Media touts Camping’s Rapture garbage again — and again it shall not come to pass

October 16, 2011

Harold Camping is at it again. (Or is he? –  it seems to be the media just highlighting a statement on his website and recycling his May 23rd interview rather than any thing more recent). After his predicted May 21st Rapture failed to appear (after his previous failed prediction for a September 6th 1994 Rapture), the 90 year-old is  now predicting the great day will be next week on Friday October 21st.

Christian Post: Harold Camping has predicted that the rapture will take place on Oct. 21, following his May 21 prediction failed to come to pass. He explained this by saying May 21 was just the spiritual rapture, and the physical rapture would soon follow in October. … When describing the rapture prior to May 21, Camping spoke about a great earthquake “such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.” He then said that those “who survive this terrible earthquake will exist in a world of horror and chaos beyond description. Each day people will die until Oct. 21, 2011, when God will completely destroy this earth and its surviving inhabitants.”

I suppose the Christian Post improves its circulation numbers by publishing this rubbish in addition to their usual nonsense.

But I note that the Family Radio websites themselves are just carrying a few lines which read:

But that universal judgment will not be physically seen until the last day of the five month judgment period, on October 21, 2011. ….. Thus we can be sure that the whole world, with the exception of those who are presently saved (the elect), are under the judgment of God, and will be annihilated together with the whole physical world on October 21, 2011, ….. 

Nevertheless, somebody must be making lots of money from this garbage. Camping is probably senile and apparently he suffered a stroke after the 21st May prediction (which was no debacle considering the amount of interest and money that was raised). But he is surely surrounded by those who are now intent on capitalising on the “Rapture brand” for whatever it is worth even if returns must be diminishing. The money for his Family Radio organisation comes primarily from milking the gullible and the suicidal and the weak-minded.

Newsvine: Amidst all of these predictions, Harold Camping has been profiting quite resoundingly.  The 2009 IRS filings from Family Radio, his radio network, indicated that it had over $104 million in assets.  And those profits aren’t all going toward Christian causes, like helping the needy or setting up missions.  Around $34 million of those assets are tied up in investments.  Harold Camping and Family Radio are profiting from these phony predictions, making money through their efforts to drum up fear.

Apparently in May, Camping and his followers spent a lot of money – though the numbers don’t quite add up:

The Guardian: Camping and his followers spent more than $100m worldwide on billboards and posters, financed by the sale and swap of radio stations. Advertising popped up across America and the globe from Iraq to Lebanon to Israel to Jordan, the Philippines to Vietnam, where thousands of the Hmong ethnic hill tribe gathered together on the Thai border in anticipation of the event. The campaign was backed up by Camping’s radio show. …. There has been a mini-boom in firms and individuals offering to look after the pets of those who believed they were about to be raptured. Eternal Earth-Bound Pets, set up by New Hampshire atheist Bart Centre, has about 250 clients who paid $135 (£83) for insurance policies that guarantee Centre and others will care for their animals when they ascend. Others paid out to sign up with websites that would send out farewell letters to friends and relations left behind.

But it all makes a lot of sense if one removes religion from the equation.

This is all just entertainment and the making of money from a serial radio show which is coming to the end of its natural life. It has been running since 1992 and no matter what one may say – it has had a very good run. The producer’s task is now to milk the “rapture” show until it is deserted by its listeners and has to be taken off the air. And if a few disturbed people give away all their belongings or kill off their animals or even commit suicide; so be it – it only strengthens the “brand”.

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Posted in Alarmism, Business, Media | 1 Comment »

Another plagiarising “churnalist” resigns – this time at Politico

October 15, 2011

There would seem to be a plagiarising epidemic – but it is just that with the world wide web there is nowhere to hide.

After Johann Hari, and Steven King this time a reporter from Politico – Kendra Marr – has been found regurgitating material from the New York Times and Associated Press among others. The Media Decoder blog of the NYT has the story:

A reporter for the news Web site Politico resigned on Thursday after allegations that she had used content in a number of her stories from articles that had been published in The New York Times, The Associated Press, NJ.com and other sources.

John F. Harris, Politico’s editor-in-chief, and Jim VandeHei, the site’s executive editor, published an editor’s note Thursday night after an e-mail inquiry by Susan Stellin, a freelance reporter for the New York Times, which prompted Politico editors to review work by reporter Kendra Marr. …. 

Seven articles have since been updated with editor’s notes explaining that earlier versions of the stories used reporting from other sources without attribution. Editors at Politico would not comment on the matter.

What is a little strange is the Politico has not or will not provide any details as to the extent of the plagiarism (for example by giving examples of what was plagiarised). But her profile is still on the Politico website. Her articles have been laundered and the plagiarised versions have been deleted. An editors note is added.

Kendra Marr

Kendra Marr

Kendra Marr is a national political reporter for POLITICO. She spent a year reporting out of the White House briefing room and is now tracking the 2012 presidential contenders.

Marr previously covered financial news for The Washington Post, where she followed Detroit’s automakers through bailout and bankruptcy. Her work has also appeared in the San Jose Mercury News, The Orange County Register and The Miami Herald.

Marr grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and international studies at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

KENDRA’S RECENT STORIES

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Posted in Ethics, Media | Comments Off on Another plagiarising “churnalist” resigns – this time at Politico

An Indian University Vice Chancellor’s blog

October 15, 2011

Professor Ramakrishna Ramaswamy was appointed the Vice Chancellor of  the University of Hyderabad in India in June this year and he runs a blog – possibly the only University Vice Chancellor in India to do so.

Ramakrishna Ramaswamy Prof. Ramaswamy is new VC of University of Hyderabad

Ramakrishna Ramaswamy, VC UoH

A central Central University 

What is particularly unusual with Ramaswamy’s blog is his attempt to reach out to all levels at the University and abroad. The hierarchical and paternalistic (some would say feudal) tendencies in Indian society in general and at Indian Universities in particular are so strong that they create impenetrable barriers between every distinct academic or management “level”. Normally Vice Chancellors – in my limited experience though my mother was also a Vice Chancellor – keep their distance from the riffraff and zealously protect the access that is allowed to them.

As Prof. Ramaswamy writes

This blog is devoted to matters that are of concern to the community at the University of Hyderabad, and more generally to anyone interested in higher education matters in India. This is not to say it is purposely limited, it is just that some issues tend to be region specific.

and I wish him every success with his attempt. He takes some risk with his blog but I commend the challenge he places in front of his colleagues and students to genuinely participate and not just to “kowtow”.

I note that he is writing all his posts himself but that the comments are generally very politically correct and somewhat timid. The timidity is understandable since a Vice Chancellor wields enormous power at a University. It will take some time for the chains of political correctness to break.

A few interesting posts – like this one on anonymous allegations about corruption.

My impression with  some of the comments was of people positioning themselves in front of the “boss” – but this will surely evolve.

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Posted in Behaviour, Education, India | 2 Comments »

Further shenanigans at Singapore’s Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*)

October 15, 2011

Singapore was recently rocked by the Melendez affair where a much vaunted scientist was found to have manipulated data and 70 of his scientific papers are now under investigation. An excellent summary of the situation is here at Retraction Watch. Alirio Melendez who is currently employed by the University of Liverpool has been suspended pending the results of the investigation. In the strait-laced Singapore society which is utterly convinced about its own excellence in all things, this has come as a rude shock and shattered the complacent view of the academic world that “misconduct does not happen here”. There is now some concern that the reputation of the academic world in Singapore may be seriously tarnished.

But the misconduct may be rather more widespread than they would like to think. The “rotten” core was revealed by an “anonymous whistleblower” but it may be just the opening of the lid of a Pandora’s box.

Joerg Zwirner, an immunologist and associate professor at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen reports further cases of misconduct at Abnormal Science. He reports – courtesy of the whistleblower again – on 3 further papers where image manipulation is apparent. This time the common author is Kong-Peng Lam, of  the Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Immunology, Biomedical Sciences Institutes, Singapore Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

Singapore and scientific misconduct: No end in sight

The three papers where image manipulation is apparent are:

1. Ng CH, Xu S, Lam KP.
Dok-3 plays a nonredundant role in negative regulation of B-cell activation.
Blood. 2007; 110: 259-66.

2. Tan JE, Wong SC, Gan SK, Xu S, Lam KP.
The adaptor protein BLNK is required for b cell antigen receptor-induced activation of nuclear factor-kappa B and cell cycle entry and survival of B lymphocytes.
J Biol Chem. 2001; 276:20055-63.

3. Wong SC, Chew WK, Tan JE, Melendez AJ, Francis F, Lam KP.
Peritoneal CD5+ B-1 cells have signaling properties similar to tolerant B cells.
J Biol Chem. 2002; 277: 30707-15.

Prof. KP Lam’s profile at A* is here. He has Minnesota, Columbia and Stanford behind him and a long list of publications in major journals.

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Posted in Academic misconduct, scientific misconduct | 2 Comments »

El Hierro quietens down and effects of undersea eruptions are visible from space

October 14, 2011

From iweather

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flying on board NASA’s Aqua satellite captured green stains on the surface of the sea to the south of El Hierro on Friday. (MODIS image here)

MODIS image of El Hierro on the afternoon of Friday 14 October 2011

MODIS image of El Hierro on the afternoon of Friday 14 October 2011: image iweather

In the above image two large green stains are visible on the surface of Las Calmas Sea. In addition to the stains, officials from Spain’s Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) have reported a strong smell of sulphur and dead fish floating on the surface.

The IGN said the large stains emanated from two fissures on the sea bed, approximately 700-1000 metres below the surface.  Scientists say they are hopeful this week’s eruptions will reduce pressure and the potential for eruptive activity occurring on the 285 square kilometre island. …

.. A ROV (Remotely Operated ‘underwater’ Vehicle) is scheduled to arrive in El Hierro on Monday to undertake a seabed study.

The eruptions take place amidst an unprecedented earthquake swarm in El Hierro. The number of earthquakes recorded since July 17, 2011 on El Hierro has now exceeded 10,500.  The number and intensity of earthquakes has reduced signifcantly in the past 48 hours, however.

Aerial Video Of Sea Surface Stains 

 

 

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Posted in Geosciences, Natural Phenomena, Volcanos | 1 Comment »

Rupert Murdoch faces opposition – but no real threat – from News Corp minority shareholders

October 14, 2011

Rupert Murdoch and his family members have about 44% of the voting shares in News Corp and his good friend Saudi  Prince Alwaleed bin Talal owns the second largest voting block with about 7% and this gives Murdoch effective control over the composition of the Board and all decisions.

But the smaller shareholders who have been grumbling for some time are beginning to get noisy and even showing signs of resistance.

But the minorities are not rolling over. Their biggest gripe is the “rampant nepotism” in the company, and it is here that Murdoch may eventually have to give ground. ….. Even before the (hacking) crisis, small News Corp shareholders had launched a lawsuit against its “rampant nepotism” for paying £415m for Shine, a television production company founded by Rupert Murdoch’s daughter, Elisabeth.

Reuters reports that at New Corp’s Annual General Meeting in a weeks time, the opposition to Murdoch will be on display:

Rupert Murdoch’s multi-million dollar campaign to win back the hearts and minds of News Corporation’s independent investors suffered a new blow on Friday after another key shareholder group called for his eviction from its board.

Hermes Equity Ownership Services (HEOS), the shareholder advisory service affiliated to Britain’s largest pension fund, issued a rallying cry to investors to vote against all Murdoch family re-elections to the board of the embattled media group at next week’s annual general meeting on October 21. …..

…. The organization, which votes on behalf of the BT Pension Fund and more than 20 other institutional clients running $140 billion of assets, has also called for an independent investigation into the phone hacking scandal that led to the closure of top-selling British tabloid The News of the World….. “The time is right for the company to appoint an independent chairman to rebuild trust, help correct the governance discount, and ensure that the interests of all investors are properly represented,” Jennifer Walmsley, Director of Hermes Equity Ownership Services, said.

Besides seeking the removal of Murdoch and sons James and Lachlan, HEOS — whose members hold 0.5 percent of News Corp’s shares — Hermes is also withholding support for the re-election of directors Arthur Siskind and Andrew Knight, citing concerns for their independence. …… Earlier this week, Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS) said Murdoch and 10 other News Corp directors should be ousted from board in the wake of the phone hacking scandal, which it said “laid bare a striking lack of stewardship and independence.” 

The ISS statement prompted News Corp, which has bought back more than $1 billion of its stock since August, to step up its appeal for shareholder support with a letter that reiterated its strong financial performance in the face of the flagging global economy.

… “There is a huge problem with shareholder democracy at News Corp — it breaches what we see as a fundamental shareholder right of ‘one share, one vote’,” (Walmsley) said.

But 51% of the voting shares is a clear controlling interest no matter which way you look at it and no matter how loud one may shout for “one share one vote”. It will be difficult to overcome and minority shareholders who are truly upset may have no other option than to vote with their feet. HEOS with its 0.5% can make noise but cannot really do much else. Murdoch is canny enough to make sure that won’t happen. He just needs to ensure they get an attractive return even if the “Murdoch” discount holds back the share value. So my expectation is a lot of noise but no real change. Perhaps James Murdoch will give up one of his Board positions just to placate the noisiest opposition.

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Posted in Behaviour, Business, Ethics | 2 Comments »

Europe this week: ethics loses as Berlusconi and Juholt continue while Fox resigns

October 14, 2011

Berlusconi clings to power in Italy, while Håkan Juholt continues wallowing through his mire in Sweden and Liam Fox resigns in the UK.

Strange are the ways of politics and ethics. And even when ethics seems to win – as in the Liam Fox affair – there is a sense that the victory is superficial.

Berlusconi will probably hang on by his finger nails as Italy goes the way of Greece. Juholt has probably ensured that his party – the Social Democrats – will lose members and the next election. In the UK the full extent of the dubious antics of Liam Fox’s “best man” have yet to be revealed and David Cameron is struggling with the lack of competence in his Cabinet.

It is tempting to conclude that the common thread is that ethics and competence cannot survive together. But I refuse to believe that it is impossible to be competent or a politician without sacrificing your ethics – even if such examples are difficult to find.

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A book is born: Finally a hard light on the IPCC’s advocacy

October 14, 2011

I have just started reading this book but have been following the author’s investigations of the IPCC’s rather “unscientific” advocacy on behalf of environmental lobby groups for some time.

The Delinquent Teenager Who Was Mistaken for the World's Top Climate Expert

by Donna Laframboise

The Delinquent Teenager Who Was Mistaken for the World’s Top Climate Expert

by  Donna Laframboise.

Admirable.

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Posted in Alarmism, Climate, scientific misconduct | Comments Off on A book is born: Finally a hard light on the IPCC’s advocacy

Swedish Social Democrats commit suicide as they destroy their own leader

October 14, 2011

I was not much impressed by the “back-room” election of Håkan Juholt as the leader of the Swedish Social Democrats and nor have I been very impressed by his performance to date. But the current media storm over his “failings” (excessive housing and travel expense claims, vacillation on immigration and citizenship and embellishing his credentials as a young politician) is I think entirely fuelled by forces within his own party which have decided to take revenge for the manner in which they were ignored and overridden in the battle for the party leadership. The timing  and the drip feeding of all the revelations over the last week screams of an “inside job”. There are some who are now blaming the media feeding frenzy – which no doubt exists – but it was surely initiated – and perhaps orchestrated – by a few of his party “colleagues”.

But this internecine feuding will surely keep the Social Democrats out of government for a long time to come.

Irrespective of whether he will actually be found to have broken any laws or parliamentary rules, his position and that of his party has been destroyed for the next election in 2014. The prevailing perception – that will surely dominate the next election – is of a party which is supposed to represent workers, weaker members of society and the downtrodden but where the representatives are a grubby, greedy, hypocritical lot looking for every possibility of lining their own pockets. They have opened themselves up for unending attacks regarding their ethics. All social democratic politicians can now be  accused of embodying a “do as I say and not a do as I do” mentality.

Needless to say, the left-wing of the party which organised the coup which made Juholt the party leader 6 months ago are now whining and busy blaming the “neo-liberal” wing for leaking and initiating the whole affair. As one of them- Daniel Suhonen – puts it:

Maybe Juholt needs to go, maybe he deserves it. But the story of how this has happened for probably all the wrong reasons, and how the trap was sprung by the
neo-liberal, right-oriented social democrats in the county of Stockholm has yet to be revealed.

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Food production can double and solutions are available for feeding the planet

October 14, 2011

A new study shows that alarmist, Malthusian, doomsday scenarios regarding feeding the world’s population which may reach 9 billion in 2050 are not justified.

A team of researchers from Canada, the U.S., Sweden and Germany has concluded from modelling results that it is feasible to double the world’s food production while reducing the environmental impacts of agriculture. Their findings were recently published in the journal Nature.

Solutions for a cultivated planet, by Jonathan A. Foley, Navin Ramankutty, Kate A. Brauman, Emily S. Cassidy, James S. Gerber, Matt Johnston, Nathaniel D. Mueller, Christine O’Connell, Deepak K. Ray, Paul C. West, Christian Balzer, Elena M. Bennett, Stephen R. Carpenter, Jason Hill, Chad Monfreda, Stephen Polasky, Johan Rockström, John Sheehan, Stefan Siebert, David Tilman, David P. M. Zaks. . Nature, 2011; DOI: 10.1038/nature10452

Science Daily:

By combining information gathered from crop records and satellite images from around the world, they have been able to create new models of agricultural systems and their environmental impacts that are truly global in scope. ….

The researchers recommend:

  1. Halting farmland expansion and land clearing for agricultural purposes, particularly in the tropical rainforest. This can be achieved using incentives such as payment for ecosystem services, certification and ecotourism. This change will yield huge environmental benefits without dramatically cutting into agricultural production or economic well-being.
  2. Improving agricultural yields. Many farming regions in Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe are not living up to their potential for producing crops — something known as “yield gaps.” Improved use of existing crop varieties, better management and improved genetics could increase current food production nearly by 60 per cent.
  3. Supplementing the land more strategically. Current use of water, nutrients and agricultural chemicals suffers from what the research team calls “Goldilocks’ Problem”: too much in some places, too little in others, rarely just right. Strategic reallocation could substantially boost the benefit we get from precious inputs.
  4. Shifting diets. Growing animal feed or biofuels on prime croplands, no matter how efficiently, is a drain on human food supply. Dedicating croplands to direct human food production could boost calories produced per person by nearly 50 per cent. Even shifting nonfood uses such as animal feed or biofuel production away from prime cropland could make a big difference.
  5. Reducing waste. One-third of the food produced by farms ends up discarded, spoiled or eaten by pests. Eliminating waste in the path that food takes from farm to mouth could boost food available for consumption another 50 per cent.

The study also outlines approaches to the problem that would help policy-makers reach informed decisions about the agricultural choices facing them. “For the first time, we have shown that it is possible to both feed a hungry world and protect a threatened planet,” said lead author Jonathan Foley, head of the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment. “It will take serious work. But we can do it.”

Related:

Malthusian doomsday postponed – indefinitely 

7 billion people from October 31st by UN decree – but it is an opportunity not a problem

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Posted in Agriculture, Alarmism, Demographics, Development, Food | 1 Comment »

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