Jonathan Miller: Why Tea Partiers Can't Handle the Truth & What We Can Do About It

Fortunately, my better angels intervene to remind me why so many Americans sincerely refuse to accept the widely-embraced truths that underlie critical matters of national policy. Some of it is due to the prevalent cultural disbelief of elites that always intensifies during periods of economic discontent. Much of it results from the digital age's empowerment of extreme and often disingenuous voices that pollute cable TV and the blogosphere with misleading data and narratives, often paid for by those who profit from a confused and polarized populace. (See, e.g., the oil industry and climate change.)

Twitter / @rebeccawatson: Good news!

Good news! Greg Laden has done away with climate change denialism for good. http://bit.ly/n886iu Glad THAT'S over!

William M. Briggs, Statistician » UN Nearly Makes Climate Change A Peace And Security Matter

What is obvious is that there are one or two genuine zealots like Rice and Steiner, more than a few countries with their hands out, so anxious to lay claim to the alms the UN might disperse that they will say the most outrageously false things, and a handful of stalwarts who don’t want to be the source of these alms.

It is clear that the UN through the Security Council, as all political organizations do, seeks to increase its own power. They were stopped only because China and Russia did not want to play along. A curious situation: our enemies (of a sort) taking a position against our government but which ultimately supports us. So, at least for now, thank God for China and Russia.

THE HOCKEY SCHTICK: The world record heat wave occurred in 1923 when CO2 was very safe

Marble Bar heatwave, 1923-24
The world record for the longest sequence of days above 100°Fahrenheit (or 37.8° on the Celsius scale) is held by Marble Bar in the inland Pilbara district of Western Australia. The temperature, measured under standard exposure conditions, reached or exceeded the century mark every day from 31 October 1923 to 7 April 1924, a total of 160 days.