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EDITORIAL: Hiding evidence of global cooling Junk science exposed among climate-change believers
Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Scientific progress depends on accurate and complete data. It also relies on replication. The past couple of days have uncovered some shocking revelations about the baloney practices that pass as sound science about climate change.

It was announced Thursday afternoon that computer hackers had obtained 160 megabytes of e-mails from the Climate Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in England. Those e-mails involved communication among many scientific researchers and policy advocates with similar ideological positions all across the world. Those purported authorities were brazenly discussing the destruction and hiding of data that did not support global-warming claims.

Continue reading “Journal: UK Emails on Fraudulent Climate Science”

2009/11/232009/11/23

Journal: UN IPCC, Al Gore, & Big Doubts

03 Environmental Degradation, Analysis, Earth Intelligence, Ethics, Government, Key Players, Methods & Process, Non-Governmental

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The devastating book which debunks climate change

By Christopher Booker 23 November 2009

Hundreds of emails leaked from the internal computer system of the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia show how a small group of highly influential senior British and U.S. scientists have for years been secretly discussing ways in which their evidence could be manipulated to make the threat posed by global warming sound much worse than it is.

To place the significance of these revelations into context, let us recall how exactly a year ago, Parliament passed, virtually unopposed, what was far and away the most expensive new law ever put before it. On the Government's own figures, the Climate Change Act is going to cost Britain £18 billion a year – that's £720 for every household in the country – every year from now until 2050.

The Book:

The Real Global Warming Disaster: Is the Obsession with “Climate Change” Turning Out to Be the Most Costly Scientific Blunder in History?

Books Reviewed within Phi Beta Iota:

The Real Environmental Crisis: Why Poverty, Not Affluence, Is the Environment’s Number One Enemy

The Resilient Earth–Science, Global Warming and the Future of Humanity

COOL IT–The Skeptical Environmentalist’s Guide to Global Warming

The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World

Continue reading “Journal: UN IPCC, Al Gore, & Big Doubts”

2009/11/182009/11/18

Journal: United Nations a “Dumb” Elite Organization

01 Agriculture, 03 Economy, 06 Family, 11 Society, Collective Intelligence, Earth Intelligence, Key Players, Non-Governmental, Peace Intelligence

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UN food summit ends with ‘crumbs' in hunger fight

By FRANCES D'EMILIO (AP) – 1 hour ago

ROME — The head of a U.N. food agency expressed regret Wednesday that an anti-hunger summit failed to result in precise promises of funding, and critics said the meeting had only thrown crumbs to the world's 1 billion people without enough to eat.

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2009/11/172009/11/17

Worth a Look: Open Participation Methods

Collective Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence, Earth Intelligence, Worth A Look

Open Participation Methods

Recommended by Tom Atlee

Specialised participatory methods

Various specialised techniques have been developed to encourage public involvement in decision-making processes.

Open Space Technology

Future Search

Appreciative Inquiry

Participatory Appraisal

Open Agenda Conferences

Charette

Sustained Dialogue

Change Lab using the U-Process

Related resources

2009/11/11

Journal: Vatican Conference on Extra-Terrestial Life

08 Wild Cards, Analysis, Civil Society, Earth Intelligence, Intelligence (Extra-Terrestrial)

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by Nicholos Wethington

10 November 2009 [Happy Birthday, Marines]

Though it may seem an unlikely location to happen upon a conference on astrobiology, the Vatican recently held a “study week” of over 30 astronomers, biologists, geologists and religious leaders to discuss the question of the existence of extraterrestrials. This follows the statement made last year by the Pope's chief astronomer, Father Gabriel Funes, that the existence of extraterrestrials does not preclude a belief in God, and that it's a question to be explored by the Catholic Church. The event, put on by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, took place at the Casina Pio IV on the Vatican grounds from November 6-11. . . . . . . .

“Just like there is an abundance of creatures on earth, there could also be other beings, even intelligent ones, that were created by God. That doesn't contradict our faith, because we cannot put boundaries to God's creative freedom. As saint Francis would say, when we consider the earthly creatures to be our “brothers and sisters”, why couldn't we also talk about a “extraterrestrial brother”? He would still be part of creation.”

2009/11/08

Journal: Twitter Aggregation Way Cool

Collective Intelligence, Communities of Practice, Earth Intelligence

Fort Hood: A First Test for Twitter Lists

In the aftermath of violence, lists suggest the benefits of collaboration

By Megan Garber

In the immediate aftermath of the shootings, news outlets from The New York Times to The Huffington Post to The Today Show created lists that aggregated the Twitter feeds of, among others, national breaking-news sources (CNN, the AP), official sources (the U.S. Army, the Red Cross, the office of Texas governor Rick Perry), local news organizations, and local individuals.

Twitter lists were tempering conjecture with the wisdom-of-crowds brand of mediation that is built into their multi-channel approach.

“The Internet” is, in its way, a one-stop news shop; and through, in particular, the deceptively simple innovation that is the hyperlink, news outlets are increasingly defined by connection rather than separation. (Thus, the “Web.”) And that, in turn—fundamentally, if not completely—topples the competitive underpinnings of newsgathering as a profession. Do what you do best, and link to the rest.

Continue reading “Journal: Twitter Aggregation Way Cool”

2009/11/072009/11/07

Worth a Look: International Consortium of Investigative Journalists

Earth Intelligence, Media, Worth A Look

Home Page

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) is a collaboration of some of the world's top investigative reporters. Launched in 1997 as a project of the Center for Public Integrity, ICIJ globally extends the Center's style of watchdog journalism, working with 100 journalists in 50 countries to produce long-term, transnational investigations.

Tobacco Underground

The illicit trafficking of tobacco is a multibillion-dollar business today, fueling organized crime and corruption, robbing governments of needed tax money, and spurring addiction to a deadly product. Drawn by profits rivaling those of narcotics, smugglers move cigarettes by the billion, making tobacco the world's most widely smuggled legal substance.
Collateral Damage

Post-9/11 U.S. foreign policy and military aid and assistance had a huge impact in nations around the world — and at home. This award-winning project includes 20 articles from four continents.
Divine Intervention, U.S. AIDS Policy Abroad

A year-long investigation of President Bush’s initiative to fight AIDS abroad finds that conservative ideology hinders its real benefits by insisting on abstinence-only programs over promoting condom use.
Windfalls of War, U.S. Contractors in Afghanistan & Iraq

A comprehensive examination of companies that won contracts for work in Iraq and Afghanistan — and of their campaign contributions, led by General Electric and Vinnell Corporation (the former Northrup Grumman).