Why some people oppose global warming initiatives–it's about control.

An environmental WMD?

Many people are strongly against Global Warming not because it’s about the science or lack thereof, but because of the politics they know will come next. “It’s not about the climate. It’s about control of your lives” is a common thread to many.

And there is new ammunition for these folks today. An example is in today’s Guardian: Meat must be rationed to control climate change:

People will have to be rationed to four modest portions of meat and one litre of milk a week if the world is to avoid run-away climate change, a major new report warns.

The report, by the Food Climate Research Network, based at the University of Surrey, also says total food consumption should be reduced, especially “low nutritional value” treats such as alcohol, sweets and chocolates.

The report was published in a vegan magazine which immediately gets it a few knocks on the credibility scale, but I have no doubt you’ll hear an increasing call of others saying modern day agriculture is the problem, and an even louder call from the global warming opponents who are using this as yet another example of the ‘control’ issue they really see as driving the global warming debate.

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Sink the tank ship

The Ukranian freighter loaded with T-72 tanks has been surrounded by a number of US and other naval vessels off the coast of Somalia. The pirates have responded by lowering their demand from $35 million to $20 million for the cargo, that some say is destined to be delivered to Kenya.

That’s a load of crap.

These T-72s are going to the Sudan despite an international ban on arms sales to that rogue country. Kenya does not use Russian made tanks, and it is pretty clear to many they are just the middlemen for this lucrative deal to the Sudanese government. It’s clear we need to act, and we have the opportunity to do so.

We should sink the ship.

Give the crew a chance to jump overboard, and maybe the pirates as well, but I don’t think anyone would shed a tear if this cargo went to the bottom of the sea. It would send a great message to pirates and to suppliers of the Sudanese regime that the embargo on their country has teeth.

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Somali pirates now have tanks

File this in the ‘not good’ category. A boatload of 30 T-72 tanks was intercepted off the coast of Somalia but the Somali pirates, who will likely be adding these weapons. Just what Africa needs more of–tanks and ammunition.

Hopefully they’ll be dumb enough to put one of the tanks on a small boat and try to attack someone with it.

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Air conditioning arrives on the London Tube

Ice cold

Ice cold

Anyone who has been on the Tube in the Summer has asked the same question–where is the AC?

London isn’t normally that hot, so AC has always been seen as a bit of a luxury. But after a few Summers of really disgusting hot weather, the folks in the Underground caved in and decided it was time for an air conditioned Tube car.

It will still be a number of years before we see them on all lines, and some lines will not get these new cars as they won’t fit in the tunnels.

Air conditioning

The new trains will be the first on the Underground to have air conditioning. This is possible because the subsurface lines run just below street level in large well ventilated tunnels built for steam trains, so heat from the air conditioning can escape. On the deep Tube lines this isn’t possible because of their depth and smaller tunnel size, so we’re exploring other ways of cooling them.

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Cheap Chinese Lederhosen threatens Oktoberfest

I was really just looking for a story to go with this picture

I was really just looking for a story to go with this picture

Der Spiegel is reporting the Germans are up in arms about what’s on their legs.

Bavarian purists have warned that Bavaria’s proud heritage is under threat from cheap imported Lederhosen and Dirndl dresses made in China, India and Eastern Europe.

And indeed, Munich’s department stores and fashion boutiques admit that many of the outfits on sale are made from imported leather and fabrics or manufactured abroad to save costs.

While they haven’t gotten to the point of burning the imported goods, they are taking some jabs at those in Bavaria who are not wearing locally made outfits.

The folk costumes worn by many locals to the Oktoberfest are “yuppie outfits” that have nothing to do with original Bavarian dress, says Otto Dufter, chairman of the Bavarian Federation of Folk Costume Societies. “Our societies only use the domestic Lederhosen makers, we don’t use any pseudo-costumes made abroad.”

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Passing along the Matchbox to my son

Ready for the next generation.

Ready for the next generation.

I spent today cleaning the garage. It took about 4 hours and I’m not done yet. I’m a hell of a lot farther along than I’ve been since I moved here (i.e. I can easily park the car in the garage) but there is still a lot of stuff that needs to be gone.

While cleaning I went through the boxes housing my old electric trains. Talk about a walk down memory lane. I came across a bunch of things I haven’t seen in decades and can’t wait to get them set up and running again (though that will require a new house with some extra room).

I did happen to find some Matchbox cars though. I brought them in the house and the boy was quite excited. New cars to play with was the highlight of the day. One of my favorite is the London fire truck I got when I was about five or six. It’s a lot more beat up than the picture above, but it still has the ladder (I never lost it) and rolls pretty good. We’ll see if it stays that way through the next generation of user.

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Catholics can now be King or Queen of England, after 300 year ban

The future in-laws?

The future in-laws?

Downing Street has drafted a new proposal on the succession rules of the Royal Family of the United Kingdom. Under the new rules, the 300 year old ban on Catholics on the throne would end, and first born daughters would now have the right of succession over younger males.

The 1688 Bill of Rights , the Act of Settlement in 1701 and Act of Union in 1707 – reinforced by the provisions of the Coronation Oath Act 1688 – effectively excluded Catholics or their spouses from the succession and provided for the Protestant succession.

Neither Catholics nor those who marry them nor those born to them out of wedlock may be in the line of succession.

The law also requires the monarch on accession to make before parliament a declaration rejecting Catholicism.

As for me, it’s too late. But I’m thinking maybe if Prince William and Kate Middleton have a daughter (sooner rather than later) than she’d be just about the right age for my son when he gets older. If that worked out I’d certainly get some good tickets to football games in the UK.

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