NC Media Watch

Change: E-books top paperbacks for first time.

Russ Steele

We have already worn out one Kindle at our house and are now reading E-books on smartphones, laptops, iPads, iPods and yes a new Kindle.  I love the features that keeps all the devices in sync.  If I stop reading on the laptop at home and take up reading on the smartphone in the Doctor's office,  Amazon keeps track of where I stopped on the laptop and starts up my e-book book on the smartphone on the last page read on the laptop. Awesome service, and it encourages reading.

The only time we buy hard copy books now are as gifts, or if it has not been published as an e-book yet and we are not willing to wait.  We have apparently been contributing to these sales numbers:

The publishing tide is shifting fast: E-book sales in February topped all other formats, including paperbacks and hardcovers, according to an industry report released this week.

E-book sales totaled $90.3 million in February, up 202% compared to the same month a year earlier, according to a study from the Association of American Publishers. That put e-books at No. 1 "among all categories of trade publishing" that month -- the first time e-books have beaten out traditional publishing formats.

The book I wrote on Cobalt mining was a hybrid book, part paper and part internet. Once all the paper books in the garage are gone I will turn my book on Cobalt into an e-book for 99 cents. 

Climate of Corruption: Politics and Power behind Global Warming Hoax

Russ Steele

I have been writing about global warming and how bad science was being used to play a hoax on the American tax payers for years.  This position has been critiqued by both the left and the right, claiming it cannot be a hoax if the promoters truly believe what they are promoting. While there maybe global warming true believers, there are also powerful special interests with agendas that have warped the scientific debate for their economic and political gain. 

Larry Bell an expert in space architecture, a professor at the University of Houston who has launches several space based companies, examines how global warming alarmists are using this issue to enrich themselves and gain power and influence in the Climate of Corruption.  

Bell makes case for the corruption which is being fostered by political leaders, environmentalist, and major US corporations, all it an effort to enrich themselves at the cost of US tax payers. This is well researched book with foot notes and extensive notes on information sources. Even though it is well documented, the book reads like a detective novel. Bell uses the facts, and in some case their own words, to detail how the climate alarmist have presented their “facts” as deceitful lies with no supporting evidence.

I have listed many excellent books in the left sidebar that make a sound science case that we have no real measurable control over the climate, Mother Nature rules. Now Bell through his outstanding investigative reporting explains why and how the global warming hoax has been so successful for nearly 20 years, and we are sufferting the economic consequences. 

If you have an open mind,  I highly recommend reading this insightful book. You can order a copy from Amazon by clicking on thumbnail picture in the left margin.

Victor Davis Hansen's a must read column: Two Californias

Russ Steele

I have been reading Victor Davis Hansen for years, after stumbling across his book Mexifornia when he was being interviewed on a CSPAN book review program. 

This morning his Two Californias column at National Review Online is a must read for all Californian's 

Abandoned farms, Third World living conditions, pervasive public assistance -- welcome to the once-thriving Central Valley.

His column puts these latest Census figures in context:

California had a net domestic migration of -72,484. Citizens leaving the state, where as there was a foreign in-migration of 138,859. We are on our way to be coming a third world nation.

Prop 23 Update: The iron law of climate policy

Russ Steele

AB32, the Global Warming Solutions Act passed in 2006, it is aimed at slashing greenhouse gas emissions by power plants, factories and vehicles.

Proposition 23, would delay implementation of the law until California unemployment drops to 5.5% and stays at that level for a year. Unemployment is now over 12%, and keeps climbing.

A recent LA Times Poll showed that two-thirds of likely voters say that global warming is a “very important” or “somewhat important” issue to them. And more than four in 10  likely voters said they have “complete” or “a lot” of trust in what scientists say on the subject, with more than two in 10 saying they have a “moderate” amount of trust.

The survey showed that about one-fifth of likely voters had not yet taken a position. Of those taking position 40% favored the Prop 23 initiative and 38% oppose it, essentially a dead heat. Typically, experts say that a ballot initiative that has less than 50% support at this point will fail. How every, it is important to point our these polls focus on the environment without discussing the cost of reducing CO2 on family budgets.  When asked about the cost of CO2 reduction per family, the opinions start shifting.

In 2009 the Economist took a poll and the finding are of interest to the Prop 23/AB32 debate.  The poll asked the respondents about their willingness to support a cap and trade climate bill at three different annual costs per household. At $80.00 per year a majority were willing to support a climate bill like AB32. But, at $175 dollars per year support dropped to almost half, with the majority expressing opposition. At $700 per year opposition exceeded support by a ratio of ten to one.

It is vital that the Yes on Prop 23 California Jobs Initiative craft a message that clearly demonstrates the cost of AB32 per family. If voters understand the pocket book costs, then the  iron law of climate policy will apply: When policy focuses on economic growth confronts polices focused on emissions reductions, it is economic growth that will win out every time.

H/T to Roger Pielke, Jr. and The Climate Fix for the iron law of climate policy.

Review: Cobalt: The Legacy of the Blackbird Mine

Russ Steele

My book on Cobalt: Legacy of the Blackbird Mine was reviewed in the Idaho Librarian, the quarterly publication of the Idaho Library Association. The reviewer was LeAnn Gelskey, Assistant Director at the Hailey Public Library, Hailey Idaho.

Cobalt: The Legacy of the Blackbird Mine is an insightful booklet that offers a chronological history of the Blackbird Mine and many of the people who had a hand in the legacy of the area. It further provides a glimpse into the life of Russell Steele and his family, residents of Cobalt from 1949 to 1952, and again in 1956 and 1957.

The Blackbird Mine is located west of Salmon in a region referred to as the Idaho Cobalt Belt. The first mineral discoveries at the future mining site were made by a Lemhi Indian by the name of Little Tommy in 1892. These discoveries included copper and gold and then cobalt, minerals that were used extensively during wartime. The history concludes by describing the cleanup of the environmental damage caused by human activities at the mine site. The author has done extensive research on mining in this area and includes many photographs.

Steele shares personal anecdotes and life stories of the Blackbird and nearby town of Cobalt. He recounts some of the hardships the families encountered but also relates fond memories of life at the mine. One of the more humorous stories is that of a rowdy poker game that ended after a miner lit a stick of dynamite with no explosive cap. The card players were unaware that the stick would not explode and ran out into the cold night.

This book is unique in that it does not end on the last page. Steele is continuing the story of the mine on his blog, Cobaltmemories, where he is building on the the material presented in the book by adding more photos, stories, video and audio clips, and related links.

Throughout the book the author educates his reader on mining, processing, and environmental issues without injecting his own political views or ideas. The historical and factual information regarding the early years of mining in Idaho make this book a welcome addition to any library. Readers will also want to follow the author’s blog for an interactive experiment in recording and sharing history in the twenty-first century.

Climategate has consequences

Russ Steele

Climategate, by Brian Sussman, arrived from Amazon yesterday and UPS decided to leave it out in the rain.  Sussman was a veteran Meteorologist, a media icon in the San Francisco market for years according to his bio.  Maybe our former San Francisco media giant Jeff Pelline knew Brian Sussman and can fill in more details.

According to the book jacket Sussman does a “through investigation into the motives, practices and ultimate agenda” .... to untangle the web of deceit being sold as concern for the environment.”  I am 41 pages into my slightly damp copy, and Sussman is filling all my expectations. 

This also arrive yesterday from Rasmussen Reports, although I did not see it until this afternoon.  

Fifty-nine percent (59%) of Americans now believe there is a significant disagreement within the scientific community over global warming, up seven points from early December just after the so-called “Climategate” scandal involving doctored or deliberately undisclosed scientific evidence first broke.

. . . “only a quarter of adults (25%) think scientists do agree on global warming, showing no change from the earlier survey. Fifteen percent (15%) are not sure.  Just 16% say stopping global warming to save the environment is a bigger priority for our national leaders than stimulating the economy to create jobs. A sizable majority (72%) say creating jobs is the bigger priority.”

There is hope that more citizens will take the time to read Sussman’s version of Climategate and the numbers will climb to ninety-five (95%). If you would like your own copy, click on the thumbnail on the left side of the page. More detailed book review to follow.

Book Review: Climatism

Russ Steele

I have finished reading Steve Goreham’s, Climatism. This is a marvelous summary of climate change issues and the conversion of climate science into the politics of Climatism.

In 390 pages of easy to read narrative, including 133 outstanding charts and illustrations plus 1,134 references from countless articles, Goreham explains how Climatism, the evil twin of Socialism, has infiltrated the political fabric of nations around the globe.

“Climatism opposes the free development of human society and seeks to substitute autocratic control from centralized government bureaucracy. It calls for the radical transformation of our way of life, regardless of cost. Climatism demands adherence from all nations.”

The first five chapters of the book are filled with strong science, which is presented so the average layman will easily grasp it, including a very clear discussion of positive and negative climate feedback. To understand the weakness in climate modeling everyone must understand these feedback concepts. Few people grasp the importance of these vital concepts, and you should.  Goreham explains these concepts clearly and shows how inserting positive feedback in models, where none exists, has resulted in alarmist forecasts of runaway global warming.

With the science in hand, Goreham exposes the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as a political organization which is masquerading as a scientific body. As a political organization, is seeks political consensus, not scientific truth.

After the first five chapters the must read chapter is number nine. Goreham presents a vest-pocket guide for informing your family and friends about the climate change falsehoods that are being promoted by global warming alarmists. 

Climatism is a big business house of cards all based on corrupt science.  There are thousands of organizations that depend on promoting this corruption, scientists and their multimillion-dollar supercomputers, liberal newspaper editors, entire university departments, carbon credit investors and a huge government bureaucracy of climate regulators, enforcers, and consultants.

The more people that read this very important book the sooner this house of cards will come tumbling down. Click on the thumbnail on the left side of the screen to order your copy.

Stephen McIntyre at the Center of the Storm

Russ Steele

Following my introduction to Stephen McIntyre and his Climate Audit blog, I took a more in depth interest in the underlying science of global warming. Canada’s Macleans has an interesting  profile of the Mcintyre and his role in the breaking the "Hockey Stick" and raising the blood pressure and the ire of climatologist in the US and the UK. Read the whole profile and them see the side note below on how our paths crossed again.

Centre of the storm

Colby Cosh profiles the gentle Canadian who has changed the climate science world
by Colby Cosh.

The private emails and logs leaked last month from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia can’t tell us whether industrial activity is really heating the earth’s atmosphere and endangering civilization. But they have settled the identity of the Great Satan of climate science. Torontonian Stephen McIntyre, a gentle, persistent amateur who had no credentials in applied science before stepping into the global warming debate in 2003, is mentioned more than 100 times.

In the emails, leading climate researchers dismiss him as a capitalist hireling or a hapless “bozo,” and argue about the relative merits of ignoring him versus counterattacking him, even as others acknowledge that his criticisms have merit and imitate his use of the Web as a venue for hyper-detailed scientific discussion. At one point in 2005, CRU director Phil Jones, now under suspension, ponders the possibility that McIntyre might use U.K. freedom-of-information laws to obtain raw weather-station data compiled by the CRU. He grumbles: “I think I’ll delete the file rather than send to anyone.” The overall impression is that of 100 elephants stampeding in confusion and panic around a mouse.

Joe Romm's attempt to trash Superfreakanomics exposed

Russ Steele

Superfreakanomics arrive in the mail yesterday. It became a must read when Joe Romm who blogs at
ClimateProgress.org trashed the book. ClimateProgress.org is “dedicated to providing the progressive perspective on climate science, climate solutions, and climate politics.”  When the left starts attacking books before they are published, you know their is something important they want to discredit, and it becomes a must read at NC Media Watch.  Joe Romm at Climate Progress:

“Error-riddled ‘SuperFreakonomics’: New book pushes global cooling myths, sheer illogic, and ‘patent nonsense’ – and the primary climatologist it relies on, Ken Caldeira, says ‘it is an inaccurate portrayal of me’ and ‘misleading’ in ‘many’ places.”

Now for the rest of the story in a New York Times article Global Warming in SuperFreakonomics: The Anatomy of a Smear by one of the authors, Stephen J. Dubner  The full story is here, but these are the money paragraphs:

Last week, a few days before Romm’s post, Caldeira sent an e-mail to Myhrvold and cc’d me as well. It included a chain of earlier e-mails between Caldeira and Romm.

The chain begins with Joseph Romm telling Caldeira that he had read SuperFreakonomics and “I want to trash them for this insanity and ignorance.” Romm adds that “my blog is read by everyone in this area, including the media” and tells Caldeira that “I’d like a quote like ‘The authors of SuperFreakonomics have utterly misrepresented my work,’ plus whatever else you want to say.”

I understand that blogging, especially advocacy blogging, doesn’t operate under the rules of journalism (where you don’t feed quotes to people), but still: that’s quite a quote to feed to someone.

Caldeira didn’t give him the quote. He did, however, respond point-by-point to a series of statements about him in the book. “The only significant error,” he wrote to Romm, “is the line: ‘carbon dioxide is not the right villain in this fight.’ That is just wrong and I never would have said it. On the other hand, I f&@?ed up. They sent me the draft and I approved it without reading it carefully and I just missed it. … I think everyone operated in good faith, and this was just a mistake that got by my inadequate editing.”

Romm still managed to get his point across, in the headline and elsewhere:
“One sentence about Caldeira in particular is the exact opposite of what he believes (page 184): ‘Yet his research tells him that carbon dioxide is not the right villain in this fight.’ Levitt and Dubner didn’t run this quote by Caldeira, and when he saw a version from Myhrvold, he objected to it.”

Except of course Caldeira did see that line, and the rest of the chapter too, not once but twice.

But that didn’t seem to matter. While Romm’s post never actually delivered the Caldeira quotes teased in the headline – that it was “an inaccurate portrayal of me” and “misleading” – the point was clear to any reader: everything SuperFreakonomics says about global warming must be wrong because the main climate scientist they write about has refuted what he said. It’s hard to blame the bloggers who subsequently repeated this story: if you didn’t know it was false, it would have seemed pretty newsworthy. It’s also hard to misinterpret what’s going on here. Now that global warming has transcended science to become a political issue, the rules of politics apply: if you don’t like someone’s position, attack their credibility.

Hey Anna, now you know why Climate Progress has no credibility at NC Media Watch, it is not longer about the science it is all about the politics. 

Book tour update

Russ Steele

We were honored with a front page story in the Reorder-Herald the local paper last Thursday, a 20 minute interview on Voice of the Valley on the local radio station on Monday, and on the way back to our trailer we spotted this marquee posted by the local Arts Council.



People are waving, saluting or greeting us like long lost relatives when we come into a store.  "Saw your picture in the paper" they say, or "saw you on the web."  Even before we arrived in Salmon potential buyers were calling our cellphone asking where they can buy of the book. This book signing is a far bigger deal than I imagined. Stay tuned the signing is on Wednesday -- all day.