NC Media Watch

Tracking Earth's most abundant greenhouse gas

Russ Steele

Tracking CO2?  No water vapor is the most abundant greenhouse gas. Should we be regulating water vapor. Here is the latest from NASA on how they are tracking the most abundant greenhouse gas.

Aerial view of Hawaii's Mauna Loa (center), the world's largest volcano. The CU-Boulder-led research  group's experiments at Mauna Loa will provide important clues for understanding how changes in the water cycle influence changes in atmospheric circulation and global temperatures.

(UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO) -- Fifty years ago scientists began measuring carbon dioxide continuously from on top of Hawaii's Mauna Loa, the largest volcano in the world. This October CU-Boulder researchers will set up the first real-time experiments there to track Earth's most abundant, and arguably most important heat-trapping gas: water.

"There's no question CO2 is driving changes in our planet's climate, but a lot of the changes we are seeing are due to changes in the water cycle, and to the amount of water vapor in the air," said David Noone, a climate scientist with CU-Boulder's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences. Noone, along with Assistant Professor Joe Galewsky of the University of New Mexico, are leading the water vapor-tracking project throughout the month of October.

In its vapor phase, water, like carbon dioxide, traps and radiates heat back toward our planet. As global temperatures rise, atmospheric humidity also increases, boosting the greenhouse effect.

Another view of Obama's campaign

Russ Steele

Not all Democrats are on the Oboma band wagon. The HillBuzz blog is attracting a lot of attention, especially from the disaffected women inside the Obama campaign organization.  Rush Limbaugh has been reading comments by the ladies, ooops the women.

Oboma's change has been tried before and it failed

Russ Steele

Thomas Sowell writes in Investment Business Daily

An Obama Win Will Be More Than Historic - Some elections are routine, some are important and some are historic. If Sen. John McCain wins this election, it will probably go down in history as routine. But if Sen. Barack Obama wins, it is more likely to be historic — and catastrophic.

Once the election is over, the glittering generalities of rhetoric and style will mean nothing. Everything will depend on performance in facing huge challenges, domestic and foreign.

Performance is where Barack Obama has nothing to show for his political career, either in Illinois or in Washington.

Policies that he proposes under the banner of "change" are almost all policies that have been tried repeatedly in other countries — and failed repeatedly in other countries.

Politicians telling businesses how to operate? That's been tried in countries around the world, especially during the second half of the 20th century. It has failed so often and so badly that even socialist and communist governments were freeing up their markets by the end of the century.

The economies of China and India began their takeoff into high rates of growth when they got rid of precisely the kinds of policies that Obama is advocating for the U.S. under the magic mantra of "change."

H/T to JunkScience.com

Traders Joe's in Auburn?

Russ Steele

The possibility is growing. I learned Tuesday that a company interested in renting in the Plaza Shopping Center, was told that a Trader Joe's would be coming to the Center. I have been searching for confirmation. I found this in the Auburn Journal today:

Is Auburn finally getting a Trader Joe’s?

A conversation last week between Auburn Chamber of Commerce officials and representatives of an area construction company indicates a strong possibility. Bruce Cosgrove, chamber CEO, and Jeanette Yetka, membership sales, say they got the confirmation from Wells Construction representatives during a ribbon cutting Oct. 21 at Little Caesar’s in the new Plaza Shopping Center off Highway 49 in North Auburn.

“What we heard is that they’ve made the decision to come, hadn’t as yet signed the lease, but that it was a foregone conclusion,” Cosgrove said Wednesday. “The negotiations were far enough along that they were confident that Trader Joe’s was in fact going to lease the building.”

Yetka had asked what other businesses were moving into the center and when Trader Joe’s name was included, she was pleasantly surprised.

This will put more pressure on our local markets if the letters to the editor and blog comments are any indication of the demand for Trader Joe's unique line of products and prices in Nevada County.  Maybe  Trader Joe runs to Rosville will become just a distant memory.

Update: The Union has some thoughts on local high end organic outlet impacts.

Yee gads California's budget is $10 billion down, on way to $25 billion

Russ Steele

Consider this from the Sac Bee Alert:

In tomorrow's Bee: State officials are expected to formally announce that the gap between spending and revenues in the budget for the current fiscal year has reached at least $10 billion, and may reach $25 billion by the end of the next fiscal year.

The California economy is going in the tank and all the while the hard core environmentalist at CARB are cooking up more economic tricks in the Scoping Plan that will farther damage the economy.  When will California's economy become more important than saving the planet from the non-existing threat of global warming. Really?

Update:

Another case where AGW theory does not fit the data (Updated)

 Russ Steele

 

MIT scientists baffled by global warming theory, contradicts scientific data.

 Boston (MA) - Scientists at MIT have recorded a nearly simultaneous world-wide increase in methane levels. This is the first increase in ten years, and what baffles science is that this data contradicts theories stating man is the primary source of increase for this greenhouse gas. It takes about one full year for gases generated in the highly industrial northern hemisphere to cycle through and reach the southern hemisphere. However, since all worldwide levels rose simultaneously throughout the same year, it is now believed this may be part of a natural cycle in mother nature - and not the direct result of man's contributions.

Full story  . If it does not quack like a duck, if does not waddle like a duck, it must not be a duck. It most be something other than AGW. But, what is it. Must be a natural cycle.

Update: Anthony Watt's has more information at Watts Up With That.

Got generator?

Russ Steele

As more and more plug in hybrids go on line the power companies are beginning to worry, where is that power going to come from.  But, I am more worried about a population that keeps growing but the power industry is not keeping up with the demand. Here is a quote from an Australian Newsletter examining the Americas power system status, Electricity Crisis is Coming

The news is not good. In 2007, there were about 144 new coal-fired power plants on the drawing boards of the U.S. energy utilities. But, said the professor, "We will probably build none of them." Indeed, "The electric industry in the U.S. is in terrible shape," said the CMU man. So we should expect local and regional brownouts and blackouts to become common occurrences "within five years." But the first isolated instances of brownout and blackout will hit us much sooner than that.

We bought a diesel generator several years ago to use when winter snows damage power lines on Banner Mountain. Now we find we are using the generator year round when the power goes out. It looks like we will have more opportunities in the next five years.

Watts Up Ground truth for Reno UHI

Russ Steele

Anthony Watts, Watts Up With That, called yesterday and said he was going to be in Reno last night with his instrumented vehicle and planned to do some ground truth UHI data collection. Here is the preliminary result.

Field work can be far more revealing than sitting in front of a computer screen in an Environment California office digging through CDs of "high quality" airport ASOS data, that ends up in a dodgy report designed to scare people. Details here.  As Anthony, and his squad of surface station volunteers have proven multiple times, on-site observations can produce some highly interesting results.  More analysis when Anthony has time, as he did several data runs on Reno's UHI bubble.  More details at Watts Up With That.

Global warming Trick or Treat

Russ Steele

Thanks to Goredearth for the cartoon

There is a lot of truth in this cartoon, if after the election we get the most dangerous climate change team in America:  Oboma, Reid and Pelosi   All are committed to saving the planet from CO2, regardless of the economic consequences.  And, they will have the support of their Democratic constituents. Consider these survey results from Watt's Up With That this morning.

An American Climate Values Survey (ACVS), conducted by the consulting group EcoAmerica found that political party affiliation is the single largest indicator as to whether people see climate change as a threat.

It seems it is all political, as there are some other fascinating tidbits. For example:
    •    Convinced it’s happening: 54 percent of Republicans, 90 percent of Democrats.
    •    Think that weather has gotten more severe: 44 percent of Republicans; 77 percent of Democrats.
    •    Noticed the climate changing: 54 percent of Republicans; 84 percent of Democrats.
    •    Trust Al Gore when he talks about global warming: 22 percent of Republicans; 71 percent of Democrats.
    •    Trust environmentalists who talk about global warming: 38 percent of Republicans; 71 percent of Democrats.
    •    Trust anyone who talks about global warming: 39 percent of Republicans; 75 percent of Democrats.
   

This is what happens when you lose your credibility

Russ Steele

When newspapers lose their credibility, and their are other sources of news, this is what happens.

•  The Audit Bureau of Circulations released the latest figures for the six- month period ending September 2008 and the report shows major drops in circulation at the big metros. According to ABC for the 507 newspapers reporting in this period, daily circulation slipped 4.6% to 38,165,848 copies. For the 571 papers, Sunday dropped 4.8% to 43,631,646 copies.

•   Newsroom staffing at the Los Angeles Times is shrinking again. Newspaper spokeswoman Nancy Sullivan said Monday that 75 staffers are being laid off in the latest round of cuts. . . .The Times, which is owned by Chicago-based Tribune Co., reduced its overall staff by 250 people last summer, including 150 from the newsroom.

Then then consider this.

•  One of the founders of the Internet Vint Cerf, and lead for Google’s Internet for Everyone project, made a recent suggestion that the Internet should be nationalised as a public utility.

As the Internet gains credibility our left leaning political leaders are looking for ways to shut it down, or at least control the content. If Obama and a Democratic Congress are elected we will see the Fairness Doctrine resurface again and we can kiss conservative talk radio goodbye. Will we also see an Internet Fairness Doctrine, where political speech is controlled by government?

Newspapers and the main stream press are no longer trust worthy, and the government is seeking ways to control the Internet and radio waves, how are honest citizens going to find the truth?