“The United States [of America] needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security. (…) NATO should be leading the way for us to get it (…) [and] becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the United States [of America]. Anything less than that is unacceptable” — DT, 14 Jan. 2026
“Yeah, there is one [limit to my ability to use American military might]. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me. I don’t need international law.” — DT, 08 Jan. 2026
“We have subsidized Denmark, and all of the Countries of the European Union, and others, for many years by not charging them Tariffs, or any other forms of remuneration. Now, after Centuries [sic], it is time for Denmark to give back — World Peace is at stake!” — DT, 17 Jan. 2026
“Considering your Country decided [sic] not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS [sic bis], I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the US. Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a “right of ownership” anyway? There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland” — DT, 19 Jan. 2026
“Record Cold Wave expected to hit 40 States. Rarely seen anything like it before. Could the Environmental Insurrectionists please explain – whatever happened to global warming?” – DT, 23 Jan 2026
“I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week, and he agreed to do that. It was very nice. A lot of people almost didn’t believe it, but they were very happy about it because they are struggling badly.” – DT, 29 Jan 2026
Archive for global warming
Nature tidbits [21 Aug 2025]
Posted in Books, pictures, University life with tags @ScientistTrump, Antarctica, Arctic, astronomy, birth rates, black holes, climate change, COVID-19, electric car, Europe Union, global warming, ice sheet, mRNA, OpenAI, supernova, Trump administration, US research on October 16, 2025 by xi'anThe cover of this Nature issue is a fake!, being an artist’s rendering of a supernova (2021yfj) before it exploded, with the core exhibited as rich in silicon and sulfur. (The heaviest element in stars is iron, resulting from the fusion of the above. When the iron mass exceeds a limit, the star collapse into a neutron star or a black hole.)
On the Trump 2.0 administration’s attack-on-science front, an editorial exposes the irresponsibility of cancelling grants for mRNA studies (which Trump 1.0 supported during the COVID crisis). And a longer article points out the radical switch in managing federal grants, committees moving from scientists to political appointees, searching for “anti-American values”… And another one on the backlash following the report from said administration about climate change and global warming. (As blogged recently.)
At a more conceptual (and international) level, an article questions the usual stand on declining birth rates as being problematic. While acknowledging that public incentives have a highly variable mileage, the article remains vague on how supporting an ageing population while keeping an homogeneous welfare support will prove feasible. A second socio-economic article muses about the lack of a downward curve in the cost of electric cars, despite the drop in battery costs, pointing out the inefficiency of state support that creates profit bubbles for the manufacturers. Stricter policies on combustion vehicles similarly seem inefficient, given the violent reactions of car owners (as in the Gilets Jaunes revolt). The EU has alas recently backed down on its goal of prohibiting new combustion engines by 2035.
In shark contrast, a review paper document the rising probability of a climate catastrophe induced by the melting Antarctica, which could prove of a higher magnitude than the melting Arctic. (Even though the introduction article is rather confusing, mixing this issue with the pollution brought by Antarctic tourism and mentioning indigenous populations that do not exist on the 7th Continent).
And on the (weekly) AI front, the announcement of the downloadable gpt-oss from OpenAI, which I plan to check. And the debate on whether or not AI generated papers can plagiarise, again a poorly focussed article mostly missing the issues of the scientific worth of such papers (and the basic fact that they 100% plagiarise the literature dataset they learned from!).
Trump emmerde le Monde [cover]
Posted in Books, Kids, pictures, Travel with tags 80th birthday, bad manners, bully, cover, global warming, immigration, Libé, profanity, Together Against Trump, UN, unfiltered, United Nations, United Nations General Assembly, wind farms on September 25, 2025 by xi'an
and it only gets worse & worse & …
Posted in Books, Kids, pictures, Travel with tags abortion, Agent Orange, America, autoritarian, baby Trump, birth control, Canada, cliffs, climate change, climate denial, conspiracy theories, contraception, Department of Energy, Donald Trump, drill, global warming, nationalism, nuclear weapons, Palestine, populism, racism, Red State Blue State, reproductive rights, The Guardian, The New York Times, theocracy, unilateral nuclear disarmament, US elections 2024, US politics, USAid on August 13, 2025 by xi'an
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“We’re going to get some back. We’re going to get some switched. There will be some swapping of territories, to the betterment of both [Ukraine and Russia]. You’re looking at territory that’s been fought over for three and a half years, a lot of Russians have died. A lot of Ukrainians have died” – DT, 08 Aug
“I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements [by Dmitry Medvedev] are more than just that. Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.” – DT, 01 Aug
“[The 23 July Energy Department report] critically assesses many areas of ongoing scientific inquiry that are frequently assigned high levels of confidence — not by the scientists themselves but by the political bodies involved, such as the United Nations or previous presidential administrations. Unlike previous administrations, the Trump administration is committed to engaging in a more thoughtful and science-based conversation about climate change and energy.” – Ben Dietderich, DoE, 31 July
“Climate change is real, and it deserves attention. But it is not the greatest threat facing humanity. As someone who values data, I know that improving the human condition depends on expanding access to reliable, affordable energy. If we empower innovation rather than restrain it, America can lead the world in providing more abundant energy” Chris Wright, Secretary of Energy, 29 July
“Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine. That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them.” – DT, 31 July
“The Trump Administration dismantled American aid organisations in a politically-driven witch hunt for ‘waste, fraud, and abuse.’ Now, they are letting millions of dollars of lifesaving humanitarian aid go to waste. President Trump is preparing to let over $12 million worth of HIV-prevention supplies and contraceptives, which have already been purchased for use in developing countries, be destroyed, rather than let other countries or groups take control of and distribute the products. HIV is one of the deadliest diseases in the world. People will die because of this decision. Their lives are at risk because of President Trump.” – Senator Rosa DeLauro, 18 July
back to the future [no need!]
Posted in Books, Kids, Travel with tags climate change, CO2, desert, Earth, extinction, extreme temperatures, global warming, Nature, no future, Pangaea, solar radiation, supercontinent cycle, volcanoes on October 23, 2023 by xi'an
A news entry in Nature of 25 Sept 23 is reporting on the grim period of Earth, 250 millions year away! By that time, continents will have drifted back, reunited into a new Pangaea supercontinent, Pangaea Ultima, which is likely to form around the equator, producing a deadly place where most life will go extinct. As happened 200 years ago. While grateful for the item of information that continental drif is thus cyclic, I find rather ironical that one worries about the extinction of life so far in the future, when it is likely to happen within a few decades!
Xi'an's Og 