This just in. Here’s a potential bombshell for the Mann:
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Popcorn futures* continue their unprecedented climb:
UPDATE: Sunday 10/28 Mark Steyn writes an uproariously funny but at the same time stinging evisceration of Dr. Mann on his private website titled The fraudulent Nobel Laureate
This part says it all, I’d make it “Quote of the Week”, but then I don’t want to fragment this thread:
When a man sues for damage to his reputation and grossly inflates that reputation in the very court filings, that says something about his credibility.
He also links to this thoughtful essay by Dr. Roger Pielke Jr.
Mann’s embellishment has placed him in a situation where his claims are being countered by the Nobel organization itself.
*There are no popcorn futures markets, the graph is based on a corn future market graph, just for fun
Read Steyn’s latest here: The fraudulent Nobel Laureate
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Mark Steyn takes note of the airbrushing going on in Mike’s Nobel Trick:
A week ago, Michael Mann accused us of damaging his reputation – and seems to have made it a self-fulfilling prophecy. A week ago, he was a “Nobel prize recipient”. Now he’s not. Great work, Mike!
Dr. Judith Curry sends some advice in her week in review:
“JC message to Michael Mann: Mark Steyn is [a] formidable opponent. I suspect that this is not going to turn out well for you.”
Read more at JudithCurry.com
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FLASH: 10/26 7:30AM The Nobel committee responds to Mann’s “certificate”, says he can’t claim he won it (the Nobel prize itself).
See below. – ALSO National Review makes phone call to Nobel committee, audio and transcript below.
NOTE: This is a top sticky post for awhile since the interest is high. New stories appear below this one. UPDATE – legal complaint added, plus a new opinion piece by Chris Horner regarding claims of exoneration has been added – see below the “continue reading” line. UPDATE2: Steyn responds, see below.
UPDATE 3: Steyn responds even further, saying:
“Over the years, I’ve been sued and threatened with suits in various countries around the world but I’ve never before seen a plaintiff make such a transparently false assertion right up front in the biographical resumé.”
Details (and a photo to back up Steyn) below.
UPDATE4: CEI officially responds to the lawsuit, and Steyn mocks Mann even more with a priceless zinger, see below.
In related news, popcorn futures explode go nuclear.
More details to follow.
From Michael Mann’s Facebook page.
Lawsuit filed against The National Review and the Competitive Enterprise Institute 10/22/12
Today, the case of Dr. Michael E. Mann vs. The National Review and The Competitive Enterprise Institute was filed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Dr. Mann, a Professor and Director of the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University, has instituted this lawsuit against the two organizations, along with two of their authors, based upon their false and defamatory statements accusing him of academic fraud and comparing him to a convicted child molester, Jerry Sandusky. Dr. Mann is being represented by John B. Williams of the law firm of Cozen O’Connor in Washington, D.C. (http://www.cozen.com/attorney_detail.asp?d=1&atid=1406).
Dr. Mann is a climate scientist whose research has focused on global warming. In 2007, along with Vice President Al Gore and his colleagues of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for having “created an ever-broader informed consensus about the connection between human activities and global warming.”
Nevertheless, the defendants assert that global warming is a “hoax,” and have accused Dr. Mann of improperly manipulating the data to reach his conclusions.
In response to these types of accusations, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation and seven other organizations have conducted investigations into Dr. Mann’s work, finding any and all allegations of academic fraud to be baseless. Every investigation—and every replication of Mann’s work—has concluded that his research and conclusions were properly conducted and fairly presented.
Despite their knowledge of the results of these many investigations, the defendants have nevertheless accused Dr. Mann of academic fraud and have maliciously attacked his personal reputation with the knowingly false comparison to a child molester. The conduct of the defendants is outrageous, and Dr. Mann will be seeking judgment for both compensatory and punitive damages.
Journalists interested in further information regarding the filing of this lawsuit may contact Dr. Mann’s attorney at 202-912-4848, or jbwilliams@cozen.com.
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I’m sure Mark Steyn is thrilled with the prospect of now being able to do additional commentary on this side show. I can’t wait for depositions and discovery.
UPDATES:
Here is the legal complaint: http://legaltimes.typepad.com/files/michael-mann-complaint.pdf
Chris Horner has this opinion piece now which explains his opinion on why Dr. Michael Mann was never fully investigated and thus never exonerated.
Mark Steyn responds with: I’ll have more to say about this when I’ve stopped laughing.
Mark Steyn writes in a further update:
Actually, it’s worse than that. I’ve just read the official indictment or whatever you call it against NR, and he makes the claim that he has been “awarded the Nobel Peace Prize” in the complaint itself (page 2, paragraph 2).
Over the years, I’ve been sued and threatened with suits in various countries around the world but I’ve never before seen a plaintiff make such a transparently false assertion right up front in the biographical resumé.
And I’ve got the photo of Dr. Mann’s award (shown from his office window) to back up what Steyn says here.
Note it says “for contributing to” not awarded to.
Be careful, don’t choke on your popcorn while laughing.
UPDATE4:
CEI has released it’s official statement on the lawsuit on their website here: http://cei.org/news-releases/climate-scientist-sues-cei
The say:
One of our attorneys, Bruce D. Brown of Baker Hostetler, expertly laid out the legal arguments against Mann’s defamation claim. In short, Dr. Mann is a public figure, and under libel law he would need to meet an exceedingly high standard to prevail. Given the support that Simberg’s criticisms rest on, that standard simply can’t be met. As for Simberg’s Sandusky metaphor, it was purely that—a metaphor.
They are also inviting readers to comment on the CEI Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CompetitiveEnterpriseInstitute/posts/428205930566869
Meanwhile, Mark Steyn whips out an example of his rapier wit over Mann’s “Nobel Prize” claims (see photo above) writing:
On the one hand, Michael Mann’s own web page:
He shared the Nobel Peace Prize with other IPCC authors in 2007.
On the other, the Nobel committee:
Only persons named explicitly in the citation may claim to share a Nobel Prize.
So we’re being sued for loss of reputation by a fake Nobel laureate. Hilarious.
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FLASH The Nobel committee responds to Mann’s “certificate” From Tom Richard at Climate Change Dispatch and at The Examiner
I contacted the The Norwegian Nobel Institute to find out if Mann was indeed a Nobel Laureate, winner, etc…
…snip…
Geir Lundestad, Director, Professor, or The Norwegian Nobel Institute emailed me back with the following:
1) Michael Mann has never been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
2) He did not receive any personal certificate. He has taken the diploma awarded in 2007 to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (and to Al Gore) and made his own text underneath this authentic-looking diploma.
3) The text underneath the diploma is entirely his own. We issued only the diploma to the IPCC as such. No individuals on the IPCC side received anything in 2007.
(NOTE: on point 3, another example here (PDF) suggests that the IPCC added that text, not Mann – Anthony)
Lundestad goes on to say that, “Unfortunately we often experience that members of organizations that have indeed been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize issue various forms of personal diplomas to indicate that they personally have received the Nobel Peace Prize. They have not.”
Full story at Climate Change Dispatch and at The Examiner
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ALSO: From NRO’s “The Corner” a call to the Nobel committee by Charles C. W. Cooke:
TRANSCRIPT
Cooke: Hello there, do you speak English?
Nobel Committee: Yes, can I help you?
Cooke: I’m a writer. I’m wondering if I could ask you about previous winners of the Nobel Peace Prize?
Nobel Committee: Oh, could you speak a little bit louder. It’s difficult for me to hear.
Cooke: Sorry. I’m trying to look for some information about previous winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Nobel Committee: Which one?
Cooke: I was wondering, has Dr. Michael Mann ever won the Nobel Peace Prize?
Nobel Committee: No, no. He has never won the Nobel prize.
Cooke: He’s never won it?
Nobel Committee: No.
Cooke: Oh, it says on his-
Nobel Committee: The organization won it. It’s not a personal prize to people belonging to an organization.
Cooke: Okay. So if I were to write that he’d won it, that would be incorrect?
Nobel Committee: That is incorrect, yes. Is it you that sent me an email today? I got an e-mail from our Stockholm office regarding Michael Mann.
Cooke: Oh. No, I didn’t send you an e-mail.
Nobel Committee: Oh. So what’s your name?
Cooke: My name is Charles Cooke.
Nobel Committee: And you work for?
Cooke: I write for National Review.
Nobel Committee: Okay, because I’ve got something from Boston and NY Mental Examiner that asked about the same thing.
Cooke: Oh, okay. Well maybe this is a big question. Okay, but he hasn’t won it. That is the answer.
Nobel Committee: No, he has not won it at all.
Cooke: Okay. Perfect. Thank you very much.
Nobel Committee: Thank you. You’re welcome. Bye bye.
The Michael Mann saga
The big news, as per the WaPo, is Penn State climate professor sues think tank, National Review. Excerpts:
In a 37-page complaint filed Monday in D.C. Superior Court, Michael Mann and his attorney John B. Williams, charged the National Review and the Capitol Hill-basedCompetitive Enterprise Institute with six counts including libel and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Michael Mann has been discussing this via twitter, one statement in particular is creating a stir:
“IPCC certificate acknowledging me ‘contributing to Nobel Peace Prize. Do they want my birth certificate too?”
Mark Steyn, who is the focus of the lawsuit, strikes back with this statement in the nationalreviewonline Nobel Mann Takes on Revolting Peasants. Excerpts:
I’m still working on my formal, bland, carefully lawyered official response, so for now just let me do cheap ad hominem cracks.
I was intrigued to see in Dr. Mann’s press release of his suit the following biographical detail:
Dr. Mann is a climate scientist whose research has focused on global warming. In 2007, along with Vice President Al Gore and his colleagues of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for having “created an ever-broader informed consensus about the connection between human activities and global warming.”
I confess I wasn’t aware Dr. Mann “was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.” The official Nobel site makes no mention of him; there are no speeches, no citations, no pictures of him with the King of Norway, no namecheck on the 2007 Nobel diploma.
Well, the fact checkers have taken a look, examiner.com has an article entitled Professor Mann claims to win Nobel Prize; Nobel committee says he has not. Excerpt:
Geir Lundestad, Director, Professor, of The Norwegian Nobel Institute emailed me back with the following:
1) Michael Mann has never been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
2) He did not receive any personal certificate. He has taken the diploma awarded in 2007 to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (and to Al Gore) and made his own text underneath this authentic-looking diploma.
3) The text underneath the diploma is entirely his own. We issued only the diploma to the IPCC as such. No individuals on the IPCC side received anything in 2007.
Lundestad goes on to say that, “Unfortunately we often experience that members of organizations that have indeed been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize issue various forms of personal diplomas to indicate that they personally have received the Nobel Peace Prize. They have not.”
So it would appear that not only did Mann not get awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, but that the “text underneath the diploma is entirely his own.” This calls into further questions of what else may not be factual in the legal suit over the highly publicized hockey-stick graph and defamation suit.
And finally, Michael Mann says attacks on climate science could weaken next IPCC report. Repeated attacks on climate scientists could lead to the true impacts of global warming being ignored in the next major international assessment scheduled for 2014.
“I see this with individual scientists, I know this is happening because I talk with colleagues – they are afraid to talk to the media, afraid to weigh in on the side of climate change being a problem, because they know they will immediately be the subject of attack from right-leaning websites, subject to a slew of orchestrated, angry and nasty emails and calls to departments calling on them to be fired”.
JC message to Michael Mann: Mark Steyn is formidable opponent. I suspect that this is not going to turn out well for you.
http://judithcurry.com/2012/10/26/week-in-review-102712/
I’m sorry but this joke never ends. I always wished I was related to a Nobel laureate long distance styles, but now with the EU and all, it’s confirmed.
Michael Mann creates history yet again, he has often made claims of historic based views that don’t represent general understanding, observations or scientific evidence. The Mann who likes to change history can’t keep it away from his CV.
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1) Michael Mann has never been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
2) He did not receive any personal certificate. He has taken the diploma awarded in 2007 to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (and to Al Gore) and made his own text underneath this authentic-looking diploma.
3) The text underneath the diploma is entirely his own. We issued only the diploma to the IPCC as such. No individuals on the IPCC side received anything in 2007.
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Phil. says:
October 26, 2012 at 6:51 pm
It appears to be a open letter to John McCain, hardly the occasion for levity I would have thought? He even wears a gold Nobel prize pin apparently.
That’s the one where he refers to his analysis of climate feedback as “limpid,” and claimed his Nobel “pin,” melted down from experimental detritus, was given to him by an unnamed professor in Rochester, NY?
Well, *I* thought it was funny, but then I’ve been to Rochester.
Monckton’s wit is a tad drawn out for it’s aridity, I will admit.
Has anyone told Mann about the Nobel prize not being shared before now? It would be interesting if there is evidence that he had beed told and ignored it.
TBear says:
October 26, 2012 at 10:17 pm
The Bear has checked the Mann webpage which claims, vis-a-vis the Nobel Prize, that: `He contributed, with other IPCC authors, to the award of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize’.
Whether or not one agrees with the merit of that award, this statement seems 100% accurate.
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Indeed. But yesterday it read as follows
“He shared the Nobel Peace Prize with other IPCC authors in 2007”
Get it now? He was lying. And these lies are I gather in his legal deposition.
Kev-in-Uk:
re your post to me at October 27, 2012 at 3:10 am.
Thankyou. I did laugh. And, of course, you are right.
Richard
In part 5, Mann is described as “as Nobel prize recipient” – which is even more false.
David Spurgeon says:
October 27, 2012 at 3:13 am
The Michael Mann saga
[snip]
With respect to Dr Curry, I believe her time-line of the events is off a tad. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Mann with great fanfare announced his lawsuit against Steyn and the others to protect his reputation.
Steyn took one look at the complaint and wrote the blog post mentioned by Curry.
Anthony added it as an update to this post.
Michael Mann then tweeted his little twit conflating his latest difficulties with those routinely suffered by President Obama. I won’t be surprised to see Steyn agreeing with Mann’s comparison of himself to Obama in a future column.
Meanwhile, Steyn continued working through the complaint and added two more posts as he honed in on his target.
To sum up, Mann sued Steyn to protect his reputation and within a day Steyn had him back on his hind legs attempting to prevent its decline. I’m not talking about the opinion held by his facebook fans or those who routinely visit this blog. I’m talking about the disinterested masses. I’m willing to bet that a couple days ago, less than 1000 people in the world were aware that Michael Mann wasn’t a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Now? Yes, this is cheap entertainment for some of us (including Steyn), but I can’t imagine Mann’s facebook page and the numerous pro-AGW blogs being much different had McIntyre been stupid enough to poke the bear.
Wow.
Mann-made global warming has turned into (natural) global cooling.
Actually it did. About 17 years ago…
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/10/26/even-nasa-has-gotten-into-the-frankenstorm-meme/#comment-1124739
@Kev-in-Uk.
Yes, I think you’re right; nob has a certain nuance of permanence that prat lacks.
Pointman
Well it’s a bit OT sort of… I see the Pointman has his prat of the year award running
http://thepointman.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/time-to-cull-the-prat-nominations/
but someone is missing from the top list….
If you read the will of Alfred Nobel, the prize was to be given to A PERSON not to any organization. The fact that Nobel Prizes are awarded to organizations is itself opposed to the wishes of Nobel.
I am not a lawyer. I have been a defendant in a defamation suit. I speak with some, but limited, experience. One aspect of the dispute has not, that I’ve seen, been raised here.
In Texas (part of the US, though Texans sometimes are reluctant to so stipulate) at least, there is a defense available to speakers accused of defamation called “fair comment on public issues”. If I were use the expression “fraudulent hockey stick regarding Mr X’s (Dr M, whoever) sale of sports memoribilia on eBay, I had better have some private evidence to support the claim regarding this private matter. But on a matter of public policy that has been in public debate, it is presumed I have the general knowledge of the evidence and an equal right to form opinion, and express that opinion, with any other citizen, public official, or authority. The fact that another citizen has a degree, or holds a public office, or has been awarded, or not, some prize doesn’t matter. My right to express my view and his right to express a contrary view are equal. I call his stick “fraudulent” — on the public policy issue — and I am entitled to legal protection in doing so. Mr X or Dr M or any consensus of like minded experts are NOT entitled to claim legal damages against me for expressing a viewpoint — strongly.
Mark Steyn is perhaps the best champion of this free speech principle that could have been chosen for such a battle.
I was speaking specifically about “Mike’s Nature trick,” when Phil claimed:
I believe you’re correct in saying that Phil Jones coined the term “Mike’s Nature trick,” but are you really claiming that Phil Jones called something he himself did “Mike’s Nature trick?” Wouldn’t that have made it “Phil’s Nature trick?” Or maybe you’re implying that Phil had become mentally unhinged? Or, maybe you’re just confusing the terms “hide the decline” and “Mikes’s nature trick?”
At this point, I choose to follow Richard Courtney’s excellent advice and quit responding to you, leaving you the last word, if you choose to type it. But if you do feel like arguing on, let me just remind you in the freindliest tone, about the 1st Rule of Holes. 😉
As an Englishman and engineer who follows this blog, at last I feel qualified to offer an opinion. Surely the correct term is Knob?
I think we may be all missing the point here.
Mann is claiming to be a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Even he does not have the deceit to claim he is entitled to one of the other Nobel prizes, such as physics, chemistry or economic science.
Mann is not claiming to have won a science prize, as he obviously knows he is not eligible as he obviously realises he is not a real scientist
@Larry Plume P
“At this point, I suppose I must offer my reluctant commiseration to the nominees who failed to make the final cut, but I’d remind them there’s always next year. I’d also remind people, that while the six finalists look solid, there’s still the option, at any point, of replacing the lowest scorer with the name of an exceptionally gifted prat, who’s decided to make a late dash for the winning tape. It could be one of the old nominees or even a hitherto completely unknown prat, who’s just committed an absolutely weapons-grade act of totally inspired prattishness. To borrow a phrase from the immortal Del Boy Trotter, it’ll have to be a blinder though. We’ll call that the Blinder Prat option.”
http://thepointman.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/time-to-cull-the-prat-nominations/
Mann got knocked out in the first round of voting, but with his latest move, I think he’s earned himself a second chance by playing an abso-effing-lutely brilliant blinder prat option. I’m thinking of replacing Tim Flannery, who’s only 150 votes behind the leader, with Mann.
Go or no go?
Pointman
Do it!
cn
In response to several comments above, the defendants do not have to prove that their statements are true. The burden is on the plaintiff to prove the defendants statements are false and that they caused harm to the plaintiff.
Pointman:
Please, “Go”. I want to vote for Mann.
And if he wins your poll then it could be pertinent information about his “reputation” which he is suing to defend.
Richard
With reference to Michael Mann, the Nobel Committee responded:
“Okay, because I’ve got something from Boston and NY Mental Examiner that asked about the same thing.”
Uh, oh! MM now has NY Mental Examiner looking into MM’s make believe world of winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
On reflection, shared recipient of the nobhead prize does have a certain ring to it.
Ted Swart wrote:
All named individuals were excluded. My list was of organizations which were awarded the Peace Prize. My point: members or contributors of those organizations have as much right to claim to be Nobel laureates as Michael Mann does i.e. none, if the accolade is to mean anything.
I think Nelson Mandela is the most deserving of all the recipients (Ralph Bunche is a close second). His award was, as you say “fully justified”. The qualification is important. In my opinion, most of the individuals (and some of the organizations) who have been awarded the NPP did not deserve it. But I don’t want to divert the thread with a discussion of the various recipients’ merits.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates
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Re: TBear’s comment (October 26, 2012 at 10:17 pm)
I disagree, Mann’s behaviour regarding this award reflects his behaviour regarding global warming -a tendency to inflate and exaggerate; ignore any doubts and rely on the consensus of his clique (i.e. his ‘others are doing it’ argument).
Regarding:
You may be right. If they mention it at all, they should not labour the point. There are plenty other better more relevant things to use against Mann.
Darren Potter says:
October 26, 2012 at 6:16 pm
JohnWho says: “Would Mann’s withdrawing of the suit imply that he is admitting that what he alleged was said about him is correct?”
That is what I will be commenting, should MM withdraw. MM only has only one out now, and that is to win in court, including appeals. Otherwise he is a loser.
I suspect many will be commenting similar if he withdraws.
Of course, the comments if he pursues the court action won’t be any kinder to him.
RB says:
October 26, 2012 at 1:59 pm
Mann has written on his facebook page:
“Its sort of funny how the rabble don’t seem too interested in the fact that many other IPCC co-authors (e.g. University of Montana scientists Steve Running) have found the IPCC’s official commendation to lead authors (“contributing to the award of the Nobel Peace Prize”) translated to having been co-awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize”
Just breathtaking. Many others have “found” the certificate “translated” to having been awarded the prize.
See. Nothing to do with them. It has merely been “found” to have been “translated” into a claim to be a Nobel Laureate. Every single time without fail that some issue or other comes up about Mann he demonstrates
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The European Union has just received the Noble Piece Prize, and Mann doesn’t seem to be interested in the fact that many of Europe’s 500 million citizens have “found” the collective award “translated” into a personalized individual Noble Prize Award, and put it on display in their offices and living rooms.