Hard to Keep Up

The cool fountain in Linn Park, downtown Birmingham, AL. It was very refreshing on a hot summer day.

How do you measure the News ?

Many, many years ago I sat with a stopwatch in hand and timed the total amount of advertising that occured during "The Evening News". This is the 1/2 hour period of time that the original 3 networks devoted to all the news that could be fit into an half hour. Way back then, advertisers claimed about 7 minutes of the 30 minutes of news, leaving us with 23 minutes of real news stories.

A few years back it became apparent that the advertisers were gaining on the news and so I pulled out my digital watch with a timer and clocked 10 minutes of advertising. So, 1/3 of the entire news program was advertising. I vowed that when the ratio became 50/50 that I'd never tune in again.

I understand the economics of advertising and why networks need the income...but I challenge the relevance and scope of a 30 minute news program that is bookended by 10 minutes of advertising.

Two weeks ago it had become painfully apparent that the advertisers had claimed more time so I pulled out my I-Pod and used the timer to clock 13 minutes and 30 seconds of advertising. That leaves 16 minutes and 30 seconds of news in a 1/2 news program. This is absurd!

It is quite obvious to me that more and more of us will refuse to tune in to a "talking head" to hear the news when you can just look at Google News and find more news that you could read in 1/2 hour.

Good bye to the nightly news. Sure, I'll still catch a few minutes here and there, but I can state categorically that their preminence has been long gone, and now their relevance is about to go the same way as the dodo.

Gee

A creative approach to Church Communications

I'm not sure how long this link will remain available but this creative and thought provoking approach to defining The Episcopal Church is sure to open some eyes.

http://www.iamepiscopalian.org/

The gun is still smoking, the smoke is still visible

Well well well....now I know "the rest of the story".

This hour long program details the "secret history" behind the careers of the scientists who have driven a significant part of the "anti global warming" (AGW) movement. Follow their careers with Dr. Oreskes, scientist and historian as she shows how some of the movers and shakers got their start supporting "Star Wars" and then supporting R.J. Reynolds Tobacco company during the tobacco law suits of the last two decades of the 20th Century. Here you are introduced to scientists who will say anything for a pay check, even tell you that second hand smoke is totally safe. These are the same scientists who have lead the AGW movement and lent it their "credibility".

I never jumped to any conclusions during my year and a half research into the entre climate change controversy. The evidence, the science, the overwhelming weight of the truth lead me to my conclusions. The controversy is over (it has been over for over 15 years), the AGW people need to leave the building, while they can still hold on to their heads.

If you want the history and the truth check out the video:
http://www.uctv.tv/search-details.asp?showID=13459

And of course, to read more about it see my website, even though it is not particularly attractive, it is full of information: http://www.n1yz.com/Climate_Change_Matrix.htm

We are changing the weather

This was a surprise article and graphic. I was stunned to see the results of the National Lightning Detection Network analysis of lightning over the last 11 summers. It is obvious that lightning ( and thunderstorms ) are occurring primarily during the work week in the Southeastern United States. The predominant theory at this point in time is that the extra pollutants released during the work week creates enhanced conditions for thunderstorm development.

The graphic and article are located at http://climate.gsfc.nasa.gov/viewImage.php?id=254
The graphic alone is located here: http://climate.gsfc.nasa.gov/iotw/20090212144628.jpg

Pretty amazing huh? We do affect our environment!

Climate Part Two

The disingenousness of a local media celebrity, one of the "talent" at a local media outlet on the subject of Global Warming has been one of about 10 factors driving my research into this complex subject.

An earlier post on this blog ( Sunday, June 29, 2008) alluded to some of the issues involved, so they'll not be repeated here. However, I'll post a resource for those who want to understand how much science is behind the theory of Global Warming.

Checkout the links here http://www.n1yz.com/Climate_Change_Matrix.htm
to "read more about it".

Enjoy!

There are reflections around us, constantly shifting as we move, changing color, angle, tint, hue. Sometimes they can be captured...as this one was at a small country church.

Evening of Alabama Designer-Craftsmen Guild Art Show

The saturday evening of the ADC Guild annual art show at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens is traditionally meal time for the artists. After wonderful fellowship around the table and super food I went for a walk. The sun was setting and I took some shots. This one was taken looking southwest on the upper walkway that leaves the Botanical Gardens building on the second floor and takes you to the Gardens themselves.

It was an enjoyable evening all around.

My wife's ( the artist ) blog:

http://debsthreads.blogspot.com/

The artistic technique of felting - 4 Pieces by my wife Debbie

Poster Child ?

Not me! But, when I mentioned that I owned and rode a bicycle in a meeting where volunteers were being solicited for a corporate wide health kick, the inevitable happened.

See picture :)

A potential tropical storm right off shore from Mobile

We'd better watch #1 - it's pretty close to home :)

CZC MIATWOAT ALL
TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM 
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
200 PM EDT SAT AUG 2 2008

FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

1. A SURFACE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE ACCOMPANIED BY CLOUDINESS AND
SHOWERS HAS MOVED INTO THE NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO. LITTLE
MOTION IS ANTICIPATED TODAY OR SUNDAY...AND ENVIRONMENTAL
CONDITIONS APPEAR TO BE FAVORABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT DURING THE NEXT
DAY OR TWO.  IF NECESSARY...A RECONNAISSANCE PLANE WILL INVESTIGATE
THE AREA ON SUNDAY.

Its 107 degrees out side ( heat index )

When you step outside, you feel insulted: baked, broiled, fried, really well done. Yikes, it does not feel very comfortable. Blazing heat combined with suffocating humidity created heat index values that have been over 100 degrees for the last four hours.

A visitor to our tomato patch

This squirrel is standing on the deck railing looking around. He is standing by the tallest part of our tiny tomato patch. Fortunately he has no interest in the tomatos.

In this 100 degree heat all manner of critters have been seen on our deck checking out the water bowls, bird seed, and the like.

The climate is getting in my way

About 7 months ago a relative asked me what I believed about climate change and the assertion that the global climate was warming. This relative also asked me if I had come to terms with the possibility that anthropogenic processes were contributing to any climate change taking place.

Ok, let us back up a bit and define the term 'anthropogenic'; the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary defines it as "of, relating to, or resulting from the influence of human beings on nature" .

Now let us break up my relatives' query into some definitive questions that would need to be answered, and suggest an order in which they may be tackled.

• one, is the global climate undergoing change?
• two, is the global climate warming, cooling, or remaining statistically average?
• three, is mankind contributing to climate change in any way?
• four, if mankind is contributing to climate change in any way, is there a way to reduce, nullify, or reverse any anthropogenic changes?

Well, these four "small questions" have the potential to develop into an enormous research project. How does one even consider tackling issues like this? Where do you start? What pitfalls lie ahead? What standards do you apply to interpreting research? What part does philosophy play in this quest? Is anyone attempting to mislead me? What sources are trustworthy? Where will I encounter people with hidden agendas?

In face of the enormity of the questions and the potential for encountering intellectual quicksand at many turns, I answered my relative's question thusly: while I've kept in touch with some of these issues in a superficial manner for over two decades, to really deal with the competing viewpoints and information available I'm going to dedicate the next two years to finding out what I can to make an intelligent response to your question.

Yikes! What was I thinking of when I responded? Who on earth can add a two year long research project to their lives? Like many of you I work 40+ hours a week, have family commitments and do volunteer work. When will this research fit in to my life?

Well, the answer is: in bursts! Yet, during the last 7 months I've read several hundred pages of research papers put out by climatologists, physicists, chemists, and meteorologists. During this time frame it has been fruitful to delve into dozens of web sites, scores of blogs, and even engage in email discussions. I've "travelled the world" in this research reading articles from Canada, England, Germany, Australia, South Africa, the United States, and another half dozen other countries.

I've also been surprised at some of the things discovered along the way: namely,

• some people with evidence of an education display an appalling lack of intellectual honesty,
• a lot of evidence of disingenuous arguementation,
• noted ignorance of the simple logical fallacies in their presentation of arguements,
• a willingness to ignore (and conceal) presuppositional paradigms in theory development.

Now, this above post does suggest a couple of things about me and my perspective that I've not revealed. Firstly, I graduated from Western Kentucky University with a B.A. in Philosphy & Religion. My philosophical education trained me in deconstructing logical arguementation and illuminating logical fallacies. Secondly, I've been passionately engaged in the study of meteorology and weather for over 35 years. Finally, my passionate commitment to the "truth", drives all of my intellectual interests. My intellectual roadmap does not illustrate all of the waypoints on that map. I'm going to travel to where the search for truth leads.

Ok, this is all for now..... there will be more forthcoming.

Blessings,

Rod

Fast Trip to North Carolina

This picture was taken from the cabin where we stayed. What an incredible view. Had to scrape, melt, off the snow flakes and ice from the windshield this morning.

New Year - Old Back

Well, it is not yet the new year, but the old back has made it's presence known. Yesterday, my neurosurgeon called me at work to state that I had a ruptured disk (again). Ah, the joys of a lost L5/S1 . Well, "back" to the drawing board! Once again, patience and zenlike movements will be called for to assist in the recovery.


that is all from "back here", what is going on where you live???

A Tail of Two Weathers

Well, the official map from last week tells in part, a dreary tale, a tail of two weathers.

One tail, is the tail we normally grab in October, a tail of a kite. October is the driest month of the year and sometimes a windy month. It makes for great fun outdoors. In October the cool breezes of fall commence and summer is a distant memory. Except now.

The second tail, is the tail of the drought. We've grabbed it by the tail and it is slinging us against a brick wall. We are 18 inches shy of the average rain fall for this year. We've only received 23 inches. Weeds are dying, trees are dying, birds are dying, the grass is, in many places, long since dead. What a year! You know it has been a year of crazy weather when August posts the largest monthly rainfall in the previous 12 months.

This drought has weighed heavily upon the psyche. People are experiencing mental abberations that have their genesis in the lack of rain. The sight of a dark cloud has been known to send thousands to the windows of homes, apartments, office towers, glass pressed with faces all hoping for a sight of falling rain.

On top of the drought has been temperatures hotter than hell. August, the hottest month in my life, continued though September and October unabated. The forecast high for Tuesday October 9th, is the same temperature you'd expect for July 9th, 92 degrees. Is it Global Warming? Who knows? But it certainly is LOCAL WARMING! Local warming all over the place.

Stay cool, do a rain dance, keep praying.

Railroad Earth In Concert in Birmingham

Mark Twain Says it Again - Almost 100 years ago

"And now the whole nation--pulpit and all--will take up the war-cry, and shout itself hoarse, and mob any honest man who ventures to open his mouth; and presently such mouths will cease to open. Next the statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and refuse to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque self-deception."

- Mark Twain "The Mysterious Stranger" (1910)

Thanks to Tim Carbone, of Railroad Earth & Kings in Disguise for publishing part of this quote

Railroad Earth: Birmingham

Birmingham Railroad through the center of town, between Powell and Morris avenues. Daylight shot, indigo shot, and white out shot.

Celebrating the arrival of RAILROAD EARTH this coming week in Birmingham Alabama: http://www.railroadearth.com/high_band/home/