Comments Boyscientist has made

Models bad - models good?

I find it a bit funny that the same people who claim that climate models can't trusted are now saying this report (based on models) shows that we can't do anything to stop global warming.  A 50-100 year prediction can't be trusted but a 1000 year prediction is gold.On NOAA: Global warming 'irreversible' for next 1,000 years posted 10 months ago 15 Responses

Chicken farm

I live 2 miles from a giant enclosed egg farm.  Periodically when the nearby fields are fallow they spread the chicken manure on the field with big spreaders.  I'm glad I don't live closer as the ammonia and H2S can be noticed at my range.

Without this exemption they would have to do what?
Notify the government when they spread manure?
Install ammonia and H2S detectors downwind?

P.S.  I think sometimes they incinerate the dead birds as I get the distinct smell of burning feathers.

By contrast the horse manure I spread smells pretty nice, organic-like.
On Bush admin exempts farms from reporting toxic fumes posted 11 months, 2 weeks ago 4 Responses

Milk them by hand

I think it's time to re-define what is meant by "organic".  It sure isn't natural to put their heads in stocks and attach suction machines to their teats either.  And quit cutting the sharp points off of their horns. That ain't organic!On USDA has crazy idea that organic cows should get time in pasture posted 1 year ago 5 Responses

Right to eat

I have the right to eat anything I can catch provided it is not my species.

I hope it is good what everyone is doing for food animals.  I grew up on a farm and have seen both good and bad practices.  Some of these same good people thought they were doing good things for wild horses and for tame ones when they banned the export of horses for human consumption.  Hundreds even thousands of horses starve to death here in the USA RIGHT NOW because you can't get rid of them.  Auctions have closed, haulers out of business, you can't give them away, you can't plug them in the head a .22 and bury them on your own property (unless you have a backhoe).

I can't even eat them though I prefer beef and salmon. Every horse ever born in the world becomes unserviceable for anything more than an expensive ($1500 per year) lawn decoration long before it dies a natural death.  Who is to pay for their life-time upkeep (or disposal) when a lawyer with 30 racehorses goes bankrupt and flees to Bermuda or Granny out on the farm passes away with a herd of ten.  We've seen both with dead starved horses laying among the living.

And this was before the ban when it was possible to sell them for meat like a cow or pig.  Please pardon my off topic screed. I have, and live with horses and take care of them like children. It pains me greatly to see the animals suffer so much because of misguided people who think they are helping animals.

I'm not saying this new ban is bad, maybe it's good, I may be jaded by recent history. The only change presently is that Californians will have a choice of two kinds of eggs at two different price ranges, unless they plan to ban import of eggs not produced by their preferred methods.On California OKs measure requiring more humane treatment of farm animals posted 1 year ago 7 Responses

And nitrates?

Would an article about nitrates in drinking water be "woefully incomplete" if it did not specify they were sodium (or potassium) salts. We don't even care.  Sorry about the concern I forget that maybe everyone doesn't know that perchlorate is always part of an inorganic salt and not stand-alone molecule.

"Perchlorate is a chemical found mainly in rocket fuel and fireworks".... is the phrase that leads one astray.On EPA not likely to set standard for perchlorate in drinking water posted 1 year, 2 months ago 2 Responses

Correction

Of course I meant to say one day per week not once a day.  We wastefully eat meat almost every meal and it kills us. I'm not vegan at all but we 'mericans eat meals that can be described as a "heart attack on a plate"On U.N. climate chief urges eating less meat to combat climate change posted 1 year, 2 months ago 13 Responses

Love your title

I heard this on interview on NPR.  It's a great point but I think the message will fail if they ask us to give up meat once a day.  Instead we should focus on eating less meat per meal and utilizing forms of agriculture that can produce protein with reduced environmental impact.  Instead of corn, hogs and beef, perhaps fish culture works better.

mushy peas and catfish.On U.N. climate chief urges eating less meat to combat climate change posted 1 year, 2 months ago 13 Responses

McBush is McCain

Paleocon: John is saying that McCain voted for the billOn Conclusions of 'hockey stick' graph stand up to further scrutiny posted 1 year, 2 months ago 20 Responses

Conflict

In the Midwest the farmers get a payment of $6400 for each windmill and it only takes one acre of land out of production.  Also the county government gets a nice property tax payment from the windmill owners.  In my area a poor county expects to net over one half million dollars in increased taxes. That's better or equal to a Walmart when it comes to building a new school or buying new dump trucks and graders for the road commissioner.  

So when some complain that the view out their living room window is spoiled by some large pinwheels on the horizon, it doesn't go far.On N.Y. wind rush brings corruption complaints, divides rural communities posted 1 year, 3 months ago 6 Responses

67 Million tons

The article states NF3 productions equal 67 million tons CO2 in global heating.  USA and China emit 6 BILLION so try to keep things in perspective.  A "back of the envelope calculation by "Lamont" over on climate progress indicate NF3 will account for 1% of the warming problem.

Instead of not buying a flat screen TV, how about driving your car less?

That CF3 is a previously unrecognized greenhouse gas is important news.On Chemical in flat-screen TVs is worsening climate change posted 1 year, 4 months ago 15 Responses

Don't kill?

The mice in the pantry?
The roaches under the sink?
The rat in the barn?
The bumblebees under your porch?
The stray dog killing your cats?
The pigeons pooping on our picnic?

I will eat none of the above.On Wimbledon under fire for shooting pigeons posted 1 year, 5 months ago 7 Responses

ANWAR savings

Joe Romm at Climate Progress has an excellent piece on this subject.

http://climateprogress.org/On President Bush stumps for ANWR drilling and dirty-energy expansion posted 1 year, 7 months ago 8 Responses

Recycled

I wrote:

"Fortunately I use a P.O. Box and fortunately the local Post office supplies a wasted basket next the boxes."

It's not a waste(d) basket, it is a recycling bin with instructions as to what is acceptable.  The Post Office wants the money for third class even though they know we don't want it.  Some of it is in  circulation less than 30 seconds.On Postal service and direct mailers join together in a pro-junk-mail campaign posted 1 year, 8 months ago 6 Responses

Personal transportation

...is not something the human race will ever give up.  It provides so much opportunity and freedom that it simply ain't going to happen. Conventional cars are bad, horrible, yes, but it won't do to expect people to walk, or ride bicycles, or that everyone must move into metro areas.

The solution must be better mass transportation and more efficient transportation.  Not pedal driven golf carts but efficient lightweight personal vehicles powered by some kind of clean renewable energy.On Electric cars could impact water supplies, says analysis posted 1 year, 8 months ago 18 Responses

Energy usage

It's a very interesting subject and hard to determine if daylight saving time actually saves energy in addition to "usable" daylight. In upper and lower latitudes it does save energy according to results from new Zealand.  Also the US claimed to save 10 million gallons of oil per day in the 70's during the oil embargo when they extended DST by two months.

Most equatorial countries do not change as there is no benefit for them.

Economic advantages appear to rule under present day conditions.  Shopping Malls, golf courses and service industry thrive under DST.On Daylight-saving time leads to higher energy use, says study posted 1 year, 9 months ago 4 Responses

Loaded weapons

Most places where hunting is legal, weapons cannot be loaded unless on foot.  No vehicle, car, truck, 4-wheeler, snowmobile can move a single foot if any weapon is loaded. The zipper on the gun case holding the unloaded gun must be closed all the way or it's a fine. It many states it is illegal to carry certain weapons in the field not legal for game even if the hunting season is open.On Ban on loaded firearms in national parks may be lifted posted 1 year, 9 months ago 20 Responses

Tall towers the worst

As much as I dislike the spread of cell towers like the blight of highway billboards in the past, it appears from a review of the literature that it's the tall towers that are the big killers.  Lots of stuff here paid for by your taxes.

http://library.fws.gov/Pubs9/avian_mortality00.pdfOn FCC must consider impact of communications towers on birds posted 1 year, 9 months ago 5 Responses

No proven harm from Moths.

Wolverine your are mistaken about my intentions.  I'm not explicitly defending the spraying. I only want to criticizing assertions that we are not justified in trying to control the moth before it becomes well established here in the USA. And I reacted to the fear mongering I read in the article you referenced. Explosive pesticides indeed.

Did you even read the Wikipedia article on the moth?

Nice name for a little moth whose larvae can feed on hundreds of different plants in 55 different families, can't be controlled very well and can render a food crop unsaleable.

Since starting this response I read a research report from UC Davis and now I better understand the hullabaloo.  The moth is so feared world-wide that even if it only damages California crops slightly, it will severely damage California agriculture including food, horticulture, and nursery because the rest of the USA and the world will not allow California products to enter their area.  No wonder Arnold supports it.
On Aerial spraying of pesticide on Bay Area given OK posted 1 year, 9 months ago 17 Responses

Harmless moths

No wonder those spray pilots are living and eating high.  One article says they are spending 74 million on the project and that this "harmless moth" as Wolverine calls it threatens 640 million dollars worth in annual food crop production.On Aerial spraying of pesticide on Bay Area given OK posted 1 year, 9 months ago 17 Responses

Misguided advice

Many "People worldwide" do not even have roads. They don't all need Prius hybrids.

If Branson ceases his airline activities, passengers will buy their tickets from other airlines that will NOT offer 25 million dollar prize for CO2 cure.

Jabailo.  Why are you dissing the good folks who are at least trying to help?On Prince Charles, Richard Branson compare climate crisis to war posted 1 year, 9 months ago 7 Responses

Not all new London

Perhaps, Blueplanet did not see this quote (claim) from the BBC link.

"Despite significant improvements in recent years, London's air pollution is the worst of any city in the UK and among the worst in Europe.On Polluting vehicles must pay to drive in London under new scheme posted 1 year, 9 months ago 4 Responses

Agricultural practices

"farming practices, such as changes in tile drainage and crop type and rotation, are most likely responsible"

The Midwestern prairie was barely passable by oxcart until drainage was improved. It's too flat for the rainfall to escape without good ditch work.

Starting about 50 years ago individual fields began to be fitted with below ground "field tile" to reduce the regular flooding which occurs in parts of the field with insufficient slope. Those types of tiles are still going in now every year.  They pay for themselves pretty quickly in better yields and lower cost of crop insurance.

The best answer is more crop rotation and fewer acres planted in row crops.  Nobody will be closing up their drainage ditches and field tile anytime soon.
On Ag practices are mucking with the Mississippi River, says research posted 1 year, 10 months ago 1 Response

No bags in France

When I visited France in 2005 the local grocery stores had no bags nor did they "BAG" your groceries.  They just piled up on the belt as the clerk wondered why we hadn't brought our bags. Colorful paper reusable shopping bags were available for purchase.  No ugly brown please.  Not in France.

But Wolverine, we can't eliminate the packaging industry entirely because of sanitary reasons, and practical reason.  Meat, Milk, frozen products, most liquids, pastry, cottage cheese, peanut butter, jelly.

Bread you can carry bare uncovered under your sweaty armpit just like the French.On Whole Foods to stop giving out plastic grocery bags by Earth Day posted 1 year, 10 months ago 18 Responses

Super delegates and fairness

The idea of superdelegates in the democratic party arises out of a fundamental differences between them and the republicans.  The democratic party, by it's very nature, includes a wider variety of peoples and interests.  The use of superdelegates is supposed to increase the likelihood that the primary process will produce a candidate who is more electable than some of the others. It doesn't always work, but maybe it helps.On Clinton and Romney win in Nevada; McCain wins in South Carolina posted 1 year, 10 months ago 6 Responses

Oh the death of so much dirt

"you need to focus on previously developed land, and let the wilderness breathe freely, since you and i have NO idea what the disastrous domino-effect of killing hundreds of thousands of acres will be."

A lot of very unhappy bacteria?

Here is another even better idea.  Put those windys
on land that CANNOT be developed, like the desert.
Please leave MY developed land alone.On Clean-tech and wind power both soaring posted 1 year, 10 months ago 11 Responses

Confused about hottest years?

Thanks Grist. This piece shows how poor even the best scientists can be at communicating "outside of the peer review process".  They should be forbidden.

NASA and NOAA (nor anybody) can say which year was the second warmest, or the fifth warmest planet-wide.  Such differing results are only useful to statisticians or mathematicians.

They are reporting a different "ranking" of the top years according to the record as they have calculated it.  Read the entire article and you are reminded that the error variance among the top years is sometimes 10X the differences!  Good grief!

They can just barely claim that 2007 is "among" the hottest five years of record.  Nobody can say that 2007 is the second or fifth "hottest". The data simply doesn't support it.

It's fair and good to report results.  It's unwise to avoid using the term "not significant" earlier in the report. And maybe a little dishonest.On NASA declares 2007 second-warmest year on record, NOAA says it's fifth-warmest posted 1 year, 10 months ago 4 Responses

Extra calcium not helpful?

A Google search for "dietary calcium osteoporosis" show NO indication of the claim made above by Charles Uchu.  Hint. It's a trick question.

I only checked the first 100 hits but all confirm that rate of osteoporosis is reduced if the person has ENOUGH calcium and increases if calcium is deficient.  Adding extra calcium won't help if you have enough already.  It DOES help if you are deficient and there are plenty of clinical trials to confirm that conclusion.  Current statistics collected by the US government report that only 21% of Americans are getting enough calcium.

Furthermore, dietary calcium (like in carrots) is more effective than supplemental calcium. The FDA has recently amended their recommendations to include the beneficial effects of vitamin-D on  osteoporosis.

Ain't Google wonderful?
On Scientists unveil genetically modified calcium-boosting supercarrot posted 1 year, 10 months ago 7 Responses

Bad calcium, and different views

All those quack doctors telling women to take more calcium are wrong?  I suggest you actually read the linked articles and inform yourself from other sources. The testing with mice and now humans proves that high calcium carrots raises calcium blood levels more than regular carrots, and without taking any pills.  The test was 100 grams carrots per day. The increased absorption was almost double.

The carrots are NOT "substantially" different than regular carrots.  They differ in only one very minor aspect..... more calcium.

I am looking for different views on this carrot at Google but can't yet find anything "substantial".On Scientists unveil genetically modified calcium-boosting supercarrot posted 1 year, 10 months ago 7 Responses

OK, missed, and same?

1.) The Structure of Life is unchanged. Only the method of reproduction is changed.  Don't let those cows, pigs, and chickens escape to the wild (in large numbers).

2.) Equally susceptible does NOT mean MORE susceptible.  Confinement is what requires more and greater use of chemicals. Equally  susceptible should require fewer antibiotics if the correct genome is chosen.  Any biologists here?

Finally 3.) GMO, and clone NOT the same thing. What part of clone do you not understand?  "I betcha" is not a convincing argument.

Cloning in animals (if you don't know)is intended to reduced variation in the herd for best quality, uniform product, and less disease.  The same process is used natural pure breeding but cloning avoids the negative effects of in-breeding.

I'm not actually defending cloning, I don't know if it really works.  I just wonder if readers here know anything about biology.On Cloned meat and milk just as safe as conventional, says long-awaited FDA report posted 1 year, 10 months ago 28 Responses