The Year of Moving Forward

The Year of Moving Forward
At our 4 person wedding reception in DC

Monday, October 29, 2007

The Western Star and Global Warming

Certain topics will be addressed again and again, and global warming is one of them. When I read something that is absolutely in error, in fact, that makes the writer look foolish, I will comment.

So when I read in The Western Star on Wednesday the Dale Jones editorial slamming Al Gore and the Nobel Peace Prize process I felt obligated. Here is what he writes: "There is absolutely, positively no scientific evidence to support global warming."

I could argue against that statement, but I don't need to. Read on.

Here are some quotes from Dale's article:

"While ground-level temperature measurements suggest the earth has warmed between 0.3 and 0.6 degrees Celsius since 1850, global satellite data, the most reliable of climate measurements, show no evidence of warming during the past 18 years".

"A Gallup poll found that only 17 percent of the members of the Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Society think that the warming of the 20th century has been a result of greenhouse gas emissions - principally CO2 from burning fossil fuels".

"While atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased by 28 percent over the past 150 years, human-generated carbon dioxide could have played only a small part in any warming, since most of the warming occurred prior to 1940 - before most human-caused carbon dioxide emissions".

Now...here are some quotes from a brief analysis from the National Center for Policy analysis written by H. Sterling Burnett:

"While ground-level temperature measurements suggest the earth has warmed between 0.3 and 0.6 degrees Celsius since 1850, global satellite data, the most reliable of climate measurements, show no evidence of warming during the past 18 years".

"A Gallup poll found that only 17 percent of the members of the Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Society think that the warming of the 20th century has been a result of greenhouse gas emissions - principally CO2 from burning fossil fuels".

"While atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased by 28 percent over the past 150 years, human-generated carbon dioxide could have played only a small part in any warming, since most of the warming occurred prior to 1940 - before most human-caused carbon dioxide emissions".

First, Dale, this information that you are basing your argument on is 10 years old. This was written in 1997. Ten year old data!!! Scientists and others...even Newt Gingrich (his new book A Contract with the Earth) are currently overwhelmingly supportive of climate change and man's role in it, along with mankind's responsibility for doing something against it. (I admit I have not read Gingrich's book, and wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him, so I don't how supportive he is, but that is beside the point).

Second, Dale, and more importantly, this is plagiarism. You are writing for a newspaper, and should know better than to copy someone elses work without giving them credit. If I were to do this in school, I would be severely disciplined...we are warned about it all the time. You should know better Dale. People from newspapers more prestigious than yours have lost their jobs for plagiarism. You should lose yours too, if you can't even put the outdated material you report as fact in your own words. Have you taken any journalism courses Dale? What did they teach you?

Dale, you also plagiarized from this site , and probably others. Why should we believe anything written in your newspaper, when you take credit for the work of others as if it were your own?

Don't write about that which you do not know about, and when you do, give credit where credit is due. If you are allowed to keep your job.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thinking folks who pick up the Western Star realize Mr. Jones doesn't respect his readers or the community. This plagiarism shows that he doesn't have any self respect either.

Trey said...

high fives joe!

Anonymous said...

The Western Star does a wonderful job in reporting the news of the community. The paper looks better after Mr. Jones took it over than it ever has. The staff of the Western Star puts in numerous hours and effort into what they do. I just want them to know their hard work IS APRRECIATED by those of the community. It's absolutely pathetic that you have to find things to pick apart from this paper so often. If you don't like it, DON'T READ IT or BUY IT. Simple enough.
Thanks, Dale and staff for everything you do for the Western Jefferson cutoff!!!! Keep up the GREAT work!!

Ben Mason said...

Yes, the Star does a great job. NOT. How about last week when it carried a story on a public hearing about a $2 million grant to auto dealer Jordan Frazier? All the Stare reporter could do was write about the hearing. The Tribune reporter apparently hung around long enough to find out and report that the council voted to give Frazier the money. It even had a column that agreed with the action. Not a word in the Star. The paper looks like the bottom of a bird cage and reads that way.

Anonymous said...

My wife takes the Star to school to show children how not to do things. In fact, her students call its the western SCAR, not Star. Stealing other people's articles and not covering anything of importance is the trademark of Dale Jones and all the others who supposedly WORK SO HARD. LOL!

Anonymous said...

Better watch out. Dale might threaten you with a lawsuit. I speak from experience. I'm not trembling, though.

Anonymous said...

In reference to one of the comments above: How can anyone say the Western Star does a wonderful job? There is NO news in that paper with the exception of outdated information and most of the pages are filled with announcements that "look like" ads. Overall, the photography is awful; it's either out of focus or so improperly shot that it's impossible to recognize who the people are or what the photo is about. Layout is terrible with large white empty spaces evident in most every issue and typo's abound. Add to all of that, an editor who plagiarizes!!! Where does wonderful fit into that picture?

Anonymous said...

If this Dale Jones is the meteorologist from Utah, he knows his stuff. The person I know wrote the first definitive manual on Utah weather patterns ever, while he was an intern! So, who is the idiot? You can't argue with his facts so you attack his sources. Typical liberal brain-mush. Vicki Smart Penhall

Joe said...

This is not the Dale Jones from Utah. this Dale Jones is from Alabama, and I doubt he has a degree.

And yes, I can argue with the "facts" that this Dale Jones put in the paper, here.

But the purpose of this post was to expose the plagiarism that this Dale Jones practiced in this article as well as others. I was showing that he copied the other source.

This plagiarizing Dale Jones is no longer associated with our local paper.