NC Media Watch

Who could have guessed?

 Russ Steele

Local liberal blogs will become part of the Sac Bee’s Sacramento Connect experiment, crows the FUE this morning here .

The McClatchy-owned Sacramento Bee (sacbee.com) is changing that starting Monday, March 29 with a product called Sacramento Connect. The details are here and here.

In short, sacbee.com is building a network of blogs and sites “handpicked by Bee editors for their consistent quality,” as Bee editors explain, including this one — “Jeff Pelline’s Sierra Foothills Report.”

In the foothills, Yubanet also has been chosen. The new website sierraculture.com, complimenting Sierra FoodWineArt magazine, also will be part of the network.

Congratulations to the FUE and Yubanet for being recognized by the Sac Bee!

We stopped the Sac Bee years ago as our blood pressure could not take the liberal carp on the editorial page and the twisted news stories viewed through tinted blue liberal lenses.

However, I do scan Rough and Tumble, an online news aggregator, for Bee stories of local interest and subscribe to the Sac Bee Capitol Alert.

You will have to book mark this site and Rebanes’s Ruminations for a more conservative views on local events and issues.  Maybe The Union would like to create Union Connect and link to local conservative bloggers?

Watts Station Survey Project on Fox News

Russ Steele

Anthony Watts was interviewed by Fox News’ Joe Abrams. The subject was our 'Archaic' Network Provides Data Behind Global Warming Theory, Critics Say. 

Critics are questioning the accuracy of a 120-year-old weather station network that measures surface temperature in the U.S. by tallying paper reports from volunteers whose data is rife with human error.

ooo

The network relies on volunteers in the 48 contiguous states to take daily readings of high and low temperatures and precipitation measured by sensors they keep by their homes and offices. They deliver that information to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), which uses it to track changes in the climate

Requirements aren't very strict for volunteers: They need a modicum of training and decent vision in at least one eye to qualify. And they're expected to take measurements seven days a week, 365 days a year.

That's a recipe for trouble, says Watts, who told FoxNews.com that less scrupulous members of the network often fail to collect the data when they go on vacation or are sick. He said one volunteer filled in missing data with local weather reports from the newspapers that stacked up while he was out of town.

When Ellen and I surveyed the station at Hollister Idaho, we discovered the weather station was operated by the local canal company. The sign on the door said they were only open five days a week.  I ask the lady in the office who collected the week end temperatures. “I don't know," she said. "Not my job."  When I returned home to Nevada County, I download sample WS-B91 Forms for the Hollister station. All the weekend data for the years I looked at was missing. 

More details on the Station Survey Project is here. 

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

Russ Steele

According to the Sac Bee’s Capitol Alert this morning, the latest Field Poll shows that 69 percent of voters said a candidate's stance on jobs and the economy was one of the most important issues. 

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs, according to the latest Field Poll.

OK, not just jobs, but a whopping 69 percent voters said a candidate's stance on jobs and the economy was one of the most important issues influencing which guv hopeful will snag their support.

That figure marks a sharp uptick from 2006, when 39 percent of voters rated jobs and economy as a top issue. But it's not too surprising considering the state's unemployment rate hit a 26-year high of 12.5 percent in February.

The AB32 California Jobs Initiative should resonate with voters as well. Reducing the regulatory burden on small business should initially save jobs and then in the long run allow business to grow and hire more workers.

I have California Jobs Initiative petitions to sign if you need one. Let me know and I will bring you a copy to sign.

"95959google" makes the New York Times

Russ Steele

Nevada City's effort to capture a Google Grant for super high speed Internet made the New York Times

"And Nevada City, a small California town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, threw a party and parade on March 14. The event opened with an odd sight: a group of decidedly counterculture-looking men banging on African drums in an attempt to ingratiate themselves — or at least their city — with a prominent name in corporate America.

“We had half an hour of drumming to call in the tribe,” said John Paul, the co-owner of a small Internet service provider in Nevada City, who helped organize the city’s bid. After trying and failing in its effort to receive federal stimulus funds to spruce up its broadband infrastructure, Nevada City sees the Google offer as a second chance, Mr. Paul said."

Here is a picture of Ellen, JoAnn and George at the 95959google.  The whole community turned out the liberals, the conservatives and all those in between.  A real community effort!

Are Cosmic Rays responsible for Toyota acceleration?

Russ Steele

This story appeared in the Detroit Free Press.  It may sound far-fetched, but federal regulators are studying whether sudden acceleration in Toyota cars is linked to cosmic rays. Consider this:

I worked for TRW who made integrated circuit chips for special government applications in the 1990s. They had a program called VHISC, which used exotic material to produce very high speed ICs.  During testing the chips had their covers removed. The testing was not going well. Something was interfering with the chips performance.  One night an engineer was trying to solve the problem in the lab, when security guard came into the lab and shut off the fluorescence ceiling lights. He did not know the engineer was in the lab. Presto the problem went away. The ballast in the lights was producing the interference.  Once the lights in the lab were replaced with incandescent lights the testing resumed.

The FB-111 was a digital airplane, all the bombing and navigation systems were computer driven.  The computer systems experienced random failures in flight.  General Dynamics had no solutions.  As an electronic warfare officer I was familiar with static discharge on antennas, and investigated the problem on my own. The problem turned out to be how an interface cable was routed over the pitot boom. Flying into dry snow, jet stream and wet clouds from dry air caused a static discharge. 

Today ICs used in spacecraft and aircraft applications have extra shielding from cosmic rays and static discharge, but this requirement has received little attention in the auto industry.

The sun is very quiet, thus allowing more high energy cosmic rays to reach the earths surface. These cosmic rays produce more low level clouds and global cooling.  They could also be causing errors in Toyota computer systems. Perhaps it is time for a closer look.

When I first suggest static discharge as the FB-111 computer problem, the General Dynamic engineers rolled their eyes and looked at ceiling, with a smirk on their face. Who was this AF idiot, with no engineering degree, telling them how to solve a problem they did not understand. Well, my research into atmospherics paid off, it was static discharge that left no evidence. Cosmic rays also do not leave any evidence.

The article explains:

With more than 3,000 complaints to U.S. regulators of random sudden acceleration problems in Toyota models, several researchers say single event upsets deserve a close look.

The phenomenon can trigger software crashes that come and go without a trace. Unlike interference from radio waves, there's no way to physically block particles; such errors typically have to be prevented by a combination of software and hardware design.

And an anonymous tipster told NHTSA last month that "the automotive industry has yet to truly anticipate Single Event Upsets. Stay Tuned. Based on my experience it seems reasonable to me, Toyota might want to be paying more attention. 

We are at the tipping point

Russ Steele

Rebane's Ruminations has some interesting thoughts on the The Day After ..... George links to a column by Victor Davis Hansen, who I have referred to often on this blog over the years. It is time to do it again,  so here is a link to We’ve Crossed the Rubicon

The exit questions is: Can we find our way back?

What Now?

Russ Steele

Democrats failed to listen to American by their own choice.




Here is a place to start in your quest for a solution.

http://www.firenancypelosi.com/

H/T to Instapundit and PoliPundit

Going Green Update: Wimpy wind farms not up to challenge

Russ Steele

This study, reported at the Times Online, demonstrates why it is necessary that all wind farms have back up carbon powered generators, they cannot meet the demand for reliable power.

The first detailed study of Britain’s onshore wind farms suggests some treasured landscapes may have been blighted for only small gains in green energy.

The analysis reveals that more than 20 wind farms produce less than a fifth of their potential maximum power output.

One site, at Blyth Harbour in Northumberland, is thought to be the worst in Britain, operating at just 7.9% of its maximum capacity. Another at Chelker reservoir in North Yorkshire operates at only 8.7% of capacity.

Both are relatively small and old, but larger and newer sites fared badly, too, according to analyses of data released by Ofgem, the energy regulator, for 2008.

Siddick wind farm in Cumbria, now operated by Eon, achieved only 15.8% of capacity, the figures suggest. The two turbines at High Volts 2, Co Durham, the largest and most powerful wind farm in Britain when it was commissioned in 2004, achieved 18.7%.

The exit question:  If we need carbon powered plants on line to back up the wind power, why go to the expense to build wind farms? Why not just use the back up generators and save us all from paying subsidies for wind power, in effect paying for our power twice?  Once is enough!

The Sun is Undergoing a State Change

James A. Marusek* writing at his paradigms and demographics blog has a long discussion of the Sun's current state and the cross roads we face.

"We are now at a crossroad. Two paths lie before us. Both are marked with a signpost that reads “Danger”! Down one path lies the threat from massive solar storms. Down the other path lies several decades of crushing cold temperatures and global famine."

He Concludes his discussion:

Will the sun’s magnetism continue to free fall during Solar Cycle 24 or will it level off into a steady state similar to the old solar cycles? Will the next decade produce massive solar storms or will we see the start of a Dalton type minimum or even enter a more severe solar Grand Minima producing another Little Ice Age? As a scientist I can say that I do not have all the answers. The road ahead is bricked in uncertainty. But what is certain is the sun is undergoing a state change and two main threats lie on the horizon.

Climate change is primarily driven by nature. It has been true in the days of my father and his father and all those that came before us. Because of science, not junk science, we are slowly uncovered some of the fundamental mysteries of nature.

There is a lot of talk these days about the legacy we will leave our children and our grandchildren. When I stare into the immediate future, I see a frightening legacy caked in darkness and famine. Instead of intelligently preparing; we find ourselves whittling away this precious time chasing fraudulent theories. We have a decade to prepare, but have a misguided sense of direction and urgency. In ten years from now when the next solar cycle begins; if the sun goes quiet, who will comfort the starving children who cry out in the middle of the night for a small piece of bread?

These will be our children. Each morning I turn on my computer to see how the sun is doing today. The appearance of gigantic sunspots foretells the coming of massive solar storms. Months of spotless days foretell the coming of a quiet sun. Be alert, stay healthy, and alive! And remember, the soul of man shines brightest in adversity. Survive the hardship with a hearty soul and an enduring spirit.

Which path do you think the sun is going to take? 

*  James A. Marusek graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in physics. Worked as a physicist and engineer for the U.S. Department of the Navy for almost 4 decades and retired two years ago.

Health Care Reform: Ice cream cones and the bill

Russ Steele

One of our local blogger is just giddy about the health care reform benefits for citizens living in the 4th Congressional District here. A Pelosi health care ice cream cone for everyone at the party.  Another blogger is more concerned about the cost of Pelosi’s brand of ice cream when the bill arrives at the table here.

Now for a side by side look at the promises and the cost. Can we afford this kind of ice cream?