October 2014 - Page 3 of 26

Wednesday, October 29th, 2014

Pope Francis: God is “Not a Magician With a Magic Wand”

Barbie Latza Nadeau, - The Daily Beast

Stephan: For an institution as conservative and slow to change as the Roman Catholic Church it seems to me the nuances of Pope Francis' comments are less important -- critics notwithstanding -- than that he chose to speak on these issues at all at this moment. The actual statements are not such a big change from the church's position over the last decade. But I think that misses the point. This public statement has to be seen in the context of his efforts to move the recent synod of bishops on homosexuality. Clearly this is a man who is committed to bring change to a church that is change adverse. For that reason I think this is a substantial deal.

Credit : en.wikipedia.org

On Monday, when Pope Francis addressed prelates and scientists attending a plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, he yet again challenged all we’ve come to expect a pope to say.

Instead of asking those at the meeting to consider God as the supreme creator, he asked them to consider God as a sort of supreme helper. While he stopped short of endorsing the Big Bang theory as the definitive origin of the universe, he did say that science and scripture have a lot in common and believing one does not mean forsaking the other.

“When we read in Genesis the account of Creation, we risk imagining God as a magician, with a magic wand able to make everything,” Francis said. “But it is not so.”

How’s that again? “The Big Bang, which nowadays is posited as the origin of the world, does not contradict the divine act of creating, but rather requires it,” Francis said. “The evolution of nature does not contrast with the notion of Creation, as evolution presupposes the creation of beings that evolve.”

The Pontifical Academy […]

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Wednesday, October 29th, 2014

How Cheap Wind Energy Threatens To Upend The Kansas Governor’s Race And Upset The Koch Brothers

Ari Phillips, - Think Progress

Stephan: Kansas is going to be a particularly interesting election because the state has been made a test case of the economic and social policies of the Corporatist Theocratic Right. As anyone who looks at the data can plainly see these policies have been a disaster. The question is: are the normally very conservative voters of Kansas moved by facts or bias. This report discusses an aspect of the question corporate media has pretty much overlooked but which I think might prove to be dispositive.

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback once supported wind energy, but that was before petrochemical billionaires and Kansas natives Charles and David Koch became his largest campaign donors. Now, Brownback and the Kochs find themselves enmeshed in a highly competitive governor’s race, one that has become a referendum on the much-heralded notion that scaling back government and slashing taxes for the wealthy will lead to economic growth.

A key aspect of this debate hinges on the role of renewable energy in the state and the future of the Kansas’ Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), a law requiring a certain portion of a state’s energy mix come from renewable sources. The Koch brothers have devoted a significant amount of time and money into repealing the standard and as of late, Brownback has wavered in his support. His Democratic opponent, Paul Davis, has taken a stand, saying he would “veto a bill that repeals our RPS” during the first gubernatorial debate.
The future of wind in Kansas depends upon the continuation of the RPS.

“Kansas has some of the greatest potential for wind energy in the […]

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Tuesday, October 28th, 2014

Cold winters have been caused by global warming: new research

Geoffrey Lean, - The Telegraph (U.K.)

Stephan: Whenever you hear climate change deniers or read them inevitably they cite colder winters as proof that climate change science is a scam created by some evil cabal of scientists to frighten people. Once again the facts say otherwise.

New research suggests thatthe icy weather is indeed evidence of change but that, counterintuitively, it reinforces the case for global warming rather than the reverse
Credit: Ben Birchall/PA

It’s been a frequent debating point from climate sceptics. Recent cold winders in Britain and Europe, they often say, undermine the case that the world is growing warmer. Scientists have tended to reply that that is to mix up the short-term effects of weather in a particular region with long term climate change, and that the cold winters therefore are of little significance.

But now new research suggests that both are wrong – that the icy weather is indeed evidence of change but that, counterintuitively, it reinforces the case for global warming rather than the reverse.

Research at Tokyo University and Japan’s national Institute of Polar Research – published in the current issue […]

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Tuesday, October 28th, 2014

Obama Outperforms Reagan On Jobs, Growth And Investing

Adam Hartung, - Forbes

Stephan: As everyone who reads SR knows I am not a particular fan of President Obama. However, I think facts are the only reliable steppingstones through the swamp of politics and here are some facts -- from, I note, a center-right business publication, Forbes. They compare the results of Obamas' administration with those of President Reagan's, the demi-god of the Right. You may be surprised at what such an analysis turns up. Once again you can see that the Right has preferred fantasy over facts.

Adam Hartung

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) today issued America’s latest jobs report covering August. And it’s a disappointment. The economy created an additional 142,000 jobs last month. After six consecutive months over 200,000, most pundits expected the string to continue, including ADP which just yesterday said 204,000 jobs were created in August.

One month variation does not change a trend

Even though the plus-200,000 monthly string was broken (unless revised upward at a future date,) unemployment did continue to decline and is now reported at only 6.1%. Jobless claims were just over 300,000; lowest since 2007. Despite the lower than expected August jobs number, America will create about 2.5 million new jobs in 2014.

And that is great news.

Back in May, 2013 (15 months ago) the Dow was out of its recession doldrums and hitting new highs. I asked readers if Obama could, economically, be the best modern President? Through discussion of that question, the number one issue raised by readers was whether the stock market was a good economic barometer for judging […]

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Tuesday, October 28th, 2014

The Midwest’s Vast Farms Are Losing a Ton of Money This Year

Tom Philpott, Food and Ag Correspondent - Mother Jones

Stephan: This report shows once again how the industrial-chemical agriculture and husbandry model can not survive without massive government welfare. You and I essentially are paying -- through the government -- to underwrite the industry that is poisoning both us and the Earth.

A bin-busting harvest.
Credit: Smereka/Shutterstock

Think you have it tough at work? Consider the plight of the Midwest’s corn and soybean farmers. They churn out the basic raw materials of our food system: the stuff that gets turned into animal feed, sweetener, cooking fat, and even a substantial amount of our car fuel. What do they get for their trouble? According to a stunning analysis (PDF) by Iowa State ag economist Chad Hart, crop prices have fallen so low (a bumper crop has driven down corn prices to their lowest level since 2006), and input costs (think seeds, fertilizers, pesticides) have gotten so high, that they’re losing $225 per acre of corn and $100 per acre of soybeans. So if you’re an Iowa farmer with a 2,000-acre farm, and you planted it half and half in these two dominant crops, you stand to lose $325,000 on this year’s harvest.