Stick a Fork in It

I don't think this article requires any commentary besides FOLLOW THE MONEY. That's the real root of all the Global Warming hype - someone stands to make money from it.

Global warming debunked

By ANDREW SWALLOW - The Timaru Herald | Saturday, 19 May 2007

Climate change will be considered a joke in five years time, meteorologist Augie Auer told the annual meeting of Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers in Ashburton this week.

Man's contribution to the greenhouse gases was so small we couldn't change the climate if we tried, he maintained.

"We're all going to survive this. It's all going to be a joke in five years," he said.

A combination of misinterpreted and misguided science, media hype, and political spin had created the current hysteria and it was time to put a stop to it.

"It is time to attack the myth of global warming," he said.

Water vapour was responsible for 95 per cent of the greenhouse effect, an effect which was vital to keep the world warm, he explained.

"If we didn't have the greenhouse effect the planet would be at minus 18 deg C but because we do have the greenhouse effect it is plus 15 deg C, all the time."

The other greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen dioxide, and various others including CFCs, contributed only five per cent of the effect, carbon dioxide being by far the greatest contributor at 3.6 per cent.

However, carbon dioxide as a result of man's activities was only 3.2 per cent of that, hence only 0.12 per cent of the greenhouse gases in total. Human-related methane, nitrogen dioxide and CFCs etc made similarly minuscule contributions to the effect: 0.066, 0.047 and 0.046 per cent respectively.

"That ought to be the end of the argument, there and then," he said.

"We couldn't do it (change the climate) even if we wanted to because water vapour dominates."

Yet the Greens continued to use phrases such as "The planet is groaning under the weight of CO2" and Government policies were about to hit industries such as farming, he warned.

"The Greens are really going to go after you because you put out 49 per cent of the countries emissions. Does anybody ask 49 per cent of what? Does anybody know how small that number is?

"It's become a witch-hunt; a Salem witch-hunt," he said.

None

Bah!

This Week?

Jordin goes.

Hey, why not?

Someone has to.

AI Wrap

Back on April 17, I wrote this:

Lakisha. I think her star is falling. I don't know what it is, but where others have grown stronger through the weeks, she seems to be faltering somewhat. She was a tad on the boring side this week. I predict that she will be the surprise elimination ­ maybe not this week, but within the next 3-4.

Here it is, three weeks later and she's gone. But I was wrong about something. It wasn't a surprise elimination - certainly not the way Chris Daughtry was last year at this time. Most people had come to the conclusion that Lakisha's days were numbered, and she probably wouldn't win it all, unlike the general expectations of Daughtry.

In fact, if you look at this season overall, there really haven't been any big surprises. I thought that Sabrina left too early, as probably did Stephanie, but neither were going to make it to the top six, so it's rather irrelevant anyway.

I guess if there was anything that could remotely be labeled surprise-worthy, it would be the longevity of Sanjaya Malakar, Chris Richardson and Blake Lewis. Blake's tenure has to be from picking up the supporters of the former two contestants, you know, the little fawning, crying girls who loved Sanjaya, the myopic young teens who watched Chris and saw JT. They are all in Blake's camp now.

See, Blake isn 't much of a vocalist when you come down to it. He has the ability to arrange music and make funny noises with his mouth, but he can't sing. He can't match the voice of Melinda or Jordin, he isn't even as good a vocalist as Lakisha.

But as long as the raging hormones keep the calls coming his way, he'll remain. The big questions now become, who gets Lakisha's supporters, Jordin or Melinda? Or do they just go away, leaving the two little time to build upon the fanbase they already have?

A note about Daughtry: I've listened to selections from his CD.

Home is a decent song; the one AI uses to send the weekly loser home with (I like it far better than You Had a Bad Day from last year). The rest of the CD, however, is rather bland. Chris breaks no musical ground that hasn't already been broken. His sound is formulaic and really uninspired. I know it did well, going platinum, but that really just reflects the lack of defined taste these days.

Based on the first CD, I can't see Chris going far with his music career unless he figures out something that makes him stand out, something that makes him less like, oh say, Nickelback.

Bucky Covington released a new CD recently. I've heard it's doing well. It debuted on the Billboard 200 at #4 and #1 on the Top Country Albums chart. I liked Bucky last year, especially when he was in his element - an element we've seen very little of this year.

Taylor Hicks, however, has not done as well as expected, which just goes to show that being top dog on the show doesn't necessarily translate over to the market.

This is the first year I've watched it every week. I skipped a fair amount last year. The show seems to become rather boring with fewer and fewer people each week and more and more need for filler.

Jive Singin'

Bee Gees night, and we've seen better. It wasn't the best of nights for the contestants. The Bee Gees, like Queen, are a difficult group to cover. Consider the fact that in the early stages of the show, Chris Sligh, Blake Lewis, Rudy Cardenas and a fourth I can't remember did How Deep Is Your Love, did it very well, but as a group with tight harmonies. That is something that can't be replicated with these soloists. Here's how I heard it all:

Melinda Doolittle sang...

Love You Inside & Out: It was adequate good in her own consistent way. Nothing to bring out the goosebumps with, but that song wouldn't anyway.

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart: I was thinking she might do one of the older, ballad-type pieces - they really seem more her style. I thought maybe Gotta Get a Letter to You, or Massachusetts would have been better choices. This one was actually on the boring side for the first 1/2 to 2/3, then she picked it up into Doolittle land. Paula keeps telling Melinda that she should just let go, let go, and frankly, I have no idea what Paula means by that.

Blake Lewis sang...

You Should Be Dancing: Very weak start. Trying for the Eurotech sound I s'pose; he just came across as a Northwest metrosexual castrato. He really didn't need to put the vocal chitter effects into the chorus, though I could see how they went OK during the interlude.

This is Where I Came In: I found this to be wooden, almost like Blake doing a parody of himself. Barry Gibb was right - this song turned out not to be a hit after all, and Blake ain't gonna make it one either.

If Blake decided to become a porn star, I think he'd go by the name of Star Buck. He's really got to drop the sweater combos he wears.

Lakisha Jones sang...

Stayin' Alive: And she about killed it. Not a disco fan, however, I much preferred the original to whatever it was she did. Simon called Melinda's performance more like that of a background singer - I'd have to say that Lakisha's was even more so.

Run to Me: Dull, dull, dull.

Jordin Sparks sang...

To Love Somebody: It was OK. I kept waiting to be blown away, but it never happened. I didn't much care for her outfit either, though I thought she looked quite cute.

Woman in Love: I don't like Barbara Streisand, but this song takes me back to a very seminal point in my life. For that I hold a place of favored memory of it. I thought Jordin could potentially put it out of the park. She didn't do badly BUT she seemed more like a child on this than previous performances. I mean, her rendition really lacked a certain maturity to make it work the way it should. Not her fault, she should be able to pull it off in 10-15 years.

Jordin's outfits tonight were questionable IMO. I liked her hair and makeup, but her clothes were a little dumfounding.

So Bee Gees night has come and gone, and I don't think we are necessarily the better for it. I think Blake or Lakisha will go - probably Lakisha this week, which would fit into previous statements I've made. You realize, of course, that Phil never would have stood a chance with a Bee Gees song. :-)

Of course, I'll probably be wrong and we'll see Mindy Doo get the boot in a surprise move. That would certainly be a Tragedy, eh?

It's In the Song

Phil is gone, and I should have seen it coming. Everyone should have seen it coming. In the year when many of the song choices have been seemingly prescient, Phil's choice was right there. Here are some lyrics to Blaze of Glory:

I'm going down in a blaze of glory
Take me now but know the truth
I'm going down in a blaze of glory

And he did. And he did.

Perhaps the most touching 'seeya' performance I've seen, Phil managed to hug and kiss almost everyone in the studio. I liked Phil. I'm sad to see him go, but he wasn't going to win. Best wishes to him, his wife and his new baby, who is what - almost 6 months now?

From another piece elsewhere we read: Blake Lewis (5/1 odds), whose best-friends-forever admission while standing alongside Richardson was quite the womanly gesture.

Boyfriends Blake and Chris had to separate, and I can't imagine anyone having said the BFF thing about Chris Daughtry last year. Maybe Taylor Hicks, certainly Clay Aiken, but not Daughtry. I found it a fairly awkward moment, though the metrosexuals Lewis and Richardson seemed to feed from it as did the women (but you always expect stuff like that from women).

Down to the final four, and if Dial Idol is at all near accurate, then Melinda Doolittle may be on the cusp. Shocker, eh? Have a look:

www.dialidol.com

Now I can mail in my Nielsons. What a week!

Bon Joviality in Idol

Fun night tonight.

I wondered how some of the contestants would pull off the songs by Bon Jovi. Here's how I heard it:

Phil - I disagree with Simon. Phil did a really good job with Blaze of Glory, singing and performance-wise. He did seem a tad awkward with some of the rocker moves, but I wouldn't hold that against him. It was a strong vocal, and the crowd was solidly behind him.

Jordin - Living on a Prayer. Ohhhh, Jordin. Started off weak, hit the big chorus well, then slid back to difficulty in the verse again. She overcompensated somewhat with the chorus, which brought it to almost the level of screeching, as Simon likes to say. Not surprising and very common - hit the stuff you do well hard to try and mask the rest. If her sustainability was based on tonight alone, I'd say she could be going.

Blake - I have been a Blake detractor for a while. I absolutely hated Imagine (don't really like the song anyway; I think it's fatuous), but this week, I was really impressed with Shot Through the Heart. He took the risk of morphing the song and in turn was able to pull off something that was actually quite interesting. The beginning was atmospheric, leading into the mainline, then the rhythms and beat playoff with the drummer. It was a pleasure and I tip my hat to him.

Lakisha - It was good. I don't know if it's enough to keep her going, but it was good. Definitely much better than....

Chris - Dead or Alive. His performance was tedious, boring. I just wanted it to be over. Chris has outlived his ability I think. He should have gone a long time ago, JT notwithstanding. Look, Chris Daughtry did Dead or Alive far better than Chris Richardson, and Daughtry's version still doesn't match up to the original Bon Jovi version.

Melinda - Yeah, I saw the Tina Turner in the performance too. Wondered how she would adapt, or make the song adapt to her. She's a professional, though, and can usually figure something out. I also happen to think that tonight she looked the hottest she ever has on the show.

That's it for the wrapup and my view of it. Who will go? Tough call. Two are leaving, and I don't know if they are taking the lowest vote getter from last week plus the lowest from this week, or combining the vote tallies from both weeks and choosing the lowest two from that.

Do you realize that if they do it the first way... Blake could go, even after his performance tonight? Interesting thought, isn't it?

Songs of Bon Jovi

This ought to be good. Tonight's AI mentor is Jon Bon Jovi and the contestants will be performing his songs.

I would love to see Sanjaya do Shot Through the Heart. Seriously.
Too bad it'll never happen.

Hope Phil does I'll Be There for You - could be a good fit for his voice.

Be interesting to see what Melinda chooses, for this is not her style. I can't imagine her choice being Living in Sin.

Maybe Lakisha will do Living on a Prayer Or maybe she SHOULD do it.

Whadaya think? A little Burning for Love for Jordin? I still think she's Born to be My Baby!

Guess the biggest question is, who will be the Last Man Standing?

Chris or Blake?

Cheers, Jeff