Readers may recall this story a few weeks back:
Be a “concerned scientist” – valid credit card required
Reader DJ writes in Tips & Notes:
Since becoming a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists when I found out all you needed was a valid credit card, my curiosity about who and what they really are has spiked.
I decided to put that theory to the test. I am very proud to announce that a member of my family has been accepted into this prestigious organization. With pride, I present new UCS member, Kenji Watts:
Yes, Kenji is our dog. Apparently, the claim is true, all that is required to be a member of the illustrious group of “concerned scientists” is a valid credit card. No discerning questions were asked of me when I prepared Kenji’s application and no follow up check after the application was done. I simply put in his name, address, and provided a valid credit card that matched the address.
Here is his letter of acceptance:
And the envelope it came in:
Kenji surveys his welcome kit:
Kenji is a Japanese Chin, hence the name. I found it ironic that the issue of the UCS Catalyst Magazine (seen above) was all about Japan.
So the real question is: How many real “concerned scientists” are there in UCS? Membership is apparently not any more discerning than the ability to send money.
I’m disappointed the Guardian hasn’t called for a quote on this story citing “leading U.S. Scientists”:
Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well! Especially with ‘climate science’, many of us suspected things were going to the dogs. But now our suspicions have been laid to rest by the relentless investigative work of the Watts research team.
I must say, he does have a concerned look on his face.
Kenji does wear a decidedly concerned expression on his face.
Hilarious! Shame the cat didn’t apply; it would have enjoyed playing with the mouse mat and reading “Cat-alyst” monthly. Perhaps we should all enroll our pets and take them to the AGM. Wish I lived in the US.
REPLY: I didn’t think Tubbysaurus Rex would be accepted, he’s too much of a troublemaker compared to Kenji. – Anthony
Kenji looks concerned about the rubbish surrounding his bed!
I almost fell off my desk chair when I this….Thanks Kenji…..
Welcome to the dog-eat-dog world of climate science!
Nice dog. Of course in the Navy the shortest watch is the dog watch. 🙂
Nothing serious, just ya saying, have you ever thought of entering that dog in the most ugly dog contest?
Awesome. A dog that reads upside down. A good addition to any union!
Since part of that membership fee will go into hysterical marketing and lobbying efforts, I’m not going to rush into joining the bandwagon on this one, either.
And yes, I have met many hysterical marketers before.
“Steve from Rockwood says:
October 7, 2011 at 1:57 pm
Awesome. A dog that reads upside down. A good addition to any union!”
OMG, He’s a Tijander Japanese Chin..
n
That’s made my day Anthony! (Lol) Brilliant!!
Kenji, Does look concerned. It’s not a joke. Shut up.
It’s no surprise that a watermelon group would allow anyone with money to join. What I really want to know is how did Kenji get a credit card? Did BoA give him one thinking he was an illegal alien?
REPLY: No I simply used mine, they apparently don’t care that the name on the credit card and the applicant name don’t match either – Anthony
So you get a tax receipt? Don’t know about US tax code, but here in the Frozen North you need to be a verfiable charity… What charitable works does the UCS do beside provide 1-900 numbers for aggrieved climate despots?
Looked to me like Kenji was wondering if Anthony had fallen off his rocker and was demanding that he use those papers to do his business on rather the the “good stuff.”
As far as the UCS goes, they should be more concerned about the atrocity that has gone on in the scientific community in regards to the fanatical desire to squash anyone whose opinions differs from “the Consensus.”
Good job you didn’t name your dog ‘Killer’, ‘Chomper’, or ‘Cuddles’. Otherwise they might have wondered!
So who gets the tax deduction?
Steve from Rockwood says:
October 7, 2011 at 1:57 pm
Awesome. A dog that reads upside down. A good addition to any union!
He’s credentialed from somewhere in the southern hemisphere. Aussiland, perhaps, or New Zeal-land.
Not only does he look concerned, he also looks scientific.
So far the death toll at the Fukushima site due to the reactor event is exactly zero. It has killed nobody. In the meantime, we have had dozens of deaths around the world due to contaminated sprouts in Germany, and contaminated cantaloupe in Colorado. It seems to me they would save many more lives by becoming active against “organic” food (as if there is a such thing as inorganic food) and promoting nuclear technologies.
The “Can it happen here” meme is ironic if they mean “can a ‘disaster’ that kills nobody happen here”. The answer is that they probably happen every day.
Question is: When they find out and strike Kenji from the members list, will you get your 35 bucks back?
Looks like Kenji is trying to decide if it would be in bad taste to leave his mark on the papers.
Overqualified.
Money talks…or should I say: barks!
What? No secret decoder ring?
Awesome! Way to follow through.
They need to change the about us on their website.
“What began as a collaboration between students and faculty members at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1969 is now an alliance of more than 250,000 citizens and scientists. UCS members are people from all walks of life: parents and businesspeople, biologists and physicists, teachers and students.” ….. and a dog.
He is on a list now! He’ll probably start getting a bunch of junk mail asking for donations.
REPLY: Yep, probably, I’ll report those here too. The UCS entry is public address zero for Kenji, it will be an interesting experiment. – Anthony
Can it happen here?
That depends, how many reactors do we have in places that can be hit with 9.0 earthquakes, followed 20 minutes later by a 30 foot tsunami.
Even if it did, if we put the back-up diesels in concrete, water tight bunkers, then there won’t be a problem. Put the batteries in water tight bunkers as well.
For the rest of the reactors, no changes will be needed.
I should submit my two Irish Setters, Kelly and Seamus to the UCS. They too are concerned and very passionate about climate and food production, specifically on how it can benefit them, soil erosion and drought at the local off-leash, environmental policies at home in regards to vacuuming the floor and security concerns vis-a-vis the mailman and flyer delivery guy.
Are all UCS members barking?
A mouse pad? No mouse in it? And what’s with the CAT magazine?
===============
Kenji’s wisdom is sorely needed – can he run for office in the UCS too?
Uh huh, laugh it up, Anthony… It’s all fun and games until someone reports you to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. And PETA !!!
funny stuff… Thanks for that!
Or you could just read the “ABOUT US” link on the site
“What began as a collaboration between students and faculty members at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1969 is now an alliance of more than 250,000 citizens and scientists. UCS members are people from all walks of life: parents and businesspeople, biologists and physicists, teachers and students. Our achievements over the decades show that thoughtful action based on the best available science can help safeguard our future and the future of our planet. ”
Idiots.
I don’t understand; what is the problem with caninologists joining the Union of Concerned Scientists?
p.s. That’s one ugly mutt, all the better for loving.
Here’s a blueprint for destroying a state economy. Amy Luers, UCS. Money for their work collected from a public goods charge on electric bills amounting to $1 billion per year in California. Public Interest Energy Research got about $100 million per year.
http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/events/2007_conference/presentations/2007-09-12/2007-09-12_FRANCO_CAYAN_SANSTAD_LUERS.PDF
I wonder how many other members of UCS are housebroken?
Latimer Alder says:
October 7, 2011 at 2:42 pm
Are all UCS members barking?
Barking mad, maybe.
The picture would have fit in better if Kenji was chewing on a hockey stick…
Kenji looks like a mouser, good thing they are sending him/her a mousepad!
> So the real question is: How many real “concerned scientists” are there in UCS?
Did you care enough to ask them? Or were you in too much of a rush to get your readership to mock them?
> Membership is apparently not any more discerning than the ability to send money.
It is not supposed to be discerning. It is a charity. I wonder how many members of Women Against Abuse are neither women, nor abused? Should I have to be subjected to some sort of faith test before donating to Christian Aid?
As is absolutely obvious from the Guardian article you link to, when the UCS draws attention to an issue what they do is issue a joint statement signed by a number of genuine scientists. 100 in this case, over 10,000 in past instances.
So. The UCS is a **charity** which adopts science-based advocacy positions, has a scientist as its chair, and organises public statements with mass signatories by scientists, and allows anyone who agrees with their message to donate money to help them spread it. What **exactly** is your problem?
Ha, ha, now I’ve got to go clean up the mess from Pirates of Penzance.
On the internet, no one knows you are a dog
“Don’t mind them Kenji, I think you’re cool”. – Kayleigh, the ungrateful dog.
I laughed.
Not too sure about the wisdom of giving them your address – after all, like most climate activists they are sons of Kenji’s (why couldn’t you have a female dog Anthony!).
I love it when folks like Dave H can’t see the tagged humor and satire and get all bent out of shape. It reminds me a famous phrase when thinking about UCS and global warming:
“Guess what?! I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!”
So what sort of research does Kenji do? Is he concerned about the Ozone hole? Does he have advice for us wind turbine haters?
Inquiring minds want to know! Did he realize it was only a charity and that any dog could join, not just qualified dogs?
Does he care what Dave H. Thinks?
Looking forward to Further articles and notes from “The Desk of Kenji” 🙂
Alright own up! Which one of you concerned scientists is the guilty party here?
http://viralfootage.com/?p=18730
I predict Kenji will make fewer foolishly unscientific statements than the average UCS member.
[yeah funny, but a bit over the top – Anthony]
Will you submit one of Kenji’s “poop, er… peer-reviewed” papers?
“To reduce the threat of global warming and nuclear war”
Wouldn’t a good nuclear war reduce the threat of global warming.
Just wonderin’.
🙂
Your dog has a credit card? You trust him?
When I first read this I thought it was hilarious and I laughed out loud at the computer.
Then I read the points made by David H.
After reading what he wrote I felt …
…even better.
(apoologies to P.J O’Rourke)
I can’t wait for someone to quote UCS as an authority at me.
Their web address needs to be changed to
http://www.ucsusa.dorg
Anthony,
I have lurked daily this post is Priceless……UCS or UKC/AKC Pedigree on Kenji?
Garbz
at last we have a dog in the race…
Anthony: Now that Kenji is a scientist will he be writing posts here?
Ugly?!? I think Kenji is cute. Probably playful as well.
UCS started in 1969? {—-} back in 1960 we had fallout shelters and had to put up with films like “what to do in case of nuclear war”. (kiss part of your anatomy goodbye?) I still have my C-D radiation survey meter. It never moved off zero. If it did, you never saw it, as you were dead.
Like AGW, it’s all about the money. I’ll keep my $35.
Anthony, this is really funny … 🙂
Found some typos in my previous posting … here it is again
Over the past 15 months, I’ve been working on some papers about the GH theory. As part of my research, I tried to contact UCS on several occasions with specific questions regarding atmospheric physics. I was never able to speak directly to a scientist! Every time, the UCS phone was answered by some administrative person with no science expertise. I was always told that UCS has a number of scientists on staff, but they are all busy and cannot take calls. I was encouraged to send my questions via email to the administrative person with a promise that it will be forwarded to the appropriate scientist. I did this 3-4 times, and I only received one reply, not directly from a scientist, but forwarded to me by some program administrator. The reply did not even address my specific questions. Instead, it provided a number of unrelated quotations from the latest IPCC report… So, your story kind of explains my experience with UCS.
My dog has started giving me funny looks, since I read this:
Pet dogs as bad for planet as driving 4x4s, book claims
Owners should consider doing without, downsizing or even eating their pets to help save the planet, according to a new book.
The Union of Concerned Dogs looks like it might pick up a few members.
Thanks for the levity Anthony.
It almost makes me feel sorry for the regulars at RC and Tamino, among others.
Uh oh. Didn’t the name on the credit card have to match the name of the applicant?
REPLY: No, it didn’t, and that’s the surprise. – Anthony
Careful Anthony. This site is under warmist surveillance. Kenji will be hounded out.
I admit that I laughed first. But, seriously, … .
Dave H: wrote: What **exactly** is your problem?
Priceless.
A good straight man always heightens the joke.
What is really scarey is that these guys look like conservatives compared to the rest of “The People’s Republic of Cambridge”.
“So Kenji, what’s it like being a skeptic in an organization with generally alarmist membership?”
“Ruff!”
“I feel your pain.”
I believe I’ve read some of Kenji’s papers. His work on feline psychokinetics was cutting edge.
Kenji should have credentials. You should have given him the prefix Dr.
[snip – funny but over the top – Anthony]
Does a “Union” of concerned scientists ever take strike action when demands are ignored? How would Kenji feel about hitting the bricks for such a noble cause?
Dear David H,
I’m sorry to hear about that. Maybe next time you’ll do some research before “donating” to a “charity”.
Well, he does look something like Michael Mann.
(Kenji is fully entitled to bite me for that!)
Clearly you’re dogged in your hounding of “concerned scientists”… by being a wag.
Thanks for the nice innocent fun. No 10-10. It would be nice if UCS laughed too. Hope Josh does a cartoon of this.
There are a number of Kenjis among my friends.
Thank you Anthony for your huge contribution also to our economy.
Dave H says:
October 7, 2011 at 3:28 pm
=============================
Dave H:
From the UCS web-site:
Global Warming Contrarians
Why has it been so difficult to achieve meaningful solutions? Media pundits, partisan think tanks, and special interest groups funded by fossil fuel and related industries raise doubts about the truth of global warming. These deniers downplay and distort the evidence of climate change, demand policies that allow industries to continue polluting, and attempt to undercut existing pollution standards. UCS fights misrepresentations of global warming, providing sound, science-based evidence to set the record straight.
They refer to deniers as downplaying and distorting the evidence of climate change. I’m just thinking out loud here, but maybe this is rubbing some people the wrong way. I am reassured, however, that the UCS is providing sound, science-based evidence to set the record straight (and you can add a sarc here).
Kenji looks to be a real contender against Ben Santer.
crosspatch says: October 7, 2011 at 2:11 pm
…….It seems to me they would save many more lives by becoming active against “organic” food (as if there is a such thing as inorganic food)..
Food Lion, in Tidewater Virginia, signals “Nutritional Foods” in one aisle: the remaining dozen, other items.
While I’m sure that many UCS members are very worth, like Kenji.
Kevin Knobloch (UCS President) has degrees in public administration and journalism:
http://littlesis.org/person/46021/Kevin_Knobloch/giving
(…amusing to see his tax advice to Kenji in the ‘welcome’ letter…so tax payers are somewhat on the hook for this nonsense, of course)
I suspect that this organization are ready for a call from James O’Keefe et al.
I think that with all this Global Warming, Kenji should get a haircut. We wouldn’t want him to become a Hotdog!!!!
Terrible, by even my standards!
Perhaps a number of the frequent commenters on WUWT should become members also. That way whenever they post comments on other sites (especially the hardcore AGW sites), they can sign their comment with an authoritative “Member, Union of Concerned Scientists”. Would Real Climate or Skeptical Science dare delete a comment from a member of UCS?
Seriously though…how does he operate the mouse that will reside on the awesome free mousepad? No opposable thumbs and all!
So the Union of Concerned Scientists has finally found it’s 1st expert.
Git ’em, Kenji, but be careful, or Mrs. Gulch will be at the door with the Sherriff.
If your dog wanted to, it could also join the Royal Geographical Society, Hostelling International, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, or the AAVSO. And?
“Can it happen here?
That depends, how many reactors do we have in places that can be hit with 9.0 earthquakes, followed 20 minutes later by a 30 foot tsunami.
Even if it did, if we put the back-up diesels in concrete, water tight bunkers, then there won’t be a problem. Put the batteries in water tight bunkers as well.
For the rest of the reactors, no changes will be needed.”
Actually, the program was called “Station Black Out”. 1993 to 1996. All plants in the country were made to install emergency D.G.’s in CONCRETE, RE-INFORCED, aircraft crash, tornado, flood, fireproof buildings…with 2 weeks of diesel fuel.
Most facilities opted for the 2 MONTHS of fuel option.
Max, Ex-nuclear, 2000…
This may be a silly question but… What do they (really) do with their money?
Do they make a dog’s breakfast of it?
BTW — we Canadians now consider CO2 a Toxic Substance (CEPA) — just like the US EPA — does Kenji have a statement on the matter that I can pass back to our Prime Minster the Honorable Stephen Harper?
See Item 74:
http://www.ec.gc.ca/lcpe-cepa/default.asp?lang=En&n=0DA2924D-1&wsdoc=4ABEFFC8-5BEC-B57A-F4BF-11069545E434
I would appreciate action at your earliest convenience as we need an authoritative voice to speak on this matter.
Anthony, if you paws for a moment, I think you’ll see you’re being a little ruff on UCS.
It took as much effort for you to register your dog as a concerned scientist as it takes for a WWF article to pass IPCC peer review.
Both are worth about the same.
Like members of the Team, I suspect Kenji is capable of leaving messes in the corner he doesn’t want anyone to find and scrutinize.
a dood says:
October 7, 2011 at 6:01 pm
=====
Well done !
LoL…. Yer dog looks like the Grinch in that first picture.
……Is Prof. Kenji an irascible scientist like Dr Sumner-Miller?
Well, there once was an astronaut called “Laika”, so whatts up with a UCS Dr. Ph.D called Kenji?
Kenji appears to be extremely intelligent. I have no doubts at all that s/he will make a valuable contribution to ……..(whatever….)……
kohl says: October 7, 2011 at 6:41 pm
“Kenji …… s/he will make a valuable contribution to ……”
Kohl, Kenji is a male name without exception.
WillieB says:
October 7, 2011 at 5:28 pm
Perhaps a number of the frequent commenters on WUWT should become members also. That way whenever they post comments on other sites (especially the hardcore AGW sites), they can sign their comment with an authoritative “Member, Union of Concerned Scientists”. Would Real Climate or Skeptical Science dare delete a comment from a member of UCS?
===========================================
Interesting idea. How about a new group “Member, Union of Concerned Skeptical Scientists”?
Gary Hladik says:
October 7, 2011 at 4:54 pm
LOL
This might be one of the all-time best articles I have ever seen on WUWT.
All you need now is a picture showing your dog “using” those papers…
OK, I’ll bite. Who is Kevin Knoblock (the guy who signed the letter). The name sounds sort of made up.
Kenji could make a donation to the US Treasury, PETA, the American Cancer Society, etc. Since Union of Concerned Scientists is an advocacy group that accepts donations, it’s not a stretch of the imagination to see the acceptance process automated and accepting donations from dogs with credit cards. Not sure why the composition of what they call members is important. Was it cited somewhere as significant for some reason?
Kevin Knoblock [or anyone else] can be searched here:
http://cvgadget.com
It’s a webcrawler that returns all search results. It’s up to you to narrow it down.
“Smokey says:
October 7, 2011 at 7:24 pm
Kevin Knoblock [or anyone else] can be searched here:”
I looked him up. He is a lobbyist.
“Kevin holds a master’s degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University,……”
Congrats.. Kenji
I hope that this finds you well and we await your words of wisdom concerning climate change.
so how should we respond to the good Dogtor?.
Perhaps they accept all applicants because they don’t want to be called deniers.
And this would make a swell gift for the new member.
http://www.ruffwear.com/Climate-Changer-Fleece
Oh this is kiling me,,,, Too funny
L really OL
Wow, a free mouse pad for $35! That’s a pretty sweet deal for your hairy rat.
Another of my favorite dogs: click
In an exclusive interview, Kenji raised eyebrows when he said: “Bow wow, ruff woof grrrr, snarl, yip yip yahoo.” The response of a team of UCS to Kenji’s statement was: “As long as he keeps sending in $35 contributions, it may be a little over the top–but you have to exaggerate to get your point across.”
Thank you Anthony and DJ. I seldom laugh out loud while at the computer, but this story caused that reaction.
To u.k.(us) [October 7, 2011 at 4:29 pm] who said: “It almost makes me feel sorry for the regulars at RC and Tamino, among others.”
“Almost“
I’m sure that Kenji knows more about tree rings than most climate scientists do.
He’s been sampling trees all his life…
Scientists like this?
Who on earth uses mousepads anyway? Shows how up-do-date these people are. They probably get their “scientific” data on floppy disks.
@old construction worker. I would guess that Knoblock is just a variant of the surname Knoblauch, which in German means “garlic”. The Australian white pages (http://www.whitepages.com.au/) list 23 entries under Knoblauch, 10 with Knobloch, and 5 with Knoblock. It’s more popular than Zwiebel (onion), which only has 4 entries. You can look for yourself in the US white pages, I don’t know what the website is.
Kenji, I’m an apostate of the UCS and some other noteables, but they haven’t got me yet! And now they’ll all probably be looking for a dog, so many thanks for throwing them off the scent!
So, how many peer reviewed turds did Kenji produced till date? It is quality, not quantity which counts in climate science Litchuchur. Kenji is one hot dog.
Press Release
Union of Concerned Scientists
10-07-2011
With the significant addition of Kenji Watts to the illustrious ranks of the Union of Concerned Scientists the number of credentialed scientists has increased by 100%. His credentials are impeccable, AKC, American Society of Quadruped Domicile Protection, and the National Association of Guttural Vocalization. His addition to the Union brings strength to the nonverbal response to questions that the Union faces almost on a daily basis. many of these questions are complex in nature and can cause cognitive dissonance. Kenji however will be able cut through this cleanly and effectively with little effort on our part which is what makes this addition so great.
Please join us in welcoming Kenji to our Union, may his concerns be heard far and wide, even if they are only for another treat.
The bad part about this is that Kenji may be better at understanding what is going than the staffers at UCS. This is great!
Well done, Anthony.
Now we need to find someone willing to enroll a Plymouth Rock. That way a REAL Chicken Little can be a member of the UCS.
Ironically, Anthony Watt’s pet is a commie treehugger.
Dave H
Simmer down now. Their web site says they aren’t all scientists:
“UCS members are people from all walks of life: parents and businesspeople, biologists and physicists, teachers and students.”
They just call themselves scientists. I wonder how many dogs, cats, horses, goldfish, birds, and other pets can be scientists? Heck, we could even throw in a few bodily functions and give them names (yeah, I mean that which you are thinking, hehe). What can be a scientists at the UCS? The possibilities are endless!!
;^)
Speaking of fevers and ‘more cow bell’ prescriptions:
http://www.buzzhumor.com/videos/28180/More_Cowbell
I love the way it first the Union of Concerned Scientists- then its Citizens and Scientists so can’t make their mind up there. Citizens and scientists condemns scientists as stateless illegal aliens. Could they hate scientists more!
is that a typo in Kevin’s acceptance letter
the loch should be head surely
It seems that Kenji did not waste time and established himself as an international authority on biofuels mitigation policy and the global warming effect of corn meal usage at the Guardian.
Well what do you expect from a union whose president is named after a male chastity belt?
Now that Kenji Watts is a member in good standing in the Union of Concerned Scientists, what is the next step to be taken towards becoming a UCS officer and top dog at UCS?
“Nevertheless, as one of its last acts in power, the Liberal government added CO2 to the list of toxins covered by CEPA.”
That was 6 years ago.
http://opinion.financialpost.com/2011/10/05/kill-co2-regulations/
More people are killed or injured by bathtubs every year than anything else in the house. In fact bathtubs kill more people that nuclear energy and global warming combined!
The Union of Concerned Scientists needs to take swift action to halt this menace to society. The Precautionary Principle demands it. Governments need to outlaw bathing in all forms. Anyone found bathing should receive the death penalty to prevent accidental death.
he’ll be running things in no time!
[snip -over the top ]
David Falkner says:
October 7, 2011 at 7:23 pm
Kenji could make a donation to the US Treasury, PETA, the American Cancer Society, etc. Since Union of Concerned Scientists is an advocacy group that accepts donations, it’s not a stretch of the imagination to see the acceptance process automated and accepting donations from dogs with credit cards. Not sure why the composition of what they call members is important. Was it cited somewhere as significant for some reason?
——————————————————————-
You don’t think the name of the organisation is just a wee bit misleading?
Anyway, congratulations Kenji. Next step – the Nobel Peace Prize. Judging by some recent winners, you should make the short list with minimal difficulty, as your political position is a whole lot more coherent than most of the competition.
Also, since you are allowed to live in Anthony’s house, I’m guessing your manners are much better as well.
bikermailman says: (October 7, 2011 at 5:38 pm)
Paw-ly?
Congratulations! Next stop is the IPCC AR5.
Now Kenji is not only a registered scientist but a concerned scientist at that, he will be able to submit papers. With his credentials he should be able to get a “Pal” review from his “Pedigree Chums” and “Winalot” of funding. However if he does he is likely get some “ruff” treatment on WUWT. If so he might end up “Goreing” somebody.
I’ll get me coat….
hahahahhahhhaa Good one Anthony.
Now we want Kenji Watts to challenge Al Gore.
At 3:28 PM on 7 October, Dave H had whined:
Jeez, dunno, Dave. How about blatant deception in the title of their organization, and the abject lack of valid support for their allegedly “science-based advocacy positions“?
The topic of his thread brings me instantly to think of the only proper categorization of Dave H.
He’s a dogwhistle..
To quote from writer L. Neil Smith’s essay “Day of the Dogwhistle” (10 July 2001)
That’s our Dave H in full, isn’t it?
Returning to Mr. Smith’s essay, I can think of nothing better with which to close this post than:
Emphasis in the original.
Unfortunate surname the letter signer has.
Crosspatch 2:11
“…the death toll at Fukushima …is exactly zero.”
According to the Uk’s Daily Telegraph five people have now died there, two in the original tsunami, one from a heart attack, one from leukemia and one a couple of days ago whose cause of death is being investigated. The Tokyo Power and Electric Company denies that any were caused by radiation leaks, but of course the teams working there have an incredibly hard and stressful job that may contribute to a pre-existing condition.
old construction worker says:
October 7, 2011 at 7:35 pm
“Smokey says:
October 7, 2011 at 7:24 pm
Kevin Knoblock [or anyone else] can be searched here:”
I looked him up. He is a lobbyist.
“Kevin holds a master’s degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University,……”
This is from the original post on joing UCS:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/08/18/be-a-concerned-scientist-valid-credit-card-required/#comment-736933
No luck finding Union of Concerned Scientists meeting minutes. Found a subcommittee meeting minute document, but can’t seem to actually download it. I find lots of meeting minutes from the organizations who met with the Union of Concerned Scientists, but so far can not find meeting minutes from the Union of Concerned Scientists
Surprised at how little visibility there is into this organization. Why is it so secretive?
Chris Shaker
Kenji can now go the meetings and report back, and of course contribute to the discussions..
I was expecting someone else to highlight this, so I didn’t do. But nobody has.. so… from the letter to Kenji:
Right here is the truth of the UCS; analysis is explicitly geared to support the argument, rather than the argument being formed based on the analysis performed.
This is the difference between scientific discovery, which is what we pay for, and religious dogma, which is what we get.
Now think a moment, Anthony. Do you really want a fully paid-up member of the fatuously named Union of Concerned Scientists living under your very own roof? My guess is that Kenji is spying on you.
The name of the UCS, unlike the names of the organizations cited above, implies that its membership consists of scientists. And it trades on that false implication to boost the presumptive disinterest, scientific authority of the positions it takes.
As the time ticks down to a potentially below average year of earth’s temperature, all the barking by groups like UCS will die down. The cooler temps will cause the UCS members to flea their previous position since they will no longer have a dog in this fight once they kick Kenjii off the board. I suppose they will just collar another worthwhile project to be concerned about so let’s just throw them a bone and give them credit for being concerned about something
My cat is far more intelligent. Too intelligent to join the Union of Concerned Scientists, in fact. She is a scientist, too. Investigator of plumbing, mastered the can opener in two seconds (without can — get real), likes to open ink jet printers and watch the cartridge move. But you know, Calico cats are like that.
Anthony, is there any way you can get a picture of your dog peeing on the mousepad?
This is really great.
I think a lot more dogs should join the Union of Concerned Scientists.
It would really give a boost to their credibility.
They can now call themseves,’Union of Concerned Scientists and Dogs.’
Sounds impressive.
Careful, Kenji may get elected to the executive board of the UCS, and that would mean lots of travel to meetings in exotic 5-star locations to decide which exotic 5-star location will hold the next meeting. ;->
LOL!
the_Butcher says:
October 8, 2011 at 1:56 am
“Now we want Kenji Watts to challenge Al Gore.”
=============================================
C’mon now, Butcher. You know darn well Al wouldn’t debate Kenji. Al never debates when it’s obvious that he’ll lose. No contest… Kenji has a PhD (Pet: huggable Dog) while Al is just a “crazed, sex poodle.”
This just in: “Al Gore considered debating Kenji regarding the merits of AGW but his (Al’s) advisors put the kibosh on the idea when they determined that Kenji would get his information from Anthony Watts.”
I don’t know Anthony. Maybe they knew that Kenji was a leading researcher in olfactoproctology?
There’s lots of information about the Union of Concerned Scientists on GuideStar – http://www2.guidestar.org/ – where you can see their 2009 Annual Report (yr ended 9/30/10) and the Form 990 they filed with IRS for that year. Prior years are also available.
Simply register – it’s free – and check them out.
Surprisingly, it’s a decent sized organization with revenues over $18 million, net equity over $30 million, and 157 employees.
Their key people are set forth in the Annual Report, as are the names of numerous contributors, while the Form 990 provides insight into how they spend their loot.
Kenji will be a great asset to you. He is fluent in dogma.
Holy crap Steve .. I just can’t stop laughing. Reading Kenji’s letter of acceptance, I can’t recall reading anything so politicized and biased. I love the lines like “You financial support allows us to be an independent voice for policy change…” .. haha really? .. and “and to produce the scientific analyses that make our arguments convincing” … haha again … man, if this line doesn’t say it all, I don’t know what does.
Thank you for all of this! … most eye opening!
Kenji’s now a bone-a-fied
global warming climate change climate disruption climate wierdingman-caused disaster expert! Good for him, Anthony! Now he can go on tour with Algore and you can relax and live out your days in the lap(dog) of luxury.PS: We can’t wait until we see Kenji performing his pee review of Mikey Mann’s next
kennel linermasterful treatise. His yellow highlighting will never have been used more applicably or appropriately. 🙂“Philosopher or dog?”
Well, my dog held a PhD from a diploma mill. I guess this is Climate State-of The Art Science today.
Maybe someone who isn’t banned from Guardian CIF (there must be one or two left surely?) could post a tactful comment asking why they’re taking their science policy from domestic pets.
Scrub last comment, I’m impressed to see that Kenji has already eloquently spoken up for his interests on the CIF thread in question. I think we should all lend him our support.
Gave me a real laugh. Kenji, how soon before there are no glaciers in the Himalayas?
Kenji is enjoying considerable support on CIF, but a new arrival is being critical of his theories.
I think this could be a defining moment in climate science.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/oct/07/european-biofuels-target-us-scientists
Concerned about diminishing public trust in the scientific community, the Union of Noble Prize Winners (UNPW) recently issued the following statement: “The science supporting Catastrophic Anthropogenic Global Warming (CAGW) is marginal at best, and deeply flawed at worst.” Kenji, a renowned member of the Union Of Concerned Scientists (UCS), concurred. Speaking through an interpreter, Kenji was quoted as saying: “I think the UNPW’s statement was too kind. I would put it that the science behind CAGW is piss-poor.”
Kenji Watts, an imminent asian scientist, has informed us that he is changing his name. He stated, “It has come to my attention that I could be discriminated against by certain associations connected with my last name and it would benefit me immensely regarding my future funding possibilities if I were to start anew. From now on I will be called kenji Mann.” When asked concerning his reasons for the change he responded, “My new name befits a personage who has unrivaled experience in deriving data from discharging scientific functions on a single tree.”
BBC
Ah, Kenji is now officially in the news…
http://www.investigatemagazine.co.nz
Hmm, I may have to join. I could write letters to the editor and in the letter say “I am an esteemed member of the Union of Concerned Scientists and can attest there is no concensus amongst our ourganization, much less in the climate community as a whole.” Not that I am even a member of the climate community. Just a lowly accountant who finds the topic interesting.
Perhaps UCS have seen Brian Griffin in Family Guy, and think there is nothing strange about a dog being a scientist.
Anthony, the reason that Kenji looks confused is that you laid out the literature UPSIDE DOWN. Give the little guy a break and turn it round……..
it’s looking as though this year won’t be among the hottest top-ten. The GISS figures for the year will be out by mid-January. Let’s see what sort of a press release (if any) it puts out about this turn of events, and what sort of media coverage it gets.
It’ll be interesting to see what sort of response the public and politicians make to the GISS’s likely forecast of an even cooler 2012, based on the strengthening La Nina. I suspect it will encourage a lot of camp-followers to drop away, and for the media to give alarmists less coverage.
This turning of the trend is what our side desperately needs to get more attention paid to our arguments–and to get mitigation measures delayed and/or whittled down.
Hi Kenji,
When you have finished reading your letter and Journal, could I please borrow them. I need something lightweight to line my litter bin.
Cheers, Rover
I must point out robustly that we need not heed anything Kenji may utter on Global Warming. After all, Kenji
a) is not a climatologist
b) has no degrees
c) has published no peer reviewed papers.
d) is in the pocket of Big Oil.*
This has been the world’s very first argument ad doginem**
* I made this one up, as is traditional in such things.
** Okay, it’s canem, but only half the readers would get it.
It may be that the average IQ of the organisation has increased with this new member.
It is unfortunately very easy to claim to be a scientist and it is one of the few titles left that the public respect. Nobody goes round falsely claiming to be a bishop or an estate agent or a politician.
Christian scientists, creation scientists, climate scientists, concerned scientists, political scientists, enmvironmental scientists, homeopathy scientists, scientists of astrology, professors of education etc.
I think any organisationclaiming to be scientific should either be able to show they adopt the scientific method & accept principles like falsifiability por be automatically assumed fraudulent if they claim to be scientists. Bit tough on Anthony’s dog but fair on Mann, Jones and Hansen and most of the political appointees running all these government funded “professional” bodies.
Another watermelon group.
The Union of Concerned Socialists.
http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/scientific_integrity/food-safety-survey-methodology.pdf
Don’t read this study prepared for the UCS. It’s not funny. Just keep following your orders.
Mr. Watts, is respected dr Kenji Watts aware of important work of scientist H.A.M.S. ter Tisha co-author of Nobel laureat Andre Geim?
see: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921452600007535
Love the tie-in with the dog; and all the follow-on comments too!
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