Hawaii Has Record Low

This is news, but if you ask a global warming nut, the real cause of the cold temprature is


Global Warming!!

NOAA: Coolest Winter Since 2001 for U.S., Globe

Start teh panic machine--Global cooling hysteria is on its way.From NOAA , the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

The average temperature across both the contiguous U.S. and the globe during climatological winter (December 2007-February 2008) was the coolest since 2001, according to scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. In terms of winter precipitation, Pacific storms, bringing heavy precipitation to large parts of the West, produced high snowpack that will provide welcome runoff this spring.

A complete analysis is here.

By the way, just a question but how does NOAA "Administer" the oceans and atomosphere?

It is not like the Food and Drug Administration or the Federal Aviation Administration where the are actually administering rules regarding food drugs and flight safety.

Snow Falls In Bahgdad--Al Gore Apoplectic

In Maryland the weather is more like Mid-March rather than mid-January. But snow fell in Iraq and the Iraqis see it as a sign of peace.

In other news, Al Gore issued an angry statement blaming the Iraqis for global warming.

Government Hypocrisy

I reguarly read Bill Ferriter's The Tempered Radical and in particular a recent post on governmental hypocrisy related to targets for education and targets for climate change. After discussing the relucatance to establish and meet hard target goals in the area of climate change, Bill had this to say:

The reason this sits wrong in the pit of my stomach is that our government seems to have completely embraced hard targets for education, haven't they? After all, we've been told that "100% of our students" are going to be on grade level by 2014.

We've been given specific targets for student growth for every year between now and then, too---and when we don't meet those targets, we're ridiculed in the press, called failures, and taken over by outside agencies. Despite working in a field that is easily as unpredictable as climate change, our government has no troubles setting hard targets for schools?

Starting off with "some set of numbers" didn't seem to bother anyone when No Child Left Behind was passed. Coercive accountability was seen as the only way to get unresponsive schools to "shape up," and urgency was necessary because to wait any longer was morally wrong.

So why are hard targets appropriate for education, but not appropriate for fighting global warming? Aren't both issues equally important?

Interesting, huh?

In the comments, I wrote (in part):

I think the fact that the government has much more discretion over domestic policy, where the variables are better known, means that they set the hard numbers domestically. Witness for example the hard target numbers for gasoline efficiency just set for cars sold in America. (by the way does not those standards count?)

Aside from my admittedly tortured grammar, I still believe this to largely be the case, domestic policy is easier to develop standards in than foriegn policy.

But there is another reason why I believe that the government is not being hypocritical when it comes to the dichotomy between climate change and education. I don't think there is any lack of consensus on the importance of education to our future. I firmly believe there is a deep lack of consensus on climate change (or at least our ability to do anything about it as a nation). Therein lies the rub. We think education is vitally important and that government can somehow make the necessary policy decisions to implement a tough educational policy, with hard targets. On the other hand, there is broad enough dissension on climate change in the opposite direction. There is a large enough percentage of people who, perhaps believing climate change is an issue, do not think the goverment capable of making any lasting change.

I generally don't think there is much government can do in either case and that is where I see the hypocrisy. Education policy, from everything I have seen, read, witnessed or discussed ultimate comes down to an individual family's output. That is, if the family believes it to be important, the kids in the family unit will generally do better--regardless of the circumstances they find themselves in. Government can help by providing assistance or opportunities, but unless the family takes advantage there is really little government can do.

The same holds true for the environment. Unless people are willing to make personal choices to do something to help, i.e. recycling, switching to compact flourescent bulbs, choosing cars that are better on gas mileage and other personal (and I might add market oriented) solutions, there is little government can do to mandate change and have it be effective. Government can, and has, mandated better fuel efficiency, and a growth in alternative fuels, but all that pre-supposed that people will buy those new cars or use those alternative fuels. There are an awful lot of old muscle cars, lovingly maintained, out on the road that would be exempt from new fuel standards.

So the hypocrisy in government is that it believes it can make a difference in either education or climate change via government policy. It can do neither effectively and fails on both accounts, hard targets or not.

Global Warming Causes Hurricanes

Um, scratch that.

But does Al Gore cause hurricanes? Well, he blows a lot of hot air, but that is not a hurricane.

Nobel Peace Prize Committee--A bunch of Schucks

What a Joke

Edwards Tops on Climate Change

John Edwards topped a Moveon.org online poll on climate change:

John Edwards has the best approach to fighting climate change of any 2008 Democratic presidential contender, according to an online straw poll of members of the liberal activist group MoveOn.org.

snip

The survey, which asked MoveOn members which candidate had the best position on dealing with climate change, was taken after a Saturday online forum in which the Democratic candidates staked out their positions.

In the immortal words of Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer, "whoopedy-de-doo!!"

Mark Steyn on Environmental Hypocrisy

Mark Steyn is his usually acerbic self in this commentary on environmental hypocrisy:

On a related note, several readers have asked how my campaign against sexual promiscuity is going. As you know, it's one of the great scourges of our society. Well, I'm still nailing anything that moves, and that's not likely to change any time soon. This reality notwithstanding, the rest of you really need to cut it out.

What does that have to do with environmentalism, read the whole thing.

Predictable--Johannesburg Live Earth Officials Blame Climate Change for Poor Turnout

I love music and espeically live music. Before children, my wife and I would buy season long "grass passes" to the local concert pavillions and brave heat, humidity, a fairly long drive and a plethora of fan bases to see dozens of concerts each summer (including one summer where we saw five concerts in six days). While I generally shy away from politically motivated concert shows (like Live Earth), I will catch highlights of the show of acts that I either enjoy live or have never seen live.

One of the dangers of a live, outdoor show, is weather. Let's face it, weather can make or break a show. But the irony of the Live Earth Johannesburg concernt organizers blaming climate change for poor turnout is just too rich. The concert, held outdoors in the Southern Hemisphere's winter season, featured Joss Stone (whom I like but have never seen live for a whole show), UB40 (who I didn't know was still around) and other artists.

Critics blamed poor publicity for teh lack of a showing.

In all probability, it was, of course, both items to blame. Just about 10 days before the concert, Johannesburg recorded four inches of snow--its first snowfall in 16 years. Of course, publicity can overcome some weather issues, and while some people will brave heat, humidity, rain, mud and other weather conditions, these conditions are easily solved by a shower or air conditioning. However, it takes a hardy soul to be cold for 10 hours to listen to music when you can just as easily watch on TV or online.

Global Warming?

Two stories that provide anecdotal evidence to counter global warming hoopla: Johannesburg, South Africa got 4 inches of snow, its first snowfall in 16 years!!!

Australian citrus farmers are hoping that the coldest June day ever recorded will not hurt their crops.

Apparently "global" warming is a northern hemisphere issue.

High Schooler Takes on Al Gore

What does is say about your "Inconvenient Truth" that a high schooler has the skill to look behind the curtain?

Via American Thinker.