Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Dr. Strangelove]

From an experienced stormchaser

[Jeff Buchanan]

The reports and video from ABC News that had teams on the ground in Panama City and where the storm made land fall about 20 miles to the E at Mexico Beach are horrific if not copletely indescribable. The devastation is unimaginable.

I had been watching storm chaser video around 1pm from guys in both Panama City and Mexico Beach. I also had a beach cam up from a restaurant in Panama City. At the same time I was watching a radar feed of the storm making landfall and moving quickly ashore. by Around 2PM I thought the worst had passed and from what I'd seen on video Panama City looked like it would be OK.

The reality is quite different. The storm was still a Cat 3 Hurricane with winds to 120mph as it passed over Tallahassee, well inland. It didn't drop to Category 2, then 1 and finally a tropical strom until around 7am this morning with the storm just entering South Carolina. It did major damage, including F2 Tornadoes in SW GA. Not only is the coastal areas from of FL from Crystal City, just N of Tampa/St. Pete all the way E to Fortwalton Beach, near Pensacola a disaster from storm surge flooding to devastating wind damage, but as the storm tracked NE it left a path of destruction. Even in ATL, and I'm up in the NE suburbs, lots of wind, trees down and power out. That wasn't expected. This is a multi-billion dollar clean up and recovery.

I think it's now appropriate to start taking seriously the impact of global warning here in the US and from this administration. The science is irrefutable. The connection between the increasing number of devastating hurricanes and warming oceans and atmosphere is also clear. It's going to continue and get worse. Time to get serious about carbon emissions.

[Kapture1]

Where is the baseline for Cat 3 and 4 hurricanes? are they on the rise?

Serious question that needs to be addressed before we chose to kill off industry in this country, how much impact do we have on the climate, and how much would it cost us today and every year to effect the temperature 1 degree over 100 years.


Answer those questions and we can have a discussion about it, which will undoubtedly include what to do with the two countries that are most responsible for emissions and greenhouse gasses, China and India, where we have no control.

I will also add that global poverty has dropped by 50% in the last 30 years, much of which from fossil fuels. You will also need to answer to what degree are you ok with folks sliding back into and living in poverty in developing nations for that 1 degree in 100 years.

[CGVT]

Time to get serious about carbon emissions.

Hahahahaha. According to the Stable Genius climate change is a Chinese hoax designed to hurt our economy.

What a goddamn fuckstick.

[Ghengis Jon]

Those hurricanes were caused by democrats in order to make Trump look bad. Most likely Pelosi and Hillary. Everyone knows global warming is part of a democratic plot to raise taxes, strangle business, kill puppies and impose socialism. Energy companies have clearly stated that climate change is non-existent and because they are huge donors to the GOP they must be believed. Donald Trump is the second coming of Christ who will save us. So Jeff, knock off the fake news. Bigly.

[iam416]

Wait, you're not saying hurricanes are caused by GW? No one can be that daft, right?

[iam416]

An Inconvenient Truth, which won him an Oscar as well as a Nobel Peace Prize, floated a wide array of assertions and predictions about warming that were either in error or exaggerations. Since then a number of environmental groups have talked about carbon emissions needing to be cut by 2012 (the World Wildlife Federation), 2016 (International Energy Agency), or 2018 (U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change).

Now it's 2030. Maybe in 2030 they'll say 2075. Quintessential Calvinball.

[Kapture1]

Hahahahaha. According to the Stable Genius climate change is a Chinese hoax designed to hurt our economy.

What a goddamn fuckstick.

Those hurricanes were caused by democrats in order to make Trump look bad. Most likely Pelosi and Hillary. Everyone knows global warming is part of a democratic plot to raise taxes, strangle business, kill puppies and impose socialism. Energy companies have clearly stated that climate change is non-existent and because they are huge donors to the GOP they must be believed. Donald Trump is the second coming of Christ who will save us. So Jeff, knock off the fake news. Bigly.

<generic insult #3713>, <generic response #2191>, <no internal monologue found>, Exit Subroutine: ORANGE MAN IS BAD MAN. Exit: You are Science Deniers.



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[iam416]

Love Kevin Williamson's mocking of "ecosocialists" -- https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/...ets-socialism/

Make no mistake, this is a significant driver in the eco-alarmism:

God, that's SOOOOOO #GentryProg

[Kapture1]

Love Kevin Williamson's mocking of "ecosocialists" -- https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/...ets-socialism/

Make no mistake, this is a significant driver in the eco-alarmism:



God, that's SOOOOOO #GentryProg

Thing is the right has been saying this for years, that this was their goal.

Pretense has been dropped.

[iam416]

Yeah, it's really useful to have people speaking their mind. Ecosocialists* front and center with megaphones would do a great service to this country.

(*)It's a self-described label. I'm only using it as such. It's connotation works for me, though.

[Dr. Strangelove]

I like how every time Trump calls into Fox & Friends to rant and rave, it's Fox who always initiates ending the call. "I'm sure you're a busy man Mr. President and you've already given us 40 minutes of your precious time..."

[Kapture1]

[hack]

Williamson is right in a sense -- not his word choice, but this is indeed capitalism selling itself the noose by which it will hang. Galbraith is once again being proved right. I'd rather capitalism moderate itself, in order to extend its own life and protect the economy from bad ideas coming from the fringes on both sides.

In other news, Turkey is saying it's going to change the name of the street in Ankara on which the US embassy is located to Malcolm X Street. LOL. These two countries are peas in a pod.

[iam416]

So, the Senate is a fascinating race, but I think it's more fascinating in the context of 2020. I think the Ds are going to win the House and comfortably so in 2018. I think the Rs are going to retain the Senate. But, what's interesting to me is whether the Ds can retake the Senate in 2020 and the numbers they need to hold in 2018 to meet that objective.

So, in 2020 it'll be the Rs defending 22 seats and the Ds 12. So, that's advantage Ds. But, the Rs are playing home games for almost all 22 (as opposed to the Ds in 2018 with the likes of North Dakota). Further, 1 of the 12 Ds is in Alabama so you can book that as surefire loss. The other 11 Ds appear safe enough -- NM, DE, IL, MI, VA, NJ, RI, MA, NH and surely MN. I guess maybe Shaheen could end up in a battle, but if things go D in 2020 then all 11 should be safe.

However, the Rs are defending in AK, AR, CO, GA, ID, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, NC, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, WV, WY and almost surely MS. Of that group, Kyl in Arizona could surely be knocked off. And Corey Gardner in CO will surely have a battle. Then maybe Joni Ernst and possibly Tillis in NC. And, I guess, Collins in ME. So, let's say the Ds have 5 seats in play in 2020 and let's assume a D President so 50/50 is control.

That means that if the Ds sweep all 5 of the seats I mentioned they'd be +4 and could turn around a 54-46 Senate. If they only win 3 of the 5 then they can only turn around a 52-48 Senate.

So, at a minimum the Ds need to keep the Senate at 54 or below. And, realistically, they need it to be no more than 52 (IMO) to win control in 2020. As it currently stands it looks like the Rs are in a good position to get 50. Then you have Nevada, Florida, Arizona and Missouri. The Ds need to at least split those 4 states if they want to have a realistic chance in 2020. Each seat they lose of those 4 makes 2020 that much harder and if they lose 3 or 4 I think it makes 2020 nearly impossible.

If the Ds can hold the Rs to 50 or 51 then I think that's a big win for them and their chances in 2020.