Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Rain, rain, go away, come again another day...

And another,

And another,

And another.

I'm Cali, born and raised, so I get a little irritated with the constant nattering about drought.

Bad news folks, California is a wet/dry climate. We have regular cycles of wet and then dry. In other words, it's not a drought, it's normal for our climate.

However, the constant stream of misinformation is big business, not just for the media, but for all aspects of our California culture. Just like the "global warming" scenario is for the Feds and scientists looking for grant money.

To be blunt, the entire planet cycles.

Sometimes it's hotter.

Sometimes it's colder.

Sometimes it's wetter.

Sometimes it's dryer.

There are far, far more factors involved in climate and weather than man's influence.

Now, I'm not saying that we shouldn't use wind, solar, water, any alternate energy source. Heck no! We certainly should. But not because of the hype about global warming. We should do it because done right, it would be cheaper for the consumer.

The next time you hear nattering about drought or global warming, remember: It wasn't that long ago that scientists were sure that we were slipping into the next ice age.

Honestly, all it would take would be another Krakatoa or Tambora or Yellowstone to make an abrupt change in our climate cycles.

So while the doomsayers natter on, do some research, check into the information that they state as fact (it's usually just the latest theory and not a fact at all), and take it all with a grain of salt. The earth may be heating up or cooling down, but scientists and politicians don't know how or why, they just think they do.

And as long as there's grant money available to "prove" those theories, somebody is going to be doing their best to find the facts that fit the theory. Yeah, it's not very ethical, but it's what happens all too often when money meets a theory...

The Little Ice Age: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Ice_Age
Krakatoa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krakatoa
Tambora: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tambora
Yellowstone: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_Caldera
http://www.livescience.com/environment/050308_super_volcano.html

James Watson Is A Racist

Let's get blunt here.

The man who basically ripped off the woman's work on DNA and got a Nobel Prize for it, is now blathering about intelligence?

Whoa Nelly! What kind of guy would steal another person's work then have the gall to accuse people of color, specifically Africans, of being less intelligent than whites?

I can tell you what kind. The unethical, conniving, demented kind. This is a man, who with his fellow researcher, got a copy of Franklin's DNA X-ray data (probably without her knowledge), and the manuscript by Pauling and Corey, which gave them the crucial insights into the DNA structure that they needed to write their own article. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalind_Franklin) They based their entire work on other people's research, and unashamedly took credit for it.

Now, honestly Rosalind could not have received the Nobel Prize, she died of ovarian cancer in 1958. The rules don't allow for posthumous awards. Despite this, I think that Watson's Nobel Prize should be revoked.

Anyway, Watson has gone on, year after year, peddling his racist, bigoted, homophobic beliefs to the world under his false credentials as "a Nobel Prize winner". Huh.

Yeah, I know he's back peddling now. Like I care at this point.

He'd better backpedal! His job has suspended him. He's being made to look like the ass he is. LOL, his pride must be suffering as the media is having a feeding frenzy at his expense.

Fellow scientists are busily refuting this preposterous theory of intelligence as fast as they can issue press releases (or be tracked down by reporters). For example, quote: "And further critical comment of Dr Watson's views has come from Dr Craig Venter, the scientist/businessman who led the private effort to decode the human genome, and who, by coincidence, is also visiting the UK to promote a book. 'Skin colour as a surrogate for race is a social concept not a scientific one,' Dr Venter said. 'There is no basis in scientific fact or in the human genetic code for the notion that skin colour will be predictive of intelligence.'"

Yay, Craig! Speak it!

I'd like to give Watson a break, just because I'm nice and he's old and could be slipping into dementia. But I'm afraid his past history of ugly remarks, racist and homophobic beliefs, don't allow me to be that kind to the old coot.

No matter how respected or old he might be, there's NO excuse for this kind of stupidity in today's world.

Yes, this is America. He has the benefit of freedom of speech. He's allowed to make himself look like an idiot. And I'm allowed to call him on it.

James Watson is a racist. And in his fading years, he's finally shown his true colors to the entire world.

Who says there's no justice in this life? Rosalind has been vindicated. And Watson reviled.

Huh.

A few interesting links:
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20071019/lead/lead6.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7052416.stm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalind_Franklin