The Most Interesting Virus in the World

The main topic? What else? The Coronavirus, which is roiling everything from the markets to the political arena and beyond. The Vice President is the new point man.

Then we get down to the nitty gritty of the race for the Democratic nomination with Luke Thompson and talk to a sensible Democrat about the environment as we’re joined by the President of Environmental Progress, Michael Shellenberger, on why nuclear power is the way to go and his new book, Apocalypse Never.

And speaking of the Coronavirus, James gives us our Ricochet Member Post of the Week, which features a “returning champion.”

Music from this week’s show: Carolina in the Morning by Dean Martin

Subscribe to The Ricochet Podcast in Apple Podcasts (and leave a 5-star review, please!), or by RSS feed. For all our podcasts in one place, subscribe to the Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed in Apple Podcasts or by RSS feed.


Published in: Culture

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There are 44 comments.

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  1. Eustace C. Scrubb Member
    Eustace C. Scrubb
    @EustaceCScrubb

    So the founders have brought JL along to a deserted south sea island to escape the virus. Good forward thinking.

    • #1
  2. Samuel Block Support
    Samuel Block
    @SamuelBlock

    I love Rob’s turnaround since last week about what he can say about female candidates. I mean that sincerely. It’s about time progressive women start getting a taste of what equality will be like, and I applaud anybody who will be honest about this. I’ve gotten in too many 6 on 1 arguments with women that, in my opinion, that were started by my making the mistake of taking them seriously in their purported conviction.

    Bravo, Brother Rob!

    • #2
  3. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Ricochet Audio Network: Music from this week’s show: Carolina in the Morning by Dean Martin

    Also “Carolina In My Mind” by James Taylor.

     

    • #3
  4. OccupantCDN Coolidge
    OccupantCDN
    @OccupantCDN

    Great interviews.

    If anyone else had Elisabeth Warrens long-term estrangement from the truth, they would not be in any elected office nor running for president. How can she think that anyone with her history could compete with Donald Trump on the topic of Truth? He is what he is and has always been true to that. I really believe that President Trump is the most genuine president in US history… Unfortunately he’s genuinely Donald Trump.

    Great points on nuclear energy. I have been a long term supporter of nuclear energy, particularly the Thorium fuel cycle and Molten Salt Reactors. I really believe that if environmental activists where serious about their crisis they’d be supporters of nuclear energy.

    • #4
  5. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Mr Lileks’ Neighborhood:

    It’s a wonderful day in the Member Feed,

    A wonderful day in the Member Feed,

    Oh won’t you be a Member?

    • #5
  6. ToryWarWriter Coolidge
    ToryWarWriter
    @ToryWarWriter

    You were talking about the Australia wildfires, and it reminded me of this piece where they talk about how the fires are really being caused by an invasive species that tries to murder all other wildlife.

     

    Watch this video and be really shocked.  Its from Australia Sky News.

     

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5mmyquabPA

    • #6
  7. MISTER BITCOIN Inactive
    MISTER BITCOIN
    @MISTERBITCOIN

    ToryWarWriter (View Comment):

    You were talking about the Australia wildfires, and it reminded me of this piece where they talk about how the fires are really being caused by an invasive species that tries to murder all other wildlife.

     

    Watch this video and be really shocked. Its from Australia Sky News.

     

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5mmyquabPA

     

    humans who commit arson?

     

    • #7
  8. Saint Augustine Member
    Saint Augustine
    @SaintAugustine

    We actually are doing Chinese medicine to deal with the coronavirus at HKBU. Someone from the School of Chinese Medicine developed some wellness concoction. The President speaks well of it in emails. I signed up for a batch.

    No one thinks it’s a substitute for a vaccine, of course. It’s just an immune system booster. I figure it’s like taking lemon tea with honey, or Gatorade, or a Centrum. Just tinkering with the probability of beating the next germ I meet.

    • #8
  9. Wolfsheim Member
    Wolfsheim
    @Wolfsheim

    Here in Japan, schools have been closed and all masses for Japan’s tiny Catholic minority, including myself, have been cancelled until mid-March.

    Meanwhile, an old German friend is intent on another upcoming visit to Japan and scoffs at talk of the virus as hysteria. Interestingly enough, he also waxes quite indignant whenever I voice skepticism about Greta-Thunbergism. He finds it inspiring that Swedish schoolchildren are out throwing stones at police officers in the name of environmentalism (“Bist du blind??” he asks me.) Otherwise a Japanophile, he is harshly critical of our “failure” to renounce nuclear energy.

    The word ragnarök, mistranslated as Götterdämmerung, often occurs to me as a pseudo-religious leitmotif, so to speak, of contemporary post-Christians… Michael Shellenberger’s concluding comments were deeply insightful and moving.

    • #9
  10. Jon1979 Inactive
    Jon1979
    @Jon1979

    OccupantCDN (View Comment):

    Great interviews.

    If anyone else had Elisabeth Warrens long-term estrangement from the truth, they would not be in any elected office nor running for president. How can she think that anyone with her history could compete with Donald Trump on the topic of Truth? He is what he is and has always been true to that. I really believe that President Trump is the most genuine president in US history… Unfortunately he’s genuinely Donald Trump.

    There’s a point there for Republicans in 2024 as well, in that Donald Trump spent 35-plus years being Donald Trump before he ran for president, and enough people in the country were comfortable enough, if not happy, with that persona to be willing to elect him president, in large part because they saw him as rich and successful (even if he was nowhere near as rich and successful as he claimed he was).

    Someone who bursts onto the political scene like Warren, who has nothing else in his or her public life to talk about but the political offices they’ve held and is immediately unconcerned about the truth isn’t going to get the same benefit of the doubt, and any GOP candidate who tries to act like Trump’s Mini-Me in ’24 will have it even worse, because the Democratic base voters rejected Liz despite the media running interference for her, and refusing to harp on her lies. Doubt they’ll do that for anyone on the Republican side four years from now, and I don’t think they’d be able to bull through their questionable statements they way Trump can.

    • #10
  11. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    I want to take the mention of John Kasich to gratuitously say I don’t get why any Republican sees any merit in that guy. He’s a vote buying, central planning, psycho. Some people that hate Trump like him, which makes zero sense to me. He was one thing before Morgan Stanley and something else after. I don’t pay super close attention, but I think the main thing he’s doing now is paying attention to his TV contracts.

    • #11
  12. La Tapada Member
    La Tapada
    @LaTapada

    ToryWarWriter (View Comment):

    You were talking about the Australia wildfires, and it reminded me of this piece where they talk about how the fires are really being caused by an invasive species that tries to murder all other wildlife.

    Watch this video and be really shocked. Its from Australia Sky News.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5mmyquabPA

    Very. Very. Interesting. 

    • #12
  13. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    I thought this was some pretty wild, but plausible election analysis from John Batchelor. Start at 3:50.

     

     

     

    • #13
  14. Jon1979 Inactive
    Jon1979
    @Jon1979

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    I want to take the mention of John Kasich to gratuitously say I don’t get why any Republican sees any merit in that guy. He’s a vote buying, central planning, psycho. Some people that hate Trump like him, which makes zero sense to me. He was one thing before Morgan Stanley and something else after. I don’t pay super close attention, but I think the main thing he’s doing now is paying attention to his TV contracts.

    Anyone who hooks up with John Weaver as their campaign manager basically becomes a John Weaver Stepford Wife-style candidate, in that they are always the Republican in the field who doesn’t play to the voter base as much as they play to the bulk of the media.

    Whether it’s Kasich, Jon Huntsman or Maverick, Weaver candidates are always the Republican who gets the most favorable media via attacking other Republicans and conservative ideas, though I suppose it’s a chicken-and-egg thing as to whether or not they picked Weaver because they had that in their hearts all along, or if Weaver just brings out the worst in whatever candidate whose presidential campaign he runs.

    • #14
  15. Gazpacho Grande' Coolidge
    Gazpacho Grande'
    @ChrisCampion

    Wolfsheim (View Comment):

    Here in Japan, schools have been closed and all masses for Japan’s tiny Catholic minority, including myself, have been cancelled until mid-March.

    Meanwhile, an old German friend is intent on another upcoming visit to Japan and scoffs at talk of the virus as hysteria. Interestingly enough, he also waxes quite indignant whenever I voice skepticism about Greta-Thunbergism. He finds it inspiring that Swedish schoolchildren are out throwing stones at police officers in the name of environmentalism (“Bist du blind??” he asks me.) Otherwise a Japanophile, he is harshly critical of our “failure” to renounce nuclear energy.

    The word ragnarök, mistranslated as Götterdämmerung, often occurs to me as a pseudo-religious leitmotif, so to speak, of contemporary post-Christians… Michael Shellenberger’s concluding comments were deeply insightful and moving.

    Your German friend sounds a lot like why Germany is a lot less popular with non-Germans these days.  Blindness is a euphemism for not agreeing with him.

    I like to respond to these kinds of questions with “Hey, we gave you the Sudetenland, and how did that work out?”.

    Also, “Shut it, Hitler boy”, has a nice resonance to it.

     

    • #15
  16. Gary Robbins Member
    Gary Robbins
    @GaryRobbins

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Mr Lileks’ Neighborhood:

    It’s a wonderful day in the Member Feed,

    A wonderful day in the Member Feed,

    Oh won’t you be a Member?

    And if you are a member, consider upgrading your membership!  We are family.

    • #16
  17. Gary Robbins Member
    Gary Robbins
    @GaryRobbins

    No, no, no  Rob! 

    Don’t admit that you are aware of a dangerous situation in your home! 

    If someone injures themselves, they can use your statement on the Podcast against you!

    • #17
  18. Zed11 Inactive
    Zed11
    @Zed11

    Shellenberger has been a steady voice of reason re: nuclear energy. Hence California enviroevangelicals hate him. Thanks for the interviews.

    • #18
  19. Jeff Hawkins Inactive
    Jeff Hawkins
    @JeffHawkins

    Tulsi Gabbard getting out of a tub is something I wouldn’t mind

    • #19
  20. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Jeff Hawkins (View Comment):

    Tulsi Gabbard getting out of a tub is something I wouldn’t mind

    I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re right!

    • #20
  21. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Whoever was adjusting their microphone, or whatever that was, at various parts throughout the show, needs to click “Mute” first.

    • #21
  22. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    I’ve always thought the single biggest risk with nuclear power plants is having them built by something like the Plumbers Union, where the top guy might be some other guy’s brother-in-law or something who helped push the deal through congress or whatever.

    • #22
  23. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    It seems odd that the left/socialists (but I repeat myself…) would want de-centralized energy production.  That makes it harder for centralized control, doesn’t it?  And centralized control – and planning, etc – is what they think solves EVERYTHING.

    • #23
  24. Lois Lane Coolidge
    Lois Lane
    @LoisLane

    What was the name of the Sierra Club guy who pushed for nuclear?

    • #24
  25. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Lois Lane (View Comment):

    What was the name of the Sierra Club guy who pushed for nuclear?

    The name I get is William Siri.  I believe he has a phone voice named after him. :-)

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Siri

    • #25
  26. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    The “analysis” of Chernobyl overlooks the consequences to the nearby area, and mentions only the human deaths.

    • #26
  27. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    And the analysis of “climate change” left out the question of how much – if any – is man-caused, and might be man-fixable.

    • #27
  28. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    kedavis (View Comment):

    And the analysis of “climate change” left out the question of how much – if any – is man-caused, and might be man-fixable.

    What if it’s all nonsense? 

    • #28
  29. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Well in the broadest sense “climate change” is always true, because climate is always changing.  Since the beginning of time, or at least the beginning of Earth.  If you want to really worry, save it for if climate ever STOPS changing.

    The question of whether it signals impending disaster, is a separate issue.  Aside from possibly causing some loss of profits for those who invested in beach-front property, it’s far more likely to be GOOD than BAD.  Due to increased growing seasons, etc.  Also because more people have more problems – illness, death, etc – due to cold than due to heat. And because, of course, another name for carbon dioxide is “plant food.”

    And the question of whether or not human activity is actually responsible for any of it, is yet another separate issue.  But considering the greater pluses than minuses, IF humans DID cause it, that seems to be more reason to pat ourselves on the back, rather than panic.

    But the reality is, the sun has always had, and always WILL have, a far greater impact on “global warming” (or cooling) or “climate change” than anything else.  The sun periodically goes through cycles, as it has done long before anyone ever thought of making an SUV or even a coal-fired power plant.  There have been cooler cycles within recorded human history.  If it’s getting warmer now, overall – and even that is open to some debate – well, that’s the sun.

    • #29
  30. The Cloaked Gaijin Member
    The Cloaked Gaijin
    @TheCloakedGaijin

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    I thought this was some pretty wild, but plausible election analysis from John Batchelor.

    I don’t know anything about John Batchelor except that he was Mona Charen’s favorite radio host.  She must be beside herself with Batchelor appearing with Seb Gorka.

     

     

    • #30
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