gdp's Comments

Big Hollywood : Top 25 Left-Wing Films: #14 - 'A Civil Action' (1998)

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 20:07:04 +0000

The South Africa issue is interesting, I'm looking into it. Also, just so I'm not misunderstood, I'm not in favor of bans on DDT. I'm simply saying that DDT use for agriculture takes away from it's effectiveness as a disease control. I'm also saying that it's use seems to be most effective in the long run when its application is targeted and not blanket. DDT is obviously useful in the fight against malaria, but the use must be careful, just like antibiotics and bacterial infections. And the notion that 50 million died as a result of DDT bans does not seem to pan out. Certainly there have been some deaths due to malaria bans, but there equally may have been as many or more if DDT use as a blanket solution had continued, if the mosquitoes had developed even greater resistance. There's no way to know for certain.

Big Hollywood : Top 25 Left-Wing Films: #14 - 'A Civil Action' (1998)

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 08:17:47 +0000

Randy, that's plain dumb. Using antibiotics willy-nilly is very bad. Antibiotics are prescribed far too often when they should not be, which can lead to resistance in the bacterial infections being targeted. DDT is primarily banned as an AGRICULTURAL pesticide, not as a pesticide for protecting people directly. Use as an agricultural pesticide is foolish, and can lead to disastrous consequences: http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2005/10/crime-of-... People, please. I am a dyed in the wool libertarian/conservative. I am an avid hunter and conservationist, but not a green enviro nut. I'm a gun nut, and I have a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering. I'm an AGW skeptic and a small government low/no income tax proponent. The DDT ban issue is, at best, not a cut and dry "DDT was banned and 50 million died" scenario. At worst, it is making a lot of conservatives look like total fools. This has to stop.

Big Hollywood : Top 25 Left-Wing Films: #14 - 'A Civil Action' (1998)

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 08:01:36 +0000

Calvin, you may want to rethink your senior paper. Here's a good place to start: http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2010/11/skeptoid_... Now, I've been arguing with Tim Lambert for years on other issues, from AGW to gun control, and while a lot of folks who comment at his site are total jerks, Tim is not.

Big Hollywood : Top 25 Left-Wing Films: #14 - 'A Civil Action' (1998)

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 04:22:31 +0000

John, you're my favorite movie reviewer, but you gotta be careful about the DDT thing. Just to establish my cred, I'm an ardent AGW skeptic, based mostly on the work of Richard Lindzen and John Christy, but the DDT meme is a total load of crap. The primary problem with DDT is that mosquito populations subjected to continuous DDT exposure develop a tolerance to the chemical rendering it useless. The notion of the DDT "ban" and all that is a load of crap. The notion that millions died because of the supposed ban is also not true. Just be very careful when you comment on DDT. In fact, better to not mention it at all based on so-called conservative talking points. I'm a conservative, but the truth is more powerful than team-membership. Also, are you going to review the new Tron movie? I just saw it, and having grown up with the original, I'm keen to see what you think of the new one.

Big Hollywood : 'Funny or Die': Elite Hollywood Mocks Critics of Gays in Military

Sat, 2 Oct 2010 06:18:33 +0000

Wow, I get three down-ticks and I thought that was funny. Sheesh.

Big Hollywood : 'Funny or Die': Elite Hollywood Mocks Critics of Gays in Military

Sat, 2 Oct 2010 06:17:46 +0000

Um, what's with the negative ratings? I was only pointing out (or trying to point out) that it was interesting that Sinatra was trying to get people to look past differences while still referring to the Japanese enemy as "Japs." How would that short film have been different if the boy they were picking on was Japanese? And I'm not some liberal idiot trying to make a stupid point. I'm lean very conservative, but that doesn't mean that I'm stupid or can't ask questions like this. I know that Sinatra was from a different era, and I dig what he's doing in the film. I just enjoy real life irony when I see it.

Big Hollywood : 'Funny or Die': Elite Hollywood Mocks Critics of Gays in Military

Fri, 1 Oct 2010 22:22:56 +0000

Now let me get this straight... a Kike and a Whop have to stick together so that they can bomb a Jap? There's just a smidge of irony in that message. Kinda funny.

Big Hollywood : 'LA Times': Liberal Embrace of 'Waiting for Superman' Proves Conservatives Are Intolerant

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:23:20 +0000

"Bowling for Columbine (a good film that ends up ruining itself with a weak plea for gun control)." Good in what sense? Good except for being based on a bunch of lies, good except for taking advantage of an elderly Charlton Heston, and good for linking the NRA to the KKK? That kind of good?

Big Hollywood : 'The American' Review: Clooney's Impressive But the Story Leaves You Cold

Mon, 6 Sep 2010 21:56:33 +0000

Like others already indicated, that Ruger Mini-14/Mini-30 is pretty dumb. No assassin worth his salt would be found anywhere near one of these rifles as a sniping weapon. It's, what, the second least accurate auto-loading rifle in existence, just ahead of the AK-47 and its variants?

Big Hollywood : Elton John: Artists Who Boycott Arizona Are '(Expletive) Twits'

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:47:50 +0000

Unregistered Handgun? What country do you think we live in? All my handguns are unregistered, and unless you live in one of two or three anti-liberty cities or states in the country, there's no such thing as a registered handgun. Just FYI. Seems you've been watching too many Hollywood produced TV shows and movies :-)

Big Hollywood : Singer Sophie B. Hawkins Attends Tea Party -- Slams Hollywood, Obama For Not Doing Enough For Gulf

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:06:58 +0000

Whoa, I did a total double take when I read the name. Had to check if she was the "I wish I was your lover" singer. Interesting. Go Sophie!

Big Hollywood : Snowcones in Hell 2!: Jon Stewart & Pam Geller Agree...

Wed, 9 Jun 2010 19:13:34 +0000

Well, at least we know who's ass to kick in 2012.

Big Hollywood : Daily Gut: Tenure

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 18:20:24 +0000

Sorry to be a naysayer, but tenure is important. It does, unfortunately, protect a lot of kooks, but it also protects a few folks like Richard Lindzen. The following would not be possible without tenure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmGiiNQ0yHQ He takes on MIT's president. Without tenure he'd be in a lot of trouble. With tenure, the MIT pres can sit on it, Malph. To get tenure, you have to do good academic work and toe the line. Once you have proven yourself, you are free to do what you like, say what you like, and reach any conclusion you like. This is an excellent system, and a right that you earn with tenure. That said, the problem here is with the gender studies program itself, not so much with tenure in the program.