How not to measure temperature, part 48. NOAA cites errors with Baltimore’s Rooftop USHCN Station

23 01 2008

I happened across a NOAA internal training manual a couple of weeks ago that contained a photo of a USHCN official climate station that I thought I’d never get a photo of.  The Baltimore Customs House.

Baltimore Customs House USHCN 
Baltimore USHCN station circa 1990’s photo courtesy NOAA, click for more images

What is interesting about this station, is that it is a rooftop station, like we’ve seen in San Francisco, Eureka, and many other US cities. Rooftop stations are suspected to impart a warm bias to the surface temperature records, for obvious reasons. The NWS/NOAA has been reluctant to change these stations to ground-level, wanting to keep a continuous record. The Baltimore USHCN station closed in 1999 and has not been replaced at this location.
Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 15 Comments »

Categories : weather_stations

Public Service Announcement: Stroke Recognition

23 01 2008

A friend from my coffee group sent this about recognizing the signs of a stroke and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I checked it out to make sure it was not another Internet hoax and I’m happy to report it is valid.

If everyone can remember this simple STR procedure, lives could be saved.

Some background -

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall – she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) …..she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Ingrid’s husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been  taken to the hospital – (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a  stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don’t die…. they end up in a  helpless, hopeless condition instead.

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke… totally . He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Remember these ‘3′ steps:  STR. It’s the first three letters of the word STRoke.

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of situational awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe  brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke .

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple
questions:

S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
       (i.e. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

See References: American Stroke Foundation, Stroke Awareness.org

New Sign of a Stroke ——– Stick out Your Tongue

Ask the person to ’stick’ out his tongue.. If the tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an indication of a stroke.


Comments : 4 Comments »

Categories : Announcements