Wednesday, January 20, 2010

“Debate coloured by old philosophy - StarPhoenix” plus 4 more

“Debate coloured by old philosophy - StarPhoenix” plus 4 more

Debate coloured by old philosophy - StarPhoenix

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 09:14 AM PST

Green is the new red. In other words, a big part of the green movement is fuelled by people with a philosophy that used to be called red -- a philosophy that's anti-business and anti-development. Nowhere is this truer than agriculture.

I can't claim credit for originating this colourful comment, but it's certainly apt. Some have likened it to a watermelon -- green on the outside and red on the inside.

When you delve into European concerns over genetically modified crops, it isn't really about the environment and it isn't about consumer safety. It's a philosophy that modern, business-oriented agriculture is bad and GM crops are a convenient point of attack.

The green zealots have convinced citizens that GM crops are bad. The benefits are conveniently ignored.

GM crops with herbicide and insect resistance require fewer pesticides. Their higher yields mean less land is needed for agricultural production.

Genetic modification is also making it possible to improve the nutritional content of food.

If anything, GM crops should be embraced by the greens. That doesn't happen because there's red underneath the green.

Yes, extensive testing is necessary with GM crops and commercialization shouldn't get ahead of consumer acceptance. But there's a double standard when it comes to crop development.

It's all right to use mutagenesis. That's a standard way of developing new crop traits. You subject the seed to chemicals or radiation, hoping to trigger some sort of useful mutation that can be used in plant breeding. Mutagenesis is accepted around the world and has been for generations.

How is this shotgun approach safer than GM, which involves the insertion of known genes to confer predictable results? While conventional plant breeding methods will always remain important, GM technology has allowed amazing advances.

Since the mid-'90s, billions of people around the world have been steadily consuming genetically modified crops -- corn, soybeans and canola. And yet the technology is still vilified, particularly in Europe, where Greenpeace is a force to be reckoned with.

According to the greens, even a tiny bit of GM content in the food supply is a huge health risk, not to mention the risk of the seeds escaping and taking over the environment.

While a lot of Europeans supposedly subscribe to these fears and consider themselves environmentalists, they're guilty of practising environmentalism by convenience.

Organic foods are big in Europe, and organic food by definition can't include any GM plants. However, GM contamination is possible and quite likely within organic grains. Europeans don't want to know. Organic agriculture remains a paper trail of certifications. There's no scientific testing for trace amounts of GM material.

A lot of Europeans travel. None of them seem to worry about consuming GM crops while they're on holiday in another country.

It's the greens who use the term factory farming. A larger livestock operation may actually take better care of its animals, but big is bad.

It's also self-described greens who are most likely to believe animals shouldn't be raised for food at all.

Typically, climate change fanatics are also on the green side of the political spectrum.

Many people have looked at the data and concluded climate change is man-made and we need to do something about it. That's a legitimate conclusion.

However, many others simply believe wealthy economies are inherently bad and climate treaties are a way to level the economic playing field.

Everyone is entitled to their point of view. Big business isn't always ethical and it's useful to hear probing, intelligent questions.

For some, the green movement is all about environmentalism and doing what's best for the planet. But for others, green is simply covering up the red of a bygone era.

Environmentalism has become the new way to push social engineering and redistribution of wealth.

Kevin Hursh is a consulting agrologist and farmer based in Saskatoon. He can be reached at kevin@hursh.ca.

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Sivananda Yoga as a Life Philosophy - Associated Content

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 07:26 AM PST

Sivananda yoga is the practice of yoga brought to the United States and created by Swami Sivananda in India in the 1950s and spread to the west via his student, Swami Vishnu-devananda. Sivananda yoga relies on the Five Points of Yoga and the Four Paths of Yoga. Sivananda yoga is to yoga as Bruce Lee is to martial arts. The yoga studied in this format is more of a life philosophy and not just participating in one form of yoga, much like Bruce Lee's jeet-kun-do which blended many martial arts styles and also included teachings on philosophy and history. This article is a quick guide to the complexities of Sivananda yoga.

Five Points of Yoga

There are literally hundreds of ways to practice yoga, and Swami Sivananda summarized them into a simple version of the Five Points of Yoga. They are proper exercise, proper breathing, proper relaxation, proper diet, and positive thinking and meditation. If you look at these five things, all are needed to become an advanced yoga practitioner to truly appreciate yoga in all of its glory.

The first two points, exercise and breathing, go hand in hand with the basic practice of yoga. As you go through each pose, you are exercising your body and breathing in harmony with the movement of postures. Two other points of yoga deal with relaxation and meditation, again both of which go hand in hand when you are concentrating on accomplishing different poses.

Proper diet in Sivananda's teachings meant being a vegetarian and eating simple and whole foods. All five of these points combine to form the basic benefits of practicing yoga--having better overall health and wellness. As many practices of modern medicine are moving towards the prevention of disease and sickness, it is no wonder that yoga is becoming more popular.

Four Paths of Yoga

Sivananda divided yoga into four different types. They are, in short, yogas of action, devotion, wisdom, and control. Not all of these types of yoga were separate in Sivananda's mind and advocated that everyone learn poses from all four types of yoga in their own time to develop a stronger connection between mind, body, and spirit.

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JAG Advisors CIO Reveals His Top Technology Stock Picks And Gives ... - Yahoo Finance

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 08:24 AM PST

67 WALL STREET, New York - January 18, 2010 - The Wall Street Transcript has just published its Large-Cap Growth and Other Investing Strategies Report offering a timely review of the sector to serious investors and industry executives. This 53 page feature contains expert industry commentary through in-depth interviews with public company CEOs, Equity Analysts and Money Managers. The full issue is available by calling (212) 952-7433 or via The Wall Street Transcript Online.

Topics covered: Consistent Earnings Power; Accelerated Earnings Power; Dividend Consistency And Balance Sheet Strength; Fundamental Analysis With Quantitative Disciplines; Low-debt Companies; Growth Component; Listed Private Equity; Alternate Investments And Tactical Strategies; Thinking And Acting Differently From The Crowd

Companies include: Altria Group (MO); Bank of America (BAC); Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B); Edwards Lifesciences (EW); Electra Private Equity (ELTA); Ethan Allen (ETH); 3i Group (III); 3i Infrastructure Fund (3IN); AB (INVEB); ARM Holdings (ARMH); Abbott Labs (ABT); Adobe (ADBE); Agrium (AGU); Akamai (AKAM); Allied Capital (ALD); Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY); American Capital Ltd. (ACAS); American Express (AXP); Apache (APA); Apollo Investment Corp.  (AINV); Apple (AAPL); AstraZeneca (AZN); Automatic Data Processing (ADP); BHP Billiton (BHP); Blackstone Group (BX); Cabela's (CAB); CarMax (KMX); Central European Distributors (CEDC); Cerner (CERN); Cheesecake Factory (CAKE); Cisco Systems (CSCO); Citigroup ©; Clorox (CLX); Dell Computer (DELL); Devon Energy (DVN); Eli Lilly (LLY); Eurazeo (RF); ExxonMobil (XOM); FactSet Research (FDS); Fortress Investment Group (FIG); Freeport McMoran (FCX); Fresenius Medical Care (FMS); Garmin (GRMN); General Dynamics (GD); General Electric (GE); Genzyme (GENZ); Google (GOOG); Hewlett Packard (HPQ); Ingersoll Rand (IR); Intel, (INTC); Intermediate Capital Group (ICP); International Business Machines (IBM); Intuit (INTU); Israel Corp. (ILCO); Johnson & Johnson (JNJ); KKR Group (KKR); Lazard Ltd. (LAZ); MDC Holdings (MDC); Marvell Technology (MRVL); Masco (MAS); McDonald's (MCD); McKesson (MCK); MetLife (MET); Microsoft (MSFT); Monsanto (MON); Mosaic (MOS); NY Community Bancorp (NYB); Newmont Mining (NEM); Novartis (NVS); Novo Nordisk (NVO); Occidental Petroleum (OXY); OpenText (OTEX); Paychex (PAYX); Pepsi (PEP); Petrobras (PBR); Plexus (PLX); Polaris Industries (PII); Procter & Gamble (PG); Quest Diagnostics (DGX); Ralph Lauren (RL); Suncor (SU); Surgical (ISRG); Sybase (SY); TJX Companies (TJX); TOTAL (TOT); Transocean (RIG); Trimble (TRMB); Varian Medical Systems (VAR); Visa (V); Wal-Mart (WMT); Wells Fargo (WFC); Wendel Investment (MF); Williams Company (WMB); YUM Bransd (YUM); eva Pharmaceuticals (TEVA); exas Instruments (TXN).

In the following brief excerpt from the 53 page report, Norman B. Conley III discusses the outlook for the Investment sector and for investors.

NORMAN B. CONLEY III, President/CIO of JAG Advisors, is the Portfolio Manager for JAG Advisors Large Cap Growth portfolio. He entered the investment industry in 1994 and joined JAG in 1999. Mr. Conley earned his Bachelor's degree on a Naval ROTC scholarship at the University of Notre Dame and spent three years as an officer in the United States Navy. He has a Master's degree in Business Administration in Finance from Washington University.

TWST: Why don't you please start with an overview of JAG Advisors?

Mr. Conley: JAG Advisors is a dually-registered asset management firm in St. Louis, Missouri. We manage both equities and fixed income and our total Assets Under Management is approximately $850 million.

TWST: What is your investment philosophy? What approach do you take?

Mr. Conley: On the equity side focus on large-cap growth investment firm. Our fixed-income strategies center on intermediate-term corporate bonds.

TWST: Tell us about that process and how you identify large-cap growth stocks for your portfolio.

Mr. Conley: Our process attempts to identify companies that we believe have superior earnings and revenue growth prospects versus their peers and versus the overall market. The rationale behind that is that we believe that ultimately price follows earnings. So, to the extent that we can identify faster growing companies on both the top and bottom lines, our expectation is that those types of equities will be more or likely to produce excess returns versus a passive benchmark.

TWST: Would you tell us about some of the stocks that you feel are representative of your investment approach and the reasons why you are attracted to them?

Mr. Conley: Our largest holding is currently Google (GOOG), which is a familiar name. We think Google is poised to have a very strong 2010 as the economy recovers and ad spending picks up. It is a global company with a global reach, and it is dominant in Internet advertising which continues to gain share from other forms of advertising such as broadcast or print. Google is becoming a very effective way for corporations worldwide to advertise their products and services. We think they are going to continue to develop new ways to monetize advertising, whether through continued optimization of Gmail and YouTube, or through the more traditional Google click-ad platform. So we like Google a lot, especially given the fact that the stock remains well off of its 52-week and two-year high's. Another name that we like a lot is Cerner (CERN), which is one of our top 10 holdings. Cerner is a leader in using automation to improve the efficiency of healthcare organizations.

No matter what shape healthcare reform takes in the U.S., Cerner's applications have a good chance to be part of the solution. While we cannot characterize Cerner stocks as "cheap" at over 30x trailing earnings, we think 2010 earnings could come in enough ahead of expectations to justify current prices. If we are right about the potential for an upside earnings surprise, we think Cerner's stock will be rewarded with an expansion in its P/E multiple in the coming year. Put all of these pieces together, and add in a small chance of a larger player pursuing an acquisition of a Cerner's leading healthcare technology franchise, and we think the investment prospects for Cerner are bright. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention our position in Microsoft (MSFT).

TWST: What are some examples of the companies that you were attracted to since the lows in March of this year?

Mr. Conley: One of the positions that we were able to pick up almost exactly at the bottom is Marvell Technology (MRVL). Marvell makes chips that go into a wide variety of technology devices, including hard drives and mobile phones. It was at an obscenely cheap valuation when we first purchased it in March 2009, and we think it is still cheap despite the fact that it has more than doubled in price since then. Another example is our position in Masco (MAS), which we first established in August in the range of $14/share. This is a controversial idea due to its status as the industry leader in the dreadful homebuilding and home products industry. They make things like plumbing, drywall, and all the stuff that goes into residential building. We think Masco could actually have a really solid 2010 and 2011 assuming there is any pickup at all in new home sales. From a macro perspective, it's likely in our view that there will be a rebound some magnitude in homebuilding in the United States in 2010 and 2011.

The Wall Street Transcript is a unique service for investors and industry researchers - providing fresh commentary and insight through verbatim interviews with CEOs and research analysts. This 53 page special issue is available by calling (212) 952-7433 or via The Wall Street Transcript Online .

The Wall Street Transcript does not endorse the views of any interviewees nor does it make stock recommendations.

For Information on subscribing to The Wall Street Transcript, please call 800/246-7673

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Teachers of the Year - Vicksburg Post

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 10:40 AM PST

The Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce has named nominees for the 2009 Elementary Teacher of the Year and Secondary Teacher of the Year.

The winners will be announced at noon Tuesday during the chamber's annual membership luncheon. The speaker will be Blake Wilson, president of the Mississippi Economic Council. The Teacher of the Year program was started in 1990. Nominees are selected by their peers. Winners are named by four retired educators who screen the nominees' applications and conduct interviews.

This year, there are 17 nominees:



Kimberly Bolls

• School — Warren Central Intermediate, teacher

• Education — Bachelor's degree in elementary education, Jackson State University

• Membership/activities — Adviser for National Elementary Honor Society

• Philosophy — "I strongly feel that all children need to feel valued before any learning occurs. When a child knows that you care about their success and well-being they become more open to learning. Once a teacher develops that relationship with children the possibilities of learning and teaching one another are endless."

Deborah Ederington

• School — Sherman Avenue Elementary, pre-kindergarten

• Education — Bachelor's degree in psychology, University of Southern Mississippi; master's in family/consumer sciences, USM

• Membership/activities — Mississippi Professional Educators, 2005 Who's Who Among American Teachers, former Relay for Life co-chairman, former fundraising co-chairman for American Heart Association, Kappa Omicron NU

• Philosophy — "I have developed a philosophy that children deserve to experience success, and the opportunity begins as early as at birth. It is every experience that a child encounters or is provided that shapes and inspires them to become successful, lifelong learners. I think of myself as a part of a strong base from which the rest of experiences help to create a successful, productive adult."



Caroline Gatling

• School — St. Francis Xavier Elementary, elementary music teacher

• Education — Bachelor's degree in music education, Delta State University; master's in music education, Mississippi College

• Membership/activities — Mississippi Music Educators Association, Music Educators National Conference

• Philosophy — "My philosophy of teaching is that music should be in the life of every child from the very beginning, and all children should experience music through singing, playing and movement. Because of my belief that music is so important in the life of a child, I value musical arts and believe that exposure to all types of music is fundamental to the healthy development of our children's minds and spirits."



Pearlie W. Goodman

• School — Vicksburg High, student services coordinator

• Education — Bachelor's degree, Alcorn State University; master's, ASU

• Membership/activities — Mississippi Association of Special Needs Personnel, Mississippi and National Association of Career and Technical Educators

• Philosophy — "Finding the difference that works has always been my position. Students of yesterday, today and tomorrow all have one thing in common — which is to be successful. Thinking outside the box and using innovative ideas will get their attention and keep them coming back for more. Most of all, I've learned that caring will inspire students to do more."



Linda W. Hanks

• School — Dana Road Elementary, pre-kindergarten

• Education — Associate degree in elementary education, Hinds Community College; bachelor's in elementary education, Mississippi College; master's in elementary education, MC

• Membership/activities — Former Redwood PTO secretary and treasurer, Redwood United Methodist Church choir leader and Sunday school teacher, former RUMC Kid's Klub leader

• Philosophy — "It is very important that a teacher realizes the importance and worth of each student as an individual with different capabilities, interests and needs. A very important element is, of course, developing a child educationally. However, since the educational development of a child is contingent upon his/her total development (educational, emotional, psychological, social, moral and spiritual), these areas must be addressed and nurtured by a teacher as well."



Dara Hendrix

• School — Beechwood Elementary, kindergarten

• Education — Bachelor's degree in elementary education, Delta State University; master's in reading, Alcorn State University

• Membership/activities — Mississippi Professional Educators, Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, Lake Forest Homeowners Association treasurer, Bowmar Baptist Church children's ministry teacher

• Philosophy — "I view every day as a learning process where not only teachers educate students, but students educate teachers as well. I do firmly believe that the primary role of a teacher is to educate students, but before any real learning can occur the teacher must first develop a relationship with the student as well as with the parents."



Erika Denese Purnell January

• School — Vicksburg Junior High, eighth-grade math

• Education — Bachelor's degree in biology, Alcorn State University; master's in hazardous materials, Jackson State University; master's in educational leadership, Mississippi College

• Membership/activities —  Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Mississippi and National Association of Educators, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, former mentor for Vicksburg Boys & Girls Club, tutor/mentor for Hinds Educational Talent Search, tutor/mentor for YMCAA GED program, former tutor/mentor Boys & Girls Club Mississippi/Louisiana

• Philosophy — "My philosophy of teaching is centered around, but not limited to, progressivism. Progressivists believe that individuality, progress and change are fundamental to one's education. A teacher that sets high expectations produces excellent students."



Alice Jones

• School — Vicksburg Intermediate, fifth grade

• Education — Associate degree in liberal arts, East Central Junior College; bachelor's in elementary education, Delta State University

• Membership/activities — Mississippi Professional Educators

• Philosophy — "I believe that all children want to learn whether they readily admit it or not. I value the importance of a quality education and try to ensure that each child that walks into my classroom has the opportunity to obtain that education."



Leslie Mobley

• School — Redwood Elementary, sixth grade

• Education — Bachelor's degree in elementary education, Henderson State University; master's in counselor education, HSU

• Membership/activities — Redwood PTO

• Philosophy — "The basic underlying principle of my teaching is: 'Students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.' I want students in my classroom to know that I am interested in each student as an individual and not just as a test score."



Vickie S. Norman

• School — Grove Street Elementary, first grade

• Education — Bachelor's degree in education, Alcorn State University; master's in education administration, ASU

• Philosophy — "Every child is a rare jewel. Some are polished, some rough, but a jewel no less. Some know their value, while others have no idea how valuable they are. It is my job as an educator to take these children and provide them with the tools needed to become a productive citizen within our society."



Jo Ann M. Reeves

• School — South Park Elementary, teacher

• Education — Bachelor's degree in sociology, Dillard University; master's in elementary education, State University of New York

• Philosophy — "All students can learn, all students need a positive self-image, a caring nurturing, and stimulating environment in which to grow and take risk. It is my passion to instill a sense of 'yes I can' in my students."



Amy Pugh Robinson

• School — Warren Central Junior High, seventh-grade social studies

• Education — Associate degree in education, Hinds Community College; bachelor's in elementary education, Mississippi State University

• Membership/activities — Phi Theta Kappa Educational Honor Society, Mississippi Association of Educators

• Philosophy — "My goal as an educator is to help instill a love of learning in my students as I help them reach their individual potential. Lessons must be presented in a manner that stimulates student interest and helps them see the relationship between the curriculum and the world they live in."



Dani Kay Dottley Thomas

• School — St. Aloysius High School, English and enrichment

• Education — Bachelor's degree in secondary education/English, University of Mississippi

• Membership/activities — National Catholic Education Association, National Association of Junior Auxiliaries, Ole Miss Alumni Association, former Vicksburg and State of Mississippi Chi-Omega Alumni Association president

• Philosophy — "My motto, 'Strive for excellence in everything you do,' is also my philosophy. I stress this to my students every day, and as a teacher I live by the same standard. I firmly believe that if I expect and accept nothing less than my students' best efforts, then a day is never wasted in my classroom."



Jennifer Warren Tillotson

• School — Bovina Elementary, music

• Education — Bachelor's degree in music education, Mississippi State University; master's in music education, MSU

• Membership/activities — MENC/Mississippi Music Educators Association, American Choral Directors Association, former Mississippi Music Educators Association state secretary, Delta Kappa Chi, Mississippi Music Teachers Association (piano), Vicksburg Piano Teachers Association

• Philosophy — "'Bless the Children', a song I wrote nine years ago for the (Vicksburg Warren School District) opening convocation, is my philosophy. It says that you and I (as educators) have the opportunity every day to bless these children by teaching them. These children will learn, listen and live to make a difference as they grow."



Frances Warren

• School — Porters Chapel Academy, math teacher and assistant headmaster

• Education — Bachelor's degree in civil engineering, Mississippi State University; master's in civil engineering, MSU

• Membership/activities — Make a Promise Coalition

• Philosophy — "I believe that you set your standards where you want them to be and that you have the expectation that all your students can rise and meet your standards. You do not compromise with your students to lower your standards. My students in my classroom know what I expect from them, and the majority of them rise to the occasion."



Katherine Wilkerson

• School — Warrenton Elementary, lead teacher

• Education — Associate degree in general studies, Hinds Community College; bachelor's in elementary education, Mississippi College

• Membership/activities — American Federation of Teachers member and ex-treasurer

• Philosophy — "My philosophy of teaching is centered on student learning. As educators, we must recognize that each student is a unique individual who desires our utmost attention. In addition, these students should be recognized and respected in all that they strive for and accomplish."



Amy M. Wilkes

• School — Bowmar Avenue Elementary, teacher

• Education — Bachelor's degree in middle-grades education, Oglethorpe University

• Membership/activities — Coordinator of Bowmar Elementary Safety Committee, co-coordinator of Bowmar Elementary Science Fair, teacher/youth leader at First Baptist, Bowmar Elementary Relay for Life Committee, former member of Bowmar Professional Development Committee

• Philosophy — "My philosophy of teaching centers around the belief that each student is an amazing individual with a unique set of skills, interests, experiences, strengths, weaknesses, personalities and endless possibilities. It is my desire to inspire and educate each child, meeting the needs of the current student without losing sight of who they will become."

Contact Everett Bexley at ebexley@vicksburgpost.com


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It were philosophy wot lost the fight on global warming, it were - Examiner

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 07:19 AM PST

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Some definitions here. When I talk about this fight, I'm describing a political battle to control the agenda on how to confront global warming. With Rajendra Pachauri (the head of the IPCC and the public face of global warming that replaced the face of Al Gore) facing a firestorm of criticism for his personal finances, we see that an era of coddling by the major media is coming to an end. With harsh criticism for the manner in which the IPCC dealt with the phoned in and unsupported assertion that the Himalayan glaciers would disappear by 2035, we see that the era of taking their reports as tablets down from the mountain has melted away as well.

One of the episodes that contributed to this change was Climategate, the leaked emails from the English university's climate research unit. (As it happens, Steve Mosher and I have written a book about this, which you can buy by clicking here.) But rather than focus on any individual episode, I want to discuss the states of mind that made this inevitable, or at least the most likely outcome.

The nature of the fight against global warming changed irrevocably with the publication of Bjorn Lomborg's book, The Skeptical Environmentalist, in 1996. Prior to that, the fight against global warming was very much a good vs. evil construction, with the triumphant environmentalists continuing their ever-victorious crusade for a cleaner environment arrayed against the forces of Big Oil and the same thinktanks and PR firms that had defended Big Tobacco for so long. After the media firestorm of criticism that kneecapped Lomborg, the fight would forever be uglier, cheaper and in some way, smaller.

Lomborg's book, heavily cribbed from the work of Julian Simon, invited readers to think through the costs and benefits of actions to reduce global warming, to prioritize what should be done first and consider if some things should not be done at all.

For this he was crucified. Scientific American flayed him alive in a hit piece organised by John Rennie, who we recently found lying about global warming science in the same publication. What happened to Lomborg was a political assassination--partly because he deviated from the party line, but partly because the Enviros needed to send a clear message to others wavering off course.

Lomborg believes in global warming and believes it must be addressed. But he is routinely called a skeptic and denialist. The same has happened to The Breakthrough Institute's Ted Nordhaus and Michael Schellenberger (who by the way have an excellent piece up on the Obama Administration's struggle to find a path forward on climate change). And the same has happened to both Roger Pielke Sr. and Jr., the latter of the duo eventually joining the Breakthrough Institute. And, although I am not in the same league as those writers, it's happened to me here, too.

It is a clannish, 'us vs. them' mentality that has killed the momentum of the fight against global warming. Because of the way the movement organised itself (taking lessons from Naomi Oreskes on the evils of doubt and also from the fight against tobacco), they built a wall. On the inside were the chosen few and, they hoped, the willing masses. On the outside were any who dared to question the pronouncements of the Al Gores, Rajendra Pachauris, James Hansens, Stephen Schneiders, etc.

By self-organising in this way, they managed to preserve the purity of their message. CO2 was the prime culprit, and all of our efforts should be directed against it. But sadly, there was no mechanism for communication between parties. If everyone who disagreed with the chosen ones was the equivalent of a holocaust denier, there would be no communications across the divide. And this method created a strong interest group capable of keeping global warming on the political agenda for decades.

But they weren't strong enough to get their policies adopted. Oh, the European Union adopted an emissions cap--but then ignored it as their emissions rose steadily. Kyoto, Bali and Copenhagen were splendid media events, but have not shown tangible results.

Worst of all, it is clear that they have no Plan B. As the policy mechanisms they proposed began to sag under the weight of national politics in countries across the world, the only thing they could do was yell louder. This led to hyperbole, such as publishing in a report meant to carry only peer-reviewed conclusions the rumor that Himalayan glaciers would disappear by 2035. As Al Gore wisely stays off the public stage and Pachauri tries to fend off criticism, as Hansen lets himself get diverted to worthy but unrelated political activism, the movement seems headless at the moment.

Because they have built a wall, people can only get evicted--not admitted. So people get excommunicated from the movement, but there is no real recruitment--their message strategy is purely preaching to the choir and letting policy makers know how big the choir is.

But because I believe global warming is real and should be addressed, I can offer the prescription that would begin to turn things around in this battle.

Tear down this wall.

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