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July 31, 2011 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 31 July 2011

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adze

What’s this about James Taylor of the Heartland Institute? The linked journal article (http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/3/8/1603/pdf) doesn’t have that name on the byline…?
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July 31, 2011 8:02pm
adze

Missed the EDIT window: I see it’s the Forbes article author, not the journal article author.
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July 31, 2011 8:06pm
Steve

Thomas The Tank Engine

Thomas was late for the station. He was very cross with the new tilting trains, which had held him up because they could not tilt properly, and now he was running along the track, trying to make up for lost time. “Oh come along! We’re rather late. Oh, come along! We’re rather late,” he sang to Annie and Clarabel, his two coaches. But Thomas could not seem to go faster than 100 miles per hour, no matter how hard he puffed.

“Why am I unable to exceed these silly speed restrictions? ” whistled Thomas impatiently. Annie and Clarabel laughed, because the high-speed line had recently been upgraded to include Automatic Train Protection (ATP), which intervenes automatically to ensure naughty engines comply with set speed limits. “Bother! Something must be wrong with my firebox,” said Thomas. By the time he got to the station, the Slim Controller was already waiting for him.

“Thomas, you are 47 minutes late, well within our performance targets for this month,” said the Slim Controller, who was looking very young and fit for a man his age. “Congratulations. ”

“Thank you, Sir,” said Thomas. He noticed that the platform was crowded with schoolchildren, many of whom were shaking and crying.

“These children need to go to the seaside for the day,” said the Slim Controller, “but they are afraid to ride on a train, because they think it might crash. I need you to show them how safe rail travel can be.”
Suddenly, much to Thomas’s surprise, competent rail workers in high-visibility clothing began to uncouple Annie and Clarabel.

“Help, Thomas! Help!” shouted Clarabel. “Where are we going?” cried Annie.

“I’m afraid that Annie and Clarabel are Mark I rolling stock,” said the Slim Controller, “creaky old slam-door coaches from the 1960s. We’ll be replacing them with newer stock immediately.”

Thomas was sad to see Annie and Clarabel being towed away, but he was soon smiling again when he saw his two shiny new carriages, Helga and Sophie.

“We come from Sweden,” they sang in lovely soft voices. As the frightened children were forced on to Thomas’s two new coaches, he got a very naughty idea.

“I’ll show them just how much FUN trains can be!” he peeped.

“Be a good little engine, Thomas,” said the Slim Controller. “Remember that my pay incentives are directly linked to your performance. ” As he pulled out of the station, Thomas soon forgot the Slim Controller’s warning. Instead of going directly to the seaside, Thomas headed for a main line which he knew had yet to be upgraded with ATP. Thank goodness the government had reneged on its safety commitments! Then, just as he approached the junction his brakes squealed, and poor Thomas found
himself standing still on the line. “Whatever now?” he moaned. “You passed a signal, Thomas!” sang Helga. “You passed a signal at danger!”

“Those signals are only for lazy trains who need a rest,” said Thomas. “My driver passes them all the time.”

“It’s not up to your driver, any more, Thomas,” said Sophie. “The new Automatic Warning System applies your brakes whenever you pass a signal at danger, unless your driver cancels the warning within two seconds.”

“Well why didn’t he, then?” demanded Thomas. “There’s no one here but us!” “Sorry,” said Thomas’s driver. “I’m really stoned.” Slowly the train began to reverse up the tracks.

“Not to worry mate,” peeped Thomas with a cheeky wink, “your secret’s safe with me.”

“Nothing personal,” said the driver, “but it really freaks me out when you talk.”

Now Thomas and Helga and Sophie were heading for the seaside once again. However Thomas was planning more tricks to frighten his passengers. Perhaps he would derail into a field with an angry bull in it! That would teach those children not to ride on trains! Thomas looked for some faulty points, or a nice pile of wet leaves, but there were none to be found. He hoped he might spot some vandals amaging the track, but all along the way on both sides appropriate fencing had been installed to inhibit access. “It is estimated that 55% of all train incidents are due to vandalism!” sang Sophie.

“Huh,” said the driver.

At the next station some policemen came and escorted Thomas’s driver off the train. “We are taking you for drug testing,” said one of them. “Allegations have been made under the new Confidential Incident Reporting and Analysis System – the whistleblower’ s charter, if you like.”

“The system is open to all Railway Group members, as well as other participating companies,” sang Helga and Sophie.

“Bye-bye! Good luck. Bye-bye! Good luck,” puffed Thomas.

“Does anyone hear them besides me?” asked the driver.

Eventually a new driver was found for Thomas, one who had tested negative for cannabis and positive for literacy. Soon he and Helga and Sophie were under way again. Now the children were smiling as Thomas adhered strictly to prevailing speed restrictions all the way to the seaside. In the village he met Bertie Bus driving down the stretch of road which runs alongside the railway.

“Hullo, Thomas!” said Bertie. “Care to race?”

“I can’t,” moaned Thomas. “The track won’t let me! It’s called safety.”

“Why, rail travel is already much safer than going by bus,” said Bertie, slamming into a bridge abutment, killing four.

“Really? said Thomas. He began to think that safety wasn’t so bad after all. When he finally pulled into the station, the Slim Controller was there waiting for him.

“How did you get here so fast?” asked Thomas.

“I flew on EasyJet,” said the Slim Controller. “It’s very convenient, and I wanted to be here in order to give you this award for Effective Risk Management. Thomas, you really are a safe little engine.” The
children cheered as they disembarked.
“Thank you,” said Thomas proudly. “It remains my number-one priority.”
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July 31, 2011 8:07pm
mikenmild

Fans of Thomas the Tank Engine might enjoy this:
http://www.slate.com/id/2299653/
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July 31, 2011 8:10pm
Steve

You will see your Doctor tommorow milkymilo?
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July 31, 2011 8:17pm
Steve

Beware of the ‘Socialist Controller” Mike
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July 31, 2011 8:23pm
mikenmild

I have enough trouble with the Tranz Metro controller.
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July 31, 2011 8:25pm
Scott Chris

Adze

Yes. The article, not the journal author. So James Taylor has taken this………:

On the Misdiagnosis of Surface Temperature Feedbacks from
Variations in Earth’s Radiant Energy Balance

Abstract: The sensitivity of the climate system to an imposed radiative imbalance remains
the largest source of uncertainty in projections of future anthropogenic climate change.
Here we present further evidence that this uncertainty from an observational perspective is
largely due to the masking of the radiative feedback signal by internal radiative forcing,
probably due to natural cloud variations. That these internal radiative forcings exist and
likely corrupt feedback diagnosis is demonstrated with lag regression analysis of satellite
and coupled climate model data, interpreted with a simple forcing-feedback model. While
the satellite-based metrics for the period 2000–2010 depart substantially in the direction of
lower climate sensitivity from those similarly computed from coupled climate models, we
find that, with traditional methods, it is not possible to accurately quantify this discrepancy
in terms of the feedbacks which determine climate sensitivity. It is concluded that
atmospheric feedback diagnosis of the climate system remains an unsolved problem, due
primarily to the inability to distinguish between radiative forcing and radiative feedback in
satellite radiative budget observations.

……and come up with this conclusion:

New NASA Data Blow Gaping Hole In Global Warming Alarmism
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July 31, 2011 8:37pm
calendar girl

PG @ @2.49: “I’m not aware of 90% of the population not being a part of the culture of violence. Where do you get that statistic from?”

You were the one who claimed that NZ had a “culture of violence” @8.21am. (You even referred later to *the* culture of violence.) I simply called you on it, as it’s patently clear that the great majority of New Zealanders are not inclined to or involved in violence. I don’t need a tailored media “poll” to provide a neat statistic that would satisfy people like you who won’t confront realities.

I also indicated that I don’t care much for you (or any self-nominated custodian of morality) berating New Zealanders in general with allegations of violence, drunkenness, gluttony and “exaggerating differences”. Because those traits are part of Kiwi “culture” – in your view – we’re all somehow deemed to share the attached blame. You, no doubt, will offer to lead us down the path that – in you view – we need to travel. Don’t count me in on that, Pete.
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July 31, 2011 8:40pm
pdm

As the Vicar was greeting the congregation as they exited the church after hs service an very attractive young lady wearing an extremely low cut and revealing dress caught his his eye and he said to her;
Excuse me miss that is a very revealing dress and I don’t think it is appropriate for wearing to church.
She responded – but my boyfriend likes it and he says that when I am wearing this dress and he puts his head on my chest he can hear music.
That is facinating says the Vicar – do you mind if I try.
Go ahead says the young lady
So the Vicar puts his head on her chest and listens for a while
Then he stands up and says – I can’t hear a thing
No she replies – you are not plugged in!!!
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July 31, 2011 9:01pm
pdm

The vicar sees a young lady leaving his church in a very low cut and revealing dress.
He says to her – excuse me miss that dress is not suitable for wearing in my church.
She replied – but I have a divine right.
His responds – you have a divine left too but I still don’t want you wearing that dress in my church!!
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July 31, 2011 9:09pm
Pete George

cg- I’m not berating New Zealanders in general, I pointed out that amongst the cultures here we have are cultures of violence and drinking in particular that contribute to some awful statistics. I’m not suggesting anyone share “attached blame”. It’s a fact that these cultures are a problem here, that’s all.
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July 31, 2011 9:19pm
Manolo

Another dead rat from a weak Cameron, now turned into a gullible warmist: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/british-pm-david-cameron-praises-julia-gillards-carbon-price-plan/story-fn3dxity-1226105221407
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August 1, 2011 6:53am
calendar girl

PG: At most, those two examples are minority “sub-cultures”, albeit realities that are very serious problems within our society. To call them “parts of Kiwi culture”, however, is to employ all-enveloping language that draws all members of NZ society into a sense of having caused or contributed to the problems, and thereby into a share of the blame. (I reject the latter notion absolutely.) It can then serve as justification for greater government control over more aspects of our already over-regulated lives.
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August 1, 2011 8:57am

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