Meanwhile in New Zealand.

Niwa principal climate scientist James Renwick told the New Zealand Herald that:

"There is no cover-up going on.
"When you've got 100MB worth of emails from somebody's personal files, no doubt you can find sentences that taken purely out of context can sound really bad,"

Well OK. Here's an e-mail from Phil Jones to Kevin Treberth on which Renwick was copied. This is the whole thing so nothing was taken out of context, and it sures looks like the climate change cabal is trying to cover up the sloppiness and inexactitude of their underlying data.

Kevin,
I will be around tomorrow (so Dec 21) until Dec 23 inclusive. Then again from Jan 3.
I will be checking email during the break from Dec 28 onwards. Are you in control of the glossary additions and modifications?As to change of base period - this seems like a decision for the whole of WGI. To redo the global temperature average, I can just move the series up/down, but this isn't the correct way to do it. I should talk out a new base period from all the individual stations and recalculate anomalies for the oceans. For the oceans this isn't a problem, but the land it is a serious problem. Many stations have good (i.e. near complete base periods for 1961-90) but I'll lose hundreds, maybe over a thousand, stations if I went to 1981-2000.
For both surface temperature and precipitation we don't have spatially complete datasets(like models) so it will be quite difficult. For the circulation indices(like SOI and NAO) based on station pairs there is a variance term(SD).Some of the character of the series will change. We could easily adjust all these series by simple offsetting but it isn't doing it properly. I'm in the throws of a project with the HC checking all the 61-90 normals we have for series that are incomplete, to ensure we don't have any biases. This has taken quite a time and I don't want to waste the effort.
The arguments of Albert and Dave make a lot of sense-continuity with the TAR etc.These sort of things can be explained,but then the FOD will not be compatible with all the papers we are referring to. This will lead to lots of confusion. I would like to stick with 1961-90.I don't want to change this until 1981-2010 is complete, for 3 reasons : 1) We need 30 years and 81-10 will get all the MSU in nicely, and 2) I will be near retirement! 3)is one of perception.As climatologists we are often changing base periods and have done for years.I remember getting a number of comments when I changed from 1951-80 to 1961-90. If we go to a more recent one the anomalies will seem less warm-I know this makes no sense scientifically, but it gives the skeptics something to go on about!If we do the simple way, they will say we aren't doing it properly. Best idea might be to show some maps of 1981-2000 minus 1961-90 to show spatially where it makes a difference for temp and precip. Showing it is quite small and likely within the intermodel differences for years which are only nominally 1981-2000. This might keep both sides happy.
We also probably need to consider WGII.Also the paleo chapter will find 1981-2000 impossible.1961-90 is difficult for them but not insurmountable.
Cheers
Phil

Climate Fraud

The revelation of the CRU e-mails should have prompted politicains everywhere to a WTF moment. Pull at random nearly any one of these e-mail strings, and you will find a tale of dishonesty, incompetence, arrogrance, greed and occasional, casual criminal behavior. The entire warmenist enterprise is based on lies and fraud...and that's before people who are wiser than I in the ways of the digerati start tearing apart the computer code. Can you imagine what would happen if this sort of information should emerge from leading research facilities on genetic engineering, vaccine development or HIV studies?

Yet from Wellington to Copenhagen, Canberra to Washington, duplicitous and craven politicians are deperately pushing emisions trading schemes, vast new regulatory regimes and crushing taxation even though they know full well that it's all a fraud. The only sane conclusion is that it was never about climate at all, but about the extension of state power.

"This is not a principled fignt."

Do you still think the American Democrats pose no threat to the productive economy? Here's Illinois Democrat Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky on bringing command-and-control to the health insurance industry--by any means necessary.

More Taliban Barbarism

"Taliban gunmen have been filmed executing a surprised couple whom they repeatedly shot for the alleged crime of adultery." - The Telegraph

Their deaths were squalid, riddled with bullets in a field near their home by Taliban gunmen as the execution was captured on a mobile telephone.

In footage which is being watched with horror by Pakistanis, the couple try to flee when they realise what is about to happen. But a gunman casually shoots the man and then the woman in the back with a burst of gunfire, leaving them bleeding in the dirt.

The video of the little girl beaten for the crime of being present when the electrician came to call and now a couple murdered for alleged adultery. The religion of desert barbarians marches on against civilization. We know about it because they're proud of their insane death cult and have the habit of recording their crimes for posterity. All credit to the Telegraph reporter, Saeed Shah, for having the moral intelligence to call this by its proper name "barbarism".

Here's the video. Warning, the true nature of the enemy isn't pretty.

Three Rather Sad Choices for Americans

Watching Obama for his famous hundred days of crypto-nationalization of large swaths of the economy, the great apology tour, the amateurish indecision, the wholly unjustified arrogance, the nasty streak that slips out periodically, the foolish cabinet choices, the abdication of executive power to a corrupt and incompetent Congressional leadership,the bowing and scraping to the inbred barbarian king of the Saudis, the smiling acquiesence to a lecture by the murdering rapist Daniel Ortega (a man who fouls the air today only because of Ronald Reagan's misplaced mercy), one is left with three sad conclusions. The facts being what they are, and televised for all who have eyes to see and the critical faculties to think, Obama is either:

1. Stupid.
2. Incompetent.
3. Actively trying to destroy his own country, and with it, what remains of Western civilization.

Sad.

Bad News for Algore

So there we have it. Fat people cause global warming. Since the Prophet Algore is roughly the size of a medium hippo, this could be a problem for the whole warmenist cult. Photo credit Times Online

He's Back.

New job (a paid one at that), lots of travel, new location. All of which have prevented me from delivering pithy, insightful, nuggets of near genius to my many fans.

However, the threat to mankind from Obamania is too acute to ignore. So visit early, visit often. I'm back.

To Arms!

So Much for the Truman Analogy

I've read here and there that Barack Obama's utter lack of a working life or practical experience are not serious impediments to a successful Presidency because, after all, Harry Truman was an untested, clueless, machine-politician and he did all right.

One look at the Obama cabinet is enough to squash that one. Truman may have been inexperienced in national politics but when he looked around that big table he saw George Marshall, Dean Acheson, James Forrestal and W.Averell Harriman. Obama on the other hand will be staring at Hillary Clinton, Tom Daschle, Janet Napolitano and Bill Richardson.

Heaven help us.

You Took the Words Right Out of my Mouth.

Just as I was sitting here over my second cup of coffee thinking how much Reid, Frank and Pelosi reminded me of Moe, Curly and Larry, the Jawa Report beats me to the metaphor. He has Schumer instead of Frank, but Chuckie makes a perfect Shemp.

These fools (and I mean that literally) will drive us all into poverty and then retire on their iron-clad, government guaranteed, inflation indexed pensions. I hope everyone who voted for Odumbo and the Corrupticrats takes a good long look around them...and then Google East Germany or 1970's Britain for a glimpse of your future.

Why isn't Barney Frank being ridden out of town on a rail for his insolent incompetence and his rank stupidity?

Why isn't Chris Dodd getting ready to shank Ted Stevens for the top bunk at Lorton?

The Markets Vote on Obama (3)

In the continuing referendum on the prospects of the American economy under an Obama/Pelosi/Reid regime, the Dow has taken out 8000. It also promises to be an ugly day in Europe and Asia. Make no mistake, there was no market failure here. A combination of social engineering regulation from the Democrat Congress and George Bush's massive entitlements expansion introduced market distortions that brought us to this point. The markets from New York to London to Hong Kong to Sydney are now predicting more of the same and worse. Obama's Clinton holdover cabinet, the Congress of Clowns and his own rank ignorance of what makes an economy function all point to a very painful decade.

As a sign of what's to be expected, 90 year old corruptocrat Robert Byrd is replaced by 84 year old corruptocrat Daniel Inouye as head of the Senate Appropriations Committee. These quotes from The Hill say it all:

Rather than give big speeches on the Senate floor or in committee hearings like his predecessor, the senior Hawaiian senator will strike a lot more deals in the backrooms.

Well that's a relief.

Many insiders regard him as a team player, often doing what the Democratic leadership wants but not shying away from telling his superiors to do what he thinks is right.

I feel much better now.

Inouye will hold the gavel of the powerful committee without his friend, whom he calls “brother.” Stevens was convicted on corruption charges and his reelection to his Senate seat is in doubt.

God help us.

Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution

I wonder if this chap has ever heard of Article 1, Section 8. The Congress shall have the power"To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;"

The Markets Vote (continued)

Markets aren't moved by vacuous words about hopeful audaciousness or audacious change, or hopefulness we can believe in. Markets are moved by tens of billions of individual decisions based on a hard look at a personal bottom line. The global markets have a held a two day referendum on an Obama administration and the results are in. Obo won and everybody else lost. Another 5% off the Dow was reflected by diving markets from London to Hong Kong. What are they pricing in? They're pricing in not just a full scale assault on the American economy by the Obama/Reid/Pelosi/Schumer/Rangel/Waxman economic know-nothings, they're pricing in the fact that Russia felt confident enough the day after the election to move missiles to the Polish border. They're pricing in the fact that the makers of global chaos have taken Obo's measure and decided, "Here is a man we can roll." They're pricing in the protectionism and statism that the Obo Administration will bring in. They're pricing in the fact a man who preached change has just brought in a sleazy Chicago political fixer to run his White House. The markets have voted no confidence. Welcome to the Nixon/Carter years.

The Markets Vote

The Dow has dropped 486 points as the markets begin to price in the reality, as opposed to the prospect, of an Obama/Reid/Pelosi assault on the economy.

Berlin 1932.

Redstate has a helpful little manifesto for surviving the coming winter. To it, I would add that the Republican Congressional leadership, McConnel, Boehner, all of them, must go.

And to all my compatriates who, for whatever reason, voted for Barack Obama. Well, you got your wish, I hope you're prepared for the winter to come...it's going be cold for Democrats, too.

I'm Talking to YOU, Eeyore.

A little advice for anti-Obamanists from some people who should know. Thank you, Hillbuzz.

Closer to Home: This is Ridiculous

Labour has long been "soft on crime". Daft would be a better word. It is simply wrong that a property owner cannot defend his property, his family even his life without fear of arrest. Clearly, Mr. Singh did not have benefit of legal counsel before he talked to the police.

Thus Spake Tito Munoz...

There is little better metaphor than this of the complete disconnect between the American left in general, the Democratic Party and Barack Obama on the won hand and the American people. Tito the Builder speaks truth to the propaganda arm of the Obama campaign:

“I support McCain, but I’ve come to face you guys because I’m disgusted with you guys,” he said. “Why the hell are you going after Joe the Plumber? Joe the Plumber has an idea. He has a future. He wants to be something else. Why is that wrong? Everything is possible in America. I made it. Joe the Plumber could make it even better than me. . . . I was born in Colombia, but I was made in the U.S.A.”

Apollo Rising

Art, even at its highest, is such a poor imitation of the handiwork of God. There are more pictures here.

Why the Pass?

Jonah Goldberg at the NRO asks, not unreasonably, why Obama gets off so easy compared with "the four white guys" who preceded him as teh Democrat's nominee. Goldberg is talking specifically about the criticism that Oboomboom is some kind of world citizen rather than an American, with a point of view centered somewhere between LA and Manhattan, rather somewhere between Prague and Paris. The GOP and much of the press raised the cosmopolitan issue with varying degrees of success about Dukakis, Clinton, Gore and Kerry.

The broader question though is the unprecedented free ride that Obama gets both from the opposing party and from the press on every issue that cuts against him. I'm prepared to wager that no candidate for head of government in any democratic country has ever been elected with so little scrutiny as has Obama.