Some days, you just have to laugh. As WUWT readers know, we’ve had the Josh 2013 Skeptic Calendar done independently in the UK via Bishop Hill, and of course we gauged interest here at WUWT. Josh sent over the artwork via email which I turned into the USA version. (Note: Dr. Mann probably doesn’t realize that Josh is a professional illustrator in the UK who gives his climate caricature services to skeptics free each week, just for fun.) Last week I sent out a few free copies to some folks that I thought could really use some Christmas cheer: Dr. Mike Mann, Dr. Gavin Schmidt, Dr. Peter Gleick, and Dana Nuccitelli.
Never beyond my wildest dreams did I think it would turn into a #Kochmachine conspiracy theory issue. But then again, there’s this strange pervading idea that skeptics are well funded and well organized. Here’s what Dr. Mann Tweeted today:
If four people is “widely distributed” well then I guess we all need to revise our world view.
It gets even funnier. Here is what he posted on Facebook:
The return label says COSTCO Photo Center, not Heartland, not Koch Brothers World Headquarters, and not “Skeptic Lair”. I guess Dr. Mann really is out of touch with the common man, because all he had to do was visit COSTCO photo center to see for himself that ANYONE can create and order calendars, and have them sent to friends or family, just like I did. No Koch Brothers credit card needed.
It is really easy. All you have to do is upload JPEG images (Josh’s artwork emailed to me) and use the calendar creator wizard.
Here’s what it looks like after completion in the COSTCO photo center website:
And in answer to the question of:
“Who paid for production and shipping costs for this flashy (apparently widely distributed) Anthony Watts WUWT climate change denial calendar?”
The answer is, me. I used my personal credit card, here’s the screen cap of the order to Dr. Mann. I’ve blurred out his address as a courtesy to him:
See the “did you know” sidebar item that allows you to send orders from COSTCO.
So, I spent a whopping $15.84 to send this, and about the same for the other three. Given the reaction, I’d say my plan to spread a little good humor just didn’t work on the humorless.
Merry Christmas anyway Dr. Mann, and to you too Gavin, Peter, and Dana. (Of course none of this would be an issue if the world had just ended yesterday like it was supposed to, but I’m an optimist).
If you want a calendar, you can get one here. For the USA edition, Josh and I split the meager profit, the Koch Brothers get nothing. If you are in the UK/Europe, you can get one at Bishop Hill’s place. Or at http://www.cartoonsbyjosh.com/
P.S. Oh, I should mention, I gave one to Steve McIntyre too. Here’s (Right to Left) Steve, Mosher, Charles the Moderator, and I at AGU in San Francisco at a private dinner at COCO500 (Steve and I split the check). Note the Josh calendar on the table:
UPDATE: 9AM PST 11/23 It seems Dr. Mann’s ploy has backfired. This article is now #1 on WordPress worldwide. See the screencap from the WordPress dashboard:
That provoked an interesting definition of “widely distributed” wasn’t it?
It seems poor li’l old Mikey hasn’t got many friends if four (4) of his…
allies…received a copy as a “Christmas Gift” from the great big bad
sceptic Anthony Watts, to make it “widely distributed” and, of course, it
just had to be paid for by the Koch Foundation…like, he can’t afford $64
to shed a little a joy out of his meagre professorial salary … and research
funding.
Gee, that’s just so sad to see such a microscopic (microcephalic?) world view…
What a wonderful poke, Anthony. We’re about to have our own “Perfect
Storm” here in NZ. Cyclone Evan has slid south to meet a cold front over
the northern north island of NZ It’s now just a tropical storm (starting to
break up) and it’s grazing the north east of the North Island. Northland
to Auckland is going to be soaked. In the face of this, it was good to have
a good laugh.
Merry Christmas to all! The world hasn’t ended … yet again. (That must be
48 out of 48 EotW’s which have failed, so far … )
I want one now if it makes Mann react like that 🙂
Get Josh to do an extra page on Mann’s response, package and sell them!
Proof, if it were neeed, that the guy has absolutely no sense of humour.
How bleak his created little world must be.
Happy Xmas to all at WUWT.
Defamation lawsuits are the means for a plaintiff to recover damages for loss of his/her good name and reputation. If the plaintiff’s reputation is anyway trashed then the customary award (at least in the UK, and I suspect in Canada too) is the derisory figure of £1 nominal damages only.
It strikes me that the good Dr’s tweets (including his wonderful description of us bloggers as “the rabble” as in an earlier WUWT thread) is leading exactly in that direction …
Now you need to send him a special card thanking him for all the FREE ADVERTISING !!!! 🙂
Oh, and is there an Aussie version ?
We have a LOT of very looney CAGW bletheren down here !!!
This picture of you four conspirators hanging out together in a pub tells a bigger story: You seem to have plenty of money to spend on beer, and clearly spend all your time hanging around in pubs getting drunk and laughing about your crimes against the Gods of Science. Now we can see it is not really you lot that write all these posts and papers criticizing the studious work of your betters. Be truthful they are written for you by the marketing departments of big oil. (sarc off)
Chris Schoneveld says:
December 22, 2012 at 11:50 pm
==================================
What a silly remark. Don’t “concern troll” me about Newtown when I was not saying anything about that. I have a problem with all of Michael Moore’s work. Whatever one thinks of his overall policy positions, each film is a piece of scurrilous propaganda, smearing people and ripping bit and pieces of scenes out of context. The late Christopher Hitchens did a superb fisking of Moore’s “Fahrenheit 911” for example.
No honest person should want either Michael Moore or Michael Mann as an “ally” on any issue.
“Ho ho ho” seems the most appropriate response here! Big Conspiracy meets Big Smile … and loses in the first round. Anthony, thank you for that very seasonal expression of goodwill to all Manns, and may that big smile thrive and prosper for another year. Merry Christmas!
To Chris Schoneveld Dec 22, 11:50 pm. I did had a major problem with Moore’s more recent claim that bin Laden was long deliberately left at large by the evil US to justify big US spending on the military-industrial complex. They will stop at nothing … Please can the Greens and media stop unloading whackos like Moore on Australia, with the GFC we’ve got enough problems.
I have never had a gun, with my eyesight a gun would endanger mainly my own feet. I have no fixed allegiance in US politics. I am not necessarily opposed to CO2 mitigation schemes if practical. I will happily adopt a more pro-AGW stance if the facts point that way. At present they do not; witness the lack of significant global warming for some 16 years.
Has anyone ever considered writing the Koch siblings with a tongue-and-cheek request for funding? Like 13.95 for a Josh Calendar? Then at least Mann could gain back a shred of respectablity by being correct about the Koch Kash tsunami that inundates our stridency.
If the mods will permit, and then I will not discuss further, the comparision I was thinking of for Michael Mann was more in the vein of this criticism of the distortions of Moore’s “Fahrenheit 911” — it is an excellent take-down of Moore’s methods:
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/fighting_words/2004/06/unfairenheit_911.html
Micheal Mann, the gift that keeps on giving ! 🙂
Serial litigators, who peddle bad science, are known for their extreme sensitivity and stunted sense of humour.
Unfortunately, he may have the last laugh knowing that it is almost impossible to fire senior, government funded, bureaucrats for incompetence and/or fraud, especially if they enjoy his kind of infamous reputation.
Hmm, perhaps going over a ‘fiscal cliff’ could be a good thing after all – pointless expenditure, such as promoting climate disinformation, could be among one of the first things to go.
Merry Christmas to all.
The world’s most viewed site on global warming and climate change
‘Glossy and widely distributed.’
(Suggested addition to the strapline)
thanks for the smiles i get miles of sun
‘flashy and widely distributed’
Sorry, bit early in the morning here
Am I the only thinking that perhaps – just perhaps – Mann might be joining in the joke?
It certainly does seem as if the guy has a high level of paranoia, but maybe he also feels under pressure/threat and feels he needs to react to every little thing?
Much as I think the guy is a poor climate scientist (as in unscientific), he probably isn’t actually a bad bloke, and in that sense he probably doesn’t deserve personal ridicule. Unfortunately, these kinds of responses from him suggest that he is deeply psychologically affected by such things (perhaps as well as politically motivated?) and has moved into his own alternative reality in the ‘world’ he has created in his own mind?
But more seriously, does he not realise how ridiculous he appears? Everyone makes feck-ups, but most normal folk simply hold their hand up and admit errors. Why can’t Mann just re-tweet that he made a mistake and recover the first smidgen of humility?
I dunno, I just wanted to say that we must not make ad hom material out of this – but it’s difficult and I personally find it hard to ‘feel’ for the guy based on his petty and childlike responses!
pat says:
December 22, 2012 at 6:41 pm
…………………
COAL IS KING. IF ONLY OUR GOVT IN AUSTRALIA WOULD WAKE UP TO THE FACTS AND START BULDING SOME COAL-FIRED POWER STATIONS, INSTEAD OF EXPORTING OUR COAL TO CHINA, WHILE PRETENDING TO SAVE THE PLANET.
Pat, has no-one pointed out the weakness of an argument that says that burning coal in Australia causes CAGW but shipping coal to China so it can be burned there does not?
Perhaps that is not the Australian government position – after all Maurice Strong, one of the creators of Agenda 21 has moved to China. Perhaps that is where the UN intend to put their seat of Global Governance and the Australian government is just sending its tithes early?
@ur momisugly Steve
Four people probably constitutes a consensus…lol!
Yes “consensus” seems to be the correct collective noun for a group of climate scientists, so in that sense Michael Mann was quite right to say the calendar was widely distributed. Furthermore I am sure that deep down Anthony must be quite disappointed by Mann’s lack of Christmas spirit. I’m sure that he was hoping for a hockey stick in return!
Probably the best entertainment 16 bucks can buy these days, considering how much movie tickets cost.
This is awful. I true Scottish tradition I am not opening the envelope the calendar came in until the 1st. of January, and the curiosity is now almost too much to take.
But compliments of the season to all.
As a kid, the only thing funnier than leaving a flaming bag of dog poop on the door step of the neighborhood jack a$$ is to watch the idiot try and stomp out the flames in his slippers.
It’s one of the most profound delusions of the CAGW crowd (and explains a lot of their paranoid mindset). Because they float in an endless sea of public funding, they simply cannot conceive that anyone else would do such thing off their own back.
Hence the creation of ‘Big-oil funding climate deniers’.