Marc Comtois

Harrop’s Call for “rigorous journalists” on Climate Reporting Apparently Doesn’t Include Herself

By Marc Comtois | November 30, 2009 |

First: On November 19, 2009, climate science was severely shaken by the release of a collection of email messages, together with a collection of data and data processing programs, that were hacked or revealed by a whistle blower from the University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit (CRU), one of the key centers of global…

Happy Thanksgiving

By Marc Comtois | November 26, 2009 |

To commemorate Thanksgiving this year, I thought it appropriate to post George Washington’s original Thanksgiving Proclamation setting aside Thursday, November 26th (exactly 220 years ago!) as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer. General Thanksgiving By the PRESIDENT of the United States Of America A PROCLAMATION WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to…

A Teaching Moment

By Marc Comtois | November 25, 2009 |

The Kennedy/Tobin flap has revealed the rank opportunism of those who, like the Kennedy’s and so many other politicians, fall back on their Catholic heritage when it comes to getting votes from one segment (older Democrats who remember Jack) or excoriate the Church when it is advantageous to get them from another (pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage…

ProJo Comments on RI Invisible Districts

By Marc Comtois | November 23, 2009 |

Six days after I noted the new congressional districts in RI, the ProJo has taken notice and did some digging: We weren’t sure who to call to clarify the confusion. “We do not know who represents the 86th and 5th Congressional Districts,” Governor Carcieri spokeswoman Amy Kempe told Political Scene with a chuckle. “Unfortunately, I…

SNL Parodies Obama’s “Wimpy Economics”

By Marc Comtois | November 23, 2009 |

Saturday Night Live’s most recent parody of President Obama (he’s finally fair-game, apparently) calls attention to his “Wimpy Economics”–pay now, and we promise you’ll receive later. Right. “I am noticing that each of your plans to save money involves spending even more money.” Health care “reform” is but the latest example–cuts and taxes will kick…

Five Years

By Marc Comtois | November 20, 2009 |

I believe it has gone unmentioned so far, so I’ll do it: November 7th marked Anchor Rising’s 5 Year anniversary. I’m not sure what the average blog shelf-life is out there, but I suspect (and based on my own experience!) that we’ve surpassed it easily. That is partly due to our own doggedness (and the…

Republicans Less Likely to be Unemployed

By Marc Comtois | November 20, 2009 |

According to Rasmussen (h/t): Data from Rasmussen Reports national telephone surveys shows that 15.0% of Democrats in the workforce are currently unemployed and looking for a job. Among adults not affiliated with either major party, that number is 15.6% while just 9.9% of Republicans are in the same situation….The percentage of unemployed Democrats has grown…

Moonfish

By Marc Comtois | November 19, 2009 |

According to i09, citing National Geographic, there is oxygen-rich water on Jupiter’s ice-covered moon, Europa: That amount of oxygen would be enough to support more than just microscopic life-forms: At least three million tons of fishlike creatures could theoretically live and breathe on Europa, said study author Richard Greenberg of the University of Arizona in…

Progressive Warns: “If Conservatives Ran Healthcare”

By Marc Comtois | November 19, 2009 |

Maggie Mahar of the Century Foundation warns: If you’re a progressive like me, and you’re upset by the Stupak amendment, which bars federally subsidized insurance from covering abortions, consider this: What if we had a single-payer health-care system and someone like Jeb Bush or Sarah Palin were running the country? Many liberals remain angry and…

To Hell With “Government Experts”, Keep Feeling Your Boobies

By Marc Comtois | November 18, 2009 |

As an engineer, I’m quite familiar with the concept of the feedback loop, root cause analysis, etc. when it comes to preventive maintenance. For example, lets say you’re supposed to change your oil every 3,000 miles. But over time, it’s discovered that your car’s engine runs just as well and doesn’t wear any worse when…