We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.

Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]

Dowsing does work!

Leo Hickman of the Guardian is apparently angry (as Bishop Hill mentions here) that the Spectator published an article by sea level expert Nils-Axel Mörner, an article I recycled the concluding paragraphs of as a(n) SQotD here on Thursday, and Leo Hickman isn’t the only one. The general mood in the CAGW camp is: get Mörner!

To this end a commenter (“schoolswot” – today 11:10am) at Delingpole said this of Mörner:

This is the guy that claims that dowsing works but doesn’t actually want to prove it?

To which commenter “rastech” (circa 1pm) replied:

Dowsing does work, and you can
…continue Dowsing does work!

UEA Goldman Sachs connection

This is an attempt to get an Instalanche, so he will probably ignore it just to make the point that he doesn’t do Instalanches for anything that flat out asks for it. Although, on the other hand …

Either way, two recent objects of linkage at Instapundit in recent times have been Climategate and Goldman Sachs. Well, this Climategate email, spotted by Bishop Hill commenter “GS” (3:27pm), concerns Goldman Sachs, so the Prof ought at least to be interested:

Goldman Sachs #4092

date: Mon, 18 May 1998 10:00:38 +0100 from: Trevor Davies subject: goldman-sachs to: REDACTED,REDACTED,REDACTED

Jean,

We (Mike H)
…continue UEA Goldman Sachs connection

Out of context!

Nice comment at the Bishop’s, on this, about “Climategate 2”, from “simon” (4:35pm):

I so hate it when my vicar quotes from the Bible. I can’t take such quotes seriously as they are out of context.

Perhaps the institution of the Samizdata quote of the day should be abolished. Time and time again, we here quote quotes, out of context.

Not all of the snippets that are now doing the rounds of the anti-CAGW blogosphere strike me as being as damning as some of them are. But, if anyone chooses to wonder about the degree of wickedness revealed by any
…continue Out of context!

Does it matter that a lot of people are wrong about evolution?

Pretty much for the pure pleasure of it, I have recently been reading The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins. (I chose that link because what it leads to features the same cover artwork as my copy has. Presumably that’s the exact same edition as mine.)

The basic agenda of this book is explained in its subtitle: “The Evidence for Evolution”. I can summarise this evidence by saying that what it shows is that if God did create all of life on earth, in a great surge of Godly creativity just a few thousand years ago rather than over
…continue Does it matter that a lot of people are wrong about evolution?

Will the mere truth get a mention?

From the latest Radio Times, concerning a Radio 4 programme entitled In Denial: Climate on the Couch, to be aired at 9pm this evening. I will listen, and I will set my radio recorder.

Radio Times blurb:

Jolyon Jenkins investigates the psychology of climate change efforts, asking why some people seem unconcerned even though scientists are forecasting terrible changes to the planet. He questions whether environmentalists and the Government have been putting out messages that are counterproductive, and whether trying to scare people into action might actually be causing them to consume more.

My suspicion is that what I and
…continue Will the mere truth get a mention?

Climategate and the retreat from Immediate

Are you bored with Climategate? And bored with me writing about it, again and again? Yesterday, fellow Samizdatista Michael Jennings told me he is. I understand the feeling, and would be interested to hear if any of our commentariat shares it, but as for me, I can’t leave this thing alone. I mean, this is now the biggest single battle between the forces of light and the forces of darkness, and the forces of darkness are now in definite, headlong, ignominious retreat. I for one do not feel inclined to stop shouting about that any time soon.

However, I do
…continue Climategate and the retreat from Immediate

I decided to endorse McCain/Palin

Many of you will remember that back before the Democratic primary I was one of those who argued for a term of Hillary to help the Republicans understand that small government, liberty minded people won’t vote for the lesser of two evils indefinitely. My goal was and is always long term and I think four years of Hillary would have been a Carteresque setup for a popular swing in the direction of personal liberty and small government.

Three factors I didn’t anticipate have changed the dynamic since then. Any one of them would be an argument against that plan but,
…continue I decided to endorse McCain/Palin