Overplaying the Warming Hand

Katrina is a terrible, terrible disaster. Global Warming is real, and it is demonstrably linked to human activity.

But to suggest Katrina is linked to global warming is to overplay the hand. There is no pattern to support the assertion that hurricane activity is up in intensity over time. We are in a period of higher tropical storm production, but this is more the result of el nino and el nina activity.

In fact, more realistic global warming scenarios show the temperature in the Atlantic may drop significantly, thus suppressing hurricane formation.

Making hasty claims provides ammunition to the detractors of climate change science that supports the case for emmissions regulations. It does so by giving these opponents something to point to when they say humanity’s role in global warming is exaggerated.

My Pet Goat - The Musical

WTF? No, seriously. WTF? As the worst disaster in recent US history - yes, worse than 9/11 - unfolds before his eyes, the emperor fiddles. This is George W. Bush on August 30th, 2005 as the aftermath of Katrina in Biloxi, Slidell and Mobile becomes more fully known, and flood waters continue to rise in the former city of New Orleans.

President Bush plays a guitar presented to him by Country Singer Mark Wills, right, backstage following his visit to Naval Base Coronado, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005. Bush visited the base to deliver remarks on V-J Commemoration Day. (AP Photo/ABC News, Martha Raddatz)

Meet Clusty

When I installed Tiger on my Mac I was very, very happy with the way Spotlight presents results in clusters of file types. Its much easier to find what you want when information is clustered together into types and categories.

Meet Clusty. Clusty is not a Google challenger because it is a meta-search. Meta-search relies on other search engines and does not have its own index. However, Google will emulate Clusty, because it is so damned cool. And when Clusty goes down to defeat, the parents of Clusty will be able to say they did it first.

Clusty groups search results into clusters of similar items. It does this by analyzing language. It works. It is very helpful.

Look for Clusty-like technologies to become common-place in your search experience.

Massive Crime Ring Exposed

Each time one of us regular folk makes a tax payment we think, damn, that hurts. If we are somewhat connected to our society we then think, well at least it pays for education, roads, healthcare and other good services we all depend on.

We all think maybe our taxes are a bit too high because of waste, and we all resent people who seem to be freeloaders. And we have a suspicion that rich people don’t pay their fair share.

The latter suspicion was borne out today when it was announced that KPMG in the United States has admitted wrongdoing in setting up fraudulent tax schemes to help wealthy individuals avoid paying taxes.

KPMG used shelters to generate phony tax losses of $11.2 billion for 601 wealthy clients from 1996 to 2002, according to documents filed today as part of the deferred prosecution settlement with the firm. The company earned at least $115 million in fees for arranging the shelters.

If you do the math that’s about 18m per person. Sheesh, what I couldn’t do with with 18m bucks.

Its unfair enough the wealthy can afford to hire people to make sure they pay less tax within the rules, which they set via their representatives in Ottawa, Washington and other capitals. Now it appears there is organized criminal fraud among the wealthy and their service providers.

I am encouraged at this development because it means some of it is coming to light. Far too little, I’m afraid. We’ll be watching.

I’m Mesopelagian, eh?

Of interest to everyone is the origin of the name of our great country Canada. Of even more interest are the names that almost were.

In particlular, Albion, which, “in the complex mythology of William Blake, is the primeval man whose fall and division results in the Four Zoas: Urizen, Tharmas, Luvah and Urthona,” seemed right on the mark since, in Canada, we really do have it all.

This stands in great contrast to the apocryphal version of the naming which states Spanish Explorers wrote on an early map aca nada or “nothing there.”

Originally suggested names for Canada:

* Albion
* Albionoria - “Albion of the north”
* Borealia – from ‘borealis’, the Latin word for ‘northern’; compare with Australia
* Cabotia – in honour of Italian explorer John Cabot, who explored the eastern coast of Canada for England
* Colonia
* Efisga - an acronym of “English, French, Irish, Scottish, German, Aboriginal”
* Hochelega – an old name for Montreal
* Mesopelagia - “land between the seas”
* Norland
* Superior
* Tuponia - derived from ‘The United Provinces of North America’
* Ursalia - “place of bears”
* Vesperia - “land of the evening star”
* Victorialand – in honour of Queen Victoria

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