The Museum Of Modern Thinking

Seriously, this is the most interesting piece of art I’ve ever seen. Well, in the last week, anyway

I read with much dismay the Conservative’s proposals to further tax air travel, but at least I can take solace in the fact that the tabloids and broadsheets also find it a bit unsavoury. Frankly, I would expect this sort of proposal from Labour (more stealth taxes from Gordon Brown of course) and the Liberal Democrats (“let’s all live in caves”), as it shows the Climate Change reverence that’s unfortunately so commonplace. I find it odd that airlines do not pay tax of any sort on aviation fuel, and I’m sure that if they were, they’d pass that on to the customer.

Air travel is a bit of an oddity: blamed for dumping tons of CO2 into the atmosphere (oh no, CO2!), various taxes and controls may be placed upon them, and yet Labour are pressing ahead with airport expansions – isn’t that a tad hypocritical?

In case anyone wonders if I’m having a change of heart on climate, er, change, let me assure you: I still think it is a huge pile of methane-producing crap, peddled by people who have nothing else to believe in, or have a vested financial interest (grants, government subsidies for research, etc.), and it’s a useful tool to extract yet more tax. Hope that’s cleared it up for ya

So, 300 opened this weekend in the US, garnering a huge take ($70 million) for its opening weekend; we’ll see how it holds up after next weekend. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing it when it comes out in the UK (March 22nd), should be a blast.

If you’ve had your head buried in the sand for the last couple of months, 300 tells the story of the battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans (plus maybe some other helpers ) held of Xerxes advancing army. How big an army? Well, let’s just say the odds weren’t even, as estimates for the attacking army range between 100,000 and one meeeellleeeeon. Shot Sin City style (blue screen, digital effects), the look of the film is very stylised.

Anyhoo, the point of this post is to direct you to a vid of the training regime followed by the actors to get in shape. It looks rather punishing, and probably is, but it’s rather inspirational I’m off for a run tomorrow morning, honest! The link takes you to Josh Hillis’ Fat Loss and Fitness Articles (something that’s just made it onto my del.icio.us links), I’ll be looking round the rest of the site later.

Edit: Josh has more on the “300 workout”, basically how to do it. Enjoy!

Well, did ya watch it? I did, found it very interesting but I guess my mind was already made up. The facts and figures were interesting, especially the (pre-supposed) link between sunspot activity and temperature (i.e. more sunspot activity = cooler temperatures). However, as I’ve said before, correlation is not causation, and it certainly opens up a debate.

But, that’s how science is meant to be, isn’t it? One theory is put forward, analysed, discussed, disproved (maybe), proved, another theory comes along, all sides discuss, and so on. However, if anyone speaks out against the Religion of Global Warming, er, Global Cooling, um Climate Change, they are denounced as heretics, as many of the scientists who have spoken out have found out to their cost.

As the programme had a obvious bias to disprove the Religion of Climate Change, I’m sure it cherry-picked data. That said, I learnt quite a few things: oceans absorb and give out CO2, more CO2 is produced by decaying leaves than by mankind, stuff like that Al Gore was touched upon (uuhhhrrr), and his claim that CO2 and temperature are linked by examination if Arctic ice core samples is addressed. The only problem is, the more CO2 present, the colder it gets. Al Gore didn’t mention that, oddly enough.

There was also footage of some superb EOTW (End Of The World) porn courtesy of the BBC, happily scaring the crap out of you since 1974 - nothing grabs people’s attention like doom and gloom, eh? I am seriously going off the BBC for many reasons, their constant bleating about “it’s all your fault we’re hotting up” doesn’t help. Incidentally, here’s a blog post on how many miles the BBC fly around the world, makes for interesting reading. “Do as I say, not as I do”?

The programme also shows what a horrifying effect Climate Change is having on developing countries. In Africa, which has it’s own gas and oil, CC believers advocate the use of solar and wind power to drive electricity. In a health centre outside Nairobi, this edict means that the centre can either run lights or a refrigerator – but not both at the same time. Ace. Because electricity is not readily available (lack of infrastructure doesn’t help, obviously), people have to burn wood indoors for heat and cooking; smoke inhalation and related diseases kill many women and children. Now, I am no bleeding heart liberal, but watching an African mother toiling over a fire carrying her baby (therefore exposing baby to smoke) really shocked me. I believe Climate Change is used as an excuse for many things, but it looks like it’s being used to subjugate developing countries as well.

 To sum up, it was a very thought-provoking programme. Jump in with comments, please.

Finally got round to fitting a new aerial to replace the standard aerial. It’s a Richbrook short Sabre anti-theft aerial, purchased from Speeding.co.uk for not many pennies. I also bought the obligatory Richbrook tax disc holder in silver, one of those new “twist off” ones, not bad at all.

Pic of aerial – before:

and after:

Much better

If you’re not a selfish, car-driving, foreign-holiday-taking, global warming sceptic (I am), you might want to watch “The Great Global Warming Swindle” on Channel 4, Thursday night, 9pm (8th March, 2007). In it, people may have their slavish adherence to ideas and policies put forward by unelected, well-paid boffins questioned and adjusted. Climate change is just another excuse to tax the crap out of us, supported by scientists who are handsomely rewarded for their scaremongering.

 If you’re detecting a bit of anger here, you’re not mistaken. “Climate change” is used as an excuse for a lot of things: driving cars is bad, it causes climate change; you can’t go abroad on holiday, it causes climate change; you can’t have a second fridge in a garage because of climate change (I kid you not).

My boss recently said that climate change is a bit like religion (no kidding): in religion, the logical thing to do is lead a good and virtuous life and when you die, if there’s a God you get into heaven, and if there’s no God, well, you’ve lead a good and virtuous life. With climate change, you may as well do all the things you’re told just in case it is true and your actions save the planet. Here’s the problem: I want to be a sinner. I want my fast car, I want my foreign holidays and I resent being told what to do by a bunch of people who still wouldn’t be happy if we were all living in caves!!!

Anyway, rant over. Watch the programme, I await your comments.

PS: We use low energy light bulbs, recycle, switch lights off, have insulated our home, make our own compost (uuhhrrrr!), so I guess I’m hedging my bets a bit anyway