Thursday, August 31, 2017

More 080417

Trump tells Mexico he will send troops deep into the country to deal with the 'bad hombres.'  It appears that Trump's plan for Mexico to pay for his wall is to invade the country and annex even more territory than the U.S. seized in 1846.  It would have to be more to fulfill his "greatest ever" proclamations.

Trump demands more money from the government to house his Secret Service protection detail in his Trump Tower where it might save his life. Trump is also gouging the Military office in the Tower for more than fair rental rates paid by residents. 

Researchers at the University of Arizona law school studying fake news have identified types of fake stories. There are out and out hoaxes, that are false probably financially motivated, and intended to deceive.  Examples are ponzi schemes and real estate development scams. How about satire, which is a way of calling attention to issues by making points that every one should know are extrapolation of real news.  Think Saturday Night Live and The Onion.  Then there’s propaganda: news that’s purposefully biased or false and meant to promote a political cause or point of view. For example, stories about Hillary Clinton’s health leading up to the 2016 election and most politicians' pronouncements.

Last week, a draft of a Department of Energy study on electric grid reliability leaked. Though Trump could change its final version, essentially the study found that an increased reliance on renewable energy sources, including solar and wind, have not made the grid less stable. Instead, electric grids are “more reliable today” than before the ongoing adoption of renewable energy, due to better planning and other factors.  Secretary of Energy Rick Perry commissioned the grid study in April, as carrying the administration's transparent goal: undermining support for renewable energy, and boosting support for fossil fuels. Perry was ignoring plenty of previous research on this topic, which has found the concern to be minimal. This is a risk when you do science backwards, when you put conclusions before data: observable reality might not agree with your predetermined conclusion.  But the DOE study gives us a glimpse into an emerging Trump Science that places predetermined conclusions before research. The method something like this: Observation, hypothesis, experimentation, theory, denial, tantrum, alternative theory unsupported by either observation or experimentation, contrived experiment or debate aimed at undermining what was previously established by experimentation, continued tantrum. Repeat until the planet's fiery death.  This method of research even has an official title, "Save the hypothesis," meaning throw away all data that may cast doubt on the theory.

Trump, meanwhile, has installed the most anti-science group of zealots imaginable to run his scientific agencies, and the current Congress has shown no interest in fighting their agenda. Decades of research be damned, here come Perry and Pruitt and Zinke saying ‘Well, hang on, if we run the experiments again, maybe Newton and Galileo were wrong.

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