h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Would it surprise anyone that Rupert Murdoch's publications print bald faced lies regarding global warming? Nah? didn't think so.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/01/30/while-temperatures-rise-denialists-reach-lower/

The Daily Mail isn't a Murdoch rag, but it's just as bad. It's the paper that loves stories about 'health and safety gone mad', 'British people not being allowed to be British' and 'there's no such thing as global warming but if there was it'd probably be the fault of the unions'.

Ah, Even though their names are nothing alike, I was thinking of News of the World. But, yeah, I am familiar with the often shoddy reporting of the other one as well. If I see a link to DM that's about actual news or something other than some odd photos of animals or something else silly or bizarre, I tend to skip it.

The Daily Mail has gained a reputation among its critics for being a paper that's contemptuous of anyone who doesn't hold its own narrow-minded, right wing and reactionary views. It harps on about how awful the UK is these days and makes no bones about whose fault it is - the left, immigrants, homosexuals, political correctness, unions, minority groups, asylum seekers. Its nickname is The Daily Hate.

It often ignores major stories while splashing its front page with with something relatively trivial (and often exaggerated of just plain wrong) such as left wing local councils not allowing Christmas trees, decorations, Father Christmas and renaming Christmas 'Winterval' and with a childish contemptuous of any one of the many groups it feels are ruining Britain. Faux News is probably the closest equivalent in the US, so being a Daily Mail reader has become an insult in the UK.

For the record, the a/c went on at 4.10pm today, Feb 1st. The posted temperature at 14.51 was 79F, so it's a safe bet that we've at least hit 80°, probably surpassed it. The usual maximum for this time of the year is 63, the record is 83.

But there's no global warming.

Speaking of which: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/01/wall-street-journal-climate-change?CMP=twt_gu

"Do you consult your dentist on your heart condition?..."

We did indeed pass 80 today, but fell one degree short of the record.When I was shivering in London-type January and February-type temperatures only a few degrees above freezing during the day, damp and grey, I'd dream of 82° at this time of the year, thinking how wonderful it must be. Now, after the summer we had last year, it gives me the heebee jeebees

Another night of broken sleep thanks to storms that insist on coming through Austin in the middle of the night

Oh fer cryin' out loud

"OVERNIGHT: Better than 60% Chance for Showers & Storms"

If Mother Nature doesn't do something very soon this is going to go down as the year without a winter. Oh, we've had a couple of frosts so far, but nothing that lasted more than a day or two, and we're close to half way though Feb already.

The local weather guy pointed out that we're expecting a warm Valentine's day Tuesday and that we had a warm one last year as well and it never got really cold again after that.

As far as I can make out, the big snow day last year was Feb 4th, which was a Friday. By Sunday or Monday, if my memory isn't playing tricks, the snow had all gone and it was spring-like, and it didn't get cold again after that. Then it just got stupid hot, as we all remember

And will you look at that - the warmest two days of the week are on my days off when I want to be cooking and baking, just like the past two weeks. I want it to be cold on those days so I don't have to put the bloody a/c on while the cooker's going full blast

Shoulda kept my damn mouth shut.

It's sleeting

Once is an accident. Twice is a coincidence. Three times is a conspiracy.

This makes four times
Thursday night: 49°, 40% Rain/Storm Chance After Midnight
Friday night: 52°, 80% Rain/Storm Chance, Possibly Strong to Severe

"Embedded in that same subtropical jet stream flow, a little ripple of energy will fly into Texas tonight, activating some fast-moving showers and storms that could come our way from the southwest -- it's a 30% chance overnight to 50% chance by daybreak Friday. Off-and-on showers look possible during the day tomorrow then a more powerful upper-air disturbance will swing directly over South-Central Texas Friday night, bringing a hefty 80% storm chance across our stretch of I-35 the first half of Saturday."

It also makes a break in the drought.

Our soil around here is soaked, which is great; but we're still about 29" behind over the last couple of years. It will take a lot more rain before the lakes and reservoirs fill back up.

Don't forget the aquifers. If the ground is already saturated, most of the rainfall will end up as runoff instead of filtering its way underground. That means a greater likelihood of flooding too.

We've been getting perfect rain; the long light soaking rains that aren't causing too many flooding problems this last week or so but that are definitely soaking the ground. However, since we're right on the coast and the only thing below ground here is the US Petroleum reserves, most of it will end up in the Gulf.

We had some really nice fine misty drizzle a few mornings ago, Monday or Tuesday it must have been. The kind of rain that's only slightly more substantial than fog

Monday was kind of fun. Started snowing (FINALLY!) about 9 am but didn't really amount to much during the day. I didn't even have to clear off my car when I left work. It picked up some as I was driving home, and we ended up with just about enough for broe jr to push around with the new snow shovel I bought (at a discount since we hadn't had any snow yet this year).

It was gone less than 24 hours later. 48 forecast today, 54 for tomorrow, 40s over the weekend.

Spring isn't really going to be much fun since it's been going on since last October. And the mosquitos are going to be hell in May or June.