Global Warming Alarmists Ignore 17 Years of Global Cooling In Latest Report

As mentioned in a recent blog, the long-awaited UN IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report was issued last week - the first report in 6 years or so.

I had personally hoped that it would discuss in detail the 17 most recent years of world temperature records indicating a halt in global warming that the world has experienced.

It didn't. 

In fact, the report INCREASED their projection that probability of global warming is due to man from 90% to 95% (despite the cooling trend)? 

How did they explain away the recent cooling trend?  They didn't - except to say that the warming is "buried deep in the oceans".

If you're wondering why this expert panel is from the UN - I'm with you - right away I'm thinking…

*  The UN is not exactly known for scientists - what's up with that?

*  No group of scientists are going to come to agreement on a controversial issue with 95% solidarity on virtually anything 

*  Is there a hidden agenda here?

*  What is this REALLY about? 

We'll explore this topic - what could be the REAL AGENDA of the global warming alarmists - in a future blog.

Until then - here's a link from a skeptical MIT professor in which he calls the latest IPCC report on global warming as being laced with "hilarious incoherence" 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2438434/MIT-scientist-ridicules-IPCC-climate-change-report-calls-findings-hilarious-incoherence.html

Enjoy!

Women Rule The Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart This Week - Not Since 1979 Have We Seen This!

Hello everyone and TGIF! 

Theres' an unusual phenomena on the music charts these days - the top 3 songs of the week are all by female solo artists - and unusual feat that you'd have to go back to 1979 to find the last time that women dominated the top of the charts in this way. 

For the last week of September 2013, here's what the music chart looks like according to the authoritative BILLBOARD Magazine. 

• At #3 - holding for a 2nd week in a row - is the 16 year old New Zealand native and pop music newcomer Lorde and her unusual song "ROYALS" - My review? All I can say is this one is different - very slow and haunting in mood, still very catchy though.
  
  
  
  
  
• At #2 - holding also for a 2nd straight week (falling after 2 weeks at #1) is Katy Perry's ROAR - my review? - this song is classic Katy Perry pop - the first single release from her forthcoming album - which according to the buzz - is just laced with a collection of big future single releases just like her last one (recall her last album "Teenage Dream" made her only the 2nd act in the history of the music charts to have 5 #1 singles from one album - (tying Michael Jackson's Bad) - quite a feat!

• And at #1, also for a 2nd straight week, is Miley Cyrus with "WRECKING BALL" - this is Miley's revenge following the disastrous VMA performance - my review? - the song is very touching composition, but I wouldn't have predicted that it would become as big a hit as it has (i.e. I haven't taken to the song as much as the other two above). 

So much for this week in music - do many of you remember the summer of 1979?  It was the absolute pinnacle of the disco era - the top 5 looked like this back then - all women (4 songs by solo artists, one group). 

Of note and for the record, my fave from the bunch by a long shot was the #5 song - whatever happened to Ricky Lee Jones?? She basically became a one-hit wonder?.

1.  Ring My Bell - Anita Ward 

2.  Hot Stuff - Donna Summer 

3.  Bad Girls - Donna Summer 

4.  We Are Family - SIster Sledge 

5.  Chuck E's in Love - Ricky Lee Jones 

Enjoy your weekend everyone, 

Til Monday,

Kevin 

Pass That Jacket Over Here, Will Ya? - We've Got Global COOLING!!

Ok, I'll admit, I haven't followed much about the global warming phenomena - it also seemed so difficult to believe in something that is so controversial - with a lot of money to be made from the side of the global warming alarmists (witness Al Gore).

After doing some basic research on the topic - I must admit I was pretty astounded at what the facts say. 

There's a lot of evidence that this global warming thing may be NOT the crisis that some have made it out to be, and may POSSIBLY be a complete scam! 

Here are the FACTS from the recent past - computer models (trying to predict the future) are often dead wrong.

1.     There has NO SIGNIFICANT WARMING on Earth since 1997.

We are now over 200 consecutive months where the earth's temperature is not rising - in fact, it is cooling a little - this was a striking discovery for me since this fact is "simply not out there". 

I thought that we were in a crisis of global warming - after all, the BBC called for, in 2007, for the polar ice caps to be COMPLETELY MELTED by 2013!!!   

Amazing but anyone under the age of 17 has not lived thru any sort of global warming.

Even Dr. Pachauri of the IPCC (the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - the world's leading "global warming" authority) admits this! 

2.     The Arctic Ice Mass Grew by 60% in the Past Year!!  

There is now more than a million MORE square miles of ice mass TODAY than even 
a year ago!

Someone forgot to tell the Arctic that global warming is going on!

3.     Other Miscellaneous Facts 

·      ocean temperatures are cooling 

·      global storms are declining in frequency and intensity

·      solar action is such that it indicates cooling is going on and more is to come 

·      the polar bear population is at a record high  

The Bottom Line….

The experts are telling us that Mother Earth naturally goes through cycles of cooling and warming - this is normal.

We now know with great certainty the history of the Earth in this regard…

1600-1915 = the "Little Ice Age"…. cooling 

1915-1945 = warming 

1945-1977 = cooling 

1977-1997 = warming 

1998-Present = cooling 

Each cycle is about 20-30 years and has more to do with ocean oscillations and solar activity than anything else. I would say that we still don't know for sure what impact man has on all of this - but it sure seems less important once the above data is reviewed.

For governments around the world to change entire policies, approaches, incentives to industry, etc. on the premise of "we gotta stop global warming" seems ridiculous to me. 

If the above "cycles" are true - some people could be fretting a lot about nothing!

I know this may be a controversial blog - but I welcome your comments!

Also, the IPCC is due to issue their first report on "climate change" - since 2007 - THIS WEEK - it'll be VERY interesting to hear what they have to say!!

Til tomorrow!

Kevin 

Disney's Line-Jumping for Disabled Now A Thing of The Past

This story basically sums up the old adage, "A few who abuse, spoil it for the rest of us who play by the rules".

Disney announced that its long-standing policy to allow no waiting for the disabled (rather than wait for an hour or more to get on popular rides) will soon come to an end. 

Why? 

A growing abuse problem summed up as follows... 

Some people, who may not have even been disabled in any way, got their hands on a

"disabled pass" - and were then selling to others the ability to go to Disney and ride the rides "wait-free" - the people who hired these folks would then pretend to be family members of the "disabled".  Despicable - isn't it?   It is not clear what level of disability was even needed to get a pass - the ambiguity likely led to a lot of these passes being issued - and the next thing you know, there is widespread abuse.  

Any quick google search of "Disney disabled policy" will bring up the story (or you can click on the link below for more info) - but this struck me as just another example of how a company's good intentions can get steamrolled by abusers who then ruin it for the greater good. 

Now, though disabled families will still get a benefit at the Disney parks, it just won't be as generous.  Disney has said that they will need to report to the rides at a designated time for a lesser wait - as per Disney's FASTPASS program that we ALL are eligible for in a limited way (only a limited number of FASTPASS rides can be taken in a given day).

I feel badly for the disabled kids, who yearn all year for a day at Disney, and whose experience will now be a little less fun that it should be for them. 

Click Here for More Info on: Disney Disability Policy Changes

Tii tomorrow,

Kevin 

Spotlight on SASKATCHEWAN!

Welcome to the first blog that takes special aim at a city, state or province - and explores what makes it so special!  Thanks to Rob Symchyck, our Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (say that 10X fast!!) representative from the Pfizer project who proudly suggested the topic!

Here's a few fun facts about Saskatchewan

• SK produces more wheat than any other province or state (54% of Canadian wheat production and 20% of all North American production!) ….that's a lotta bread!

• The province is the closest thing Canada has to a perfect rectangle (in terms of shapes of the provinces) 

• Let the sun shine in!  (They sing that a lot in ESTEVAN, SK - the sunniest place in Canada (the climate is classic continental - with very cold winters but sunny and hot summers) 

• More NHL players per capita come from SK than any other state or province (including hockey legend Gordie Howe from Floral, SK) 

• At 250,000 kms of highways - that's more than any other province!

• They are work-horses in SK!  At only 4.2% - the unemployment rate as of August 2013 is the lowest in Canada (national average 7.1%) 

• The Roughriders, their team in the Canadian Football League, have the league's most successful merchandising efforts - 1st in the CFL by far, and 3rd in Canadian sports next only to Toronto Maple Leaf and Montreal Canadiens - amazing considering only 1 million people call SK home!!

• Famous Saskatchewanians (?) include the following…..

• Rowdy Ronnie Piper (professional wrestler) 
• Joni Mitchell (legendary songwriter, hits include "Big Yellow Taxi" and "Both Sides Now") 
• Pamela Wallin, noted Canadian broadcaster and now Senator, currently embroiled in a govt scandal  
• John Diefenbaker, 13th Prime Minister of Canada (1957-1963) 

• The Delta Bessborough in Saskatoon -  known locally as the "Bez" - is one of Canada's grandest hotels - it sits majestically on the North Saskatchewan River - and is a beautiful historic gem that is part of the "Great Railway Hotels of Canada" collection - see it pictured here. 

Hope you enjoyed our spotlight on Saskatchewan today!

Til tomorrow 

Kevin 

Apple's New iOS 7 - Here Are 13 Headline Reviews

Today's blog topic focuses on what the IT world is saying about Apple's long-awaited iOS 7 - released two days ago this week.

I will not comment personally - I really can't at this point not being exposed to it at all; However, it's amazing how much info one can learn about it, just by reading a collection of the headlines!!! 

Here we go... in no particular order… my two favorites are at the end 

• A Bold New Look in a Major Make-Over - But Will Take Some Getting Used To
• Colorful, Stark, and "Tres Minimaliste"
• iOS 7 - Better than iOS 6 but less than Android
• Looking to Bigger Things? - Swipe Away!
• Big Changes Mean a Worthwhile Upgrade For You
• Massive Make-over Makes iOS Feel New Again 
• Simultaneously Transformational and Incremental 
• Breathes New Life into the Apple Ecosystem 
• iOS7 - New Apps, New Control Center & A New Look!
• A New Look and a New Beginning
• A Winning Combination - iOS7 + the New iPhones

...and my faves….

• iOS 7 Redefines Industrial Design through "EVIL" Skeumorphism  (and yes, I had to look it up, Skeumorphism refers to design features that leverage the comfort that users have with the original version - example on the IPhone camera, the click when you snap a photo is an audio click but in older cameras, that was the shutter closing etc..)

• iOS 7 - Everything Improved and iTunes Radio Recommendations "Frighteningly Accurate" 

Enjoy iOS7 everyone - and have a nice weekend!

Til next week!

Kevin 

All About Swedish Fish... and Its Surprising Canadian Angle

Ah, Swedish Fish - (Maynard's Swedish Berries in Canada)… one of my all-time favorite candies. 

Maybe this post was inspired by the Halloween fervor that is starting to gain momentum - or

maybe its just by my sweet tooth getting the best of me - but today's blog is all about this Scandinavian import!

The chewy, wine-gummy candy with the irresistibly good and very unique flavor - thought to be the Swedish LINGONBERRY - but I can't verify this - is responsible for that great after-taste, making the candy totally addictive.  

It's become a favorite for inclusion in sales meeting "goodie bags" at my company... and it's always a big hit!

As I have aged, I have noticed that my taste buds have evolved - let's say we're talking about desserts - today, I'm less inclined to go with a chocolatey dessert like chocolate cake or brownie with ice cream and more inclined to go with a bread pudding, a creme brûlée, or a fruit tort - something very sweet - but outside the chocolate milieu.  When it comes to candies - here too I keep this theme going… I'm more likely to pick a Swedish fish or English licorice all-sort over a Hershey kiss these days. 

Swedish Fish and Maynard's Swedish Berries are now distributed and marketed by the Cadbury-Adams Company of Parsippany, NJ. 

The Canadian angle?  All of the fish and berries for North America are made in a single facility in Hamilton, Ontario (a steel town halfway between Toronto and Buffalo, NY) - let's hope security is tight - for all us Swedish fish-lovers' sake!!

Enjoy some Swedish Fish or Maynard's Swedish Berries soon everyone and have a great week!!

Til tomorrow,

Kevin 

Companies We Admire... STARBUCKS

Starbucks Inc., (formerly Starbucks Coffee Company) is on a roll, literally!

Several years ago things weren't so rosy for SBUX - founder Howard Shultz returned to manage the firm and found that he had too many locations, the stores were uninviting, and sales were flattening.  He took steps to rectify this though, and closed almost 1000 stores, and started to work on the 4th dimension (time, according to Einstein) - more on that below…..

Here's the latest with Starbucks….

• US and Canada same store sales are up 5% year over year 
• International sales are the big growth driver however - the company has planned a major push into China 
• Back to the "time" dimension - this means that the company is trying to sell drinks all day long - not just for the morning coffee rush - these afternoon/evening drinks have been termed 'refreshers" - and the Valencia Orange, for example is a big hit
• The food offerings, long an "unsweet spot" for the company, should improve drastically once the acquisition of the bakery goods chain La Boulange is fully integrated into Starbucks (at least its product offerings may be) - also, the yogurt company Danone is working with Starbucks on developing some new products as well 
• The result of all of this - the stock - ticker symbol SBUX - just hit an all-time high of $75 - and has perked up 40% for the year 

Personally speaking, I am a Starbucks drinker - BUT only when there's nothing else around!!! - finding the coffee too strong for my tender coffee taste-buds - I prefer Tim Hortons in Canada and Dunkin Donuts coffee in the US.

But even so, I have to admit, the "blonde" offering (still with coffee, everyone!!!)….was probably tailor made for me - a lighter, less robust blend that even I can enjoy - especially with the little Starbucks touches - like the vanilla powder (and chocolate and cinnamon) available at the creamery!

Starbucks is brewing up success - and is the latest "company we admire" 

Til tomorrow! 

Kevin 

9/11 - A Somber Day of Reflection

Today is the 12th Anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks and the 1st Anniversary of the Benghazi terror attacks in Libya. 

If you haven't done so already - please take a moment to reflect on the freedom we enjoy and how those who lost their lives that day were just "doing their thing" - traveling, working, going about their business like any other day.  Unexpected human loss must be the worst kind. 

I am reminded of how I spend 9/11/01 - I was traveling and actually used Newark Airport where some of the terrorists started out that morning (my travel was from 7:30 am to 8:30 am - so I was actually finished with my air travel just as the first tower was hit!)

But a strange thing happened during the course of the day (I was visiting a client that day).

By late morning, the seriousness of what was happening was well understood - yet one of my business clients - who I overheard - was seemingly "complaining" to someone on the phone that... "aw, they just cancelled my flight to so and so and now I can't go... I'm bummed… we'll have to re-schedule etc, etc."

Imagine the shock I felt - we all were in the middle of a serious sequence of attacks,  and someone's worried about their own little world and their cancelled flight later that week!!!  Unbelievable!

It reminds me of that scene in the Titanic when a porter shouts "You'll have to pay for that!" to a bunch of passengers who, running for their lives to escape the lower decks, were breaking through a door that held them captive. 

Let's never be like these people who can't see the bigger picture of what is going on.

Instead, let's be grateful for every day, and enjoy the freedoms that we have, in part, due to those who sacrificed for us in terrorist attacks, and in all our military efforts. 

Til tomorrow,

Kevin 

Where are you, George Clooney & Barbra Streisand?

Hello everyone, 

For all the debacle that the Syrian situation has become for the Obama Administration, there's an interesting sideline involving celebrity hypocrisy that should be noted. 

After all, when Republican President Bush was leading us into war - with an international contingency of 48 other countries in support of the US, I might add (including Canada) - the anti-war cries from many entertainers was deafening and they brutally condemned Bush for doing so.

So, since I'm convinced that these anti-war demonstrators were all very sincere and very principled - I'm a little worried that something might have happened to them - so I ask the questions…

• Where are you now, George Clooney and Sean Penn?
• Where are the demonstrations, Barbra Streisand and Danny Glover? 
• Why aren't you picketing, Susan Sarandon and Martin Sheen? 
• Did you change your tune, Bruce Springsteen and Sheryl Crow? 

Because it just couldn't be that having Barack Obama, a Democrat, in the White House leading the call for military action could immediately sway your vehement anti-war stance…

Or could it? 

Til tomorrow,

Kevin 

The World's 2nd Biggest Film Festival - Going On Now!!!!

Hello everyone - hope you all had a great weekend.

Well, this is the time of the year that Toronto is in an absolute frenzy - its time for TIFF!

TIFF is the Toronto International Film Festival - formerly the "Festival of Festivals".  TIFF is now in its 38th year and has progressively grown and grown over the years to be what Variety calls the "2nd most important film festival in the world, after Cannes, in terms of movie premiers, star power, and events" - very impressive!!!

TIFF is famous for having premiered and showcased these incredible movies over the years….among them…..

*  The Big Chill

*  Chariots of Fire 

*  American Beauty  

*  Sideways

*  Slumdog Millionaire 

*  The King's Speech 

This year - some of the big name movies that will premiere include the following - it literally reads like the fall 2013 line-up of key movie releases….

*  August - Osage County starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts

*  The Enemy starring Jake Gyllenhaal 

*  The Railway Man starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman 

*  Dallas Buyer's Club starring Matthew McConaughy 

TIFF's biggest fan might have been the "world's best known movie critic" - the late Roger Ebert of Chicago - who we just lost this past year.  He loved TIFF - attended religiously every years nice the outset - and held the Toronto audiences in high acclaim. 

I understand (not yet verified) that the official headquarters building for the festival - the Bell Lightbox - will be named in his honor - an incredibly good move in my books!

If you're in Toronto and have some star sightings to report - let us know!!

Hope you enjoyed this little bit on TIFF 

Til tomorrow,

Kevin 

A Post-Mortem on Miley's VMA Performance

Hi everyone!

Well the Miley Cyrus episode at the VMAs took place over a week ago.

In case you missed it, she gave a crude and lewd performance during this "award" show... any Google search referencing her name will undoubtedly bring forth this story. 

Here are a few random thoughts I have on this:

*  There was nothing entertaining, clever, or appealing about this in the slightest 

*  This was done for shock value - no other reason 

*  I wish that the public reaction to this would have been the following - ONE BIG YAWN 

*  It made her look like she was trying too hard to jettison the "Hannah Montana" days 

*  Others say that this episode made her look desperate for attention 

*  She really didn't have to do this - she was establishing herself as a serious pop singer - (her "We Can't Stop" was a pretty big hit of the summer!), but she seems to have taken a step back and now it remains to be seen if she can restore her career 

*  At least when Madonna started to shock us in the 90s… she did so in a somewhat artistic way… Miley leaves us in a waste-of-time, irrelevant, artistic vacuum  

If I was Robin Thicke - I'd be a little ticked off (or at least be wondering why he agreed to perform with her in the first place) - HE has the song of the summer ("Blurred Lines") - yet SHE stole the performance from him with this act.  

Other celebs and the general public seem to have turned negative on her… certainly the person who wrote the following didn't approve… click on the link to read more…

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/08/27/dear-daughter-let-miley-cyrus-be-a-lesson-to-you-the-amazing-open-letter-from-mom-set-to-go-viral/

If you haven't do so already, be sure to sign up to this enhanced blog format - and add your own thoughts to these blogs - anonymously if you wish. 

Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of this short week!!

Kevin 

Come Ride the World's Tallest & Fastest Roller Coaster - KINGDA KA!

Hello All, 

As we get settled into our post-Labor Day groove and get back to the serious work of pharmaceuticals - why not take a minute and have some fun to keep the summer alive!

For those amusement park junkies who never met a roller coaster they didn't like 

- there's one ride in particular that's worth some discussion 

Consider KINGDA KA ….

• Its home is at Six Flags Great Adventure Park in central NJ 
• At 456 feet, (yikes!) - it's the world's tallest roller coaster
• At 128 mph top speed - it's the world's fastest roller coaster 
• To me, it 's less of a traditional coaster ride and more like a rocket blast up and then down - and yes, we're talking 90 degrees - straight down 
• The whole ride is only about 30 seconds long 
• My wife, Rita, and 12- and 14-year-old kids could handle it - no problem 
• Would I ride this?  (let's just say I was "out of town" on the day of the trip to the park - yeah, that's the ticket - I was out of town!) 
• Experienced riders say "It's a weird experience - feels like your cheeks are 'flapping'"

Here's your front row seat to the experience…..enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN8nv4tVFuA

Don't forget to sign up to get the enhanced blog format delivered to your e-mail directly (you must take a moment and sign up)

Instructions to do this will follow in all remaining September blogs

Have a great week everyone!

Til tomorrow,

Kevin 

Happy Labour Day to All

Hello all,

I hope you're enjoying the long Labour Day weekend.

Did you know that today's holiday is celebrated in BOTH the US and Canada - and is a holiday that actually has Canadian roots?

Read all about in the link and slide show here. 

http://living.msn.com/life-inspired/labor-day-fun-facts

To all our employees, clients, and partners,  enjoy a restful and relaxing day - and thanks for being an important part of the Vanguard family!

Til tomorrow,

Kevin