Monthly Archives: February 2011

Global Warming: James Hansen

Posted on February 16, 2011 by

I have criticized James Hansen, while Michael Heath has defended him. Here I critique Hansen with the use of multiple examples of why he is of dubious credibility, not as a scientist but as a political advocate. I do not … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Clusterfuck | 25 Comments

The Egyptian Military’s Incentives

Posted on February 15, 2011 by

Alex Tabarrok points out that the Egyptian military “is an oligarchy which controls huge swaths of the Egyptian economy.”* He quotes the San Francisco Chronicle reporting that: It owns companies that sell everything from fire extinguishers and medical equipment to … Continue reading →

Posted in Perverse Incentives | 2 Comments

Government Shutdown in March?

Posted on February 14, 2011 by

As President Obama submits his FY 2012 budget to Congress, my congressional expert, RB, is predicting that there will be a government shutdown when the current continuing resolutions to fund government operations run out on March 4. He expects that … Continue reading →

Posted in The Democratic Process | 2 Comments

Pessimism Justified?

Posted on February 14, 2011 by

So Egypt’s military has dissolved parliament and suspended the Constitution. Supposedly this is only for 6 months or until new parliamentary and presidential elections take place. And meanwhile it’s going to create a panel to revise the Constitution. I think … Continue reading →

Posted in The Democratic Process | 5 Comments

Egypt: Mubarab Steps Down, Army Steps Up

Posted on February 11, 2011 by

I’m not thrilled with the turn of events in Egypt. It appears the army put pressure on Mubarak to step down, and has stepped into his role. Military leaders encouraging him to step down might not be entirely illegitimate. As … Continue reading →

Posted in The Democratic Process | 9 Comments

Yes, I’m Confident in My Superior Political Analysis Skills

Posted on February 6, 2011 by

On the “One More on the Koch Brothers” thread, the following exchange occurred, which calls for a long enough response that I decided to promote it to top-page status. Michael Heath: I suggest reading Climate Progress, you’ll get a feel … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Clusterfuck | 21 Comments

Boundary Conditions and Congressional Science Advising

Posted on February 6, 2011 by

Over at Dispatches Michael Heath and I had a little set to over the issue of getting Congress to take scientific and technological advice more seriously. We are in agreement on the value of accomplishing that goal, but we disagree … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Clusterfuck, The Democratic Process | 5 Comments

Syrian Protests Fizzle, Egypt Shakes Up Government

Posted on February 5, 2011 by

The planned Syrian protests didn’t happen. Bad weather and preemptive intimidation by security forces may have played a role, but another factor seems to be that the social networkers calling for a protest were mostly located outside of Syria, so … Continue reading →

Posted in The Democratic Process

Spatial Politics

Posted on February 4, 2011 by

This is the best spatial politics diagram I’ve seen in a long time. A plot of possible 2012 GOP Presidential candidates. Hat tip to SCVTalk. Original source, The New Republic,

Posted in Uncategorized

Egpyt’s Military to Stop the Violence?

Posted on February 3, 2011 by

After mostly standing aside while pro-Mubarak counter-protesters turned violent, the Egyptian Army now says it’s prepared to fire on pro-government protesters if they continue acting violently. And the PM has apologized for and denounced the violence. Those are good signs, … Continue reading →

Posted in The Democratic Process | 7 Comments