The Goat Pen

Well, I guess E's done posting for a few days.

Why? I didn't post his pic.

The supposed ‘consensus’ on man-made global warming is facing an inconvenient challenge after the release of new temperature data showing the planet has not warmed for the past 15 years.

The figures suggest that we could even be heading for a mini ice age to rival the 70-year temperature drop that saw frost fairs held on the Thames in the 17th Century.

Based on readings from more than 30,000 measuring stations, the data was issued last week without fanfare by the Met Office and the University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit. It confirms that the rising trend in world temperatures ended in 1997.
A painting, dated 1684, by Abraham Hondius depicts one of many frost fairs on the River Thames during the mini ice age

A painting, dated 1684, by Abraham Hondius depicts one of many frost fairs on the River Thames during the mini ice age

Meanwhile, leading climate scientists yesterday told The Mail on Sunday that, after emitting unusually high levels of energy throughout the 20th Century, the sun is now heading towards a ‘grand minimum’ in its output, threatening cold summers, bitter winters and a shortening of the season available for growing food.

Solar output goes through 11-year cycles, with high numbers of sunspots seen at their peak.

We are now at what should be the peak of what scientists call ‘Cycle 24’ – which is why last week’s solar storm resulted in sightings of the aurora borealis further south than usual. But sunspot numbers are running at less than half those seen during cycle peaks in the 20th Century.

Analysis by experts at NASA and the University of Arizona – derived from magnetic-field measurements 120,000 miles beneath the sun’s surface – suggest that Cycle 25, whose peak is due in 2022, will be a great deal weaker still.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... z1ktpUDZSF

Hizzy III wrote:Well, I guess E's done posting for a few days.

its been a bad week for E

How are the polar ice caps explained, if the temperature isn't rising? I don't know about aggregated data, but it's pretty apparent how much ice has been removed from the poles.

I think that post was an elaborate HBO release in advance of S2 for "Game of Thrones."

yea I"m not saying I agree but I think its interesting that recently there have been admissions that some reference data has been doctored to secure grant funding and there are a number...yet still minority of voices in the scientific community that are questioning the validity of the conclusions.

Tried to tell you suckas before. Numbers/stats can be altered to prove/disprove anything. Creative accounting folks. Hell, Forrest Gump the movie, LOST money according to the studios.

And besides, 72% of statistics are made up on the spot.

28% of people would disagree with that

Can you break that down in demographics?

BigRedMan wrote:Tried to tell you suckas before. Numbers/stats can be altered to prove/disprove anything. Creative accounting folks. Hell, Forrest Gump the movie, LOST money according to the studios.

And besides, 72% of statistics are made up on the spot.

Never negotiate for profit. I love that Forrest Gump example. The only difference between Gump and the Producers is that at least Gump stopped at 100%

"It's been three years since the financial crisis crippled the American economy," Steve Kroft begins his 60 Minutes piece this week. "[Yet] there has not been a single prosecution of a high ranking Wall Street executive or major financial firm."

60 Minutes producer James Jacoby wanted to find out why, and one of the first people he spoke with was Tom Borgers, a man who literally helped write the book on the financial meltdown.

Borgers was a senior fraud investigator for the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC), a bipartisan panel set up by the Obama administration to examine the causes of the crisis. In the end, the FCIC issued a 500-page report on its findings

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_162- ... lumnArea.3

impressive

Tax analysts said the donation method used by Romney and Bain generally worked like this:

Romney was eligible to invest in the stock of companies that were being restructured by Bain. Romney and other Bain investors usually were able to purchase the stock at very low prices.

Through the years, such stock may appreciate in value, sometimes considerably.

The analysts said that if Romney and others at Bain got a stock cheap and eventually donated it to a church or charity without cashing in the stock, then they could get two tax benefits.

First, they would not have to pay capital gains tax on the appreciated value of the stock, which they would have to do if they sold the stock and either pocketed or donated the proceeds.

Second, they might be able to deduct all, or at least part of, the value of the donated stock from their taxable income.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/ ... 8B20120119

Bklyn wrote:impressive

Tax analysts said the donation method used by Romney and Bain generally worked like this:

Romney was eligible to invest in the stock of companies that were being restructured by Bain. Romney and other Bain investors usually were able to purchase the stock at very low prices.

Through the years, such stock may appreciate in value, sometimes considerably.

The analysts said that if Romney and others at Bain got a stock cheap and eventually donated it to a church or charity without cashing in the stock, then they could get two tax benefits.

First, they would not have to pay capital gains tax on the appreciated value of the stock, which they would have to do if they sold the stock and either pocketed or donated the proceeds.

Second, they might be able to deduct all, or at least part of, the value of the donated stock from their taxable income.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/ ... 8B20120119

Even middle class people do that all the time. I've done it.

It's really quite simple.

Yes, legally manipulating the tax code to provide you the most advantageous AGI is what we all should do. I'm not saying it's underhanded...just impressive.

I've never contributed any of my equity positions to charity, personally.

I've generally contributed my equity positions to whoever took the other side of the trade...

the coldest recorded temperature in the US is -80 degrees.

Last night in Jim River, AK it got down to -79 and the weather station stopped working

Good thing it stopped working. We wouldn't want it skewing any global warming data.

Al Gore invented Global warming and the internet? That man is a genius !

Algore is the PT Barnum of MMGW.....made him a millionaire many times over. Pure genius.