Tag Archives: Anthony Watts

Smear campaign: “His judgment cometh and that right soon”

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Smear campaign: “His judgment cometh and that right soon” (2015-02-23). Dr. Willie Soon is an aerospace engineer affiliated (part-time) with the Harvard Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics who publishes weak climate papers (always, always, with the same unsubstantiated “it’s all just natural solar variation” chant). He’s now been caught out by communists Greenpeace researchers. Seems Dr. Soon rarely discloses his fossil fuel industry backing in his publications, but boasts of his “deliverables” to the same buddies. Research to order, on the Q.T.

Dr. Willie Soon, rehydrating.

Anthony Watts has often snuggled up to Dr. Soon. Hand-waving about solar climate influences has been a great side-show for denialists, but it’s been hard for them to find a reliable figurehead for their obstruction. Being able to whisper “HArvard! SmithSONian!” must have been just irresistible. Dr. Soon’s work, while widely discredited, had a “sciencey” look and he made a great tame Republican witness in kangaroo court Senate Hearings.

The best Anthony can do is suggest that the benighted Dr. Soon is the victim of a smear campaign because, well, facts are smears. Then the usual Morris Dance ensues: invoke the malevolent “compliant media” and immediately talk about something else.

Did you know that “climate science is a huge money machine”? So what if Willie wanted a taste! Anthony tries to play the herd mentality card (I guess that makes Dr. Soon our latest Galileo, funny how he’s always reincarnated as a denialist these days) but doesn’t notice that each ‘overturned consensus’ came about through considering new evidence, not through pig-headed repetition of the same crap.

Butter wouldn’t melt in Anthony’s mouth though when he brazenly tries to invoke the e-mails of mainstream climate scientists targeted in the false “Climategate” uproar. They solicited funds from the energy industry too, although without the flirtatious promises, Willie’s just the latest nose in the trough! What were once vices are now virtues, the denialist outrage during Climategate is so yesterday.

Remember the whole “97% of climate scientists accept the evidence of global warming” thing? Guys like Willie Soon are the 3%.

“Follow the money” Anthony sagely advises, but he really wants to lead us down the garden path.

Bigger problems than global warming – NASA discovers 8 new dangerous near Earth asteroids

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“Bigger problems than global warming – NASA discovers 8 new dangerous near Earth asteroids“ (2015-01-19i). Red Alert! Anthony Watts wants us to know about Eric Worrall’s shocking discovery that there’s something we should all really be worried about! Meteors! Meteorites? NEOs? Stop worrying about so-called climate change (which is already affecting everyone on Earth and will steadily increase in impact) and start worrying about meteors, which may or may not strike the Earth and would have effectively no prolonged climate influence.

“[T]he risk of a damaging meteor impact is not a possibility which should be neglected” says Eric. Somehow Eric’s caution doesn’t extend to the undeniable (except by, you know, denialists) fact that man’s industrial activity is already measurably altering Earth’s climate in a negative way. That should be neglected as well as vigorously denied.

Riiiiight.

Eric also manages to throw in a heaping plate of sneering at NASA for the work they’ve done to study the risks posed by Near Earth Objects while being careful not to explain that low funding for the work is because of cost-cutting anti-science Republicans.

Eric’s apparent belief that satellites should be able to refuel as easily and often as the average family sedan is just cute.

 I’m mildly horrified that a project this important appears to be so far down the list of priorities, that the project was mothballed for a year while the survey satellite stood waiting for a refuel.

Buy why are political cranks like Eric and Anthony bothered with public safety? Surely all handsome, virile, brilliant, libertarians will have made their own personal arrangements to either leave the planet for an extended vacation or activated their bunker networks. Anyone unable to do the same surely deserves what they get!

P.S. Does Eric Worrall actually rely on The Register for breaking scientific news?

Yet another indicator that interest in climate has fallen by the wayside – climate doesn’t make it into the top ten science press releases for 2014

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“Yet another indicator that interest in climate has fallen by the wayside – climate doesn’t make it into the top ten science press releases for 2014” (2014-12-25). This is the kind of post from Anthony Watts that lays bare his real purpose. Public ignorance serves him better than public interest.

Given Anthony’s deep commitment to (muddying) the climate debate, you’d think he’d be upset that a climate topic isn’t among EurekaAlert’s 2014 most popular press releases. (No link to the source in Anthony’s post.) Shouldn’t he want more chances to fool the public, to spread confusion, to smear “bureaucrats”?

No, Anthony’s happy that climate issues seem to be losing attention. He does his best work in the shadows and under rocks.

97% of pictures are worth 1000 climate words

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“97% of pictures are worth 1000 climate words“ (2014-02-27). Anthony Watts posts a profound intellectual insight from his favourite denialist blow-hard, Lord Monckton. Shockingly, it seems that not every single climate paper is about the cause of the current rapid global temperature rise! Many of them don’t even mention the issue! Therefore no Global Warming.

In other equally profound news, the cause of Global Warming is never mentioned in surgical journals, more excellent proof that there is no Global Warming.

But wait, Monckton’s claim is that “Only 64 of 11,944 published since 1991 said most warming since 1950 was manmade: i.e. 0.5%” This means that 11,880 papers asserted that the warming has been natural! I’m looking forward to reading some of them.

Sadly for the loony Lord, no. The other climate papers about other subjects entirely.

Fixed it for ya, Monckton.

Fixed it for ya, Monckton. But don’t be so modest, you’re fourth author on that Science & Education paper!

A pointed question

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“A pointed question“ (2014-03-07). Anthony Watts asks a pointed question and proves that he has a pointy head.

“What is the perfect temperature of Earth?”

This is one of those “answer that!” questions that merely reveal the stupidity of the person asking it. I’m not even going to dip a toe into the cesspool of ignorance that drives it.

The concern of environmentalists is that the current, completely unprecedented, rate of climate change dramatically exceeds our civilization’s ability to cope and how that change is un-balancing our biosphere, which we depend upon to feed our human population.

That completely unprecedented rate of climate change is what the hated “The Hockey Stick” showed, and triggered the libertarian/denialist “you can’t tell me what to do!” reaction we’re now so hampered by.

Cue Anthony’s idiot followers declaring warming is better and muttering darkly about taxes. What a pack of pin-heads.

Mind blowing: Apple CEO tells ‘deniers’ to get out of Apple stock

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“Mind blowing: Apple CEO tells ‘deniers’ to get out of Apple stock“ (2014-03-03).  Anthony Watts publishes so many dumb/nasty things on his blog I often decide the toxic exposure just isn’t worth the time. His blog is like a TV stuck on an endless loop of carnival hucksters extolling the magical healing powers of magnetic bracelets (except that Big Pharma is suppressing clinical trials), but now and then a stray squawk catches my ear and makes me laugh.

Here we have Anthony echoing the so-called National Center for Public Policy Research, “a non-partisan, free-market, independent conservative think-tank” dedicated to “expos[ing] efforts by left-wing interest groups to divert businesses away from best practices and into left-wing advocacy.” They were smacked down pretty hard when they tried to ask Apple’s CEO a question about the resolution they had submitted (devastatingly rejected) at Apple Inc’s recent AGM. Like Apple’s previous CEO, Tim Cook doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Especially stubbornly short-sighted, hypocritical ones who only get their knickers in a twist when a corporation’s political bias doesn’t match their own.

The “National Center” wanted Apple to pollute more and use more child labour so shareholders could make more money. Also, Apple should stop supporting equality and justice. The disgusted rebuff from Apple’s CEO is now being spun as proof that liberals and environmentalists are mean and secretive.

Anthony has long nurtured an irrational hatred for Apple, probably driven by the company’s long record of supporting liberal causes. His contribution to the self-pity party is below, with my annotations. And you thought Anthony was just mule-headed wrong on environmental issues!

Hmmm. This is the best argument I’ve ever heard for not using Apple products (besides the overinflated prices). [False claim. Same price as equal quality competitors. – Ben] Being flush with cash is probably why the CEO says he doesn’t care about the ROI (return on investment) [Misrepresentation. “When we work on making our devices accessible by the blind,” he said, “I don’t consider the bloody ROI.” He said that the same thing about environmental issues, worker safety, and other areas where Apple is a leader.” Apple has a highest profit margins in the industry so only an idiot – paging Anthony & Co. – would conclude that Apple doesn’t care about ROI. – Ben] and won’t make the costs transparent per a shareholder request [What cost is Apple concealing? – Ben]. Seems like a sensible business request to me. [Yeah, Anthony and these libertarian dick-wads have SO MUCH to teach one of America’s most successful corporations! – Ben]

This whole thing is playing out like run-of-the-mill libertarian posturing. How is even Anthony’s feeble mind “blown”?

Antarctica Has Sea Ice Rabbit Ears, a V for Victory or Maybe It’s a Peace Sign?…

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“Antarctica Has Sea Ice Rabbit Ears, a V for Victory or Maybe It’s a Peace Sign?…” (2014-01-19). Anthony Watts’ friend “Just The Facts”, better known as “Just the Ignorance” has a keen scientific eye, based on no education whatsoever, and has noticed that Antarctica has bunny ears. Ice, anywhere, means cooling everywhere!

Funny how “Just The Facts” manages to ignore so many of them. Maybe he meant just a fact, not the relevant ones. Do glaciers float when the reach the sea, for instance? Do they become thinner? Something for JTF to ponder.

Antarctic Ice Extent 14-01-19

Sea Ice bunnies have ears, but not toes. Great science,”Just The Facts”! Image Credit: NSIDC

California’s drought situation in pictures – what a difference one year makes

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“California’s drought situation in pictures – what a difference one year makes” (2014-01-18). Anthony Watts is in anguish over the California droughts (there’s been plenty of wild fires too). Click through to see Anthony rue the delay in government intervention and put his faith in climate models! No, this is not Bizarro Earth.

Why won’t someone do something! We needed government intervention last year!

Yesterday, Governor Brown declared a drought emergency, which is probably a bit too late.

But don’t worry, climate models show that everything will be A-Ok next year.

if the Nino 3.4 model ensemble is to be believed, then California will likely see a strong precipitation rebound in 2014/2015.

Naturally Anthony maintains his confidence that every instance of cold weather, anywhere, is proof of no global warming ever while every instance of hot weather or drought is just a sticky patch. But it’s getting hard to do it with a straight face.

HotWhopper takes Anthony to task nicely: Finally, if a “bit too late” – Anthony Watts talks about the drought in California.

The Copernicus-PRP fiasco: predictable and preventable

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“The Copernicus-PRP fiasco: predictable and preventable” (2014-01-19). Anthony Watts concludes that playing the “censorship!” card in defence of the terminated climate denialist journal Pattern Recognition in Physics is too much of a stretch even for him and that amputation is required.

[Update: I just saw the uncorrected RSS summary for Anthony’s post, a desperate a plea for guidance – what should he believe? “Post on the Copernicus – Tallbloke fiasco please advise” The rats are truly running in all directions.]

Otherwise the dishonest scamming hypocritical denialists who tried to start a fake science journal (see yesterday’s post about the inglorious life and death of Pattern Recognition in Physics) will make dishonest scamming hypocritical denialists like Anthony look like the same kind of dishonest scamming hypocritical denialists as the first group of dishonest scamming hypocritical denialists!

“[Pattern Recognition in Physics’ implosion] has painted all climate skeptics with a broad brush.”

Yes, Anthony, you’ve been tarred by the same brush even though you’re flinching away as fast as you can. Because you’re exactly the same kind of intransigent, politically motivated science denier trying to lie your way to “credibility.” Scrutiny – it’s a bitch.

No doubt their shared conviction that communist conspiracies underlie all climate science will reunite the climate denialists, but for now the denial-sphere is dissolving into factional conflict. Dip into the comments at Anthony’s initial coverage of the journal’s cancelation. When even stalwart followers are complaining about “fighting like ferrets in a sack” you know it’s worth the time.

What hasn’t changed? Non-denialists are still thugs;

the “panic” [Copernicus Publications] were under after getting hit with an [imagined] email campaign from James Annan’s “various people”.

and lust to censor is still the unslaked desire of the ‘mainstream’ scientific community;

 “this looked like another case of suppression due to the anti-IPCC message conveyed in the PRP Special Edition”.

Open Letter to Jon Stewart – The Daily Show

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“Open Letter to Jon Stewart – The Daily Show” (2014-01-17). I LOVE these denialist “open letters”! Anthony Watts seems to love ’em too, but for different reasons. Anthony loves the chance to act as if he’s initiating a great public debate. When The Letter lands like a tiny pebble in a reeeeeally deep well he can pretend it was so beautifully argued that the (oblivious) target was shamed into silence. Me? I love the hubris.

Here we have Bob Tisdale lecturing Jon Stewart about his coverage of right-wing “weather!” whoppers on January 6th. Anthony Watts has had a pickle up his ass on the same topic; the recent deep cold snap should have been the final nail in the Global Warming hoax, right? But at least weatherman Anthony learned what the Polar Vortex is.

Bob lists his credentials up front so that Jon will sit up and take notice. He’s an “independent climate researcher” (code for “not a climate researcher”) and author of three ebooks!

I quite enjoyed Ingenious Pursuits‘ deconstruction: “Dr” Bob in retirement – just keep churning it out, check it out.

Like most denialists, Bob seems to consider himself a blend of Galileo and Martin Luther. Fierce intellect, incredible moral integrity, and probably the strength of ten men. Yeah, right. Bob’s just rattling through the usual tired and debunked denialist claims, misrepresenting evidence, demonstrating his ignorance of real scientific process or squawking “the models are wrong!”

I note that Anthony seems A-OK with the anti-Semitic undercurrent in his carefully moderated comments sandbox. Did you know Jon Stewart’s real surname is Leibowitz? This is apparently important to know.