Utopia, you are standing in it!

I have posted on my “current work” page a (very) updated version of a  paper with Paul Beaudry  and Dana Galizia “Putting the Cycle Back into Business Cycle Analysis“. As written in the abstract,

All of us who identify as Democrats or liberals are biting our nails about this November’s elections. Can Trump possibly win again? I go back and forth on this, but lately am more optimistic that, because of the impeachment proceedings and Trump’s unhinged behavior about Iran and international affairs in general, the Democrats have a good shot at getting the White House this year—and maybe even (but probably not) the Senate. I’m confident they’ll keep the House of Representatives, but of course the Presidency is also important in a way that the Congress is not: the Prez chooses Supreme Court nominees, and if the nominees are young their influence could last decades—or longer. And we all know that Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a left-leaning Justice, probably won’t keep her seat through another Trump administration. The brave woman is hanging in there, but she’s made of flesh.

The article below, by two…

Anne of Cleves (1515 – 16 July 1557) was queen consort of England from January 6 to July 9, 1540 as the fourth wife of King Henry VIII.

Anne was born in 1515, on either September 22, or more probably June 28. She was born in Düsseldorf, the second daughter of Johann III of the House of La Marck, Duke of Jüliich-Cleves, and Berg. Johann III was also Count of Mark, and Ravensberg. Johann held the titles Duke of Jüliich, Berg and Count of Ravensberg jure uxoris which means by right of his wife Maria, Duchess of Julich-Berg (1491–1543).

Anne’s mother Maria of Jülich-Berg (August 3, 1491 – August 29, 1543) was born in Jülich, the daughter of Wilhelm IV, Duke of Jülich-Berg and Sibylle of Brandenburg, a daughter of Elector Albrecht III Achilles of Brandenburg (1414–1486) from his second marriage to Anna (1436–1512), daughter of the Elector Friedrich II…

The researchers do admit that ‘Snowball Earth is just a hypothesis’, but that period seems to have been an era of the most extreme long-term cold spell(s) ever detected on Earth.

There is very little life in Arctic tundras and glaciers. However that was the situation in a big portion of the world during Ice Ages, says Technology.org.

How did life survive these difficult periods? How didn’t everything just die, being cut off from any kind of sources of nutrition and oxygen?

Scientists examined the chemistry of the iron formations in Australia, Namibia, and California to get a window into the environmental conditions during the ice age. They selected rocks left there by the ice age, because they are representative of the conditions during that difficult period for life.

By analysing these rocks scientists from the McGill University were able to estimate the amount of oxygen in the…

Hamilton West MP Tim Macindoe apparently has spent some of his Christmas holiday time thinking about law and order and how to make us safer in our beds.  Let’s hope he comes up with some brighter ideas than the one he announced in a press statement yesterday.

The statement announced he has lodged a private member’s bill crafted – it seems – to ensure convicted murderers who won’t reveal the location of their victim’s bodies will be denied parole.

Macindoe explains:

“An important part of coming to terms with the death of a loved one is the closure of bringing their body home. Sadly, there are some offenders who refuse to disclose where the bodies of their victims are.

“This adds considerably to the distress of relatives who sometimes spend a lifetime agonising over what might have happened, and their inability to hold a funeral and lay their family member…

The government is seeking to rush through new terrorism legislation – they have given just FOUR days for the public to make submissions. This rushed process is a serious violation of democratic process, and the law is unnecessary.

MAKE A SUBMISSION

We are encouraging people to make a brief submission to Parliament opposing the Terrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill for the following reasons

Here are some points you can make in your submission:

1. The government is rushing through legislation, curtailing public input into legislation that severely restricts human rights including right to freedom of movement and fair trial rights.
2. The government says control orders are necessary because the existing Terrrosim Suppression Act (TSA) may be unable to secure a prosecution. The government was told 11 years ago that the TSA needed significant changes. Thus far, neither a Labour nor National-party led government has sought to address this. Now it is…

Dan and Lily: derangement meets delusion.

Victorians can thank their dangerous and delusional Labor government for their power pricing and supply calamity.

Last summer saw mass blackouts and load shedding, following sudden, routine and total collapses in wind and solar output (calm weather and sunset does it every time).

Back then its Premier, Daniel Andrews and Energy Minister, Lily D’Ambrosio made the risible claim that its (no) power woes were all down to the ‘unreliability’ of Victoria’s coal-fired power plants.

With retail power prices at record highs and more mass blackouts looming, this pair of lunatics continue to maintain the rage at Victoria’s so-called ‘ageing’ coal-fired plants.

War of words as energy crisis heats up
The Australian
Rachel Baxendale
20 December 2019

A leading energy market expert has dismissed Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’s claim renewable energy is “more reliable” than coal-fired power, saying the state’s key problem­ is a…