42 Replies to “Reader Tips”

  7. A young woman who wrote an essay that went viral slams the media for not mentioning that she’s a lesbian when they covered the story.
    I feel nothing but solidarity with her: Not one commenter here has ever mentioned that I’m heterosexual.
    I condemn you all.

  8. Over the last ten days Watchdog.org has been publishing lists of the scariest people of 2013. Well, the countdown has come to an end: Coming in at #1…
    Brought to you by the never-ending latex-fingered war on American citizens’ ring-muscles.

  14. Murder rate drops as more survive gunshots, stabbings
    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/murder-rate-drops-as-more-survive-gunshots-stabbings-1.2481904
    The spread of specialized trauma centres in North American cities has perhaps been the single most important factor in reducing deaths from gun and knife injuries.
    “Here we’re used to that,” said Lampron. “Everybody’s in a team, we’re waiting for trauma cases to come, and that makes such a difference. Anything that is specialized in medicine will have a better outcome…
    The benefits of trauma centres, however, are typically only felt in major cities that can afford to have such specialized medical centres.
    Homicide rates in Canada are traditionally highest in more remote areas such as Nunavut or the Northwest Territories, and those areas have seen fewer advances in trauma medicine.
    Nunavut and the Northwest Territories had the highest homicide rates of any territory, state or province in the U.S. and Canada in 2012.
    Both recorded homicide rates that exceeded those of the most violent U.S. state, Louisiana.
    …
    Violence statistics not declining
    Many people who might have become homicide statistics a generation ago are now mere victims of assault.
    And that will inevitably have the effect of making society appear less violent, if violence is measured by homicide rates.
    But Lampron said she doesn’t believe that society is becoming less violent.
    “I have no insight on how things are going outside, but we feel we’ve been receiving more people recently injured by bullets. I would say over the years in general there’s more penetrating as well as gunshot [wounds] coming through the door,” she said.
    “I think there’s more violent action towards people, that may not necessarily die, but I feel violence is going up in this city.”
    One detail in Statistics Canada’s recent crime report seems to bear that out.
    Although homicides and most categories of violent crime declined toward historic lows, the two most serious categories of assault remained higher than they were 10 years ago. From 2002 to 2012, the homicide rate in Canada declined 16 per cent, while the aggravated assault rate rose 16 per cent, according to Statistics Canada.
    In the past, many of those aggravated assaults could have resulted in deaths and been counted as homicides.
    U.S. figures also suggest that violence is not in decline.

  19. Bad, Bad Oil.

    .A safety alert issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation warns the public, emergency responders and shippers about the potential high volatility of crude from the Bakken oil patch.

    (…)

    By comparison, there was no fire when 10,000 gallons of oil that originated outside the Bakken region leaked after a Canadian Pacific Railway derailment in Minnesota last March. Cleanup crews were able to scoop up much of the spilled crude, which the railway said came from western Canada.

    (…)

    “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Bakken oil is a high-quality crude with a lower flash point — that’s what makes it a desired commodity for all these coastal refineries,”

    (…)
    The amount of oil moving by rail in the U.S. has spiked since 2009, from just more than 10,000 tanker cars to a projected 400,000 cars in 2013.

    (…)

    North Dakota regulators had said last month that they were considering crafting a report to disprove that hauling the state’s crude by rail is dangerously explosive. On Thursday, state officials said those plans had been dropped in the aftermath of the Casselton derailment.

    Are the Feds making this up or is this a real problem/ Crippy,,, they haul jet fuel by rail!

  20. TO Media Party Presents: War is AGW.
    “Toronto ‘exploring’ call to army for ice storm help, deputy mayor says” (G-M)
    …-
    “Extreme cold alert, wind chill warning in southern Ontario as Toronto braces for -31 C winter blast” (NP)
    “Antarctica rescue shows science of climate change is not on the same course as reality”
    “Fortunately, Prof. Turney was not asked by CNN to explain how a global climate expert found himself trapped near the South Pole in thick ice”
    http://opinion.financialpost.com/2014/01/02/terence-corcoran-science-of-climate-change-not-on-the-same-course-as-reality/
    “Passengers look at the Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy as it sits trapped in ice off the Antarctic on Dec. 31, 2013.”
    http://wpmedia.opinion.financialpost.com/2014/01/ice-1.jpg?w=620

  21. And, might I add, that we are at D+3 now, in accordance with Craig Oliver’s usual cluelessly wrong prediction, that Mr. Obama would, if he were re-elected, approve Keystone XL by the end of 2013.
    I read somewhere yesterday that Mr. Obama was unlikely to approve Keystone XL before the mid-terms. I’d ask a simple question, to any Dem Senator up for re-election, including Mary Landrieu, since they have the votes now: why not try to save yourself, if not your country?

  23. O’narcissist’s War.
    Yes. Virgina. O’s War. On. The. American. People.
    …-
    “‘They had no idea if my insurance was active or not!’:
    Obamacare confusion reigns as frustrated patients walk out of hospitals without treatment
    MailOnline spoke with patients who were told they would have to pay their bills in full if they couldn’t prove they had insurance
    One was faced with a $3,000 hospital room charge and opted to leave the hospital after experiencing chest pains
    ‘Should I be in the hospital? Probably,’ she said
    Another, coughing in the cold, walked out without receiving a needed chest x-ray
    Consumers face sticker-shock from medical costs under the new Obamacare system, made worse if they can’t prove they’re insured
    As many as one-third of new enrollees’ applications have seen problems when the government transmits them to insurance companies”
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2532869/They-no-idea-insurance-active-not-At-Virginia-hospitals-Obamacare-confusion-reigns-frustrated-patients-walk-out.html

  24. O’narcissist’s War.
    Yes. Virgina. O’s War. On. The. American. People.
    …-
    “‘They had no idea if my insurance was active or not!’:
    Obamacare confusion reigns as frustrated patients walk out of hospitals without treatment
    MailOnline spoke with patients who were told they would have to pay their bills in full if they couldn’t prove they had insurance
    One was faced with a $3,000 hospital room charge and opted to leave the hospital after experiencing chest pains
    ‘Should I be in the hospital? Probably,’ she said
    Another, coughing in the cold, walked out without receiving a needed chest x-ray
    Consumers face sticker-shock from medical costs under the new Obamacare system, made worse if they can’t prove they’re insured
    As many as one-third of new enrollees’ applications have seen problems when the government transmits them to insurance companies”
    http://tinyurl.com/mx3sf97

  25. Jan 3, the sun hadn’t appeared and the deck thermometer is stuck at the -25 C mark here in Woodstock, Ontario, THIS MORNING..
    MY BIRDFEEDER IS HUNG OUT AND WAITING FOR BIRD ACTION!
    And I AM still waiting for a PRIVATE SOURCE SPONSOR to come forward to provide me with a modest mobile home (on loan) for my wife to drive and in which we can live while I walk, ride a bicycle or ride a donkey if my God given knees hurt too much, as I attempt to cross Canada seeking citizen signatures on the petition as shown below the dotted line.
    The idea behind the petition is to thwart any possible MULCAIR NDP Government ( COMMIE STATE) from owning ALL property in Canada, as opposed to individuals GETTING CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTION OF “PROPERTY RIGHTS”
    ……………………………………………………………………………………………
    PETITION TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
    IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED
    We, the undersigned citizens of Canada draw the attention of the House to the following: THAT : as individual
    Citizens of Canada WE do NOT enjoy the protection of “PROPERTY RIGHTS” within the Constitution of Canada ! hence, THE LAW of Canada!
    THEREFORE: Your petitioners call upon Parliament to forthwith, incorporate and entrench FOREVER , individual “PROPERTY RIGHTS” INTO THE CONSTITUTION OF CANADA..
    OH YES, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

  27. Joe if your ever in alberta doing this give me a call I will sign the petition as well as donate some money to this as well. Thanks buddy.

  29. This via Drudge-
    OJ Simpson-The jailed former football legend is undergoing secret medical exams for a cancerous tumor in his brain and is convinced he hasn’t got long to live.

  30. Re: the two referee comment. That’s it. I’ve marked off “The Christian Science Monitor” as my goto source for sports news.
    Is it solipsistic in here, or is it just me?

  32. Seems he’s trying the same trick. He’s petitioned the Board to release him as he says it’s terminal.

  33. O’narcissist’s Fore!: Me and My Balls and “Obama’s Iraq”.
    Narcissus has plummetted to Earth while AGW Kills.
    H/T Our CBC’s Kneel Macdonald.
    …-
    “Barack Obama uses a range finder to find the distance to the green at the Mid Pacific Country Club in Kailua, Hawaii, on Wednesday.”
    http://i.cbc.ca/1.2482140.1388694363!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/obama.jpg
    http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/can-obama-dig-himself-out-after-the-obamacare-plummet-1.2482066
    …-
    “Winter storm kills at least 9 in sweep across US Midwest, Northeast
    News1130”

  34. Its just the ol’ copy editor in me. Or the idea of the Van Halen “no brown M and M candies” edict on a tour rider.
    Someone once commented on my comment on the Toronto Star using “The HMCS Toronto…” as being “nit picking”. Well, yeah. One has to ask: if they get something so simple so wrong…what else are they screwing up?
    Nothing new to SDA readers, of course. Just another example of “layers and layers of fact checkers” actually being an unpaid intern with a liberal arts degree rushing to get an end-of-year list ready for an overworked, underpaid editor so that the clicks can be counted as soon as possible.

  35. I’m more forgiving of errors (misplaced decimal points, incorrect dating of particular events, misspellings, getting famous historical figures’ middle names wrong, etc., etc.) made by amateur bloggers, and especially blog commenters (who, on most sites, can’t correct comments after they’ve submitted them) than I am of professional news organizations who have copy editors and – presumably – fact-checkers.
    I don’t know if the Christian Science Monitor is just a blog with unpaid contributors or if it’s also a magazine/periodical with professional writers, because I’ve only seen the blog. That being said, complaining that the NHL should start using two referees, when in fact they’ve been using two referees since the start of the 1999 season is an unusually in-your-face, almost funny, mistake. It’s a bit like complaining, in a semi-outraged tone, that the NFL is long overdue to switch from leather helmets to hard-shelled ones with face-shields.
    Think “Emily Litella.”

  36. Re: CFLs replacing banned incandescent bulbs.
    My friend, from a Grand Prairie theatrical troupe weighs in.
    We operate a cost-concious non profit theatre in Northern Alberta (where the temp does fall to -40 at times) with lights that dim pre show and for dinner functions. With 12 fixtures and each with 5 low watt 60 bulbs our capital cost for bulbs for each fixture was 2.19. Times 12 this equals 26.28 total for all.
    We have had to replace 8 at a cost of 4.38 over the past 3.5 years. These bulbs replaced 12, 500 watt bulbs left from when it was a church. Our power consumption went down about 45 percent! CFL bulbs have been used everywhere else. Over this same period, These failed at a rate of 1 / 6 installed belying the supposed longer life but capital cost was an average of 4.75 each. So far we have replaced 24 for a total average cost of 114.00. While there have been some further power savings resulting from their use this saving is marginal due to the much higher replacement and disposal costs. While dimmable CFL bulbs are now available at an average cost of 14.00 each, our trials showed these failed more regularily and more spectacularly…exploding actually! This ban is totally without reason and should be stopped immediately…until the Feds can guarantee the safety and effienciency of these alternatives we need to continue to be able to use incandescent bulbs!

  38. George Will comes to the stunning realization that the drop in the labor participation rate is responsible for the drop in the unemployment rate. If only someone had pointed this out earlier hey?

  40. http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/1/5263826/the-incandescent-light-bulb-isnt-dead
    The incandescent light bulb isn’t dead
    Perhaps you’ve heard the news: the incandescent light bulb is dead. “When the ball drops on New Year’s Eve, the year ends — and so does the ordinary lightbulb,” read Fox News’ website. CNN even penned an obituary. That’s because, according to countless media reports, January 1st marks the “light bulb ban.” Today’s the day when the US government finally phases out the dated technology by banning the manufacture or import of 60-watt and 40-watt incandescent bulbs, which are repeatedly cited as the most popular bulbs in the US. The reports typically suggest that consumers get used to buying pricier, more efficient compact fluorescent or LED bulbs, or else stock up on incandescents while supplies last.
    ——————————————————————————–
    Incandescents aren’t being banned
    Unfortunately, little of that is true. There is no such thing as an incandescent light bulb ban in the United States. In fact, on the very same day that the 60-watt incandescent light bulb disappears, you’ll be able to buy a 43-watt incandescent light bulb to take its place. Or a 72-watt incandescent bulb. Or a 150-watt incandescent bulb. Or a three-way incandescent light bulb. Or one with a more durable filament for “rough service” applications. There are literally dozens of loopholes. “It’s not like tomorrow people won’t be able to buy an incandescent light bulb,” says GE’s John Strainic.
    So what is actually happening on January 1st? The cost of an ordinary light bulb will drastically rise — and hopefully your electricity bill will fall. The so-called bulb ban is simply a government-mandated energy efficiency standard at work. Seven years ago, President Bush signed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (PDF) into law, and its final light bulb provisions take effect today. They simply require that the most popular light bulbs are roughly 25 percent more efficient — that you only need 43 watts to generate the same amount of light as a 60-watt incandescent.
    The new normal: halogen
    And it just so happens that such 43-watt incandescent bulbs already exist — they’re known as halogen. Halogen incandescent bulbs complement the tungsten filament of a traditional incandescent bulb with halogen gas, which helps them burn more efficiently. Now, manufacturers claim halogen incandescents look and work nearly identically to the original. GE says they can have the same shape, size, brightness, color temperature, color rendering index (CRI), and dim the same too. Unfortunately, they cost a lot more. While you could buy incandescent bulbs for as little as 25 cents each last year, you can expect to pay upwards of $1.50 for each halogen incandescent. “Halogen technology is a little more expensive to use and manufacture,” admits Strainic, who says he doesn’t expect those prices to change drastically even if halogen bulbs really take off.
    But theoretically, these new bulbs pay for themselves. Where a traditional 60W bulb costs roughly $8 per year for three hours of light each day, a 43W bulb can put out the same amount of light for only $6 worth of electricity, according to manufacturer estimates. That would more than cover the cost of the bulb.
    Of course, that same math could indeed kill the incandescent light bulb one day. While a compact fluorescent might cost you $2 each, or $13 for a 60-watt equivalent LED, they use closer to $1 a year in electricity, and since they last much longer that yearly savings can stack. The expected life of a halogen bulb is just one or two years, but compact fluorescents can sometimes make it to ten. According to manufacturer estimates, an LED bulb can last 15-20 years before it even starts to dim by a perceptible measure. That’s why savings-conscious consumers already stocked up on fluorescents years ago, and why they might pick LEDs now.
    Left: traditional incandescent. Right: compact fluorescent.
    Mike Watson, the VP of product strategy for Cree LED, says the LED bulb business is booming, and he certainly sees the phase-out of 60W and 40W incandescents as potential for greater LED sales as well. “It’s a moment in time when you can get a mass amount of customers to contemplate lighting for the first time ever,” says Watson, noting that pricy halogen bulb could make his company’s LEDs seem like a better deal. But Watson isn’t ready to call January 1st a victory for LED quite yet. The sticker shock of LED means that many could still choose compact fluorescent bulbs if they want an efficient incandescent alternative.
    “You can get a mass amount of customers to contemplate lighting for the first time ever.”
    Neither GE nor Cree believe that the incandescent light bulb will die anytime soon. Intriguingly, both Strainic and Watson independently told us that the compact fluorescent is the one in jeopardy right now. Both men say that consumers aren’t satisfied with the poor quality of light and non-dimmable nature of many compact fluorescents, and the falling price of LED bulbs could mean those fluorescents get squeezed out of the market. When so many are sounding the death knell for incandescent, wouldn’t it be something if the filament bulb outlasts its competitor?
    As of today, January 1st, you still have plenty of choices for how to light your home. There’s the halogen incandescent, the compact fluorescent, and the LED, not to mention a host of traditional incandescent options — like three-way bulbs — thanks to over a dozen loopholes. Now, consumers will vote with their dollars to decide which technologies stay and which will truly disappear.
    May the best bulbs win.

  41. AGW Warmists Have Withdrawn/Retreated From Reality Into an Icebound South Polar Valhalla*.
    Isaac Asimov foresaw this & wrote about it in August, 1964.
    …-
    “Men will continue to withdraw from nature in order to create an environment that will suit them better.”
    http://www.businessinsider.com/isaac-asimov-2014-predictions-2014-1
    …-
    “Xue Long beset by ice, Aurora Australis to abandon SAR and head to Casey base with ‘Spirit of Mawson’ people”
    “9.30am AEDT Saturday 04 January 2014
    Aurora Australis released from tasking in Antarctica
    Xue Long’s attempt to manoeuvre through the ice early this morning was unsuccessful. Xue Long has confirmed to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) it is beset by ice.”
    http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/01/03/xue-long-beset-by-ice-aurora-australis-to-abandon-sar-and-head-to-casey-base-with-spirit-of-mawson-people/
    *”Heimdall is shown guarding the gate of Valhalla”:
    http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/File:AM_738_4to_Valh%C3%B6ll.jpg

  42. AGW Warmists Have Withdrawn/Retreated From Reality Into an Icebound South Polar Valhalla*.
    Isaac Asimov foresaw this & wrote about it in August, 1964.
    …-
    “Men will continue to withdraw from nature in order to create an environment that will suit them better.”
    H/T WUWT
    …-
    “Xue Long beset by ice, Aurora Australis to abandon SAR and head to Casey base with ‘Spirit of Mawson’ people”
    “9.30am AEDT Saturday 04 January 2014
    Aurora Australis released from tasking in Antarctica
    Xue Long’s attempt to manoeuvre through the ice early this morning was unsuccessful. Xue Long has confirmed to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) it is beset by ice.”
    http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/01/03/xue-long-beset-by-ice-aurora-australis-to-abandon-sar-and-head-to-casey-base-with-spirit-of-mawson-people/
    *”Heimdall is shown guarding the gate of Valhalla”:
    http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/File:AM_738_4to_Valh%C3%B6ll.jpg

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