Roll up, roll up, one and all. The circus is in town!
Marvel at the clowns as they slip and slide around... the truth.
It's called "Friends O Science".
You see, that’s the joke!
As Prof @KHayhoe explains: "It's like calling vegans Friends of BBQ."
Prepare to be threaded...
Marvel at the clowns as they slip and slide around... the truth.
It's called "Friends O Science".
You see, that’s the joke!
As Prof @KHayhoe explains: "It's like calling vegans Friends of BBQ."
Prepare to be threaded...
They are the darlings of the denialists, the trumpeters of tall tales, the pedallers of hyperbole. They pretend to love children, yet prefer they be seen but not heard. "Go sit in the corner, dear. The grown-ups are talking." 
They abuse the message and image of @GretaThunberg to sell their snake oil and boost their reach
Their recent vid "A Letter to Greta" once again foists the falsehood of the "500 Scientists" onto unsuspecting viewers.
#Lawyers of Twitter, does this not violate the Lanham Act?
Their recent vid "A Letter to Greta" once again foists the falsehood of the "500 Scientists" onto unsuspecting viewers.
#Lawyers of Twitter, does this not violate the Lanham Act?
And they recently retweeted an even more condescending video (made back in Jan) in which host Michelle Stirling urges Greta to "Get off the strike line and go to school. Learn to think for yourself."
But Michelle may have given the game away in that vid, when she claims:
"…almost all of these accomplishments were only possible thanks to the power of coal, natural gas and oil.”
Sucking up to the people with the purse strings, eh Michelle?
Confused? Allow me to explain…
"…almost all of these accomplishments were only possible thanks to the power of coal, natural gas and oil.”
Sucking up to the people with the purse strings, eh Michelle?
Confused? Allow me to explain…
FoS was established in 2002 as a grumbling club for grumpy old rock-kickers from the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists.
In 2004 oil money rolled into FoS for a PR campaign.
This letter confirms a C$175,000 “donation” from the Calgary oil and gas giant, Talisman Energy.
In 2004 oil money rolled into FoS for a PR campaign.
This letter confirms a C$175,000 “donation” from the Calgary oil and gas giant, Talisman Energy.
More funds were sourced from Murphy Oil (top 100 polluter) and other black gold-diggers.
Then, in 2006, FoS hired PR guru Morten Paulsen.
Paulsen craftily linked FoS to right-wing campaigning around the election and tens of thousands of trolls flocked to the FoS site.
Then, in 2006, FoS hired PR guru Morten Paulsen.
Paulsen craftily linked FoS to right-wing campaigning around the election and tens of thousands of trolls flocked to the FoS site.
FoS also gathered a coterie of denialist stars, including Madhav Khandekar, Chris de Freitas, Tim Patterson, Sallie Baliunas and Douglas Leahey, the latter known to be in the pockets of at least 20 oil and gas corporations.
There’s a little story about de Freitas and Baliunas that FoS wishes the internet would forget.
Baliunas was co-author on Willie Soon’s infamous '03 climate change paper that wilfully ignored temperature in its framework.
It was Chris de Freitas who snuck it into print.
Baliunas was co-author on Willie Soon’s infamous '03 climate change paper that wilfully ignored temperature in its framework.
It was Chris de Freitas who snuck it into print.
Heads rolled at Climate Research and you'd think that would be the end of it.
Yet Soon’s debunked work is STILL referenced by FoS’s cohort of climate deniers – despite Soon being outed for receiving millions from the Kochs, Mobile, Exxon, Texaco, et al. nyti.ms/2kjfgX4
Yet Soon’s debunked work is STILL referenced by FoS’s cohort of climate deniers – despite Soon being outed for receiving millions from the Kochs, Mobile, Exxon, Texaco, et al. nyti.ms/2kjfgX4
FoS – Chapter Two: Attack of the Phonies
The FoS YT channel started in 2008. Views were tepid in the early years, except when they applied the “Morton Method” and linked their diatribes to hot-topic right-wing talking points or cribbed content from TV interviews with denialists.
The FoS YT channel started in 2008. Views were tepid in the early years, except when they applied the “Morton Method” and linked their diatribes to hot-topic right-wing talking points or cribbed content from TV interviews with denialists.
In 2012, FoS joined Twitter and further cemented its right-wing bent by sharing “news” stories from crackpot conspiracy theory sites to fill the gaps between their own dubious content. The scheme worked, bringing them over 26K followers from the grimier realms of the internet.
Take this FoS tweet about #ExtinctionRebellion’s @RogerHallamXR.
Note the mast is cut off.
That’s because even FoS is embarrassed to be sharing Summit News rubbish. It’s the worst of the conspiracy sites, run by a former henchman of Alex “Gay Frogs” Jones, Paul Joseph Watson.
Note the mast is cut off.
That’s because even FoS is embarrassed to be sharing Summit News rubbish. It’s the worst of the conspiracy sites, run by a former henchman of Alex “Gay Frogs” Jones, Paul Joseph Watson.
That story is just what you’d expect from an alumni of Mr. Gay Frogs, featuring a selectively edited vid as "proof".
In fact, Hallam says (6:38) he and his followers are prepared to die for their cause. (Rog, dear. You need a proof-reader. DM me, yeah?).
In fact, Hallam says (6:38) he and his followers are prepared to die for their cause. (Rog, dear. You need a proof-reader. DM me, yeah?).
How bad is bad science?
As Willie Soon has proved bad science never dies and its influence is insidious.
When a student asked on Facebook who’d be attending the Iowa #FridaysForFuture rally to see Greta, one comment read: “Dont have my sniper rifle”
As Willie Soon has proved bad science never dies and its influence is insidious.
When a student asked on Facebook who’d be attending the Iowa #FridaysForFuture rally to see Greta, one comment read: “Dont have my sniper rifle”
It’s horrifying, isn’t it?
Even worse, that *person* was a science teacher.
Force fed a diet of denialist propaganda by fake news sites like FoS, the teacher thought he was being funny.
Well, you know who’s laughing with you, pal?
The Daily Stormer!
Even worse, that *person* was a science teacher.
Force fed a diet of denialist propaganda by fake news sites like FoS, the teacher thought he was being funny.
Well, you know who’s laughing with you, pal?
The Daily Stormer!
I wanted this to be a fun, flippant take of the crazy fools at FoS, but the deeper I dig, the scarier it gets.
That Stormer story is as close to an incitement to violence against Greta as they can get and still maintain plausible deniability.
That Stormer story is as close to an incitement to violence against Greta as they can get and still maintain plausible deniability.
That science teacher just threw away a 27-year career because he’s mad at a teen for speaking her mind.
Families are falling apart over this issue.
Prof. Hayhoe is harassed by HUNDREDS of trolls every day.
This is all just WRONG.
And…
I don’t know how to fix any of it…
Families are falling apart over this issue.
Prof. Hayhoe is harassed by HUNDREDS of trolls every day.
This is all just WRONG.
And…
I don’t know how to fix any of it…
Sorry…
I need a minute…
I need a minute…
*SIGH*
More bad science, this time ruining a political career.
At the Canada election debate, People's Party's Maxime Bernier bleated the "500 scientists" scam as if it were fact.
Fortunately La Presse editor @F_Cardinal (Mon héros) called him out on it.
Oui, c'est vrai!
More bad science, this time ruining a political career.
At the Canada election debate, People's Party's Maxime Bernier bleated the "500 scientists" scam as if it were fact.
Fortunately La Presse editor @F_Cardinal (Mon héros) called him out on it.
Oui, c'est vrai!
That darned "500 Scientists" scam has gone global now, finding new life on reputable news sites, such as the @ManilaTimesNEWS.
The paper is honest enough that it printed my rebuttal of that untruth - bit.ly/2ONpzVU
But now my email is full of flippin' Filipino trolls.
The paper is honest enough that it printed my rebuttal of that untruth - bit.ly/2ONpzVU
But now my email is full of flippin' Filipino trolls.
And FoS are the principal gang of purveyors of this nefarious fantasy.
It's spreading it like an STD at a troll orgy.
When you try to explain, try to show the trolls the actual facts, they scream “EVERYBODY’S ENTITLED TO THEIR OWN OPINION!!!”
It's spreading it like an STD at a troll orgy.
When you try to explain, try to show the trolls the actual facts, they scream “EVERYBODY’S ENTITLED TO THEIR OWN OPINION!!!”
I agree, but if that opinion is based on lies told to you by charlatans who are taking 12 pieces of silver from the people out to destroy the planet, maybe, just maybe, you might like to reassess your position…
Or go see a psychiatrist!
Or go see a psychiatrist!
To make matters worse, FoS has now performed a sort of viral mitosis and spawned a new site - climatechange101 - because....
“…some of our members find that [FoS] assumes too high a level of scientific literacy.”
Yes, that’s FoS admitting their followers are stupid.
“…some of our members find that [FoS] assumes too high a level of scientific literacy.”
Yes, that’s FoS admitting their followers are stupid.
The site’s graphics look like they were designed by someone who was fired from MTV back in the 90s.
Then it hit me.
FoS aren’t looking for their new site to appeal to their average trolls…
They’re going after our children!
Then it hit me.
FoS aren’t looking for their new site to appeal to their average trolls…
They’re going after our children!
It makes sense. The good guys have Greta, so FoS hope their new site can spawn the…
ANTI-GRETA
A teen terror with right-wing talking points on the tips of her tongues and a bag of bad science to spread around the playground.
I’ve read enough comic books to know how this ends.
ANTI-GRETA
A teen terror with right-wing talking points on the tips of her tongues and a bag of bad science to spread around the playground.
I’ve read enough comic books to know how this ends.
Fortunately, there is some good news. My investigations lead me to the suspicion that the “Anti-Greta” is an act of desperation on the part of this gang of science-deniers, because it looks very likely that…
FoS IS GOING BROKE.
FoS IS GOING BROKE.
Of course, begging letters are not rare on websites, but it’s very possible many of their traditional #fossilfuel industry masters are no longer interested in being involved in climate change denial, while others, like Peabody Energy, are just too broke.
In 2015, Peabody filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
An investigation by The Narwhal discovered the company was spending millions financing denialists and their web sites – including FoS. bit.ly/2VCD64f
An investigation by The Narwhal discovered the company was spending millions financing denialists and their web sites – including FoS. bit.ly/2VCD64f
Yes, FoS was funded by the planet’s 12th biggest carbon polluter.
Before the judge would allow Peabody out of bankruptcy, he forced them to agree to spend over US$1 billion cleaning up their act, repair environmental damage, and basically become a better corporate entity… or else.
cnbc.com/2017/03/20/us-…
cnbc.com/2017/03/20/us-…
Peabody is billions broke and in desperate need of an image reboot. Backing denialist websites is just bad for business.
Meanwhile investors with trillions in their pockets are busy bullying #fossilfuels polluters to get with the program and take their role in climate change seriously.
“Cut the carbon or we cut the purse strings.”
carbontracker.org/activist-inves…
“Cut the carbon or we cut the purse strings.”
carbontracker.org/activist-inves…
So, if the fossil fuel funding has failed, who’s going to pay for FoS?
The trolls?
Hahahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahahaha
Hahahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahahaha
Hahahahahahahahaha Hahahaaa
Yeah, right!
The trolls?
Hahahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahahaha
Hahahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahahaha
Hahahahahahahahaha Hahahaaa
Yeah, right!
So there it is, one and all.
Proof that climate change really is a killer.
I know, I know. It’s too early to publish an obituary for FoS.
But when that day comes…
The drinks are on me!
Proof that climate change really is a killer.
I know, I know. It’s too early to publish an obituary for FoS.
But when that day comes…
The drinks are on me!
POST SCRIPT
I hope you enjoyed this rollercoaster.
Now take a moment to follow the honest news sites, the hard-working scientists, and the dedicated battlers in the #climatebrawl
They’re braver than me and deserve all your love.
I hope you enjoyed this rollercoaster.
Now take a moment to follow the honest news sites, the hard-working scientists, and the dedicated battlers in the #climatebrawl
They’re braver than me and deserve all your love.
This just in...
