Science Fights Back

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Author: craigcrawford

Trail Mix Host. Lapsed journalist, author & retired pundit happily promoting nothing but the truth for Social Security checks.

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patd
4 years ago

pogo, looks like andy did this one just for you

Blue Bronc
4 years ago

Although I did not watch the debacle on ABC last night, I have seen quite a few tweets, posts and newspaper articles to understand that SFB was presented with real people, and lost.  The episode fits into the problem of putting people with severe mental issues into places outside of their safe zone.  They can get lost.  In the case of the orange rind he just went deeper into his own, alternate, universe.
 
Prediction: the campaign to keep SFB in the WH is going to use the Scientific American endorsement as “proof” of the mysterious effort to destroy him.  Of course it is not mysterious to normal thinking humans, we do not want him contaminating our real universe anymore.  Pack him into the special room with lots of cement walls, prison, for the rest of his life.

Sturgeone
4 years ago

Waiters!  That’s why we can’t have nice things.

patd
4 years ago

best part of trevor last night is his bit on faux friends.  here’s an excerpt from NYTimes “best of late night” on it:

President Trump called into “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday and said he planned to call into the program regularly in the final weeks of the campaign. Steve Doocy, a co-host, told the president that Fox News had not agreed to giving him a weekly platform on the morning show.
“You may want to do it every week, but Fox is not committed to that,” Doocy said at the end of the 47-minute call. “We’ll take it on a case-by-case basis. And Joe Biden, as well, is always welcome to join us for 47 minutes, like we just did with the president.”

Scientists discover signs of life on Venus, this year’s hurricanes blow through the alphabet, Trump finds a quick fix for climate change, and Steve Doocy Fox-and-Friend-zones the president on air.

patd
4 years ago

the guardian also has this and more on the scientific american announcement:

In a piece published in October’s edition, the editorial board writes:

The most devastating example is his dishonest and inept response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which cost more than 190,000 Americans their lives by the middle of September. He has also attacked environmental protections, medical care, and the researchers and public science agencies that help this country prepare for its greatest challenges.

They criticise Trump, saying: “At every stage, Trump has rejected the unmistakable lesson that controlling the disease, not downplaying it, is the path to economic reopening and recovery,” and refer to the recent revelation from interview tapes published by the veteran journalist Bob Woodward that Trump was stating in public “this is like a flu​” while saying in private that it was “lethal and highly transmissible”.
They go on to say the president “repeatedly lied to the public about the deadly threat of the disease”, and that while supporting the wearing of masks – a strategy they say would hurt no one – could have saved thousands of lives in the US. Instead “Trump and his vice-president flouted local mask rules, making it a point not to wear masks themselves in public appearances”.
[continues]

Jamie
4 years ago

What is Scientific American getting all upset about?  It’s only the fate of the globe.  Venus isn’t that far away now that life has been found.  

Sturgeone
4 years ago

Bob Woodward is slicing and dicing like a Japanese chef on the tv.

Such a sight to see.

Pogo
4 years ago

Yeah, padt, looks like my buddy Jim and me awhright. 

Pogo
4 years ago

Yep, sturg. Bob’s making D’ump look about as bad as most of us know he is. 

whskyjack
4 years ago

Life on Venus?
Was discussing this with my niece yesterday and I came up with a swt( swinging wild ass theory)
Could this be an attempt by Gaia to colonize Venus or any where else for that matter. Earth has been overcrowded with life for 4 billion years, over those years  Earth has to be shedding viruses and bacteria spores creating a cloud of potential colonizers. It just takes one to reach Venus. So Venus may be a hell hole now, in another billion years….
Jack

whskyjack
4 years ago

Ya know Sally reminds me of a girlfriend I had back in my hard drinking days. Just couldn’t her to go home and let me suffer my morning in silence.  She was a hard partier.
Sally just keeps hanging around, must like those gulf shores dive bars.
Jack

Sturgeone
4 years ago

Jack……god has a master plan. 😎

whskyjack
4 years ago

Renee
Here is something Rick might enjoy
A National Geographic article by NYT columnist Nick Kristoff about the sad shape of our national trails system.
Jack

blueINdallas
4 years ago

https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/15/politics/turning-point-usa-twitter-facebook/index.html
Whelp, it’s a start, I guess.  (Did this happen because of today’s social media blackout, which has been in the works for awhile?
Maybe widespread, social media should be avoided until after the election by anyone on the fence.  Is anyone still on the fence?   You either want to live under the thumb of a fascist regime or you want to save American democracy.  
When science has to pick a side so folks get the point, well, the public school system has failed in both science and civics.  

blueINdallas
4 years ago

Had a dream about SFB last night.  He didn’t want Ruffles, he wanted plain potato chips.  I told him we could get those, but instead I left a big, chunk of cheddar cheese for him on a TV stand.  

tony
4 years ago

The press is desperate for a horse race Thumbs on the scale

“MINNESOTA: Some See an Edge for Trump,” read one headline. The Times interviewed just two people for the article and both thought Biden was facing trouble in Minnesota. Trump “looks stronger politically in the state than he did in 2016,” and Biden was “hardly a lock to carry the state,” the Times reported, even though the daily just found Biden’s lead to be nine points, seven weeks from Election Day.
Looking at Michigan, the Times marveled at how the crowds for Trump were so much larger than Biden’s, even though Biden has led in 29 of the last 30 Michigan polls taken this year. And in Florida, the Times stressed that Biden “has been slipping among Hispanic voters,” but made no mention of Biden’s historic advantage with seniors.

Jamie
4 years ago

Actually, the globe hasn’t been all that crowded for ages.  We only hit one billion about 1800 and stayed there for a long, long time and then human beings developed vaccines and the next billion came only 100 years later, in 1927. And after that, the rate of growth accelerated, 3 billion in 1959, 4 billion 1974, 5 billion 1987, 6 billion 1999, and now 7 billion on our way to 10 billion in 30 years.  

Mother Nature is starting to fight back and it could get very, very ugly.  

Sturgeone
4 years ago

If we had no vaccines maybe there’d be much smaller armies.

Jamie
4 years ago

Favorite tweet of the morning.  This picture with

Question:  “What Do You Call This?”

Answer:  “So White and the Seven Dorks”

 

 

Jamie
4 years ago

Sturgeone

Yes.  Wars and disease used to balance out birthrate.  Famine and death bumped off about 50% of the global population in the 1300s.  Helped to create the middle class as the Barons/Serfs balance started to favor the serfs who could now charge for their labor.  Now thanks to AI and robotics, there are fewer and fewer jobs with more and more people.

 

 

Sturgeone
4 years ago

Tweets sweet.
 

patd
4 years ago

tony, the bright side of that kind of horserace reporting is that dems, being told joe might have a problem rather than joe’s going to win (like was said about hillary in 2016), won’t just sit back and let someone else stand in long lines to vote at the polls.
 they’ll see it’s important for every vote to be cast.
landslide necessary now with all the talk of D’ump inviting violence if he loses.

tony
4 years ago

Trump thinks Biden should have implemented a mask mandate -- though he's not president He also believes "herd mentality" will cure coronavirus.

Donald Trump last night showed that he’s a disaster in the town hall format — especially when there’s social distancing and mask-wearing. Joe Biden, on the other hand, has shown during the primaries that this is a great format for him, and he’s doing one Thursday night on CNN.
But the ABC Town Hall with Trump, moderated by George Stephanopoulos, was Trump’s worst nightmare: Sitting like a child in a high chair, speaking on a stage with like 10 people in the audience in masks. It’s his worst nightmare.
But it’s what life is like outside the Fox News bubble.

patd
4 years ago

See the source image

patd
4 years ago

in case you haven’t seen enough political ads, here’s the latest that’s running in KY for amy

RebelliousRenee
4 years ago

Jack…  thanks for that article.  I’ll definitely show it to Rick.   Here in NH, we’re lucky…  we have a volunteerism mentality.  Consequently…  there’s many volunteer trail workers.  For the most part, our hiking trails are in very good condition.
 
Good for Scientific American!
 
 

whskyjack
4 years ago

Jamie
How human centric of you.
From Gaia’s point of view a self replicating molecule is a self replicating molecule, be that molecule human or a corona virus. 
She just doesn’t care after all this globe will still be full of life long after we are extinct.
Jack

Blue Bronc
4 years ago

Pogo – during the last few days the commentators on the ad-free channel have been talking about the new and young riders and how they differ from the current riders and the riders from the 80’s to 10’s.  They bring pro experience, different training and bodies. 

Bink
4 years ago

How am i supposed to have any respect for someone who votes for trump in 2020?  They’re either brain-dead or evil.
 
(this thought prompted by trump’s moronic answers in that ABC town-hall)

Bink
4 years ago

Also, it bears repeating:
 
Irresponsible (and/or outright selfish) behavior by right-wing “Pro-Life” Americans is fueling a pandemic that is killing good people by the HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS.
 
i’ll be employing emphatic fonts for the word “millions” by next March.

xrepublican
4 years ago

Or, hypnotized.

xrepublican
4 years ago

People who can talk themselves into believing in a big hairy guy in the sky can talk themselves into worshipping trump as the immaculately conceived son of big hairy guy in the sky.

Bink
4 years ago

The U.S. can’t even deliver mail promptly, now.  i’m supposed to believe trumpco can distribute billions of doses of vaccines quickly and efficiently?  Yeah, right.

Bink
4 years ago

Damn, sorry, xrep- here i am raging when we could have had a nice little back-and-forth, there.   Sorry.   
 
Pardon me, am done; deep breaths…

Flatus
4 years ago

Our future world–every Corona named Smith

Flatus
4 years ago

Not my type of existence

Jamie
4 years ago

Jack

I just think the original billion is fine.  Lots of room for all the other species we are currently killing off at an ever increasing rate while poisoning the ocean populations with pollution and over fishing to feed the current hoard.

Of course when I was born it was about 2 billion and Jacque Cousteau could dive in pristine waters.  Nice pretty pictures that now don’t exist anywhere on earth thanks to the microplastics.  

 

xrepublican
4 years ago

Mr Bink,
 
No reason to be sorry … well … except for pumpkin head. 

Bink
4 years ago

Trump projects his emotions onto others, so if he accuses someone of something, it’s because he himself is guilty of it.
 
He doesn’t have the awareness for genuine, targeted criticism of anything of import.

Jamie
4 years ago

It looks like we are going to run out of hurricane names this year.  

2005 was the last time the Atlantic ran out of named storms. “The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active on record,” according to the World Meteorological Organization. “Twenty-seven named tropical storms formed, breaking the old record of 21 set back in 1933.”

If we run out of standard 26 letters it goes to Greek alphabet.  To break the old record we need to get to BETA.

 

Jamie
4 years ago

Bringing up the fact that Biden affectionately kissed a girl on the top of her head with her parents standing there could bring up that pesky 13 year old who accused Trump of rape, not to mention all his quotes about dating teenagers.  

Jamie
4 years ago

Jared probably doesn’t want to mention Israel bombing of the Gaza either.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/09/16/rocket-fire-prompts-israeli-fighter-jets-bomb-gaza/

 

patd
4 years ago

jared, cancelling interviews?

after his imitation of a kellyanne hundred-words-a-minute nonanswers to judy woodward on PBS last night someone brought out the hook on any more of his poor performances.

he looked downright stupid with that silly vapid smile aka sh*t eating grin.

plus D’ump doesn’t like to share spotlight when it comes to “victory” laps.

patd
4 years ago

jared reminds me of the character actor tim blake nelson in his great comic performances as delmar in 
o Brother where art thou” and buster scruggs.   if you can stand listening to the drivel, here’s kush’s painful time with judy:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/kushner-on-historic-middle-east-agreement-trumps-pandemic-response

Pogo
4 years ago

BB, yep, they’ve talked about that on NBCSports as well.  Younger riders have advantages in training development the older (what 26- 35 year olds?) didn’t have.  They are younger, fitter and seem to be better riders at their young ages than the big names were in their youth.  I can’t say for sure.  Still, fun days on the tour.  So today the top 3 GC riders were 2-1-3 at the finish?  Guess that tells us something. no?
 
Funny peace in the middle east wouldn’t ya say?  I thought peace treaties were supposed to stop war.  Dumb as shit not to pursue Palestinian participation, but then again, that would be very hard and require concessions by Israel.

Jamie
4 years ago

 

The DC Soap Opera continues in another fashion.  Last year First Lady was in a fight at the end of a season and was driven off the nest in the Arboretum.  Since eagles mate for life, we had hopes she would return this year since there was no evidence of her being severely injured.  Mr. P has arrived and has started nestorations, but his lady love hasn’t put in an appearance.  If she delays too much longer, the younger girls will be putting in bids for his attention

blueINdallas
4 years ago

https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/16/us/ice-hysterectomy-forced-sterilization-history/index.html
There’s your ~pro-life~ candidate, complete with forced sterilizations.  Add hundreds of thousands dead of COvid due to his lies, and he’s quite a sh/+ storm of evil.   

blueINdallas
4 years ago

patD – JarJar  r-u-n-o-f-t at the mouth like his paw-paw-in-law.   That is a gruesome family.  
As we devolve…Adams/Munsters/Mansons/tRUMPs
D-E-V-O

Jamie
4 years ago

Forced sterilizations and majority of Covid-19 are brown and black.  Handy dandy means to cut down on the populations Trump dislikes.

Suppress the Vote:  Kill the voters

 

blueINdallas
4 years ago

Craig – Look at Caputo’s background.  Russia.  Surprise!

blueINdallas
4 years ago

Wouldn’t forced sterilization be a war crime???

Katherine Graham Cracker
4 years ago

I heard SFB suggested that people in areas that are flooding should buy sponges 

Pogo
4 years ago

I got a call from my buddy in Fairhope, AL this afternoon.  He and his wife had a couple of ancient oak trees break off pretty far up the trunk but their house was unscathed.  They have no power and don’t know when that will return, but he’s got a generator (but no gas).  He found out that you really can’t siphon gas from modern cars, and there’s no gas to be had locally.  I’m betting that if the power doesn’t come back quickly he and his wife and dog will toodle up to Birmingham where his kids live – you know, to visit the grand kids. 

Blue Bronc
4 years ago

The hardest thing to accept in these dark times is that the greedy old perverts will do anything to make sure they stay in power.  Cheat, every single day.  Lie, every single second of every single day. Destroy America, absolutely.  There is nothing they will not do to create a dictatorship, even if the dictator is howling at the moon mad.  It is the other part which bothers me, the Dems try to play legal along with a media trying to make the Dems losers compared to the rnc.
 
It has been a long and headache type day.

blueINdallas
4 years ago

Snow days are becoming extinct.  Online classes.   Thank you, COVID bat.  

Sturgeone
4 years ago

 

blueINdallas
4 years ago

https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/16/politics/senate-democrats-usps-report/index.html
But, they managed to mail out giant, BS postcards last week.
Maybe Poo-tin is the one who needs the lightning bolt to the noggin. The next time he goes horseback riding half-nekked, zap. Would tRUMPco, Yertle, Lindsey, Nunes, and the whole, hee-haw gang unravel without Vlad pulling the strings…or could Melanier pinch hit?

Blue Bronc
4 years ago

Pogo – i know it is difficult for the older generations to think that the young whippersnappers might be better.  My thinking is this is good.  Racing will be better for it.  I have this odd thought that their morals are different too. Unless a doping scandel happens soon, I think the new riders are cleaner and look at the drug era the way baseball players see the MLB eighties and nineties as old school. 
If Armstrong took drugs, so did his competition so it became zero sum. There is nothing to suggest that Armstrong took speed, so his work on the  mountains was probably almost real.  I do wish he had not done the dope because whatever athletic works he did are not recognized.

tiptoe21
4 years ago

Plates continue to spin.  WH says Town Hall was a set up. Box of rocks says Redfield in the hearing today doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
 
Craig, good news from Carville.

tiptoe21
4 years ago

Mengele activities/atrocities at border facilities.

Pogo
4 years ago

Redfield’s neck is next on the chopping block. 

tiptoe21
4 years ago

Spectrum keeps going OUT.  Takes out internet and WiFi.  And they want to be my mobile carrier, too?  I don’t think so.  Can you imagine?  Then I’d have NO connectivity. They’re nutz. NO!
 
Dallas is carved up by the big monopolies so there’s just no choice.

patd
4 years ago

“Forced sterilizations and majority of Covid-19 are brown and black.  Handy dandy means to cut down on the populations Trump dislikes.  Suppress the Vote:  Kill the voters”

jamie, exactly.  bet there’s been discussion at the family table along those lines.  pro-life, hell, it’s pro-death.

and it’s beginning to look less like negligent homicide and more like 2nd degree and even pre-meditated murder.  

patd
4 years ago

kudos to the doc

blueINdallas
4 years ago

Everyone needs to speak out, not just Redfield…about anything and everything.
Swamp tRUMP’s dingy like the doomed flotillas on Texas lakes last week.  

tony
4 years ago

Good on Dr. Redfield! 
Pat
I agree with you earlier. We don’t want a repeat of Hillary and 2016 where it was just assumed she would win. Many stayed home. We need to look at this election like were 20 points behind. 

blueINdallas
4 years ago

When do we get rid of masks? 2022? 2023? Ever?

Pogo
4 years ago

BiD – when the infection rate is at about 1%. While COVID-19 may be special to us, it’s just a virus, deadly, but a virus. Fauci has given us that answer. Do it too quickly and you get another set of infections and dead Dead 💀 people. Masks are easy. They work. Get a widely distributed effective vaccine and masks will be gone. 
 
 

blueINdallas
4 years ago

https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/16/us/daniel-prude-rochester-emails/index.html
“…the chief paid a price…”    Wow.  No, Mr. Prude was murdered by police and the police and city tried to cover it up.    

blueINdallas
4 years ago

pogo – I’m just feeling like we’ll never get there, tonight.   And then, something else will pop up and there we go, again.   

Pogo
4 years ago

BiD. If you wake up January 20, 2021 and the orange asshat is on his way to be sworn in for a second term you could be right. If you wake up and he’s watching joe Biden take the oath, there’s hope. It’s that simple. 

xrepublican
4 years ago

If the ‘Town Hall’ was a set up, then trump is a fool. 

xrepublican
4 years ago

trump said that getting more people sick with corona virus is the key to getting past this. Of course, that also means getting more people killed by the corona virus. 
 
So, the trump policy is to kill as many Americans as possible before a C19 vaccine becomes available.
 
This is what passes for ‘pro-life’ in the republican party.

Bink
4 years ago

“ If… then trump is a fool.”
 
Ya think?
 
Only a fool would vote for one!

blueINdallas
4 years ago

Racism trumps common sense.

Bink
4 years ago

We’ll see.

xrepublican
4 years ago

Impeach barr now.

Pogo
4 years ago

If … trump is a fool. 
… trump is a fool. 
trump is a fool. 

simplify. 

Bink
4 years ago

i’ll be sad when i run out of episodes of this show- here’s the entire series if you didnae have NF, shhhh

xrepublican
4 years ago

Stop worrying about the trump plague.
 
One day soon he’ll miraculously disappear.

xrepublican
4 years ago

201, 348.  If enough of you die fast enough, his plague will miraculously disappear.
 
“Like Magic,” to quote the Grand Imperial Wizard, himself.

patd
4 years ago

NEW THREAD