Is that Cash, Check, or...Ask Your Parents?

The ever increasing age of maturity will become extended with Uncle Sam's loyal soldiers implementing the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 this week. One clause will seemingly affect all young adults under the age of 21 who must have a co-signer or provide detailed info indicating they can make the payments. So if your planning extravagent spending sprees on credit (perhaps on raging party gear?) that mom and dad may not know about, think again.

...boy is it becoming difficult to grow up these days!


-MFE

Who Says There is No Opposition to Global Warming?

Back in 2003 Dr. Michael Mann, climatologist, used geological factors (i.e. tree rings) to make the argument to Congress that the decade of the 1990s was the hottest decade in a millenium and that 1998 as the hottest year in a millenium. Public opinion and support grew rampant from his findings. From 2003-2005 Dr. McIntyre and McKitrick published articles that countered the validity of Mann's original hypothesis. To resolve this issue Joe Barton, chairman of the US House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee and Ed Whitfield, the chairman of the subcommitte on Oversight and Investigation, requested that Dr. Wegman(Ph.D in mathematical statistics and fellow of the American Statistical Association and Senior Member of the IEEE) issue a report on the statistical validity of the journal(s) published by Michael Mann and the counter-argument(s) posed in the articles of McIntyre and McKitrick.

The Wegman comittee, which included David W. Scott (Rice University) and Yasmin H. Said (The Johns Hopkins University), concluded that Mann's argument was both "obscure and incomplete," while the counter-argument of McIntyre and McKitrick to be both "valid and compelling." The congressional paper concluded: "Our comittee believes that the assessment that the decade of the 1990s was the hottest decade in the millenium and that 1998 was the hottest year in a millenium cannot be supported by Mann's paper." Wegman noted that the Mann report made statistical mistakes that would be common to those that were not fine-tuned in statistical methodology. They found that the cryptic nature used within the Mann report leaves outsiders only guessing at the procedures in use. Furthermore, the Wegman committee held questions as to the validity of using tree rings as a way to interpret temperature signals due to the variability that may arise.

This argument does not dismiss man-made global warming as a whole. However, the ability of lawmakers to direct public policy off unsound evidence should be enough to send shivers down your spine.

-MFE

Michael Phelps vs. Synthetic Polymers

It is hard to believe the swimming records set by Michael Phelps in the latest Beijing Olympics. What is even more amazing is the ability of man's mind to develop a new wetsuit that enables a seemingly no-name swimmer (Paul Biederman) to crush Michael Phelp's and his 200m freestyle record in the World Championships this summer. Outrage from Phelp's manager Bob Bowman and much of the swimming community led, unfortunately, to the banishment of the high-tech suits by FINA (the governing body of swimming) . However, is it justified to ostracize the "NASA" suits? I mean Michael Phelp's record setting olympics was an acculmination of his fitness, skill, and...yes... the latest synthetic fiber, polyurethane, light-weight, ultra-expensive, high-tech swimsuit pant legs developed by Speedo. Does this mean all of his records are considered null and void since he had a competitive advantage to those swimmer's in prior olympics? It appears the only way to satisfy this beleaguered public is for FINA to impose an injunction that reverts to the time of ancient Greece in which athletes had to compete in the nude. This would be absolutely ridiculous. Alternatively, FINA should embrace these new tech suits in full support in the fusion of technology and sport, man's mind together with athletic talent. This makes it not only the accomplishment of the individual athlete but also the prowess and innovation of the thinkers behind the scenes. Perhaps one day two men, innovator and athlete, will stand atop of the podium, leaning forward to receive their well-deserved gold medal.

-MFE

Sample Post - Global Warming Attack on Minnesota

Minnesota is getting ridiculously hot. Somebody better alert Al Gore!