A new study from NASA, of all people, points to the big yellow object in the sky as having a major impact on the warming since the industrial revolution. I noticed it on both Bourque and WUWT.

http://www.dailytech.com/NASA+Study+Acknowledges+Solar+Cycle+Not+Man+Responsible+for+Past+Warming/article15310.htm

And for the most brain-piercing production imaginable, you can't beat this cartoon, presented by AGW guru Ben Santer. (The side effects of watching this may include upset stomach, headache, hysterical laughter and projectile vomitting)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7zMQII8qOo&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwattsupwiththat%2Ecom%2F2009%2F06%2F04%2Fgavin%2Dschmidts%2Dnew%2Dclimate%2Dpicture%2Dbook%2F&feature=player_embedded

Vitruvius! I thought this site was owned and operated by Kate McMillan of Delisle Sk. Who are you?? It's just killing me to find out!

Vitruvius, thanks as always for "material that expands the pia mater".

Cheers!

I heard of a story one time of an old Canadian pusher aircraft flying boat(Dornier?) flying off the BC coast when it was spotted by a US fighter jet. The pilot of the jet radioed back to his base in amazement. It's got the engines on backwards. How can it fly?

I'm the house DJ, Jack, and EBD is the guest DJ. We are responsible for, among other things, queuing up the daily Reader Tips SDA entry, which we do via a daily SDA Late Nite Radio show. The legacy of this phenomenon goes back a couple of years, when I started showing up regularly as the first or as one of the first few Reader Tips, in each such entry, with a YouTube selection, usually musical, which I eventually started calling SDA Late Nite Radio. Actually, the legacy goes back further than that, Kate and I first started commenting in the same place and coming to respect each other, oh, now, just over five years ago, when Mr. Levant launched his original Western Standard's Shotgun blog. And of course, speaking for myself, I've be arguing politics using on-line computer- based communications since I received by first email account in 1974 [sic].

Now, it turns out that from time to time Kate is out of radio range, on business excursions or otherwise, at which point she has a small stable of "guest authors", whom she asks to keep the site going during said periods. About a year ago, Kate asked me to take over the RT, via SDA LNR, under such circumstances. The upshot of this was that a few days after that, based on generally positive reviews, Kate actually conducted a little survey of the SDA readership to determine whether or not there was community support for an "official" SDA LNR gig; there was, and the rest is, as they say, history.

Anyway, last autumn I invited EBD to host the Wednesday Nite SDA LNR, because there are ways in which his tastes (a) are significantly different than mine (even though we often agree, too), and (b) were significantly well received when he posted them in comments to my SDA LNR show. So, now, between us, we hit a broader market that if the show were limited either of us alone. The benefit to SDA is that we tend to provide an oasis of respite cast upon the sea of unremitting grief and pathological negativity that generally characterizes comments in political blogs (of all stripes), which can be advantageous under some circumstances, and the advantage to EBD and to me is that we have periodic access to the main page of the Best Conservative Blog, should either of us desire occasionally to editorialize ;-)

In closing, then, I'll reiterate an old phraseology I used to use around here: I should like to thank, as always, our gracious hostess Kate, and ask you not to forget to generously tip your waitress and the doorman as you depart from another lovely evening here at le club chez Small Dead Animals.

This evening I'm listening to Dennis Prager's analysis of Obama's Cairo speech. Much of it contained meaningless platitudes to be sure. But he must be praised for this section:

"Now, the second major source of tension that we need to discuss is the situation between Israelis, Palestinians and the Arab world. America's strong bonds with Israel are well-known. This bond is unbreakable. It is based upon cultural and historical ties and the recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history that cannot be denied.

Around the world the Jewish people were persecuted for centuries. And anti-Semitism in Europe culminated in an unprecedented holocaust. Tomorrow I will visit Buchenwald, which was part of a network of camps where Jews were enslaved, tortured, shot and gassed to death by the Third Reich.

Six million Jews were killed, more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today. Denying that fact is baseless. It is ignorant, and it is hateful."

Robert w:

Had Obama left it at that I too would have commended it. But he completely debases his statement immediately by equating the troubles in the ME today with the holocaust. Hugh hewitt has extensive comments on his blog on BO's "on the other hand" gaffe - maybe the worst ever in US foreign affairs.

Hey, thanks Jack for eliciting the explanation from Vitruvius. I too often wondered about the connection.
I'm intrigued by the interesting threads that germinate in Reader's Tips, and when appropriate, Vit's personal input. A rare mix of knowledge, wit and savy, and when neccesary, a hard edge.

At this time of year I tend to get a bit sentimental. The 6th of June is the day that the liberation of Europe began and the beginning of the end for three of the four most brutal dictatorial thugs the world has ever seen. It's especially significant because my Father, five of my uncles and two great uncles served in the European Theater. My Father landed on the Normandy shores a few weeks after the 6th. He may have missed D-Day but he was involved in some of the most bitter fighting as the allies rushed up that narrow road through Holland to take the last bridge on the Rine.
Point du-Hoc Speech by Ronald Regan, part 1
As Vitruvius said: let's look at the positive side. And thank God for the bravery of our Fathers.

Gord, I agree with you wholeheartedly. In fact, take a look at this video & photo. What's your best caption for the photo?

Re my earlier post, I refuse to be like those on the Left and condemn all thoughts & ideas of someone simply because they're of another political bent. Overall I think the speech may very well set a dangerous precedent (listen to Krauthammer) but I did like his one comment about not denying the Nazi Holocaust.

But robert the holocaust rhetoric was simply a set up for what followed. And thus it utterly belittled the deaths of six million innocent Jews.

Gunney, did you ever find out from your Dad how it was decided which men were sent over on D-Day? I've always been curious about that.

Vitru, best line I've read in some time: "...tend to provide an oasis of respite cast upon the sea of unremitting grief and pathological negativity that generally characterizes comments in political blogs (of all stripes)". Kudos!

...Eeep! The East Indians are leading the count on my website. Hurry - do your patriotic duty and boost Canadian count - visit www.tomax7.com

;-)

Wisdom of the Desert, Chapter VII: On Discretion

http://maritain.nd.edu/jmc/etext/wd07.htm

Gord, I think our respective views of the mindset of Leftists like Obama is a bit different. Let me share mine and then feel free to let me know how yours differs:

I do believe that many on the Left truly want things to be better for the majority of people. But they generally think from their hearts, not from their heads. This leads to short term thinking or what Thomas Sowell calls "Stage One Thinking".

So while I have no doubt that Obama would love for their be peace throughout the world, I'm convinced he has the same ailment as Neville Chamberlain: Naivety.

Your turn!

Ah, the Caspian Sea Monster reminds me of the Spruce Goose which Howard Hughes flew once in 1947 and couldn't get more than a few feet off the water.

Principle of physics involved here, which I seem to recall also applied in the ultralite gossamer-winged bicycle peddled across the English Channel. That record-setter also couldn't get away from the water surface without expending too much energy.

Could some SDA physicists shed some detail on these phenomena?

Robert W; I never thought to ask. I believed it was to do with their specialties and Unit they were with. My Dad was with the Fourth Canadian Armored Division if I recollect. I was told He landed the 15 of July. The stories were always a bit disconnected as they would or could only talk about them after quite a few.
After landing he was reassigned to different units and at one time worked with American Engineers as He drove a truck capable of hauling the famous Baily Bridge.

The problem with George A. Birmingham, I tend to find, EBD, pace his Wisdom of the Desert Chapter XIV: On Avoiding Many Words, is that he does tend to go on and on, whereas, for example, regarding his Chapter XIII: On Anger, Sun Tzu does, I think a better job, using only a small fraction of the number of words.

Meanwhile, you are correct, Alienated: the maximum height at which a ground effect vehicle can travel is some fraction of it's wingspan (although I can't seem to find a formula for it). There are, though, some engineering papers you may find interesting, at the end of the Caspian Sea Monster article I first referenced supra.

Vitruvius:

Thanks a million. I really enjoy your late night shows, especially the old radio shows! I can tell you're a night hawk just by the type of music you prefer. And a special thanks for the info!

JF

The latest in the Ruby Dhalla mess:

"Commons committee [censures] Dhalla in caregiver controversy"

Sarah Palin weighs in on Bailout Nation:

"Palin: Government wants to 'control the people'"

Second half of a Palin-centered juxtapose:

"Benefit spending soars to new high

"...Benefits, such as Social Security, food stamps, unemployment insurance and health care, accounted for 16.2% of personal income in the first quarter of 2009, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reports. That's the highest percentage since the government began compiling records in 1929..."

As usual I leave it up to the individual to access the verity of the article.
Obama's Arabian dreams

By Caroline B. Glick

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | US President Barack Obama claims to be a big fan of telling the truth. In media interviews ahead of his trip to Saudi Arabia and Egypt and during his big speech in Cairo on Thursday, he claimed that the centerpiece of his Middle East policy is his willingness to tell people hard truths. Indeed, Obama made three references to the need to tell the truth in his so-called address to the Muslim world.

More at: http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0609/glick060509.php3

L’Iggy woo-woos the Quebec separatists.

>>>>1. ““The best Canada possible is a Canada inspired by Quebec.”.

>>>>2. “The best Canada possible is a Canada with Quebeckers in power,””.

““The best Canada possible is a Canada inspired by Quebec.” The best Canada possible is a Canada with Quebeckers in power,” he said to the audience of about 1,000 people. “I invite you to build a better Canada, with me.”
…-

“Ignatieff courts Quebec nationalists”

“Michael Ignatieff moved to woo Quebec nationalists”
urlm.in/cohd (GlobeMail)

Giggles all ’round for L’Iggy.

L’Iggy is now Le Croupier.

Alternate heading: L’Iggy breaks wind*; L’Iggy Thee Great Windbag.

“The turnout was lower but the take was higher.

Two weeks after the Conservatives, the federal Liberals held their own major fundraising event in Montreal. And where the Tories sold 2,300 tickets at $150 a head, the Liberals sold 1,100 at $500 each.”
…-

“Ignatieff vows to bring hope back to Canada

*’Great wind’ will sweep Harper out of Ottawa, Liberal leader says at fundraiser in Montreal”
urlm.in/cohm

The cause(s) of the recent sudden crash of the Air France jet may never be known.

The cause(s) of the on-going crash of the MSM is known: competition, aka "shockwaves" from blogs.

Compare/contrast:

Blog:

"Wilders Appeals to Indigenous Vote of Right and Left Alike

Today, the Irish and Czechs go to the voting booth to elect their representatives for the European Parliament (EP). Yesterday, the Dutch and the British went to the booth. Tomorrow and Sunday the citizens of the other 27 member states will elect their Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). The election results will only be announced after the last voters have cast their votes on Sunday evening.

“Unofficial official” results of the elections in the Netherlands have, however, already been disclosed this morning. They show that the Freedom Party PVV of Dutch opposition leader Geert Wilders has won at least 4, maybe even 5, of the 25 Dutch MEP seats in the first European elections in which the PVV has ever participated.

The party, founded by Mr Wilders two years ago, became the second largest party in the Netherlands, after the governing Christian-Democrat CDA of Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende, which wins 5 seats."
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/
...-

MSM:

"Dutch poll puts Wilders’ party in second spot

The right-wing anti-immigration party of Geert Wilders was poised to become the second-biggest Dutch party in the European parliament, exit polls showed on Thursday night, a result that will send shockwaves through domestic politics and may point to wider European trends."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2265016/posts

I wish I could find a recording of this for you, Gunney99, but since I can't, I offer you this:

When the Battle's Over:

I returned to the fields of glory,
Where the green grasses and flowers grow.
And the wind softly tells the story,
Of the brave lads of long ago.

Chorus:
March no more my soldier laddie,
There is peace where there once was war.
Sleep in peace my soldier laddie,
Sleep in peace, now the battle's over.

In the great glen they lay a sleeping,
Where the cool waters gently flow.
And the gray mist is sadly weeping,
For those brave lads of long ago.

Chorus

See the tall grass is there awaiting,
As their banners of long ago.
With their heads high forward threading,
Stepping lightly to meet the foe.

Chorus

Some return from the fields of glory,
To their loved ones who held them dear.
But some fell in that hour of glory,
And were left to their resting here.

On this the anniversary of D-Day - To all veterans out there, a very very heartfelt thank you for our freedoms.

With a special note to my late father, who was a Colonel and fought with the Regiment de Maisonneuve in France during WWII. He died in 1977 when I was 18, and I still miss him. He never spoke much of the war, usually keeping it to anecdotes. He did once mention how difficult it was to be in a line of fire and have the men on each side of you die, yet you are unscathed. After the war, my father was Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs and always, always admired and fought for veterans rights. Thanks to the internet, I have discovered some things about my father's life that I never would have known. For example, he was one of the incorporators of the Royal Canadian Legion.

Thanks vets. Thanks Dad.

Before the D-Day remembrance focuses only on the Americans (who were certainly heroic), let us not forget what the Canadians contributed:

"The Canadian forces that landed on Juno Beach faced 14 heavy batteries of 155 mm guns and 9 medium batteries of 75 mm guns, as well as machine-gun nests, pillboxes, other concrete fortifications, and a seawall twice the height of the one at Omaha Beach. The first wave suffered 50% casualties, the second highest of the five D-Day beachheads. The use of armour was successful at Juno, in some instances actually landing ahead of the infantry as intended and helping clear a path inland.

Personnel of Royal Canadian Navy Beach Commando "W" landing on Mike Beach, Juno sector of the Normandy beachhead. 6 June 1944. Despite the obstacles, the Canadians were off the beach within hours and beginning their advance inland.

The 6th Canadian Armoured Regiment (1st Hussars) and The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada achieved their 6 June objectives, when they crossed the Caen–Bayeux highway over 15 kilometres (9 mi) inland. The Canadians were the only units to reach their D-Day objectives, although most units fell back a few kilometres to strengthen defensive positions. In particular, the Douvres Radar Station was still in German hands, and no link had been established with Sword Beach.

By the end of D-Day, 15,000 Canadians had been successfully landed, and the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division had penetrated further into France than any other Allied force, despite having faced strong resistance at the water's edge and later counterattacks on the beachhead by elements of the German 21st and 12th SS Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth) Panzer divisions on June 7 and June 8."

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

A justapose from the PET Cemetery.

Globe says: "In his own words*". Not plagiarized.
...-

"A modest proposal*
J.Trudeau"
urlm.in/coht
...-

"A modest proposal ..."
"http://www.katewerk.com/modestproposal.html

Oops - Tomorrow's anniversary - I should look at a calendar every once in a while.

"Could some SDA physicists shed some detail on these phenomena?"

The answer is ground compression . . . the air under the wings is "thicker" due to having a hard surface below. Thicker air provides more lift - also more drag which is fly they fly slower at surface altitudes.

And as we remember D-Day . . .

http://tinyurl.com/nrsulr

speakers on.

The implications of the greenhouse fad; some ice rinks to close?
"Greenhouse goals could shut out hockey arenas"
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Environment/2009/06/03/9668911-cp.html

Robert w:

The likes of axelrod and emanuel are a long way from
Being naive misguided do-gooders. They and Obama believe that drawing paralellsnbetween the holocaust and the conflict in the ME is a way of pressuring Bibi and Israel and signalling that they are ready to deal Israel down a hole in order to curry favour with the daily KOS crowd and the rest of the radical left. They are scum.

Great moments in socialized medicine:

Hospital making changes after dad delivers baby

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090604/montreal_baby_090604/20090604?hub=TopStories

with this weekend being the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings here is an amazing little vid run time around 1min.
I have posted this before & those that have not seen it have a look.
this is the liberation/memorial Hoofdplant-Knokke march nov 4/2007
This little guy is quite amazing in his salute to the Canadian Contingent.

http://users.skynet.be/fb730011/salute.htm

Evidently Master Po and Kan didn't have enough time to impart all of their wisdom to the young grasshopper.

Carridine Had Rope Around Genitals: Thai Police

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/05/carradine-had-rope-around_n_211689.html

Petro Canada is no more. Will all the stations just become Sunoco?

Obama, Oooops I mean Ignatieff vows to bring "Hope to Canada"

Ignatieff vows to bring hope back to Canada
'Great Wind' will sweep Harper out of Ottawa, Liberal leader says at fundraiser in Montreal
the gazette june 5/2009

*the turnout was lower but the take was higher
*the wind will bring hope back to Canada
*"it will bring Quebecers back to power in Ottawa, the best possible Canada is a Canada with Quebecers in power"
(Hmm, that line should Unite Canada even more, Not!)
* co-presidents for the event were 3 promiment figures from Montreal
*Jacques Menard president of BMO finacial group,Quebec
*Pierre Roy of Astral Media Inc.
*Helene Desmarais wife of Paul Desmarais Jr. president of Power Corp.

Oldie but goodie: http://combatoperator.com/blog/2009/04/26/italy-cruise-ship-fires-on-somali-pirates/

Unforgettable experience: firing at the pirates and seeing them flee.

Re: Ruby Dhalla!

I hear President Obama is closing Guanatamo Bay, and considering an even tougher facilty. They'll be doing housework for Ruby Dhalla. I've also noticed that the CBC is keeping a low key on the Dhalla scandal!

Unemployment problems of the white collar crowd? Interesting takeoff.
http://www.break.com/index/signs-the-economy-is-getting-rough.html

ToRedStar: Find Aunty-American with the terminal BDS.
...-

"Liberal revolt

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff seems to be facing some serious trouble at the party grassroots -- all revolving around the caucus decision to support this bill -- C-15, which introduces mandatory prison sentences for drug crimes. Here's a sampling of opinion on the blogosphere... it points to some significant dissent.

From Scott's Diatribes: I’ve not been that hard on Ignatieff since he came to power with his policies, but this move is a very disappointing one to say the least, and I hope the progressive wing of the Liberal Party will work to get this policy or view modified/expunged/removed from official Liberal policy, and convince the caucus and the leader that a failed US drug policy will not work in Canada either.

From Big City Lib Strikes Back: Not too glorious, Iggy. You should be ashamed ....

FromJim Curran's blog: This is one of the dumbest things I've seen the Liberal Party of Canada support in decades. It's right up there with that immigration bill we let pass last May that cost us about 5 ridings in the GTA. Unfrickinbelievable. Is that one word?

From Woman at Mile 0: Don’t tell me we can do both Liberal Party of Canada because it’s BS. We are not Republicans here with their jail crazy policies that cost billions and billions and left nothing for anything else except war. Huge numbers on inmates in jails are mentally ill or have learning disabilities. I think the party will lose support over this.

From The Equivocator: It is very disappointing to hear the Liberals are going to vote for this legislation. True courage is standing up against failed policy that is detrimental to Canadians even though you know you will be painted as "soft on crime.""
http://thestar.blogs.com/politics/2009/06/liberal-revolt.html

Wayne Kopping, The Third Jihad

A must-see 12 minute clip from a new documentary on the cultural jihad already taking place in America.

What most Americans do not know is that the threat of jihad by radical Muslims is already very real within the U.S. The threat is not only violent. A sophisticated cultural jihad is steadily progressing within America's borders. Funded by Saudi money and fueled by extreme ideology, radical Islamists are attacking western freedoms and the American way of life from within...

CNAS, Triage: The Next Twelve Months in Afghanistan and Pakistan

To implement this strategy effectively, the United States must rapidly triage in both countries. For the United States, NATO, and the governments involved, winning control over all of Afghanistan and Pakistan in the coming year is not a realistic objective; setting priorities is paramount. But because populations in civil wars tend to side with whichever group exercises control, protecting the population must take precedence over all other considerations. What counts, for now, is controlling what we can with the resources we have. Thus, this paper recommends that the United States and its allies pursue an “ink blot” strategy over the course of the next 12 months on both sides of the Durand Line, securing carefully chosen areas and then building from positions of strength.

The tasks facing Generals Stanley McChrystal and David Petraeus—as well as their civilian counterparts, Ambassadors Karl Eikenberry and Richard Holbrooke—are complex and difficult. Yet, they must recognize one crucial thing: in insurgencies, momentum counts. The Taliban is pursuing a strategy of exhaustion designed to bleed away public support in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe for continued Western engagement in Afghanistan and Pakistan. If the United States and its allies are unable to halt the downward trajectory of the war in Afghanistan over the next year, then public support for the war effort in the United States will surely ebb. That decline in popular support for the war is likely to be even sharper in allied nations. Regaining momentum will allow the United States and its allies to sustain public support both in Afghanistan and at home, prerequisites to defeating the Taliban...

can they actually get that sucker off the water and into the air?

Waltz Me Around Again, Willie Mark Steyn

KINGSTON (Jamaica) - A POPULAR dance in Jamaica faces restriction by the government after being blamed for a spate of broken penises, said media reports on Wednesday…Jamaicans are apparently divided over the dance and the subsequent banning of the style - with some musicians saying it restricts free speech - but others support the government ban.

The old Jamaican debate of broken penises vs free speech. Next they’ll be banning the women’s personal vibrators because they’re known to chip teeth.

I always get a chuckle from the June 6,1944 as being the beginning of the liberation of Europe. I had two uncles that ran across Juneau Beach that day but I also had a father in law who had survived the battle of Ortona prior to the Juneau landing. To the best of my knowledge Italy is a part of Europe. What the landing on June 6 did was open yet another front the Nazis had to fight against.

a british mp also help spawn the term "D-Day Dodgers" after misunderstanding a letter from a soldier fighting in Italy in which he signed A D-Day Dodger.
soldiers fighting in Italy felt that their sacrifices were being ignored after the invasion of normandy.

Not all Canadians are as in love with our healthcare system as Jack Layton is.

TORedStar has no snark in this report; no critics say; no mention of U-Know-Who.
Amazing. What is going on with TO Star?
...-

"Tories to end early parole for murderers

Announce plan to repeal criminal code 'faint hope' clause, tighten parole eligibility

Tonda MacCharles
Ottawa Bureau

OTTAWA–The Conservative Government is acting on a longstanding campaign promise to end convicted murderers' shot at early parole."

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/646260

My husband's uncle died at 23 at the Battle of Ortona and my own father, a few years shy of 20 when he enlisted, saw things, hidden by the Dutch in their basements, that no teenager should ever have seen. It changed him forever.

We owe a great debt to the men and women who gave their lives, some living to tell the tale, for our freedoms, freedoms which, sadly, too many of us take for granted and abuse.

When I see young Canadian students, some new immigrants to Canada, slouching, fidgeting, talking, when the National Anthem is being played, I always tell them to "stand on guard for Canada" and why it's important.

Posted by: Joe at June 5, 2009 4:13 PM
"I always get a chuckle from the June 6,1944 as being the beginning of the liberation of Europe. I had two uncles that ran across Juneau Beach that day but I also had a father in law who had survived the battle of Ortona prior to the Juneau landing. To the best of my knowledge Italy is a part of Europe. What the landing on June 6 did was open yet another front the Nazis had to fight against."
I never found it amusing....you are largely correct but the reason was that Stalin wanted it that way........the western allies as far as possible from Vienna. Despite everything, Stalin (and his advisors) knew that Vienna, not Berlin, was the key to Europe.
If the resources devoted to North-west Europe had been deployed into Italy, Italy would have been over-run, the Lubyana Gap forced and voila.....Vienna and with the Red Army still 1000 miles away.
Churchill knew this and lobbied for it but Roosevelt (as narcisic and naive as BHO) sided with good ol' unca' Joe Stalin.......and Eastern Europe became a Soviet dominated, communist, empire for nearly half a century.

Posted by: Joe at June 5, 2009 4:13 PM

The Caspian Sea Monster is viewable at:
42°52'54.7"N, 47°39'23.5"E (Google Earth)

The fuselage measures about 65m long, 5m dia.
That's a little smaller than a Boeing 747 (71m, 6.5m dia. respectively)