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break-word; -we This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0518_01CD799F.DD1A4620 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi Chris & All. Aug 13, 2012 Just a few comments about your interesting article. One should avoid wording (e.g. last line of Standard Deviation) that = implies departures from normal curve frequency distribution expectations = to be indicative of an abnormal condition. (I suspect the 'normal' of = normal (Gaussian) distributions has something to do with being ar right = angles to some frequency distribution surface; whatever that might mean. = I have forgotten most statistics and kinetics but that is one aspect = that I didn't have to forget.) In Temperature Anomaly line 1 delete "at" in "...examine at what.." = and in the penultimate paragraph--- global means are more than five = times--- is a vagrant concept. The five times being just an artifact of = the location of zero on the arbitrary Celsius scale. Convert the = temperatures to the Absolute scale to see the difference a scale makes. The figures in the Standard Deviation Anomaly section were I assume = generated by plotting temperatures for the period in question as = deviations from mean temperatures of the reference period (1951-1980) = and expressed in Sd units also of the reference period; because I see no = other way to obtain such figures. It might help to spell this out. Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Christopher Majka=20 To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20 Sent: Saturday, August 11, 2012 10:26 PM Subject: [NatureNS] Loaded dice in the climate change casino In June of this year over 4,000 daily high temperature records were = broken in the United States. There were 159 record high temperatures for = the month, and 42 all-time temperature highs. July has been even worse, = the hottest month ever recorded in the United States since comprehensive = weather recording began in 1895. July 2012 was the 328th consecutive = month that global temperature exceeded the 20th century average. In = Canada record-setting temperatures were recorded in July in many parts = of the country. Is there a way we can determine if the extreme weather = events we have been witnessing are indicative of a changing climate, or = are we simply witnessing variable weather? That's precisely what NASA's James Hansen and his colleagues have done = in a strikingly elegant publication entitled Perception of climate = change. Anyone who was alive and paying attention before 1981 can = perceive the difference in climate that has occurred, and the analysis = of large datasets of environmental information clearly and unequivocally = confirm this change. To read more see my recent article for Rabble: Loaded dice in the climate change casino = http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/christophermajka/2012/08/loaded-dice-clim= ate-change-casino Best wishes, Christopher Majka Christopher Majka - columnist, Rabble.ca Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Email: c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca http://rabble.ca/blog/26142 "The significant problems of our time cannot be solved by the same = level of thinking that created them." - Albert Einstein No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.2197 / Virus Database: 2437/5185 - Release Date: = 08/07/12 ------=_NextPart_000_0518_01CD799F.DD1A4620 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META name=3DGENERATOR content=3D"MSHTML 8.00.6001.19258"> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY=20 style=3D"WORD-WRAP: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space"=20 bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Hi Chris &=20 All. &nb= sp; =20 Aug 13, 2012</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2> Just a few comments about your = interesting=20 article.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2> One should avoid wording (e.g. = last line of=20 Standard Deviation) that implies departures from normal = curve frequency=20 distribution expectations to be indicative of an abnormal = condition. (I=20 suspect the 'normal' of normal (Gaussian) distributions has something to = do with=20 being ar right angles to some frequency distribution surface; = whatever that=20 might mean. I have forgotten most statistics and kinetics but that is = one aspect=20 that I didn't have to forget.)</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2> In Temperature Anomaly line 1 = delete "at"=20 in "...examine at what.." and in the penultimate paragraph--- global = means are=20 more than five times--- is a vagrant concept. The five times being = just an=20 artifact of the location of zero on the arbitrary Celsius scale. = Convert=20 the temperatures to the Absolute scale to see the difference a scale=20 makes.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2> The figures in the = Standard=20 Deviation Anomaly section were I assume generated by plotting = temperatures=20 for the period in question as deviations from mean temperatures of the = reference=20 period (1951-1980) and expressed in Sd units also of the reference = period;=20 because I see no other way to obtain such figures. It might help to = spell this=20 out.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE=20 style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; = PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"=20 dir=3Dltr> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV=20 style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B>=20 <A title=3Dc.majka@ns.sympatico.ca=20 href=3D"mailto:c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca">Christopher Majka</A> </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=3Dnaturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20 href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</A> = </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, August 11, 2012 = 10:26=20 PM</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [NatureNS] Loaded dice = in the=20 climate change casino</DIV> <DIV><F