Thursday
Oct132011
by 
Bishop Hill
Bishop Hill Mann of letters
Oct 13, 2011 Climate: Mann 
Tip o' the hat to Lord Beaverbrook and Oxbridge Prat in Unthreaded, who note that Michael Mann has written his own take on the Hockey Stick wars. It's turning into a crowded field, what with me and Bradley covering the same ground.
Publication date is March 2012
Reader Comments (79)
Not something I anticipate adding to my library, well, The Hockey Stick Illusion is the definative tome on the subject.
Be interesting to see how Mann's spin doctors work it and how much "Oil Money" our dear cleric's taken!
I find this author to be initially palindromic, not unlike some his work.
From the Columbia University Press blurb about the book: "a cofounder and avid contributor to the award-winning science website, www.RealClimate.org". Award winning?.... says who?
I more than likely will read the Stick Meisters tome, but again I may not, my choice, but you Bish, well I am afraid you will have to.
I wish you well come March 2012.
Well, the court awarded him damages, didn't it?
How has he got time to write that?
What are the questions that you would like to see answered in this book?
I would like to know more about his meteoric rise from obscurity, and whether anything he writes in the book will be contradicted by his (forthcoming?) e-mails.
It could prove to be one of the quickest self rebuttals in history
To me, the big question is whether he will address the Bish's book. My guess is that he will not. The book is most likely an exercise in PR and Profit.
I'm afraid even the title betrays immense problems with Mann's mindset. He clearly sees any criticism as an attack from The Enemy which must be repelled.
The blurb is even more delusional: 'well-funded science deniers immediately attacked the chart and the scientists responsible for it.' Aside from the use of the D-word (which, in my view places him outside the realm of polite scholarly discourse), he has a very fluid sense of time. As I recall it, the hockey-stick first reared its ugly blade in 1998; McIntyre first raised some problems in (I think) 2003. In contemporary science, that is far from 'immediate.'
It will be interesting to see if it deals wit the actual criticisms McIntyre has raised, or just babbles on repeating the genetic fallacy with the usual logic of: Exxon gives away about $125m pa to various groups; it gave $10k to the Fraser Institute; McKittrick is a Fellow at Fraser; ergo McKittrick is a fossil fuel-funded denier.
Columbia will be doing its imprint serious harm if it publishes tripe like that. But, hey, maybe he has copies of the cancelled cheques showing Exxon provided a subvention of $1m to help the Bishop publish.
As Chair of the IPSA Research Committee on Politics and Business, I find these infantile attempts to describe corporate influence risible. Stick to your tree rings and proxies, Michael - it seems not to matter if you get those upside down or back to front!
Will Briffa be writing a chapter in which he explains why he or no other has explained "the decline" in tree trunk widths that went on for forty years under his watch yet so surprised him and The Team at the time of publication that "the declining data" had to be replaced with thermometer data? If not Briffa, will Mann write that chapter? Does Mann understand the issue? Is Mann aware of the issue? I cannot wait to learn.
Theo Goodwin Oct 13, 2011 at 9:35 PM
Think you might have to wait a little longer for that. Briffa funded through May 2012 on:-
"The Dendroclimatic Divergence Phenomenon: reassessment of causes and implications for climate reconstruction"
http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/research/
And scroll down.
There is no "F" in anthrophogenic global warming but there is a "Maniac" in Michael E Mann.
"From the Columbia University Press blurb about the book: "a cofounder and avid contributor to the award-winning science website, www.RealClimate.org". Award winning?.... says who?" --Gilbert K. Arnold
It received both the 2009 Trofim Lysenko Memorial Medal, and the 2010 "NASTY," the annual honor of the National Association of Sycophants, Toadies, and Yes-Men.
He is becoming more like Erich von Daniken each day.
Give a person enough rope and they will hang themselves.
I am just glad Michael Mann is not a real scientist.
I am sure that the faithful will line up to buy their copy, but to what end? They already are members of the faith. And March is a terrible time to be publishing such a book because the winter will be pretty much over and if it is anything like the last one, there will be little interest in the tome from the rest of the world.
Already "solar power" is becoming synonymous with graft and corruption in the US with the Solyndra and other dubious loans made by DoE.
I predict the greatest percentage of purchasers will be honest skeptics who will post thousands of excerpts for humor.
Thanks in advance, Mr. M! You've given us material for the next decade.
Actually, I can't wait for this to be published. Mann has two very bad things working against him: 1) whenever he opens his mouth, he appears to be paranoid and arrogant, and 2) he doesn't seem to think he can be caught in a lie.
This book will provide weeks of entertainment, plus, I expect, a lot of free advertising for the Bishop's book.
I expect Dana1981 might be writing a gowing review, before even getting a copy to read
A legend in his own Anthropocene.
Almost 6 months to get published!
Is this a record for a team effort?
Time to expect unprecedented sales hype.
The way things are going I will be surprised if the book is not either withdrawn, rewritten or brought as an example of irony.
Does he see that time is running short and this might be the last chance to grab a few more dollars from the scam.
Good God Bishop were you not following the ellipsis and other grammatical issues discussion yesterday?
"what with me and Bradley"
Unless he gets a good ghostwriter, this will be turgid in the extreme.
Mann's writing style is designed to obfuscate rather than illuminate.
Might be a help for those with chronic insomnia
I don't have a strong constitution, so am unlikely to read it. I look forward to the "reviews", especially here, at Watts and SM's blogs.
Harry Potter...Michael Mann...Harry Potter...Michael Mann... I just can't decide which fairy tale to read next. ;)
Andrew
Should be worthwhile seeing the 'evidenced' of CRU hacking especially given no one else , included the police , as found any . Even its PR is dripping in paranoia and shows the epic scale of the mans ego . Can I ask that no one buys it just nick the content from the internet , it will fun to take the pee out of it but lets not actual give the guy any money .
One hope for it , lets hope his run is mouth of and decided to but some of the libels is made against people in print , Mann in court having the legally justify his claims could be a fun site to see.
Green Sand,
Thanks for the information. Briffa owes me the funding for that paper because I have been pounding on the necessity of that work since Climategate. I cannot wait for its publication. Everyone should be interested. It raises once again the fundamental questions about the science that was necessary for the Hockey Stick paper but not done. The Bish can add a chapter on it to the next edition of his book.
Bad Andrew
Harry Potter...Michael Mann...Harry Potter...Michael Mann... I just can't decide which fairy tale to read next. ;)
No contest -- read the Harry Potter -- it is much more carefully researched, much more consistent, much better written and much more believable.
Don Pablo,
Suggestion considered. When I'm done reading Papers From An Incompetent By Dr. J. Hansen, I'll read and submit a review in a future comment. ;)
Andrew
Dear Bishop, I hope you take the impending publication of this polemic as a huge compliment to your good self. The fact that one of the team's central personages is rolled out to produce what looks to be a political diatribe and PR piece, rather than a discussion of the science, or even a justification of Mannian Statistics, serves only to emphasise the huge impact your learned and comprehensive treatise has had.
One does wonder who the 'ghost writer' will be. If it's still six months away it couldn't possibly be Bob 'fast fingers' Ward could it?
How could Mann so misunderstand so much, or pretend to? Has he no integrity?
Mann will be slayed on every level if the book's content matches the blurb. Including libel if his publisher isn't careful.
'Mann-made global warming' would be a more apt title for a work of fiction.
12 Oct: KSTP: Cory Kampschroer: Protestors Greet Global Warming Author in Minneapolis
A small group of demonstrators was on hand in Minneapolis today for the arrival of a global warming author and speaker. Dr. Michael Mann spoke Wednesday at the Geological Society of America's annual meeting at the Minneapolis Convention Center...
Members of the organization, Minnesota Majority, protested Mann's Minneapolis speech calling it "fraudulent." Dan McGrath was among the roughly 10 people protesting, calling Mann "among the most guilty parties in what we call the global warming scam."
When asked about the protest Mann said "I talk about these ongoing attacks against me and all of climate science in my upcoming book 'The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars'."...
NOTE***In an earlier story we reported Michael Mann told KSTP.COM that he did not want to comment on the protestors. Actually, a spokesperson for the Geological Society of America told us we should e-mail Dr. Mann about his availability in the future. As you read, Mann provided comment for this story.
http://kstp.com/article/stories/s2326088.shtml
From the Ecclesiastical Uncle, an old retired bureaucrat in a field only remotely related to climate, with minimal qualifications and only half a mind.
Latimer Adler
I doubt you should expect the upcoming tome to be turgid. As I posted to this blog some months back to someone’s approbation (I forget who), Mann has two styles – the academic and the polemical. The academic seems turgid probably because it is intended to conceal weaknesses in arguments. The polemical is very clear.
I would expect the upcoming book to contain bits of both, with the polemical the more prominent.
So most of what he writes will be the sole of clarity, I expect, and guaranteed to raise mirth and derision from the cognoscenti on this site. Personally, I hope he reveals details of the political and business people and organizations that pointed him in the direction they wanted and urged him to go for it.
But, I wonder why he has time to write this sort of thing these days. Is his funding for scientific work fading away?
The video's out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMqc7PCJ-nc&feature=related
I can't wait to publish my one star review without reading it.
Great! Maybe he will show all the data! RE or R2 with that cuppa Bish?
Speaking of new books, Donna Laframboise's new work is downloadable from Amazon.
The Delinquent Teenager Who Was Mistaken for the World's Top Climate Expert
http://nofrakkingconsensus.com/2011/10/13/a-book-is-born/
Latimer Alder
Unless he gets a good ghostwriter, this will be turgid in the extreme.
You make an excellent point. The question is if he did find a ghostwriter, how did he pay for it, and if it was paid for, who footed the bill.
Ecclesiastical Uncle
Mann has two styles – the academic and the polemical. The academic seems turgid probably because it is intended to conceal weaknesses in arguments. The polemical is very clear.
Do you have a pointer to some of his polemic writing? Having looked at his "academic" writing, I find it hard to believe, but who knows?
Still, given the nature of the book, I expect it to be a diatribe more than anything else, taking a lead from that great polemic public speaker, Al Gore Al Gore Rant
They are "losing" it.
Bored, I decided to google Michael E Mann in search of his clear "polemic" writing. There wasn't much.
First there is Dire Predictions: Understanding Global Warming - The Illustrated Guide to the Findings of the IPCC [Paperback] by Michael E. Mann (Author), Lee R. Kump (Author) HERE which appear to be written by the IPCC's PR agent,
and then there are his famous quotations. Since they appear to actually be his work, I looked them up -- there are three.
HERE
Inspiring, to say the least.
Don't people think the title tells you everything that is wrong with his contribution to the climate debate?
War? Front Lines?
The first sacrifice of a war is the Truth. Maybe his opponents can be classed as predominantly political is nature. So truth can be a flexible concept.
But Mann is a scientist? does he sacrifice truth for the battle? Because then he stops being a scientist.
Scientists, defend this man at your peril...
The Team have repeatedly attacked people for not publishing in "proper" venues. I wonder why Mann has not used a publisher proper to his elevated status. Why haven't Random House and all the top liners been fighting over this vital manuscript? Why is it being put out by some dinky American University Press, the sort of place where authors have to - ahem - make a financial contribution to having their work published? Don't say Mikey's star is beginning to wane, and the fellow travellers in publishing at least have twigged and are distancing themselves? Say it ain't so!
bill,
You're not suggesting this is vanity publishing are you? <smirk>
I don't think the book will even touch on the science, or refer to McIntyre's arguments. Mann does not see any point in that. The book will assume that there is nothing to discuss or debate as far as scientific arguments are concerned, and focus exclusively on the supposed politics and interests involved. My impression anyway.
I'd be interested in reading it, but not in paying for it.
Oct 14, 2011 at 9:00 AM | Peter B
"I'd be interested in reading it, but not in paying for it."
Exactly - and at twice the price of THI !
Fear monger, Vanity publishing? Our Mikey? Surely you have seen the pics of this rubicund smiler with a log under his arm? Integrity, righteous passion for truth, a willlingness to lay down his life so that the little ones might live, are what jump out at me from those pics. To suggest he's so vain as to go in for vanity publishing, to suggest that whats he's got to say is not what any top line publisher would pay for, well, words fail me....
I doubt this tome will be any good. If it was then one of the big Academic Publishers with a good Earth Sciences list would have picked it up.