What Would We Do Without Peer Review?

Science Unsettled Science 5 Comments

The always entertaining Retraction Watch;

Yesterday, we reported on the discovery by BioMed Central that there were about 50 papers in their editorial system whose authors had recommended fake peer reviewers. Those “reviewers” had submitted reviews of a number of manuscripts, and five of the papers had been published. (BMC posted a blog examining the case this morning.)
For some Retraction Watch readers, the elements of the story may have seemed familiar. Fake reviews — often involving self-peer review — have been the basis for a growing number of retractions.

Y2Kyoto: State Of Anorexia Envirosa

Y2Kyoto 10 Comments

Heartland;

These stories reveal the snow job that has been perpetuated on the general public regarding renewable energy. They don’t understand the need for power or how it works. They seem to believe that when a rule passes a magic wand waves replacing older, but still fully functional, power plants with wind or solar–that doesn’t produce electricity 24/7/365 as do the decommissioned coal or nuclear plants and which requires far more land to produce the same amount of, albeit intermittent, electricity.
An iced up wind turbine or a solar panel covered in seven feet of snow–even if some of it slides off–doesn’t generate electricity. And the cold days of a Northeast winter create one of the times when energy demand peaks.

“Organic” Is The Latin Word For “Grown In Pig Shit”

Moonbats 42 Comments

I’m Done with fearing food and done with A&W;

Yes, there are hormones in your food, but are they something to fear? A&W certainly thinks so, with a new campaign promoting their beef burgers produced with “no added hormones or steroids”. It is good to know a company that says, “Being a leader isn’t always easy – but doing the right thing rarely is,” is clearly only interested in selling a few more hamburgers because of fear, rather than educating a skeptical customer.
First point: You have hormones in you right now, and whether you eat a Teen Burger or not isn’t going to change that. In fact, you may even be taking additional hormones to help keep you from getting pregnant, lessen the effects of menopause, or an incredible host of other concerns and issues. Hormones also are natural in every other living thing from a soybean plant to a duck. It is why A&W has to promote there are not ‘added’ hormones, and can’t get away with saying hormone-free.

A Rat Is a Pig Is a Dog Is a Lawyer

Animal Rights Extremism Pollspotting 26 Comments

Not your grandma’s humane society;

Animal Justice’s non-profit wing launched their charter campaign last week, saying it would “ensure animals are treated as sentient beings instead of mere property, would guarantee the rights and freedoms that make life worth living, and give all animals a chance to have their interests represented in court.”
The group says there’s a gap between how Canadians care about animal welfare and how the legal system views it, and are hoping a petition draws the attention of policymakers.
“Animals don’t have legal standing to go to court and have a judge say yeah, that animal’s rights are being violated, that to me that is very sad,” said Camille Labchuk, a lawyer with Animal Justice.

Pollspotting! Does Canada need a charter of rights for animals? (To nullify the vote-splitting design of this poll, I suggest the nays be direct at the “No” option.)
10:50am update: SDA gets results! “No” has pulled into the lead.
h/t Harold

“…they don’t really oppose oil – just our oil.”

Ethical Energy 23 Comments

Ezra Levant;

That is the face of the environmentalist movement today. It’s un-Canadian.
Not just that their tactics are shocking and violent and undemocratic. But that they are literally directed and funded by non-Canadian bosses. All of the leading anti-oilsands groups in Canada are financed, to varying degrees, by foreign interests.
Two of the most visible organizers, Tzeporah Berman and Ben West, work for a United States-based lobby group called Forest Ethics, financed by the Tides Foundation. Real Canadians believe in the rule of law, and accepting the result of elections. But American campaign managers have other goals.

Y2Kyoto: Planetary Fever Update

Climate Cult Science Unsettled Science Y2Kyoto 7 Comments

MLive.com;

According to the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, on November 20, 2014, three of Michigan’s Great Lakes had ice starting to form. Lake Superior and Lake Michigan were one-half percent ice covered, while Lake Huron had one percent ice. Lake Erie was not reporting any ice as of Nov. 20, 2014.
Decent early season ice coverage records date back to 1973. Last Friday was the earliest date that all three Great Lakes already had ice since the better reporting of early season ice began.
Lake Superior actually had ice forming on November 15th of this year. That is the earliest ice on Lake Superior in the good data set.

h/t Jim

Message Received

Uncategorized 60 Comments

Nothing says “we are righteous and entitled to deference” like smashing and looting a local woman’s cake shop. And smashing and looting the mini-market that Michael Brown robbed and then running away laughing, and looting the local phone shop, and burning down the local pharmacy, and burning down the local auto spares business, and the local pizza restaurant, and the local beauticians, and then shooting at the firemen who are trying to put those fires out before other people lose their livelihoods too.
You know, for “social justice.”

From the comments here.

Free Chronicle-Herald!

Freespeechers Media 45 Comments

Kudos to the Chronicle-Herald;

EDITOR’S NOTE: We’ve decided to publish the name of the victim in this story, despite a court-ordered ban. We believe it’s in the public interest in this unique case, given the widespread recognition of Rehtaeh Parsons’ name, and given the good that can come, and has already come, from free public debate over sexual consent and the other elements of her story.
Rehtaeh’s parents want her name printed, and Judge Jamie Campbell, who upheld the publication ban, wrote in his decision that “the ban serves no purpose,” though he had no choice but to uphold it. Waiving Rehtaeh’s privacy rights “would be a good thing, if it could be done just for this case, just this once,” the judge wrote.
It is difficult for readers to follow a news story when the name associated with it is omitted, and we want to inform Nova Scotians of the outcome of this legal case. We would like to reassure other crime victims that their own court-ordered privacy rights will be respected as always.

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