Thought I’d share this as I know not everyone is on Twitter and it’s been keeping me entertained this week.
Poo Lady’s feed (Oh yes it is! Oh no it isn’t! Oh yes it is!)
Poo Lady’s web site with commented out Twitter link. (View Source and scroll down to the Social Networks bit).
Most truly objective observers of the BBC will find that this comes as no surprise, but even so I’m so gobsmacked by this that I thought it was worth posting.
The weekend before last, I happened to catch a “debate” on BBC Breakfast about Climategate. It caught my attention, because as I mentioned in that previous post the MSM coverage on this issue has varied from smear campaigns to ignoring it entirely.
During the conversation, one of the “sceptical” scientists mentioned that the BBC coverage of MMCC was heavily biased. I was surprised to hear one of the BBC people reply that this was policy mandated by the BBC Trust.
I’ve waited to bring this up because I wasn’t sure I could believe my ears and couldn’t find any footage on the net to check what I’d heard. Unfortunately, BBC Breakfast isn’t on iPlayer. Last night, however, I followed a link to a document on the BBC website called From Seesaw To Wagon Wheel, subtitled “Safeguarding Impartiality in the 21st Century”.
There, on page 40, is the BBC’s policy in writing.
“Climate change is another subject where dissenters can be unpopular. There may be now a broad scientific consensus that climate change is definitely happening, and that it is at least predominantly man-made. But the second part of that consensus still has some intelligent and articulate opponents, even if a small minority.
The BBC has held a high-level seminar with some of the best scientific experts, and has come to the view that the weight of evidence no longer justifies equal space being given to the opponents of the consensus.
Granted you should read this in context, as the document is not suggesting a blanket ban, but nevertheless it’s now easy to see why the BBC covers this issue in the way it does.
Every time I write something about AGW I wonder “Am I being too paranoid? Isn’t this really just another conspiracy theory?”
Then I read stuff like this story in today’s Guardian about a leaked draft agreement that would hand more power to rich nations. Read beyond the headline and you’ll find that this leak suggests that more power will end up not in the hands of “rich nations” (that would ultimately be you and me) but the World Bank and the rather sinister sounding GEF.
I’m following the RBS bonus story with some amusement.
Is this a win-win situation? Either the directors resign and the “talented bankers” in question have their bluff called, or the hydra that is Clown-Darling lose even more credibility, assuming that they have any left.
Me? I agree with Vince Cable – call their bluff and let ‘em resign. Surely there aren’t that many jobs out there paying £10M plus?
PS … in case anyone is wondering about the title of this post, it comes from an album on heavy rotation on my current playlist.
Over the last few days I’ve been following the Climategate story and the response to it in the mainstream media. The latter is particularly interesting – I’ve seen little if any reporting of this story on the BBC, whereas The Guardian seem to be covering it quite well, with even George Monbiot admitting that this is important stuff.
My particular interest lies in the software models that form much of the basis of the hysteria being whipped up by the IPCC, especially in the run-up to Copenhagen. I spent a lot of yesterday evening looking at the notes from one particular coder who, it seems, spent years trying (and failing) to reproduce some of the published results.
The downside of this story is that something I’ve feared will happen may well come to pass. With so-called scientists apparently playing fast and loose with the scientific method, the door is now wide open for the anti-science mob to take over the agenda. I may be an AGW sceptic, but that only extends to my discomfort with the way the science has been subsumed by the political and corporate powers-that-be. We do need to look at green issues, but unfortunately if environmentalism is tarnished with the kind of nonsense we’ve been hearing over the last few years, popular opinion is going to swing violently towards anti-science and anti-environmentalism.
Anyway, I’m curious. Have you heard about this story, and if so what is your take on it?
Markets rocked for a second day in a row by worries about Dubai’s debt problems reigniting the financial crisis. Still trying to work outwhether this one is overdone given all the assets they own around the world. It’s small fry compared to the amount of aid we’ve already given the banks. Or whether this is just the tip of the iceberg (imho only a matter of time before Greece goes cap in hand to the IMF and there will be others). Either way markets have gone up sharply in a short space of time and people are looking for a trigger for a downleg.
But enough about that. Interested in finding out what really goes on in Dubai. This article entitled ‘The Dark Side of Dubai” will tell you what’s behind the glitzy facade. It’s about 6 months old but it’s quite enlightening.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/the-dark-side-of-dubai-1664368.html
I can’t remember whether I’ve mentioned this site before, and to be honest I can’t be arsed to check, but if you want to lose the better part of a day to the interwebs you could do worse than go here …
It’s a running joke that our government believes that we’re all guilty of something but they just haven’t found out what yet. It speaks volumes that this little nugget is nestled in amongst all the other vague aspirations in the Queen’s speech.
“Gives police the power to bar suspected domestic violence offenders from their homes for a period, even when not charged.”
WTF? So now the police only have to say they suspect you of something and they can stop you from entering your own home?
… turkeys have said that they won’t be voting for Christmas this year.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8362000.stm
Actually, I’m just using this as an excuse to post my favouritest ad ever, which actually drew a round of applause from the cinema audience I was a part of yesterday.
First Trafigura, then today a TfL worker gets suspended and the Daily Fail retrospectively alter a comment piece after the Twittersphere goes ballistic.
Are we finally starting to take the power back?