Via RealClimate, James Hansen refutes the Investor's Business Daily's claim that he endorsed global cooling in 1971:
Mr. McCaslin reported that Rasool and Hansen were colleagues at NASA
and "Mr. Rasool came to his chilling conclusions by resorting in
part to a new computer program developed by Mr. Hansen that studied
clouds above Venus."What was that program? It was a 'Mie scattering' code I had written
to calculate light scattering by spherical particles. Indeed, it was
useful for Venus studies, as it helped determine the size and
refractive index of the particles in the clouds that veil the surface
of Venus. I was glad to let Rasool and Schneider use that program to
calculate scattering by aerosols. But Mie scattering functions,
although more complex, are like sine and cosine mathematical
functions, simply a useful tool for many problems. Allowing this
scattering function to be used by other people does not in any way
make me responsible for a climate theory.
But hey, the hacks at IBD can churn these things out faster than Hansen can knock them down. Look:
The Soros Threat To Democracy
How many people, for instance, know that James Hansen, a man billed as a lonely "NASA whistleblower" standing up to the mighty U.S. government, was really funded by Soros' Open Society Institute, which gave him "legal and media advice"?
That's right, Hansen was packaged for the media by Soros' flagship "philanthropy," by as much as $720,000, most likely under the OSI's "politicization of science" program.
And if you invest just $10,000 in my get-rich-quick pyramid scheme you can make as much as $720,000 profit! Once you realise that "as much as $720,000" includes the amount $0, you understand the scam.
So what did the IBD build this story out of? Well, the OSI annual report says:
Scientist Protests NASA's Censorship Attempts James E. Hansen, the
director the Goddard Institute for Space Studies at NASA, protested
attempts to silence him after officials at NASA ordered him to refer
press inquiries to the public affairs office and required the presence
of a public affairs representative at any interview. The Government
Accountability Project, a whistleblower protection organization and
OSI grantee, came to Hansen's defense by providing legal and media
advice. The campaign on Hansen's resulted in a decision by NASA
revisit its media policy. ...The Strategic Opportunities Fund includes grants related to Hurricane Katrina ($1,652,841); media policy ($1,060,000); and politicization of science ($720,000).
So the OSI didn't give Hansen any money at all. They did give money to the Government Accountability Project, "the nation's leading whistleblower protection organization", who provided legal advice for Hansen, and a detailed report. And the $720,000 is the total of grants to defend against the politicization of science, not the amount of money given to GAP.
The IBD has declared George Soros a "threat to democracy" because he helps defend whistleblowers. You can't make this stuff up.
Of course, the usual collection of anti-science warriors blogged about it, often embellishing the story with their own fabrications.
A report revealed just this week, shows the 'Open Society Institute' funded Hansen to the tune of $720,000, carefully orchestrating his entire media campaign. ... For Hansen to secretly receive a large check from Soros, then begin making unsubstantiated claims about administrative influence on climate science is more than suspicious -- it's a clear conflict of interest.
Charles Johnson at Little Green Footballs:
Dr. James Hansen, who approves and issues NASA climate change statements and is one of the most alarmist global warming advocates in the US, is apparently deep in the pocket of George Soros
So he got some big paychecks from Soros - but was there a quid pro quo? The evidence certainly indicates as much
Nearly a million dollars. That must be a lot of money to a humble civil servant like James Hansen. However since Hansen's climate models are riddled with errors, self-fulfilling assumptions, and bootstrapping biases, I'm not sure I would call what Hansen has done "speaking truth to power." It's more like "telling a rich geezer what he wants to hear for a few bucks."
Jeff Goldstein at Protein Wisdom:
Writes Gary Schamburg (who emailed me the article) in a loose paraphrase of Lenin, "[Soros'] money is buying the noose that will hang our country.
Maybe so.
Though I remain stubbornly convinced that a paradigm shift in the way we come to think about how it is we interpret could provide the intellectual corrective to combat the consensus-driven meaning-making that has grown like kudzu in the wake of the linguistic turn.
As far as I can figure out, the last paragraph doesn't mean anything at all, but I like the imagery of kudzu growing in the wake of the linguistic tern.
Noel Sheppard at NewsBusters (again!):
As is typical, a global warming obsessed media don't find this newsworthy. Think they'd be so disinterested if this smoking gun involved an oil company giving money to a Republican official?
Russ Steele at NC Media Watch:
Mr Global Warming was on the take
And on and on and on.
So, if I understand what you're saying, zero is not almost a million?
"So the OSI didn't give Hansen any money at all. They did give money to the Government Accountability Project, "the nation's leading whistleblower protection organization", who provided legal advice for Hansen, and a detail report. And the $720,000 is the total of grants to defend against the politicization of science, not the amount of money given to GAP."
Tim
Do you know how much was provided for legal advice indirectly by Uncle George to defend Jim against the government mutants "climate" of fear?
Don't get me wrong here. I have always loved Uncle George as he helped with the mortgage and the kids education- indirectly too of course.
Funny, but I recall Jim was the biggest media hound on the east coast at the very time he was "threatened" during the "climate" of fear (no pun intended of course) when the government was out to silence him. They were obviously unsuccesful :-)
"Do you know how much was provided for legal advice indirectly by Uncle George to defend Jim.."
jc, have you stopped beating your wife, yet?
I tried using Babel Fish to translate that impenetrable paragraph into Japanese--picked because of the "kudzu"--but it couldn't translate its own result back into English. So I translated (using Google) into German--because German uses long words--and back into English, and got:
Still makes no sense. Perhaps my error was starting with English?
I seem to recall someone recently referring to gobbledygook such as in the original as "diarrhoea of the brain".
I like Soros. You got to admire a man who manages to get the entire right-wing noise machine come out as the crazy conspiracy theorists they really are...
Defending against the politicization of science: as much as $720,000.
Having Jim Hansen speak without being filtered by this guy: Priceless.
Thanks to the GAP, of course. Because we wouldn't want political appointees deciding what government scientists can or cannot say, right? You do think it's a worthy goal to allow scientists to speak freely, or, to put it in a way that is perhaps more palatable, to ensure free trade of ideas?
I wonder when the bloggers will stop charging the red capes?
Remember this, folks:
legend has it that during one of Lyndon Johnson's congressional campaigns he decided to spread a rumor that his opponent was a pig-fucker. LBJ's campaign manager said, "Lyndon, you know he doesn't do that!" Johnson replied, "I know. I just want to make him deny it."
"As far as I can figure out, the last paragraph doesn't mean anything at all, but I like the imagery of kudzu growing in the wake of the linguistic turn."
I think that probably applies to pretty much any randomly selected paragraph by any gnat-brain that Tim has ever quoted on his blog (and there have been a lot of them).
But, fortunately, most of the gnat-brains don't make any attempt at poetic imagery (thank the Lard)
In Sept 1992 Soros started a run on the British pound. Interest rates on home loans went up. House prices crashed. Many families could not even sell up as the house prices were too far below the outstanding loans. So how many homeless brits did it take to make that $720,000 ?
This just in (really): Hansen accepted no money from GAP, but did accept pro bono legal representation for a while. Not that it will stop the whiners, but it's good to know.
Investors Business Daily has a history of credulity when it comes to antienvironmental propaganda. Here's what they were writing about ozone depletion in August 1995, 7 years after the notorious left-wing Reagan Adminstration signed the Montreal Protocol and about 6 weeks before Crutzen, Rowland and Molina won the Nobel Prize:
>The 1990 Clean Air Act was passed, of course, during a wave of
> hysteria whipped up by environmental groups. They claimed that CFCs
> were destroying the earth's ozone layer.
>There hasn't been much clamor about the ozone layer recently.
> Scientists and others have quietly acknowedged that perhaps the alarm
> bells weren't quite justified. Climatologists, such as the University
> of Virginia's Patrick Michaels, who dissent from the once-prevlalent
> view that CFCs are a clear and present danger to the world
> environment, are finally being listened to a bit. Rep. Dana
> Rohrabacher, R-Calif., chairman of the Energy and Environment sub-
> committee, will be holding hearings next month on legislation
> repealing or greatly modifying the CFC ban. Unlike 1990, this time
> around both sides of the issue are likely to be heard. It might be a
> good opportunity to show the folly of pushing through costly
> legislation based on fear, not science.
(30 August 1995, page B1.)
What does this have to do with Hansen being smeared by IBD and the right wingnut blogosphere?
You think Soros is a bad man. Hansen received no money from Soros. Therefore Hansen is a bad man?
You have to remember that IBD is #2 to the nutjobs on the Wall St. Journal editorial page. Therefore, expect more of the same.
Sean
Stop proving to us how ignorant you are about things in this world. Uncle George was as responible for the pound falling and rates going higher as you were. All he did was predict it better than anyone else.
---------------------
"This just in (really): Hansen accepted no money from GAP, but did accept pro bono legal representation for a while. Not that it will stop the whiners, but it's good to know."
Priceless. So I guess the lawyers advising Hansen on how to deal with the "climate " of fear lived on air. The fact they received a salary from someone else is meaningless.
Does Hansen actually think people are this retarded?
Some people are so retarded they don't see the difference between accepting pro bono legal counsel and accepting $720,000.
What Mr Korneliussen said.
We should look upon the comments of the mouth-foamers as entertainment, rather than as a challenge to correct the record.
Jus' sayin. Again. For the umpteenth time.
Best,
D
Dano can't tell the difference bewtween something that is offered free and something that IS cost free.
There is a cost to pro bono, Mr. Dano. It was the first question in the SAT.
Amazing.
Soro's has funded an organisation, as a private citizen, designed to offer help to whistle blowers, that was used by James Hansen, and the whole right wing blogosphere explodes.
Meanwhile, Exxon Mobil made US$698,450 in political donations during the 05/06 election cycle (93% to Republicans) and spent US$14,520,000 in lobbying (http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ExxonMobil). This is a gross distortion of the political process And yet, do we here a peep from the right wingers?
Jc,
When calling someone stupid, make sure you are addressing the right person. Otherwise it could lead to embarrassing moments, for instance, this one.
Don't believe in protecting whistleblowers, huh? Would you support the GAP if they investigated, for example, the United Nations?
So, let's play, Hmm, John Lott is a traitor because he took Ben Laden money when he got paid by AEI which has support from Saudi Arabia, where the Ben Laden family resides and at least one of those dollars had passed through the islamofascists hands. Great.
Dano:
You're the worst of all, because you've shown signs of knowing better. Stop it at once!
This is NOT like yelling at the TV, it's like yelling at the white noise on the TV after the test pattern goes away.
so let me look at this again:
if Soros had NOT given money to a whistleblower organisation, which gave legal support to Hansen, we would still have a political appointee, censoring NASA?
a Mr. Deutsch, who faked his resumee?!?
http://scientificactivist.blogspot.com/2006/02/breaking-news-george-deu…
and who was trying to add the word "theory" to all references of the big bang?!?
funny how right wing blogs ALWAYS manage to get the good guy/bad guy thing the wrong way round...
My considered scientific opinion is that in a previous life Tim Lambert was a warden patrolling a demesnes near the border of Faerie. He cruelly slew a myriad of troll men, women and children and thought himself quite a proud figure.
Well, this is his Karmic reward. They know not why, only that there is a soul-deep anger that can have only one outlet! He can type until his fingers bleed and his arms are numb, but the trolls will still keep on coming. An instinct stronger than self-preservation drives them forward.
I say this as a person of impeccable pataphysical and metempsychotic credentials. I also have a doctorate in interspecies communication and homeopathy (George Deutsch and I were in the same program), so don't be hasty to correct my diagnosis.
JC seems to have a faulty memory of history:
"Following the boom of the late 1980's, the UK experienced a house price bust. Negative Equity affected over 1.7 million households. In 1990 the Government joined the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) and mortgage rates peaked at their highest ever level of 15.4% between March and November 1990. Membership of the ERM brought about new pressures and continued speculation on currency markets caused bank base rates to rise from 10% to 12% on September 16th 1992, with a further threat that they would move to 15% the following day. The Government left the ERM that evening.
The freedom away from the ERM allowed the Government to reduce base rates and they gradually fell back to 5.25% by 1994. House prices started to rise again and between 1993 and 1996 mortgage rates remained at below 8.5%. The UK was experiencing a period of low inflation and low interest rates."
See http://www.britsandmortar.com/UK-house-price-history
While George Soros did make an estimated 1 billion pounds out of speculating on the currency, I wasn't aware that JC disapproved of currency speculation.
A bit of information on the GAP finances.
The GAP did not receive the entirety of $720,000 of the OSI Politicization of Science fund, but a $100,000 grant for 2006. The $720,000 is the complete OSI 2006 Politicization of Science fund, which breaks down as follows:
The link to the GAP grant is the google #1 hit for 'site:soros.org "Government Accountability Project"', it should not have been difficult to find for reporters.
To put the amount of grant into perspective: According to its website, the GAP had an operating budget of about 2 million USD in 2006 (financial statement).
D observer says:
"While George Soros did make an estimated 1 billion pounds out of speculating on the currency, I wasn't aware that JC disapproved of currency speculation."
I don't in the least OB. That's artly what i do do for a living. Go read what I said again.
See:-
"Sean
Stop proving to us how ignorant you are about things in this world. Uncle George was as responible for the pound falling and rates going higher as you were. All he did was predict it better than anyone else."
I was in fact critical of Sean for suggesting it. you ought to take more interest in what people say, Disinterested.
I was very much involved at the time working for an investment bank executing Uncle George's trades in the market when he hit the pound. He was so good in fact that the fund actually increased its position when the Brits broke their link with the EMS and the pound fell.
What would you like to know about that time, Disinterested?
Do I like Uncle George's activities in the political sphere? Not one bit.
The dude is a far better trader than he is a political philosopher. His Alchemy of Finaance is a master piece in garbage. But he does understand market dynamics pretty well though: better than most traders anyway. He out to stick to his core competency as he seem to be a miserable failure at the politcs and economics side of things.
Whay do you suggest I have a faulty memeory of history?
Did I say something wrong, that disagrees with the excerpt?
there was a short period of time ( over a couple of weeks) when the Brits raised interest rates in the vain hope of deterring speculators from selling the pound and sending it to the floor of the EMS where the Bank of England was forced to intervene to stop it. When they realized this was folly and the Germsns (the Deutscmark was at the top of the EMS) were not going top help them they floated out of the EMS.
You're showing a lot of interest here, Disinterested!
JC
The main point I was making is that the decline in the UK housing market and the increase in mortgage defaults actually preceded Black Tuesday by a few years. Interest rates went up because of the ERM and went down after the UK withdrew from the ERM. George Soros was not responsible for increased homelesness in the UK
George Soros was not responsible for increased homelesness in the UK
Absolutely correct.
It was James Hansen, the Hockey Stick, and poorly-sited climate stations.
HTH.
Best,
D
"In Sept 1992 Soros started a run on the British pound. Interest rates on home loans went up. House prices crashed. Many families could not even sell up as the house prices were too far below the outstanding loans. So how many homeless brits did it take to make that $720,000 ?"
So he engaged in buying ans selling products in order to make a profit?
The monster.
There ought to be a law against this sort of threat to free enterprise.
"Priceless. So I guess the lawyers advising Hansen on how to deal with the "climate " of fear lived on air. The fact they received a salary from someone else is meaningless."
What do you think "pro bono" means?
The lawyer in question probably didn't get a cent from Soros.
DO says:
"George Soros was not responsible for increased homelesness in the UK"
Where did I say he was, DO? Soros in fact did the right thing in correcting the overpriced pound as quickly as possible which allowed the economy to adjust to the reality of the situation. In fact he ought to be admired for his action in "righting a wrong".
the British government was almsot criminally negligent at the time in allowing the pound to enter the Ems at such a high level to the other partners. That action caused further improvishment that was toally unnecessary and a clear example of a policy mistake.
Are you sure you are not confusing me with Sean or some other person that made a silly comment about Uncle George.
Uncle George is a good trader- a great trader- but a rotten political philosopher who mis-read Popper and doesn't know shit from his elbow when it comes to economics. He's an ego-maniac, but that goes with the territory. You're preaching to the fully converted here on these issues, DO.
JC, the problem of course is that reading Popper gives you a junior high school course in science. That is not how the stuff is actually done dear. It is at best an idealization and a rather cartoon like one.
DO said "George Soros was not responsible for increased homelesness in the UK"
JC said : Where did I say he was, DO?
Well JC, you said "In Sept 1992 Soros started a run on the British pound. Interest rates on home loans went up. House prices crashed. Many families could not even sell up as the house prices were too far below the outstanding loans. So how many homeless brits did it take to make that $720,000 ?"
Unless we have a different understanding of the English language, I interpret this as meaning that you were claiming that George Soros caused a number of British people to lose their homes.
DO
Sean said that. You gotta get a little more interested , disinterested. You confused the shit out of me. We're on the same side.
----------------------
Eli:
And your point is? Are you implying that you have a better handle than Popper on the philosophy of science, not to mention the politcal philosophy is espoused. Go on, I'm all ears.
Get popcorn out, stick it in microwave, take off shoes and veg out as I'm waiting for Eli's opus.
You're right - I apologise.
DO
Sean said that. You gotta get a little more interested , disinterested. You confused the shit out of me. We're on the same side.
----------------------
Eli:
And your point is? Are you implying that you have a better handle than Popper on the philosophy of science, not to mention the politcal philosophy is espoused. Go on, I'm all ears.
Get popcorn out, stick it in microwave, take off shoes and veg out as I'm waiting for Eli's opus.
No probs DO. Sorry too as I should have realized sooner.
Tim L
Lost the last comment while #36 was repeated. Can you retrieve it please.
Gouldie says
"The lawyer in question probably didn't get a cent from Soros."
Where have you been Gouldie? I gotta tell ya, your side only does well when you're around. They fall in a heap when you're missing. There put up an abysmal performance since your absence. Seriously. TimL excluded of course.
Now to the fun part. Re: the quote.
Let's follow the money trail, shall we Gouldie. The work was done pro bono. In other words the lawyer didn't send Jim his calling card along with a very big invoice attached over Jim's "climate of Fear".. But I'm sure the lawyer earns a salary, right? And someone is paying for the dude's time. Who did? Follow me.... Can you fill in the blanks, Mr. Gouldmeister?
Don't ask Eli to help you, as he's busy falsifying Popper at the moment:-)
Do you know how much was provided for legal advice indirectly by Uncle George to defend Jim against the government mutants "climate" of fear?
neither do i know, how much i provided "indirectly" to D. Cheneys wealth. or to yours.
the word "INDIRECTLY" is NOT the most prominent one in the posts that Tim linked and quoted above!
Sod
Don't get me wrong. I love Uncle George. he was our biggest client at one stage ( FM he was the biggest whale on Wall street) and INDIRECTLY paid for all sorts of creature comforts. I love him as much as I would love a red headed step child if I had one.
I'm sure Jim feels the same way now.
I wonder why Jc doesn't want to talk about Tim's examples of lying and stupidity on right wing blogs.
Well Boris Tim does a good job of exposing that, so I'll just focus on the left wing ones.
And, I see, it didn't.
That wasn't Karnak-like in its predictive awesomeness, but I'll take what I can get.
Next up: I predict [rrripp!] a big light in the eastern sky some time early tomorrow!
Sod
Don't get me wrong. I love Uncle George.
i don t care about your relationship with Soros. and i find your bragging about your business relationship somewhat inappropriate.
this discussion is about the claim, that Soros gave money to Hansen. he did NOT.
mind to make one remark, that is somewhat on topic?
hm. again:
Sod
Don't get me wrong. I love Uncle George.
i don t care about your personal relationship with Soros, apart from finding your bragging about your business relationship somewhat inappropriate.
this discussion is about the claim, that Soros gave money to Hansen. he did NOT.
mind to make one remark, that is somewhat on topic?
I sure wish this 500,000th comment contest was OVER.
I suspect some of us would shut up once there's no need to cram in as many posts as possible in the remaining time to up the odds.
James Hansen gets some pro-bono legal advice so therefore he's corrupt, his scientific papers are all wrong and Global Warming isn't happening? Whilst straws - for clutching at and for manufacturing strawmen - appear to be standard issue for denialists, this one's a very thin straw.
I agree with Dano in comment #17. The real punchline of the denialist comedy routine is from the commenters trying, with apparent conviction, to add strength to their AGW conspiracy theories by adding more thin straws.
JC, since from the evidence on hand your last experience of science at any level was jr high school peephole biology Eli sees little further benefit in abusing you other than to point out that all of NASA benefited from the blow up over Deutsch's overreaching which temporarily broke PAOs stranglehold. GAP helped a lot of people with that letter.
OTOH Uncle George might, on a good day drop a dime in your cup, if you happen to be standing on your accustomed corner.
1) Rightwing trolls are anti-any organization that defends people's right to speak out (i.e. GAP, ACLU).
2) The goal of a rightwing troll (re global warming) is to come up with some kind of argument against any scientist's claim that global warming is a problem...the argument doesn't have to be on topic, logical or even true.
3) To a rightwing troll, giving a fair and balanced account of global warming means putting the facts on one side of the scale and then piling an equal weight of bullsh*t on the other.
Hey Eli:
look Genius, you presented a silly comment about Popper.Now you're making even sillier comments about me not doing high school physics and Hansen somehow improving Nasa's communcation skills. I can't qute see how they tie together. Jeez lousie!
Uncle George may have dropped a few dimes in my cup for doing useful work, Eli, but I'm also sure sure you won't ever be getting his penny as I just couldn't envisage you being that useful.
Call the firm and offer your services. See what response you get.... and hey don't be a stranger and let me know what happens.
Yr flailing jc.
Eli, you little rabbit.You recently made those astonishing claims that were materially crtical of Popper and his philosophy on science. I asked you to back up your silly thesis. Now all I get is the run around from you hoping I'll forget.
Eli, I won't forget until you either back up the claim or apologise.
It's an embarrassment to simply ignore the challenge, Mr. I Know Everything About Science. Now get busy and prove your claim or apologise.
Eli:
Have you seen this post, over at Mike the Mad Biologist?
http://scienceblogs.com/mikethemadbiologist/2007/09/more_on_kuhnian_rev…
It probably fits into what you were thinking, that Popper overstated his case (of course), but that auxiliary assumptions, as they become more unwieldy, drop the utility of a theory. (And, pace climate denialists, saying 'we don't know anything' is a nonuseful theory)
In other thoughts, I console myself that the readers of IBD have severe financial pains if the level of analysis elsewhere is even fractionally as bad as that in the Hansen article. (What was their position on mortgages back in 2005?)
Tim, thanks for keeping the trolls busy, just imagine the harm they could do if they were out into the world unsupervised.
Stewart:
You are so remarkably wrong and inconsistent that you become consistent veering into the land of stupidity.
Popper argued to we need to be careful, as nearly everything we "know" could be falsified as no amount of testing can prove something 100%. This a great philosophy to hold onto for any discipline. It doesn't overstate anything as you suggest.
It's correct to say that denialists argue to be careful as we don't know all there is to know about the science of AGW. Any legit scientist in Climate science would agree. Imposters and snake oil salesmen would argue otherwise.
"(What was their position on mortgages back in 2005?"
What was yours, genius?
Popper would agree: there can be a freight train coming at you and you simply don't know it's coming. Criticizing that paper for not knowing about the mortgage problem is nonsense. You really are behaving like a "simpletonian".
Anyway, what has predicting the mortgage crash have to do their criticism of Hansen?
Eli seems to believe in Soviet science anyway. That is unless the science was approved by the politburo it couldn't be legit.