Comments on: Pielke Sr. on the Record Highs -vs- Record Lows story

By: WAG

WAG — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:40:41 +0000

interesting way to respond to a study: assert “media bias” without ever engaging with the study on its merits.

Also note that neither of the land use studies cited here is “skeptical” of the idea that CO2 is causing global warming:

“While the effects of greenhouses gases like carbon dioxide are clear, Kalnay said, the study does suggest land use needs to be considered carefully as well.

“‘I think that greenhouse warming is incredibly important, but land use should not be neglected,’ she said. ‘It contributes to warming, especially in urban and desertic areas.’”

In any case, if land use is contributing to climate change, that’s an argument for more government regulation, not an argument against cap-and-trade.

Also, note this sentence:
“The work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program, NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.”

So if you DO believe this study is skeptical of AGW theory, it would disprove the notion that government funding somehow biases climate change research in one direction.

By: mr.artday

mr.artday — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:34:48 +0000

MSM = Meretricious Sycophantic Media. If you don’t have your dictionary handy, a meretrix is a cheap whore and a sycophant is a suck-up.

By: Chris Edwards

Chris Edwards — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:58:13 +0000

Of course the left, A Gore and co know for sure the CO2 story is just that otherwise they would be insisting we buy nothing made in China Brazil or any of the “dirty” developing countries. No it is better to assassinate industry in the developed west and have the goods made in uncontrolled factories, then it gives the socialists control of all of us.

By: rbateman

rbateman — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:58:39 +0000

People and some in the media are beginning to question. They have reason to question, and that reason is the bizzare and often totally out-of-place claims of warming when people know better. Don’t sell the young short. They may not have been schooled in how to think, but they can figure things out for themselves. All they need is a reason to start looking. AGW (aka Climate Change) is the single most insulting campaign agenda I have ever heard.
What? Did they think they can slide by with all-day-stupid reporting?

By: Keith Minto

Keith Minto — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:53:34 +0000

Some time ago the Australian rural programme Landline,to its credit, put some balance into reporting water in our major river The Murray. This is what it looked like in 1914 http://www.jennifermarohasy.com/blog/archives/Dry%20Murray%201914%20blog.JPG
This section of the river today is flowing.
If you look at Google Images on the Murray you can pick and choose an image to suit your own bias.

By: Methow Ken

Methow Ken — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:58:34 +0000

The picture of the old stereo ''balance control'' at the start of this post (I used to have one) should have been turned to the maximum hard-left ''5'' position. With respect to the concluding line by Pielke Sr.; i.e.: ''The news community clearly has a bias in its reporting.'' No kidding. . . . Of course we are all shocked. . . SHOCKED; to see yet another clear example of MSM bias. All I can say is thank goodness for sites like WUWT, ICECAP, SPPI, etc. And like someone else said: I think the ''big mo'' is starting to turn. The still very worrisome question is whether the turn will be large enough and quick enough to blunt and finally stop the AGW zealots before major long-term damage is done to our economy; that even best case would take a long time to reverse.

By: Chris Schoneveld

Chris Schoneveld — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:23:49 +0000

This is all about the frequencies of record highs and lows but aren’t the magnitudes of the records also of interest? What if the record lows are on average more extreme (for whatever reason) than the records highs?

By: Ern Matthews

Ern Matthews — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:06:55 +0000

RACookPE (06:29:14) :
“Global warming ELECTED the current US administration – and Pelosi’s domination of the US House of Representatives in the election right before – in Nov 2006.
Global warming is pushed and propagandized BY the socialist media FOR the socialist agenda for the benefit of the international socialist government agencies (taxes and carbon “trading” and direct handouts to the corrupt 3rg world and 4th world dictatorships. Non-government agencies (all with a “nice-sounding” “feel-good” agenda) plus their self-centered fund-me-fund-me I’m helping people agenda are likewise benefiting from the AGW propaganda and the attack-the-western-world/attack-the-US behind the AGW propaganda.
I said above the Obama administration was elected by global warming: My logic follows.
Pelosi used her power in the House to restrict oil production, off-shore drilling, Alaskan pipelines, and pushed heavily the “alternate-but-more-expensive” fuels agenda dreamed of by the AGW eco-theists. That combined effort – starting in spring 2007 when her power over legislation started – began driving up fuel prices from their long-term steady, slowly increasing rate to the tremendous highs of January-February 2008. Right when the primary season for presidential politics began. As fuel price rose, the economy tanked, as it always has since the early 70’s.
Drops in employment, auto, trade, steel, crops, and everything else shipped or produced immediately followed – and the current recession began. THAT recession fueled the housing and mortgage crisis’s that collapsed Wall Street and the banks in early September and October – just in time for the democrats “first (failed) economic support packages . Cleverly, they (the democrat) can properly blame these early fight-the-recession policies (and their budget-busting inflationary numbers) on Bush, which also turned off conservatives from voting for McCain and protects liberal democrats from criticism. The smiles on the democrat faces as they got their first stimulus package in Sept 2008 tell it all: their strategy was complete. The republicans were defeated in Sept, and merely had to use the media to hold off rallies until the November votes were counted.
Did she (Pelosi and her cohorts) really want the economy to stay as bad as it has, for as long as it has?
Some do. They intensely hate capitism, and want all capitalism system, msm (particularly the US) to fail. Others probably do not, but cannot fight the extremists, or the inertia that is still slowing economy.
Note that oil prices dropped immediately when the artificial research limit and developments expired on October 1, 2008, and have stayed low since then, but by Oct 1, the damage had been done.”

You make an interesting point and it just illustrates the grand strategy the socialist movement have put into this. In fact it’s all looking very soviet with the Copenhagen treaty coming next month.

By: Gordon Ford

Gordon Ford — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:53:08 +0000

MSM should start to worry. While not related to AGW, a Harris/Decima poll in Canada has concluded that the MSM has over hyped “problems” with the H1N1 vaccine roll out here in Canada. see http://www.harrisdecima.ca/index.php?q=releases/2009/11/12/376-majorities-feel-government

By: vjones

vjones — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:19:56 +0000

The MSM perceives (“knows”) that readers won’t stick with a complicated article. Why try to explain point and counterpoint at the risk of readers not sticking with it.

This is the hurdle the truth has to climb in the face of a very simple, strong AGW story. The thing is that it is just easier for them to keep sticking to the mantra than to actually do some good journalism.

@Bill in Vigo: you are right. The younger generations are not being taught to think critically about environmental issues today. And it is too politically incorrect to question the environmental orthodoxy. Sometimes I despair. Changes cannot come soon enough.

Verity

By: climatebeagle

climatebeagle — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:17:01 +0000

The NCAR press release states: “If temperatures were not warming, the number of record daily highs and lows being set each year would be approximately even.”

Is that known to be true? I know it seems intuitive, but to my simple view night time temps are driven by loss of energy so potentially there is a limit on the downside, while daytime temps have a huge energy source in the Sun driving them. Thus is there potential for more high records than lows?

By: Indiana Bones

Indiana Bones — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:16:03 +0000

“They will lose their very reason for being as a trustworthy source of news and opinions.”

That virtually collapsed long ago. The telltale signs? Plummeting ratings around the world as intelligent people flock to alternative information sources. Real people don’t listen to Big Brother, brother.

By: jaypan

jaypan — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:27:39 +0000

Bias in news reporting? What I see for years now is more “conditioning”.

Have mentioned this one in a post few days ago:
Conservative German WELT has published another climate-related article, opened by a picture of an Indian woman crossing a dry riverbed, with the title “Climate change in action”. Really?
We can expect to see the very same riverbed shown 6 months later, overflowing with water, and same explanation.

It comes as journalism, but it is very primitive manipulation.
AGW-theory came as science, but turned out to be manipulation, as never seen before. Nicely put together.

There is a danger MSM should become aware slowly: If the AGW bubble bursts, then they will lose more than a handful of subscribers. They will lose their very reason for being as a trustworthy source of news and opinions.

By: Mike Kelley

Mike Kelley — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:01:27 +0000

They got rid of a lot of those pesky rural stations back around 1990.

By: Bill in Vigo

Bill in Vigo — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:53:23 +0000

Until the people awaken, most especially the youth of the nation there will be no change of policy. The youth only see what is taught in school and they now devote only about 10 pages for everything that happened prior to 1980. In my grand daughters civics book there is less than one (1) page devoted to the War between the states, The one that most affected state sovereignty. We will continue to slide down the slippery slope until science is properly supported by academia, from grade school completely through the icons of higher learning. Agenda science isn’t science it is agenda. Agenda driven journalism isn’t NEWS it is agenda. We need by the force of our economic power (unsubscribe, cancel and refute, cease to purchase from the supporting companies that own the media outlets, and those that advertise there in.) that the “News outlets” report the news and not the opinion of the owner/editor. They have their opinion just give us the facts and let us make our own decision. Currently they are leading to them the great unwashed by the ring through the nose of spin to a foregone conclusion that they dictate by their bias.

OK rant off. And I do apologize for the rant. I am just sick and tired of being taken as an idiot by those that would control my thoughts and think that I am unable to think and form an intelligent opinion or conclusion.

I am looking forward to the post by Pielke Sr.

Bill Derryberry