments to score eco points by restricting domestic behaviour. It's of course much harder and less attractive for them to restrict global industry, but that has a bigger impact on the climate.
A shift back to local manufacturing would help.
(Score: 4, Informative) by c0lo on Tuesday April 28 2015, @12:38PM
Almost wrong [timeforchange.org]:
Also, in regards with CO2, shipping by sea amounts to 4.5% of total world's emission [theguardian.com], coming in the 5th place after cars, housing, agriculture and industry.
What is true, however, is the sulphur oxides emission, where ships are leading [theguardian.com] (better said... sulphuring?)
(devil's advocate) Ships burn the heavies fraction of the oil - when cold, you can walk on it. If not for the ships, what would you like to be done with this fraction: bury it back into the extraction wells? Or would you like better to have it burnt into your friendly neighbourhood power plant?
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2015, @01:51PM
Interesting figures, thanks. It just goes to show that identifying the biggest greenhouse gas contributors isn't a clear cut task and probably anything making a significant contribution should be scrutinized.
(Score: 2) by TheRaven on Tuesday April 28 2015, @02:21PM
sudo mod me up
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2015, @03:54PM
per KM needs to be as the crow flies for the petrol usage to be useful. I can't speak Deutch, can anyone confirm from http://fluglaerm.de/hamburg/klima.htm [fluglaerm.de] ?