Hot or Not?

This week on the world famous Ricochet Podcast, our own Bethany Mandel sits in for Peter Robinson as we parse Amazon’s departure from NYC, discuss the climate with noted expert Bjorn Lomborg, and talk politics with the WSJ (and Manhattan Institute’s) Jason Riley. Also, is CPAC now just a grifter’s convention? We discuss, you opine.

Music from this week’s show: Heatwave by Ella Fitzgerald

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  1. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Taras (View Comment):
    Consider how many “conservatives” joined the lynch mob baying for the blood of the Covington kids,

    Another eye-opening experience since the Trump election. None of those guys did anything wrong, but there are still some “conservatives” that think they need counseling. Pathetic. 

    I’m trying to quit Twitter, but this is the type of education I will miss out on. LOL

    • #31
  2. Taras Coolidge
    Taras
    @Taras

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Taras (View Comment):
    Consider how many “conservatives” joined the lynch mob baying for the blood of the Covington kids,

    Another eye-opening experience since the Trump election. None of those guys did anything wrong, but there are still some “conservatives” that think they need counseling. Pathetic.

    I’m trying to quit Twitter, but this is the type of education I will miss out on. LOL

    Some of those “conservatives” do need counseling.  Or maybe just a swift kick!

    • #32
  3. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Taras (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Taras (View Comment):
    Consider how many “conservatives” joined the lynch mob baying for the blood of the Covington kids,

    Another eye-opening experience since the Trump election. None of those guys did anything wrong, but there are still some “conservatives” that think they need counseling. Pathetic.

    I’m trying to quit Twitter, but this is the type of education I will miss out on. LOL

    Some of those “conservatives” do need counseling. Or maybe just a swift kick!

    This is one hell of a topic. All of those Tom Nichols, Bill Kristol types. 

    • #33
  4. Taras Coolidge
    Taras
    @Taras

    @icarus213 — “And if you are truly doing science objectively on this subject, shouldn’t we be taking into account all the benefits of a slightly warmer globe? How about agriculture, which almost universally benefits from warmer weather and longer growing seasons?”

    The scientist, one of the most famous in the world, associated with this viewpoint is Freeman J. Dyson.  You can read some of his comments at the website of the Global Warming Policy Foundation.  The people who tout that 97% figure don’t count him, because he’s “not a climatologist“.

    “Why is all change bad, regardless of what direction it’s in? Every article I read about climate change seems to have this agenda, which tells me that’s sort of the point of all analysis on this.”

    I, too, have noticed that they dig for bad news on global warming and pass silently over good news.

    Another of the world’s most famous scientists, the late paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould, liked to point out that global warming may be a problem for us, but it is not a problem for the biosphere.

    Changes in rainfall patterns are real problem, because millions of people live where the rain falls now. Rising sea levels are a real problem, because we’ve built cities on what is really continental shelf. However, he continued, when a paleontologist hears global warming doomsday scenarios, he smiles — because he knows how warm the Earth was in some of its most verdant epochs.

    • #34
  5. Petty Boozswha Inactive
    Petty Boozswha
    @PettyBoozswha

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    Icarus213 (View Comment):
    To be honest, it bothers me how the political Right has essentially ceded the high ground on this issue, and we are almost all now saying “yes, of course climate change is happening, and it’s a problem, but…” and then we go on to talk about China and India and fracking as if we really care about this. But do we really care about this? Or are these arguments just placeholders because deep down, we suspect this is all pretty much hysteria that will eventually pass? That’s pretty much where I’m at

    Me too. You didn’t hear me saying “it’s happening and it’s a problem” because it’s a few notches down the “existential threat” level below “Iranian EMP.” I grew up in the age of the imminent Ice Age, was terribly worried during the Ozone Hole Era, and eventually learned to stop worrying and love the Maunder Mininum, as a Kubrick movie might have put it.

     

    I was working for Lehman Brothers in 1983 and we were positive Americans would be pulling the Japanese around in rickshaws by now.

    • #35
  6. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    Icarus213 (View Comment):
    To be honest, it bothers me how the political Right has essentially ceded the high ground on this issue, and we are almost all now saying “yes, of course climate change is happening, and it’s a problem, but…” and then we go on to talk about China and India and fracking as if we really care about this. But do we really care about this? Or are these arguments just placeholders because deep down, we suspect this is all pretty much hysteria that will eventually pass? That’s pretty much where I’m at

    Me too. You didn’t hear me saying “it’s happening and it’s a problem” because it’s a few notches down the “existential threat” level below “Iranian EMP.” I grew up in the age of the imminent Ice Age, was terribly worried during the Ozone Hole Era, and eventually learned to stop worrying and love the Maunder Mininum, as a Kubrick movie might have put it.

     

    I was working for Lehman Brothers in 1983 and we were positive Americans would be pulling the Japanese around in rickshaws by now.

    I’m having trouble coming up with really cynical and clever things to induce you to watch this insanely long video. Give it a shot.

    Also, be sure to vote! Your vote matters!

     

    • #36
  7. James Lileks Contributor
    James Lileks
    @jameslileks

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):
    I was working for Lehman Brothers in 1983 and we were positive Americans would be pulling the Japanese around in rickshaws by now.

    Oh, they were going to eat our lunch. With long sticks. See, they had figured out how to coordinate business and government. They were looking at the long-term instead of next quarter. They had high tech figured out. They had trains

     If only we could have been more like Japan. 

    • #37
  8. Petty Boozswha Inactive
    Petty Boozswha
    @PettyBoozswha

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):
    I was working for Lehman Brothers in 1983 and we were positive Americans would be pulling the Japanese around in rickshaws by now.

    Oh, they were going to eat our lunch. With long sticks. See, they had figured out how to coordinate business and government. They were looking at the long-term instead of next quarter. They had high tech figured out. They had trains.

    If only we could have been more like Japan.

    If you had told someone a generation from now the largest, most profitable consumer electronics company in the world will be in Northern California and that Sony, Mitsubishi, JVC and the rest would be on shaky ground you would have been put in the nut house.

    • #38
  9. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Texmoor (View Comment):
    For example, AOC knocked off a powerful incumbent Democrat to win her seat. That guy has every reason to run again after her behavior so far.

    One theory is he didn’t really campaign because he thought re-election was sewn up.  As a result, his voters thought the same so they didn’t turn out.

    We’ll see if AOC gets re-elected in 2020 . . .

    • #39
  10. Spin Inactive
    Spin
    @Spin

    I ordered the Eero stuffs this afternoon.  The bit above says if you enter ricochet, you get free overnight shipping.  Well, I ordered a base station, 2 beacons, and 1 year of eero plus, and the coupon code got me $99 off.  Just an FYI.  

    I’ll let you guys know if it’s all that.  

    • #40
  11. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Spin (View Comment):

    I ordered the Eero stuffs this afternoon. The bit above says if you enter ricochet, you get free overnight shipping. Well, I ordered a base station, 2 beacons, and 1 year of eero plus, and the coupon code got me $99 off. Just an FYI.

    I’ll let you guys know if it’s all that.

    “Overnight” may not include holidays, such as tomorrow.  My guess would be, if you order on Sunday and Monday is a holiday, expect delivery on Wednesday.  “Overnight” from the next business day, being Tuesday.

    • #41
  12. Blue Yeti Admin
    Blue Yeti
    @BlueYeti

    Spin (View Comment):

    I ordered the Eero stuffs this afternoon. The bit above says if you enter ricochet, you get free overnight shipping. Well, I ordered a base station, 2 beacons, and 1 year of eero plus, and the coupon code got me $99 off. Just an FYI.

    I’ll let you guys know if it’s all that.

    I have six of them spread out over two buildings. They’re great. Hope Amazon doesn’t ruin them. 

    • #42
  13. Taras Coolidge
    Taras
    @Taras

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    Icarus213 (View Comment):
    To be honest, it bothers me how the political Right has essentially ceded the high ground on this issue, and we are almost all now saying “yes, of course climate change is happening, and it’s a problem, but…” and then we go on to talk about China and India and fracking as if we really care about this. But do we really care about this? Or are these arguments just placeholders because deep down, we suspect this is all pretty much hysteria that will eventually pass? That’s pretty much where I’m at

    Me too. You didn’t hear me saying “it’s happening and it’s a problem” because it’s a few notches down the “existential threat” level below “Iranian EMP.” I grew up in the age of the imminent Ice Age, was terribly worried during the Ozone Hole Era, and eventually learned to stop worrying and love the Maunder Mininum, as a Kubrick movie might have put it.

     

    I was working for Lehman Brothers in 1983 and we were positive Americans would be pulling the Japanese around in rickshaws by now.

    So-called “cyberpunk” science fiction writers like William Gibson and Bruce Sterling went on peddling that narrative about the future, at least through the late Nineties.

    • #43
  14. Spin Inactive
    Spin
    @Spin

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Spin (View Comment):

    I ordered the Eero stuffs this afternoon. The bit above says if you enter ricochet, you get free overnight shipping. Well, I ordered a base station, 2 beacons, and 1 year of eero plus, and the coupon code got me $99 off. Just an FYI.

    I’ll let you guys know if it’s all that.

    “Overnight” may not include holidays, such as tomorrow. My guess would be, if you order on Sunday and Monday is a holiday, expect delivery on Wednesday. “Overnight” from the next business day, being Tuesday.

    What I’m saying is that the coupon code didn’t apply to shipping.  Overnight was $9.99.  The coupon code got me $100 off.  But, I tried to order just a base station and one beacon and the code wouldn’t take.  

    • #44
  15. Spin Inactive
    Spin
    @Spin

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Spin (View Comment):

    I ordered the Eero stuffs this afternoon. The bit above says if you enter ricochet, you get free overnight shipping. Well, I ordered a base station, 2 beacons, and 1 year of eero plus, and the coupon code got me $99 off. Just an FYI.

    I’ll let you guys know if it’s all that.

    I have six of them spread out over two buildings. They’re great. Hope Amazon doesn’t ruin them.

    Like they ruined New York?

    • #45
  16. Blue Yeti Admin
    Blue Yeti
    @BlueYeti

    Spin (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Spin (View Comment):

    I ordered the Eero stuffs this afternoon. The bit above says if you enter ricochet, you get free overnight shipping. Well, I ordered a base station, 2 beacons, and 1 year of eero plus, and the coupon code got me $99 off. Just an FYI.

    I’ll let you guys know if it’s all that.

    I have six of them spread out over two buildings. They’re great. Hope Amazon doesn’t ruin them.

    Like they ruined New York?

    Total non-sequitur, but no. I mean that they don’t use the routers to track all my activity and then serve me ads for Amazon products based on that activity. Wishful thinking, I know. 

    • #46
  17. rdowhower Member
    rdowhower
    @

    I’m growing weary of Rob repeating what Jonah and JPod tell him about Trump’s chances for reelection and popularity among Republicans.  It’s clear they don’t mingle with the average Republican-inclined voter and instead let their inner Bill Kristols control their commentary in their hope of somehow “conserving conservatism”, whatever that means.  Can we have just a little objectivity now and then instead of allowing wishful thinking to rule the day?

    • #47
  18. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    I keep forgetting to post this. The whole show was really good, but I found the beginning to be really interesting. The stuff Bethany was talking about regarding transportation and property taxes is just crazy. How is all of that going to get resolved?  It would just be fascinating to hear some really solid libertarian and conservative economists comment on that part.

    They are shoving light rail down our throats in Minneapolis. All of that stuff is impossible to manage and creates all kinds of side effects and social problems.

    It doesn’t get in the news much, but that BART System out in the Bay Area is just a great example. Every single metric is a disaster. All kinds of social problems. It is improved utterly nothing, on net.

    The New York Subway and train system had merit back when everyone was poor, so they have to live with it, but all of the new ones are just stupid.

     

    • #48
  19. J Ro Member
    J Ro
    @JRo

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    I keep forgetting to post this. The whole show was really good, but I found the beginning to be really interesting. The stuff Bethany was talking about regarding transportation and property taxes is just crazy. How is all of that going to get resolved? It would just be fascinating to hear some really solid libertarian and conservative economists comment on that part.

    They are shoving light rail down our throats in Minneapolis. All of that stuff is impossible to manage and creates all kinds of side effects and social problems.

    It doesn’t get in the news much, but that BART System out in the Bay Area is just a great example. Every single metric is a disaster. All kinds of social problems. It is improved utterly nothing, on net.

    The New York Subway and train system had merit back when everyone was poor, so they have to live with it, but all of the new ones are just stupid.

    These metro systems seem to be really bad at making money, but really good at burning it up! The worst part about involving the feds is that tax payers who live thousands of miles away and don’t benefit from the systems are forced to subsidized them.

    The DC Metro (as I remember it) strangles potential advertising revenue by restricting ads. Don’t want spoil the effect of being in a concrete bunker by having colorful, amusing, informative ads scattered around them.

    Food and drink are banned. Imagine the possibilities of having mini convenience stores in the stations or on the platforms. Yes, the citizenry will have to be trained not to litter. Hmm… elevating the civilizational standards of our citizenry, wouldn’t that be a good thing, a positive change, in the end?

    • #49
  20. Petty Boozswha Inactive
    Petty Boozswha
    @PettyBoozswha

    The worst part about involving the feds is that tax payers who live thousands of miles away and don’t benefit from the systems are forced to subsidized them.

    City folks don’t benefit from ethanol or crop support subsidies either.

    • #50
  21. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Right now, the all in costs for the Minneapolis light rail is six dollars for every one dollar ticket sold. Depreciation and operating expenses. Last year costs went up 2% and ridership went down 2%.

    The whole thing is predicated on subsidizing (forcing) development around it. 100% graft and stupidity.

    The thing is, we actually need a small, one spoke line to solve some traffic problems we have here, but they just had to go full social engineering- Sims game to prove that communism actually works.

    • #51
  22. J Ro Member
    J Ro
    @JRo

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):

    The worst part about involving the feds is that tax payers who live thousands of miles away and don’t benefit from the systems are forced to subsidized them.

    City folks don’t benefit from ethanol or crop support subsidies either.

    Perhaps those of us who are bothered by these arrangements will be able to celebrate if President Trump’s DOT is able to claw back a few $Billion from the canceled California high speed rail project. That would feel like “winning.”

    • #52
  23. Archie Campbell Member
    Archie Campbell
    @ArchieCampbell

    rdowhower (View Comment):

    I’m growing weary of Rob repeating what Jonah and JPod tell him about Trump’s chances for reelection and popularity among Republicans. It’s clear they don’t mingle with the average Republican-inclined voter and instead let their inner Bill Kristols control their commentary in their hope of somehow “conserving conservatism”, whatever that means. Can we have just a little objectivity now and then instead of allowing wishful thinking to rule the day?

    You are complaining, in essence, that Rob has a different opinion than you do, and reaches different conclusions from yours.  None of the hosts are objective, and never have been. I doubt Rob takes marching orders from Jonah and JPod.  Peter is more pro-Trump. Does that mean he takes marching orders from VDH and Mollie Hemingway or Conrad Black? (Or insert your favorite thoughtful pro-Trump or anti-anti-Trump writer here.) If you insist that conservatism has to accept conservatives who like Trump, then you have to accept conservatives who do not.  If you have an argument to make, make it, but it’s cheap to insinuate that Rob is somehow in the thrall of others because he disagrees with you.

    • #53
  24. Archie Campbell Member
    Archie Campbell
    @ArchieCampbell

    @blueyeti, @roblong mentioned that info about his talk in San Jose(?) and the meet-up following it in Palo Alto would be in the show notes. Can we get the info on that? Thanks.

     

     

    • #54
  25. Spin Inactive
    Spin
    @Spin

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Spin (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Spin (View Comment):

    I ordered the Eero stuffs this afternoon. The bit above says if you enter ricochet, you get free overnight shipping. Well, I ordered a base station, 2 beacons, and 1 year of eero plus, and the coupon code got me $99 off. Just an FYI.

    I’ll let you guys know if it’s all that.

    I have six of them spread out over two buildings. They’re great. Hope Amazon doesn’t ruin them.

    Like they ruined New York?

    Total non-sequitur, but no. I mean that they don’t use the routers to track all my activity and then serve me ads for Amazon products based on that activity. Wishful thinking, I know.

    Well, they have ad blocking technology…so…we shall see.  

    Got mine last night and so far I think they are fine.  Wish there was more to see in terms of traffic analysis, logging, but these are simple devices for non-IT folks.  

    • #55
  26. Charlotte Member
    Charlotte
    @Charlotte

    Late to the party, but I just wanted to nominate @icarus213 ‘s comment #6 for the all-time Ricochet Hall of Fame. Superb.

    • #56
  27. Blue Yeti Admin
    Blue Yeti
    @BlueYeti

    Archie Campbell (View Comment):

    @blueyeti, @roblong mentioned that info about his talk in San Jose(?) and the meet-up following it in Palo Alto would be in the show notes. Can we get the info on that? Thanks.

     

    We will be posting on that in the next 24 hours. 

    • #57
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