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Sunday, May 31, 2009

FOR SALE: One 2006 Predictive Flux-transport Dynamo Model. Make offer…


Scientists Issue Unprecedented Forecast of Next Sunspot Cycle

BOULDER—The next sunspot cycle will be 30-50% stronger than the last one and begin as much as a year late, according to a breakthrough forecast using a computer model of solar dynamics developed by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Predicting the Sun’s cycles accurately, years in advance, will help societies plan for active bouts of solar storms, which can slow satellite orbits, disrupt communications, and bring down power systems.

The scientists have confidence in the forecast because, in a series of test runs, the newly developed model simulated the strength of the past eight solar cycles with more than 98% accuracy. The forecasts are generated, in part, by tracking the subsurface movements of the sunspot remnants of the previous two solar cycles. The team is publishing its forecast in the current issue of Geophysical Research Letters.


Read the rest at Watts Up With That? and be sure to read it to the very end. I swiped the title of this post from a comment on the same site.

What brought this up is the news that NOAA has revised their earlier prediction of an active sunspot cycle downward. In my opinion, not downward enough...but they still have time to revise their figures again, and again. Previous predictions [2006] had the sunspot numbers being between 150 and 200.

**8.32am** Check out this animated gif.

**8.47am** Digital Diatribes has another excellent post of the temperature data he has been analyzing and graphing. (The numbers don't lie).

Here is a snippet of the latest from NOAA:

May 29, 2009: An international panel of experts led by NOAA and sponsored by NASA has released a new prediction for the next solar cycle. Solar Cycle 24 will peak, they say, in May 2013 with a below-average number of sunspots.

"If our prediction is correct, Solar Cycle 24 will have a peak sunspot number of 90, the lowest of any cycle since 1928 when Solar Cycle 16 peaked at 78," says panel chairman Doug Biesecker of the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center.

Source: NASA

I wonder if these "scientists" have even taken a moment of their time to look at the following chart of sunspot cycles in their zeal to predict a solar cycle that means the earth will be warning...




**9.52am** I have been informed that even the graph above is misleading...that the scientists have replaced the more accurate Wolf Number with the Group Number to make the modern sunspot numbers look even greater than they are...please find a better graph below:


Click Image for larger version



Source: Solar Cycle 24
Hat Tip: Scarlet Girl

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Presidential On The Job Training: The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency





President Obama appeared to discover a new Federal Agency recently, and the discovery inspired me to provide a little briefing video for the President, as part of his on The Job Training.

I hope you enjoy it:





Friday, May 29, 2009

Mid-morning Flyby




I am sort of in vacation mode. Not really trying to pay attention to politics. Watching the clouds and helping the garden grow...so here is yet another time lapse video.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

NC General Assembly 05-28-2009 Legislative Calender






Here is today's schedule for the North Carolina General Assembly...


8:30 AM AND IMMED. AFTER SESSION
APPROPRIATIONS/General Government (House)

1425LB
8:30 AM
APPROPRIATIONS/Justice and Public Safety (House)

415LOB
8:30 AM
APPROPRIATIONS/Education (House)

421LOB
8:30 AM
APPROPRIATIONS/Natural and Economic Resources (House)

423LOB
8:30 AM
APPROPRIATIONS/Health and Human Services (House)

643LOB
9:00 AM
COMMERCE (Senate)
Insurance/Cover Hearing Aids (S375)
Dry-Cleaning Solvent Act Amends (
S700)
Amend Marriage & Family Licensure Laws/Fees (
S935)
Broadband Service Providers (
H135)
State Health Plan/Taxpayer Recovery Act (
H439)
Prepaid Wireless Telephone Service/Sunset (
H1027)
Consumer Choice and Investment Act of 2009 (
H1180)
Facilitate Access to Emergency Supplies (
H1210)

1027LB
9:00 AM
AGRICULTURE/ENVIRONMENT/NATURAL RESOURCES (Senate)
Extend Animal Waste Operation Inspection Program (H461)
Clarify License Req/Out of State Weighmasters (
H1108)
Update NPDES Permitting for CAFOs (
H1175)
Standardize Wild Boar Seasons/Swine Study (
H1118)

1124LB
9:00 AM
SELECT COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC RECOVERY CANCELLED(Senate)

544LOB
10:00 AM
JUDICIARY I (Senate)
Executive Branch Revolving Door (H1136)
Law Student Externs at General Assembly (
H1171)
Clarification/Hearing on License Restoration (
H1198)
Omnibus Highway/MV Statute Changes (
H1312)
Determining Senior Resident Sup. Ct. Judge (
H1398)

1027LB
10:00 AM
JUDICIARY II (Senate)
School Bd. Members/Failure to Discharge Duty (H43)
Modernize Do Not Call Notice Procedures (
H686)
Sanitary District Quick Take (
H960)
Permit Access to Capital Defendants (
H1037)
Guilty Plea Form Revisions (
H1039)
Title Protection/Social Workers (
H1168)
Schools Notified of Crim. Intell. Info. (
H1327)
Taxpayer Optimization Act (
H1377)

1124LB
10:00 AM
JUDICIARY I (House)
Polysomnography Practice Act. (H819)
Rewrite Foreign Money Judgments Laws. (
S285)
Amend Purpose/Child Placing/Child Care Laws. (
S969)

1228LB
10:00 AM
JUDICIARY III (House)
Court Fee for Littering. (H1340)
Name Change Banned for Most Prisoners. (
H1531)

1425LB
10:00 AM
JUDICIARY II (House)
Amend Prior Record Point Levels. (H1606)
Adjust B1-E Felony Penalties. (
H1607)

421LOB
11:00 AM
INSURANCE (House)
Insurance Law Changes.-AB (H1166)
Special Enrollment Period/Group Health Ins. (
S957)

1228LB
11:00 AM
EDUCATION (House)
School Violence Prevention Act. (S526)

643LOB
11:00 AM
Session Convenes (Senate)

Senate Chamber
12:00 PM
HEALTH (House)
Cover NC Health Care Access Program. (H1402)
Medicaid Billing/Outpatient Phy. Therapy. (
H1475)
Special Care Dentistry Collaboration. (
S188)
Public Health Technical Changes. (
S345)
Amend Nursing Practice Act. (
S356)
Diabetes Control Plans in Charter Schools. (
S738)
Immunity for Nonprofit Health Ref. Service. (
S802)

544LOB
1:00 PM
Session Convenes (House)

House Chamber

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Changing Gears





I have become convinced that complete and utter ignorance prevails among those who are "newly social" in the Republican Party.

We are seeing the rise of an effete, compassionate conservatism that is incapable of cracking open a book written on the college level, much less understand what is written therein.

These new conservatives are blown by the winds of emotion, and as shallowly rooted as a pine tree in a windstorm.

I will be changing gears to address that problem, and moving Conservative Thunder University from a back burner project to front and center.

Class is about to begin, so stay tuned...

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The Thing: Revenge of the Pelosi Virus


The movie is below...

NC General Assembly 05-26-2009 Legislative Calender



No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session. – Mark Twain (1866)

That is my philosophy concerning coverage of the North Carolina General Assembly...one of supreme skepticism.

Anyway, here is what the thieves have on the calender for today...



12:00 AM
ALCOHOL BEVERAGE CONTROL (CANCELLED) (House)

15 MIN. AFTER SESSION
FINANCE (House)
Turnpike Gap Funding and Debt. (S750)

544
8:30 AM AND 2:00 PM AND IMMED. AFTER SESSION
APPROPRIATIONS/General Government (House)

1425LB
IMMED. AFTER SESSION
SELECT COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC RECOVERY (Senate)

1027LB
8:30 AM
APPROPRIATIONS/Education (House)

421LOB
9:30 AM
Sen. P. Berger
Press Room LB
10:00 AM
JUDICIARY II (Senate)
Enhance Youth Employment Protections (H22)
Increase Raffle Prize Limit (H85)
The Nicolas Adkins School Bus Safety Act (H440)
Modernize Do Not Call Notice Procedures (H686)
Sanitary District Quick Take (H960)
Taxpayer Optimization Act (H1377)

1124LB
10:00 AM
JUDICIARY I (House)
Dispute Resolution Fees. (H732)
Legal Services Clarification. (S763)
Make General Statutes Gender Neutral. (S870)

1228LB
10:00 AM
JUDICIARY II (House)
Divide Prosecutorial District 11. (H495)
Durham City Manager/Contract Authority. (S548)
Stipulation for Final Decision by OAH. (S633)
Banking Commission Appeals. (S669)

421LOB
11:00 AM
EDUCATION (House)
SBOE Confirmations. (H364)
School Violence Prevention Act. (S526)
Modify DPI/SBE Reporting Requirements. (S689)
Amend the Compulsory School Attendance Law. (S708)

643LOB
12:00 PM
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT (Senate)
Clarify SCFAC Appointments (H25)
Denton Mayor's Term (H550)
Davidson/Taking of Foxes (H551)
Limit Outside Work for DENR/Local Staff (H617)
Extend Louisburg Exemption for Competitive Bids (H622)
Law Enforcement Jurisdiction in Iredell County (H676)
Community Development Target Areas (H866)
Junked & Abandoned Vehicles (H867)
Granville County Hunting (H970)

1124LB
12:00 PM
HEALTH (House)
Insurance/Cover Hearing Aids. (H589)
Update Rabies Law. (H1063)
Update and Mod. Phy. Therapy Practice Act. (H1374)
Cover NC Health Care Access Program. (H1402)
Special Enrollment Period/Group Health Ins. (S957)
After-School Child Care Programs. (S1030)

544LOB
12:00 PM
ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES (House)
Extend Climate Change Commission. (S835)
Increase Penalty/Timber Theft. (S990)

643LOB
2:00 PM
WATER RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (House)
Cistern Tax Credit/Regulatory Reform. (H1385)
Tax Credit for Water Conserving Property. (H1596)
Allocate Water Cost/Landlord-Tenant Changes. (S661)
Upper Neuse River Basin Clean Water Credits. (S1020)

1228LB
2:00 PM
STATE GOVERNMENT/STATE PERSONNEL (House)
Auditor Ex Officio Duties. (S484)
Purchase Service/Certain Employment. (S863)
Property Finders. (S1021)

424LOB
2:30 PM
Session Convenes (Senate)

Senate Chamber
3:00 PM
Session Convenes (House)

House Chamber

Monday, May 25, 2009

American Legion Post 108 Commemorates Memorial Day in Franklin, NC


2009 Memorial Day Commemoration in Franklin, NC from Thunder Pig on Vimeo.


This is the video I shot this morning in Woodlawn Cemetery of the Memorial Day Commemoration held by American Legion Post 108 in Franklin, NC to honor the memory of those who fell in service to our nation.

Memorial Day



"Let us not ask God why men such as this should die in war...
Rather let us thank God that such men lived."
--General George S. Patton, Jr.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

The John Batchelor Show for 05-24-2009




Before I relay my weekly promotion for the best six hours in radio, check out Bolden to Enterprise by John Batchelor. The above Friedman video was swiped from the article.






It's Sunday night, and that means it's time for John Batchelor!





Here is his website.

The show starts at 7pm Eastern, and continues for six hours of the best radio you will find anywhere, as only John Batchelor can deliver it with his stable of experts...

And here is where you can listen to the show live online:

New York, WABC-AM 770 7-10PM ET;
Washington DC, WMAL-AM 630 7-9PM ET;
San Francisco, KSFO-AM 560;
Los Angeles,KFI-AM 640;

And here is where you can find the podcasts of the show: the first three hours, and the last three hours.

Schedule for Tonight: (all six hours are on the same link now)

The first two hours are below to whet your appetite:


Memorial Day Special.
705P Eastern Time: Matt Bai, NYT
, re the surprising non-story of the gay marriage amendments and law changes in states, re how the young voters poll an indifference to the topic, that is, no opposition.

720P: Amir Efrati, Wall Street Journal,re Madoff Victims Are Investigated

The probe into who knew about Madoff's massive fraud has broadened to include high-profile investors including Jeffry Picower and Stanley Chais, and Carl Shapiro, an old friend of the money manager


750P: Stephanie Simon, Wall Street Journal, Using Spidey Sense on the Border A small Homeland Security unit is charged with adding whiz-bang wonder to the drudgery of border patrols and vehicle checkpoints. Texas Mayor Trades Job for Romance Texas mayor J.W. Lown resigned this week, saying he is in love with a Mexican man who doesn't have permission to remain in the U.S.

805P: Ed Hayes, attorney, re In Bronx Bomb Case, Steps and Missteps Alike Caught on Tape In documents, interviews and court hearings, details of a homegrown terror plot and the checkered life stories of the four men charged further emerged.

820P: James R. Hagerty, Wall Street Journal, re 'Terrorizing' Bankers in Foreclosure Fight

835P: Financial Roundtable, Thaddeus McCotter, Member of Congress, Jim McTague, Barron's, David Weidner, Marketwatch.com, re the auto talks, re the report that Chrysler will emerge from bankruptcy and that GM will go into bankruptcy. U.S. to Steer GM Toward Bankruptcy

850P: Continued re GM Reaches Deal in Canada The Canadian Auto Workers said it has reached an agreement with General Motors on cost-cutting measures.

905P: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, from Jerusalem, re Netanyahu's visit to the White House, re the missile test in Iran, re the POTUS statement of a deadline for Iran diplomacy.

920P: Aaron Klein, author, "The Late Great State of Israel," re the Hamas preparation for an Obama administration outreach.

935P: Jim Leeke, author, Manila and Santiago, re the Spanish American War of 1898 and the rise of Assistant Secretary of the Navy T.R. Roosevelt.