Settled science...isn't. That's the whole point of it being called "science."

No matter what side of the climate change debate you choose to believe, Charles Krauthammer has a recent piece that should give you some pause.  Now the mantra of manmade climate change believers is that AGW is somehow "settled science."  

Boy I'm glad they weren't around when the eugenics folks were popular.

But the worst part is that people who are upset with Krauthammer's revelation of this disturbing trend are themselves resorting to the politics of the mob rather than bringing science to the fore.  That's the center of his piece - when we call people out for having different scientific opinions we've got trouble.

There is no such thing as "settled science."  Science, by its very nature, is never settled.  What we have in "global warming" are some weather facts and trends being used to redistribute wealth on a global scale.  And those who opposed global transfers of wealth are being described as "flat-earthers" by politicians.   

Bigotry is bigotry, and trying to scream down one's opponent is the same every time it's used.

Astronomy for Dummies

Some of my students have asked me to comment outside of class about amateur astronomy lately, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite sites.  It's getting ready to undergo some changes (ads, mainly, we think) but I recommend it as one of the best places to go to learn about astronomy for amateurs.

www.cloudynights.com

Remember that scope you got for Christmas when you were a kid?  If it's Japanese, even a cheap one, it's probably better than what you can buy these days, and someone might find it collectible.  Cloudy Night's site sponsor, Astronomics, is one of the best/biggest shops in the country.  They come highly recommended.

Another of my favorite sites is

www.handsonoptics.com

Gary and his wife Sherry are friends from a few years back and I'll recommend them every time.  They have a good "used" list, too, and if they don't have something they can usually find it for you.

Finally, if you want to participate in a site that's growing (and not very crowded) I can recommend this one.  I sure wish there were more readers/posters for this.

www.telescopejunkies.com

Heavy Hitters: I bet you thought you knew who the largest political contributors were; you were wrong...

OpenSecrets.org has a list of the largest political contributors of the past few decades, and I bet it's different from what people would expect.  You can find it here.  Or cut-and-paste

https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/list.php

I know you were thinking that there would be a bunch of evil conservatives at the top, right?  Nope.  Instead there's a bunch of unions and "consumer interest" groups, whatever that means. 

This article about George Soros' political activities is pretty informative too.  At least it doesn't come from some Right Wing hater site.