SuperFreakonomics Pushback - Nathan Myrhvold

Nathan Mryhvold, who starred in the controversial Chapter Five of the new Super Freakonomics, defends his global warming ideas and responds to the critics at the author Steven Levitt's NY Times blog.  We should note that the NY Times is an Obama Nationally Approved News Service.

ERRATA: I can read chapter five at EnviroKnow but the permalink to the post in which it is embedded is not working.  Scroll for "Note to the Authors of SuperFreakonomics" on October 18.

Comments

[Adolph Trudeau]

Does Mryhvol. Have any intellectual property interest in green-tech?

[sbw]

OT: I actually live a stone's throw into the 23rd Congressional District where Cong. McHugh (R) got tapped to be Secty Army, leading to a special election with bunches of bucks being thrown by outsiders at a bellwhether special election for a one year term.

Fighting Republicans (Dede Scozzafava) and Conservatives (Doug Hoffman) will steal votes from each other to likely elect the Democrat (Bill Owens) who is trying to pass as a business-friendly job builder, but who is your typical Dem in sheep's clothing. But what matters is the vote total, not who wins. If R+C beats D, then Dems will shake in their boots. If C beats R, then Reps will shake in their boots.

Dede represents all that is wrong with the Republican leadership old school network promoting party hacks above their station in life. You'd think that Dede's agreement with the AFL-CIO to support Card Check would have sent Rep honcho Michael Steele and the NY equivalent through the roof. Or her calling the cops to warn a reporter against asking a real question about Card Check.

Hoffman is running to throw all the bums out. Newt Gingrich, who supports Dede, is tone deaf. Conservative and tea party messages overlap, but they are not identical. But both agree it is time to send Reps and Dems a message they won't forget. /OT

[Jane]

Just so you know TM:

Red Sox fan donates marrow to Yankees fans’ child

LUN

[Extraneus]

the NY Times is an Obama Nationally Approved News Service

[narciso,]

I tell you, Sbw, they are working to make Van Dwer Leun's little jibe last winter:
"Republicans they thirst for death" a watchword. You know I'm this close to giving
up my party registration, but I think I'll wait till the primary to vote for Rubio.

Also in the LUN, the "catch and release" strategy is working wonderfully with former
Gitmo detainees

[bad]

Check out this photo of FLOTUS.

LUN

[hit and run]

sbw:
You'd think that Dede's agreement with the AFL-CIO to support Card Check would have sent Rep honcho Michael Steele and the NY equivalent through the roof. Or her calling the cops to warn a reporter against asking a real question about Card Check.

Well, regarding Card Check, Scozzofava's husband Ron MacDougall is the head of the Jefferson-Lewis-St. Lawrence County http://www.observer.com/5585/battling-over-labor-ny-23>Central Labor Council

And it ends up http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20091020/NEWS09/910209974/>Ron was the cop caller frightened by the menacing questions John McCormack.

[verner]

Geez Bad. Are we sure Michelle isn't preggers?

[narciso,]

And just in case, anybody had any intention
that we would even have pretense to defend ourselves, or support our allies, can someone say nyet

[Oh, Gad; don't tell me I'm actually going to have to read what they wrote.]

I don't care for the geo-engineering; it's an unnecessary plan and the likelihood of adverse unintended consequences is very high.
====================================

[Porchlight]

Brit Hume to the non-FOX MSM: "How do you like being patted on the head by the White House?"

Ouch.

[Rick Ballard]

Nathan Mryhvold's pondering is similiar to that of Bjorn Lomberg with the slight difference that he actually possesses a degree in physics and could actually take the argument back to first principles and deconstruct the hocus pocus underlying the specious claim of 2.5 degrees of potential impact. At best, he deserves a polite clap for not adding his own epicycle to uphold the CO2centric fraud. In the eleventh year of cooling since the "hottest year ever" ("ever" being 1934) he's simply taking cover while waiting to see which way the ball bounces.

[ben]

I disagree on the group think of conservative blogs on the NY-23 race. The idea the it's ok to elect a Democrat there because the GOP candidate is too "liberal" is what got the Democrats to 60 seats in the senate. Republicans were gleeful to get rid of RINOs like Gordon Smith and Michael Dewine but replacing them with flaming liberals like Jeff Merkley and Sherrod Brown was counter productive. In NY-23 electing the Democrat who will immediately vote for Obamacare and later for Pelosi as speaker in addition to giving the Democrats a tremendous propaganda coup (winning in a seat that has been Republican since 1871) just to make a statement is foolish. The smart thing is to elect the Republican and then primary her out next time around with a stronger candidate if so wished.

[Fresh Air]

How about we just nominate the more conservative candidate and see what happens instead? I know it's a radical idea, but we're looking at an 80-plus seat pickup next fall if we can distinguish between R and D. It's when voters think there's no difference that they get confused and vote for the one who promises them nice stuff.

[Ranger]

Steyn has a good take on the NY-23 election:

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZjU5YTlkNWVkNzY0NTYwY2E0MDQ1ZTEzMmRiNzJmNmI=>This isn't RINO but DIABOLO - Democrat In All But Official Label Only.

[It's generally pretty easy to figure out what she would do.]

WWPD-What would Palin do? Why, vote for Hoffman. That's easy.
=======================================

[narciso,]

Dewine, was marginally useful, but Smith's who panicked about the 'Iraq quagmire', who seem to have forgotten his business
experience in formulating legislation. Voinovich is similarly clueless, as a leadership figure. So people vote for Scozzofazza, who may even bolt to the other side, but will probably endorse card check
and cap n trade, and probably the public option, or at least the trigger for same,
what did that get us then, after the damage
has been done.
I voted for Crist, and he's proven a great dissapointment, on every conceivable front, and he wasn't even effective, as Rich could attest, and the support of the stimulus,so naturally he's moving up to the big leagues. Next time, I'm voting for Gallagher (sarc). Rubio's catching up, BTW, halving the lead that Crist has maintained all that Crist had,

[centralcal]

Fresh Air: hear! hear!

Ranger: Steyn is dead on in his remarks.

[hit and run]

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll>Obama -13 at Rasmussen, overall approval at 47%

[Jack is Back!]

Has anyone got their Obama phone yet?

[PD]

And at six days straight of double-digit negatives, that matches the longest previous streak. (8/30 - 9/4)

[PD]

Is that the phone that comes pre-bugged for government wiretaps?

[narciso,]

That's not only phonetically correct, but it fits the sentiment. RINO's are usefull once in a while, but these are more like
Tasmanian devils

[Ranger]

And at six days straight of double-digit negatives, that matches the longest previous streak. (8/30 - 9/4)

Posted by: PD | October 21, 2009 at 09:44 AM

I guess that explains the "War on Fox." White House internals must have been telling them the same thing for the last week or so. I have a feeling that dragging his feet on more troops is what is killing Obama's numbers (combined with still complaining about Bush a year after the election). Just re-enforces the "voting present" air of his administration.

[RichatUF]

narciso-

Crist got patted on the head for supporting Porkulus when Obama came to town-revolting. His vaction to Europe with a retinue of lackeys is another winner. Wish he'd just go away and spend more time working on his tan.

[Janet]

Neo posted this link on another thread. Really interesting. About an organization called So We Might See, and their efforts to silence talk radio,Fox news,...
LUN

It looks like "hate speech" or the "need for cultural diversity" will be how the left will attack talk radio.

[Fresh Air]

Narciso--

Exactly. We've been trying to narrow the divide between R and D in Illinois for years. It's worked so well, in fact, that we couldn't even beat Blagojevich when he had a sub-50 percent approval rating. If Mark Kirk is nominated for Senate, I will probably leave that one blank on my ballot. At the end of this road is not a cliff, but, worse, a ditch. You will still be able to see the other cars from there, but you will never get back onto the highway unless you push yourself out.

This is why Sarah Palin is vital. She is going to be serving as the de facto head of the conservatives in the party. Don't forget: Conservatives outnumber liberals in every state of the union. When we are motivated, only the great Muddle can stop us from swinging elections. Regardless of Steele, Kirk, Voinovich, Scuzzyfavo, Graham et al., we will be voting massively next fall. Why foul that up and vote for Specter when you can have a V8 and elect Toomey instead.

Elizabeth Dole didn't lose because she was too conservative.

[Extraneus]

He has to yield on the 40K troops. Anything less, and every grim milestone will be blamed on him, and probably ultimate defeat.

Seems pretty simple. Wonder what's taking so long.

[narciso,]

He hasn't done anything that warrants support, on the left he hasn't been able
to close Gitmo, or bail out of Iraq, or deliver health care, or bring about an improvement in unenployment. Cars for Clunkers, ended up a lemon. You have to ultimately deliver,

[Fresh Air]

Wonder what's taking so long.

Like every leftist, Zero is obsessed with the Sixties. He thinks we become another LBJ if he sends more troops in. It's that simple. And yes, he is that goddamn stupid and egotistical.

[narciso,]

That's how I figure, F.A, it reminds me of that old TV show Benson, where the pre David Brooks suckup was elected Governor
in a strange alternate reality, who was he
running against 'a lizard' was the query.
This was back when V was on NBC at the time, but the point does seem to apply.

How do you lose against Blagojovich, I thought Mark Kirk was going to be a breath
of fresh air, because of his Navy back
ground. But first he voted for cap n trade, and then backtracked saying he would vote against it in the Senate, because he knows
that oil and gas and nuclear power is necessary, WTH, man,

[Charlie (Colorado)]

The idea the it's ok to elect a Democrat there because the GOP candidate is too "liberal" is what got the Democrats to 60 seats in the senate.

Word. The most important single vote in the house is the one that elects the Speaker. Now, Dede tests that theory to its limits, but as things stand right now, the state is preparing to elect a Dem with 66 percent of the votes against the Dem.

This ought to be a repudiation of the Democrats, but if you think the legacy media will read it as such, you're dreaming.

[RichatUF]

Extraneus-

Seems pretty simple. Wonder what's taking so long.

Obama has said that he doesn't believe in winning and victory in Afghanistan.

Now he's finding out what the price is for opening his yapper about making Afghanistan his central front, while undermining their government, and undermining the intelligence community, who he needs, if he decides to go with Biden's "going hollywood" option.

Obama wants to lose, he just wants to do it in such a way that he won't get blamed for it.

[Fresh Air]

This WH Fox News stuff is really pitiful. The Alinksy ad hominem approach really doesn't work when you're sitting -13 and, oh, 20 million people think they elected the wrong guy.

I think we are now seeing that Axelgrease is not a political genius, but the luckiest adviser on the face of the earth. All he did was build the float for the parade and the Great Muddle did the rest.

[RichatUF]

narciso-

...or bring about an improvement in unenployment...

It was 7.6% when he started and not even a year into his term he'd gotten it to 9.8%. With a bit more effort he'll be able to get it 12% by the end of next year. The Democrats and Obama's economic program is working as designed and expected.

[bgates]

The idea the it's ok to elect a Democrat there because the GOP candidate is too "liberal" is what got the Democrats to 60 seats in the senate.

No, that got them to 59. It took tremendous effort by the Republican Party, including RSC money and an endorsement from Bush when it did some good, to beat back a conservative primary challenge to the Democrats' 60th vote, Arlen Specter.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

Rick, Myhrvold is scary smart, and that article takes a measured approach and shows Romm is an idiot.

It's not worthy of your derision.

[bgates]

Wow, this is a shocking indictment:

In a first-person account posted on Fortune's Web site Wednesday, Steven Rattner said he was alarmed by the "stunningly poor management" he encountered while heading Obama administration's auto task force, during which he encountered "perhaps the weakest finance operation any of us had ever seen".

The people nominally in charge were "utterly docile in the face of mounting evidence of a looming disaster" and the man at the top set a tone of "friendly arrogance" that permeated the organization, Rattner wrote.

"Certainly he and his team seemed to believe that virtually all of their problems could be laid at the feet of some combination of the financial crisis, oil prices, tea partiers and George Bush," Rattner wrote.

(I copied and pasted in a hurry, so that may not be word-for-word accurate.)

[Gregory Koster]

Bad and Verver, if Rolo is pregnant, we need to ask, who is the mother...

Ben, I think NY-23 is a great test for 2010's elections. If Dede wins, as Steyn sez, count that vote for the Dems (how did she get elected as a GOP Assemblywoman, anyway?) while Newt&Co think, Yeah we're right on course, while adjusting their kamikaze headband. If Hoffman wins, Newt&Co get a very necessary slap in the face. If the Dem wins, the press crows, but examining the results will be instructive: if the Dem wins handily over the other two on a low turnout, it's the voters saying to the GOP, Stop fooling around. If the Dem squeaks in on a high turnout, it's the same thing.

I trust this will abort Newt's Prez ambitions in 2012. Who could trust him after this?

[Ignatz]

--The idea the it's ok to elect a Democrat there because the GOP candidate is too "liberal" is what got the Democrats to 60 seats in the senate.--

Well, what is the solution? Two spring to mind;
1: The RNC demands that conservatives stop voting their principles which seems quite an uphill climb or;
2. How about the party doesn't pick the most left wing knothead they can find, which in this case particularly, would have been rather easy.

[narciso,]

Yes, we know that Rich, but that's a selling point you want to advertise, we're still within the standars of the the 1982
recession (by the current measurements) And no, I don't thing beach replenishment will solve the problem. as that is one of the larger stimulus programs in this area. The Sun Unsensible is still going with the many
education jobs 'saved or created' but that dodge only works so long.

BTW, Jane, this detail which I found on Don Surber's site, is not terribly reassuring is it, in the LUN

[douglas3]

I know we are super-vigilant about protecting the concept of fair use, but is it really fair-use to publish a whole chapter of a not-yet-released book via docstock?

[sbw]

I couldn't possibly support anyone who would vote for Card Check. That rules out both Dem and Rep in the 23rd.

[sbw]

The most important single vote in the house is the one that elects the Speaker.

I'd like to propose the radical notion that the Speaker of the House is so powerful a national position it rivals the power of the President and therefore deserves to be selected not by House representatives but by national vote taken at the same time as people vote for their local House members.

It's time to strip the power from the safe districts and mere seniority.

[narciso]

Well it's a larger than usual morsel, that was released to whet the appetite, and the 'white whale' seems to have bit by the looks of it.

[narciso]

That was the wrong URL btw

[Fresh Air]

Sbw--

A better way is to just let computers draw all the districts using natural and customary boundaries.

[clarice]

very funny as usual begates.

[Jane]

Don't forget that vote for "Net Neutrality" (Gawd that guy has a way of naming things) is tomorrow.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

Fresh, I think you'd find that computers are very poor at understanding what's customary.

[Justin Davis]

I agree, but I'm not so sure about what you said at the beginning. Where are you getting your information? I'm not disagreeing, but I'm just wondering how you came to that conclusion.

Justin Davis
Author does not represent the position of LSI, which screens content as an internet filter to K-12 institutions.