NC Media Watch

LA Times, global warming is accelerating - Really?

Russ Steele

Margot Roosevelt, Los Angeles Times, wrote an article about the BEST climate change data base project at Berkeley, which is headed up by Dr. Richard Muller.

The Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature study is led by physicist Richard Muller, a longtime critic of the scientific consensus on climate change, who plans to testify on the effort Thursday before the House Science Committee in the latest of several congressional inquiries on climate science since the GOP majority was seated.

Willis Eschenbach, writing at Watts Up WithThat has some serious concerns with Dr. Muller's testimony before the House Science Committee, but I am writing about as statement in the article by Peter Thorne, who is suppose to be an expert on temperature data at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.

Peter Thorne, a leading expert on temperature data at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C., said the three main data sets by the NOAA, NASA and Britain's Hadley Centre adjust for the heat island effect, as well as for measurements at different times of day. Muller's use of 39,000 weather stations, he said, "will make next to no difference" in the final result.

ooo

But temperature is only one indicator of global warming, Thorne said. "Even if the thermometer had never been invented, the evidence is there from deep ocean changes, from receding glaciers, from rising sea levels and receding sea ice and spring snow cover. All the physical indicators are consistent with a warming world.

"There is no doubt the trend of temperature is upwards since the early 20th century. And that trend is accelerating."

OK, you have an option, you can believe a rent seeking scientist or the facts? Here is the temperature data plotted from Thorne's own NCDC.


Do you see any acceleration in this data from about 2003 forward? In fact if your do the calculations there is no significant warming for the last 15 years. That is one hell of an acceleration.

I have written about the acceleration of sea level rise in San Francisco Bay here. As you can see the trend is down, which is deceleration. 


Or,  this graphic of sea levels around the globe.  This increase is very linear, with a slight decline. Look close, do you see any upward acceleration claimed by Thorne?

How about those receding glaciers. The ones on Mt. Shasta have been growing since about 2003. As a matter of fact, many Himalayan glaciers are growing, including some 230 glaciers in the western Himalayas - including Mount Everest, K2 and Nanga Parbat - are growing. Even Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in  Africa, is slowly regaining it's snow after several years of drought in East Africa.

Warming, what warming? What acceleration? I would be very happy if Dr Thorne would show me and you the acclerated warming.

Economic Update: The Optimists Club

Russ Steele

Site Selection Magazine has a article they are calling "The Optimists Club".
According to the article, high-tech, cleantech, bio and logistics are currently providing economic momentum for our beleaguered state.  John McCurry writes:

Could it be that there is finally some reason for optimism regarding the California economy? The technology sector is displaying some job-creating power, and exports and overall container traffic are up at the huge ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Also, more than 40 percent of the state's biotech CEOs say they will increase manufacturing in the state in 2011.

Several Internet and tech companies are certainly up to something big with a flurry of major real estate moves in late 2010 and early 2011. Facebook, Apple and Google are among the firms acquiring huge amounts of space to accommodate growth.

Read the rest of this very positive article here.  At the end of the article Economist Steve Levy director and senior economist at the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy (CCSCE), a private research organization in Palo Alto has this to say: 

"Economic activity is picking up in tech, trade and tourism," Levy says. "The ports are reaching record levels in terms of exports and total trade. Tech sales, profits and stock prices are booming and a small amount of job growth has started."

Let's us hope that the "Optimists Club" knows their stuff. We could use some good news. However, I am going to wait and see the jobs numbers. So far, there is no proof that his economic activity is producing the need jobs. Yes, we saw a jump in job growth last month, but we have seen jumps before, only to fall back. I am looking for some sustained jobs growth, then I think we can be optomistic. 

Cost of CARB: The Green Regulation Machine - Saving the planet or killing jobs (Updated)

Russ Steele

On 4 April 2001, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block will decied if UCLA Professor James Enstrom will keep his job. Enstrom is facing retaliation from UCLA after publishing politically inconvenient research that refuted CARB's air pollution studies.  Enstrom led a successful whistleblowing campaign against the California Air Resources Board, and was denied reappointment by UCLA's School of Environmental Health Sciences after 34 years. Reason TV video lets Dr. Enstrom state his case:



Mary Nichols, CARB Chairwoman and John Froines (who Enstrom exposed ) are also UCLA professors, and Froines voted to give Enstrom his pink slip. They cannot separate their science from their politics. CARB would destroy California jobs to save the planet even if they have to use bad data.

Exit Question:  Is this the kind of science that makes Californian's proud?

Update: (04-02-11, 07:15)  Dan Logue steps up to defend Enstrom.

Twelve members of the California State Legislature have written UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block and Provost Scott Waugh a letter decrying UCLA’s treatment of longtime Department of Environmental Health Sciences faculty member James E. Enstrom. This letter is from the office of Chief Republican Whip Dan Logue, Assemblymember, Third District. The legislators write they “remain deeply troubled by the University’s inability to provide credible cause for Dr. Enstrom’s dismissal, and the appearance of political interference in the University’s academic discourse.” The letter is here.

Rather than fire the fake PHd and his boss Mary Nichols, the University is taking action against the person who exposed their academic and political fraud. What kind of a world do we live in?

Logue drop 800 pages of regulations on Assembly floor, and left has a purple cow.

Russ Steele

Our local lefty blog is pointing with glee to the passage of SB12  which would increase Calfornia's renewable energy porfolio standard to 33 percent (See comments). By 2020 public owned electric utilites will have to buy 33 percent of electrical energy for renewable resources under SB12.

On the other side of the issue,  Republican Assemblyman Dan Logue, the sponsor of Proposition 23 and strong opponent of AB 32, held up an 800 page business permit application on the Assembly floor. “We keep passing legislation that destroys jobs and kills business,” said Logue, holding up the inches-thick application. Logue asked colleagues to take a guess at how much more SB 2 would cost ratepayers. “This will cost ratepayers $7 billion in increases,” said Logue,  dropping the 800 pages on the floor.

 As the pile of paper hit the floor with a loud bang the Democratic Leader felt a small purple cows slide down his leg, and asking Logue to appologize. Which he did. But, Logue continued to make his point, “Four times more businesses are leaving the state than last year,” said Logue. “This body has created hostility for business in California. 120,000 jobs were destroyed by this Legislature last year.”

It is clear that the transition to alternative enegy will increase the cost of energy. Rising enegy prices will force businsses to leave the state, seeking come competitive environments, such as Texas which is recruiting California businesses.

Exit Question:  How many states have regulated themselved into prosperity? No really, how many?

Snow survey results are in -- 165% of normal

Russ  Steele

The March Sierra Snow Survey results are in and the Water Board found the water content was 160% of normal.  And Goveror Brown recended Arnold's drought executive order today, California is now offically not in a drought.  The drought was really over last year, but California and Federal officals were hoping the drought would return this year,  so they can continue to destroy job in the Central Valley.

KCRA Channel 3 has the story here.

Nevada City loses Google Fiber to Kansas City

Russ Steele

Nevada City competed for the Google Broadband Award, and many of us participated in the 959595 Googlebit parade and video.  CNet has the story: Kansas City, Kan., to be Google's broadband test bed

There's some rough news for Topeka, Kan., the city that courted Google's ultra-high-speed municipal broadband project by changing its name to Google. The Mountain View, Calif., tech giant announced Wednesday that the lucky city that gets to be its broadband guinea pig not only isn't Topeka, but it's Kansas City, Kansas--just an hour's drive away. Ouch.

More than 1,100 communities had applied since the call for applicants was announced about a year ago. Kansas City will first see the new developments next year, and Google is already looking for additional communities to join the test.

Read the rest of the story here.  A link to 959595 Google which was Nevada City’s application web site is here.

 

Over e-mail transom: A Progressive Tea Party in Nevada County?

Russ Steele

Saturday was the first national action day for the US Uncut, which is patterned after a UK Group called UK UNCUT. This group has been responsible for the riots against banks and businesses in the UK to protest government welfare cuts.  More from the Nation:

The group, UK Uncut, has opposed government cuts, targeted companies accused of avoiding millions of pounds in taxes and taken its message far beyond the usual precincts of progressives. “The UK Uncut message is simple,” Hari wrote. “If you want to sell in our country, you pay our taxes. They are the membership fee for a civilized society.” This Saturday will see UK Uncut’s first national day of action with protesters expected to bring more than 30 branches of Barclays Bank to a standstill.

The newly formed Nevada County UN Cut writes in The Union:
 
Around the country, cutbacks are being proposed and pushed through with great speed.

Progressive groups, inspired by recent events in Egypt and Wisconsin, are rising to the occasion and calling for a sane, reasoned, and equitable approach to the crisis at hand.

This new Nevada City Un Cut group demonstrated at Bank of America in downtown Nevada City on Saturday. The newly emerging US Uncut national organization planned autonomous, but coordinated actions in over 30 locations nationwide. Nevada City was one of those locations.

This sounds a lot like how the early Tea Party organizations got started. One difference is that the UK groups have resorted to violence against the banks and businesses, while the US Tea Party rallies have been totally peaceful.  In Wisconsin the violence was against government.

Exit Questions:

• What are the goals of Nevada County Uncut?
• Will NC Uncut resort to the violence we are seeing in the UK and Wisconsin?
• Will NC Uncut organization grow large enough to challenge the Nevada County Tea Party Patriots as Nevada County's largest grass roots organization?

More Nevada County sales taxes dollars will be rolling to Auburn

Russ Steele

WalMart is coming to Auburn. The story is in The Union this morning here.

An Auburn firm announced this week it has sold land in North Auburn to retail giant Wal-Mart to build a 155,000-square-foot store.

Bohemia Properties announced it sold an 18.5-acre property near the corner of Luther Road and Highway 49 for $10 million to the retailer earlier this year. It was speculated Wal-Mart and grocery chain Costco were in the running to purchase the land.

Wal-Mart's move into North Auburn could have some impact on retail in Grass Valley said Jason Gallelli, an executive vice president with Voit Real Estate Services, a retail real estate firm in Roseville.

“You have a very successful Kmart, and you have a very  successful JCPenney in Grass Valley,” Gallelli said. “You'd have to anticipate a slight hit to those two with a Wal-Mart in North Auburn, but I don't think it would be significant enough to alter whether they stay open or closed.”

I would have preferred a Cosco, but it was going to be one of the other. The Auburn demographics are right and Placer County is a pro-business County, while Nevada County has made it clear for years that "big box stores" are not welcome. There is a very successful Target in North Auburn, in-part because many Nevada County residence shop there.  We often stop on our way back from visits to grand-kids in Roseville.

In a Mississippi study of WalMart store's economic impact on non-host counties they found a significant economic out flow to the host counties. One caution many counties are more rural than Nevada County.


The study had has some advice for local no-growth governments in non-host counties, like Nevada County.

A local government that aggressively promotes commercial development,  especially one that offers tax or other financial incentives to new comers, may unwittingly help put smaller local merchants out of business because of massive competition.  Conversely, a local government that is strictly anti-growth may also do harm to its local merchants as residents leave the community to shop in other towns with big new stores.  It is therefore recommended that local officials educate the public on the economic impacts of commercial development and strive to create an economic development policy that is consistent with the values and concerns of the local citizens.

It should be noted that most citizens shop their wallet rather than feel good slogans.

Exit Question: Will you be shopping in the North Auburn WalMart.

Dilbert Goes Green

Russ Steele

Power Line is one of my regular surfing stops everyday, and since I subscribe to the RSS feed that check is often several times a day. This just popped in:

Click for a more readable image.

Blogging truce, data dictionary, and the use of words.

Russ Steele

In dealing with complex systems in my previous employment, we used data dictionaries, or metadata repositories to define important terms.  The IBM Dictionary of Computing defines such a dictionary as a "centralized repository of information about data such as meaning, relationships to other data, origin, usage, and format.”

Why did we need such and engineering tool?  We needed these tools to make sure that our customer and our engineering were all speaking the same language to describe the functions, components, or desired action of a weapon system, especially the software that controlled the hardware. As a conceptual designer and new business development manager my job was to make sure that our design team and the customer were both speaking the same language, thus the development of a data dictionary.  We wrote down the meanings of words, the relationship to the system, the usage of those works, and formats of how they would be displayed.  Then, we all signed off on the dictionary, customers and engineers.  We were in agreement. Sometimes we were dealing with a few sheets of paper or a document larger than a telephone directory.

When I attended one of the Sierra Business Council Leadership Training Seminars lead by Susan Carpenter, who was an excellent facilitator, it was evident to me that within the class the liberals and conservative were talking past each other. We were all using the same words, but those works had different meanings, depending on our political orientation. After explaining the metadata concept to Susan, we agreed to work on a metadata dictionary for future training seminars, but in our busy lives we never got together again. 

Now Steven Frisch, Sierra Business Council, has suggested a blogging truce among our local conservative and liberal bloggers and those that comment on these blogs.  His proposal can be found in this pdf: Frisch-Proposal_03_29_11rws