JayStream

Professional journalists consider themselves professionals, although they are not licensed and can’t be charged with malpractice. Too bad, because malpractice was on display during President Obama’s 100th day press conference.

The president has just succeeded in enacting the largest budget and budget deficit in American history, one which will require us to print additional money for decades to come. Yet there was not one question about it, nor his outrageous stimulus package, during the press conference. The gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 6.1% in first quarter figures released several hours before the press conference, but none of the professional journalists asked the president about it.

President Obama again claimed in his scripted remarks – and was unchallenged in his assertion – that he has “saved or created” 150 thousand jobs. I guess he believes that every American who has not been laid off has had their job preserved by himself.

Clearly the president is dedicated to preserving the jobs of every union auto worker. He has dumped billions of taxpayers’ dollars into the failing auto companies, and addressed a question about Chrysler thusly: “Let me speak to Chrysler first because the clock is ticking on Chrysler coming up with a plan.” Really? Does anyone believe he went into the press conference not knowing his administration was going to force Chrysler into bankrupty the following morning?

With the president available to convince us he is not out to destroy the economic fabric of this country through overspending, a reporter for the New York Times came forth with another hard-hitting question: “During these first 100 days, what has surprised you the most about this office, enchanted you the most about serving this in office… ”

I doubt that President Bush ever considered a prime time press conference “some enchanged evening.” But, feeling the love in the room, President Obama just might.

UPDATE, 4/30/09: How do other journalists view their performance at the press conference? Consider this line from a columnist at the Washington Post:

The questions put to Barack Obama at his news conference last night covered nearly every topic but the Craigslist Killer, and if that had come up, Obama probably would have answered it in stride.

Jay News, Television industry economy, journalism

The weekly US Drought Monitor is out, and no part of the state of South Dakota is mentioned. In fact, no location in South Dakota is even at the threshold of “abnormally dry”. This is the first time South Dakota’s drought monitor map has been blank since July 31, 2001, according to state climatologist Dr. Dennis Todey. He did the math to reveal this is the first time in 7 years, 8 months, and 23 days that South Dakota has been sans parched earth.

For a state highly dependent on agriculture, this is a stunning reversal of aquatic events. Not long ago, South Dakota’s newscasts were filled with stories about persistent drought and the need for emergency farm subsidies, importation of livestock feed from other states, and extremely low water levels that threatened irrigation and recreation on the reservoirs, lakes, and rivers. But that has now changed 180 degrees, and South Dakota has gone from drought to surplus.

Lake Oahe on the Missouri River, Spring 2000 (left) and Spring 2005 (right). (NASA)

This spring, the Missouri River (or “Big Muddy”, as it was nicknamed many years ago), which cuts north to south through the center of South Dakota, has risen back to life. Lake Oahe, which had a spring level about 1607 feet above sea level in the Spring of 2000 and had shrunk to a level of 1574 feet in Spring, 2005 – has now grown back to a level of 1612 feet – nine feet above the historical average height of the reservoir. All of the Missouri’s boat ramps are back in operation, a change from recent years in which receding water levels rendered them useless.

There is so much water in eastern South Dakota that the James River remains above flood levels its entire length, from North Dakota to Nebraska – and projections are that flood conditions will continue at least through the end of the month. That is making life difficult along the James right now, but at least it will replenish ground water supplies.

Weather and climate are two different things, and South Dakota’s long term climate suggests it is certainly possible to dry out quickly. But in terms of water, the state’s climate has changed for the better after years of drought.

UPDATE, 4/23/09: Video from Lake Oahe is available at this link from KELO-TV.

admin Weather drought, flooding, Lake Oahe, South Dakota

I am neither as old as Methuselah nor as wise as Solomon. But occasionally I do get asked for advice by college students, mostly those studying meteorology or broadcast journalism. For what it’s worth, here is what I tell them:

• Diversify your brain power. In the olde days it was called being a Renaissance Man. Try to learn and become as proficient as you can about a variety of things. Specialists in the work world become endangered if there are changes in technology, or the economy, or simply ways of doing business. Metaphorically think about the case of a professional athlete. While he or she may play one specific sport, they keep their bodies in tune by cross-training. Do the same for your brain.
• Keep a clean driving record.  When you are hired for a new job, one of the first things the employer does is collect your driver’s license number. The company’s insurance company then looks over your record. If it decides you are a risky driver, they won’t insure you and your new company probably won’t keep you. I know someone who won a job and lost it in just such a fashion. We’re not talking DWI’s here – a stack of speeding tickets in your younger years can cost you a job as an adult.
• Be wary of shutter bugs.  Cameras are everywhere, photographs are simple to take, and the finished product can easily be distributed electronically. So before you are observed in a photo doing something stupid (or illegal), consider the consequences of that “moment in time” being captured forever. One of my colleagues got a tip from a professional athlete, who is happy to pose for pictures with anyone – as long as they move any adult beverage they may be holding out of camera view. Not a bad idea.
• Social networking can result in anti-social outcomes. Assume the entire world is reading every single thing you read – because they might be. Sitting alone at a computer gives you a false feeling of anonymity, while the words you send to the internet are no different then the permanence of publishing them in a book or newspaper. Before hitting the send button, think about the harm those poorlly-conceived tweets and not-so-friendly status updates could cause if they were seen by your best friend or worst enemy. And before you say anything crazy, remember that future business associates can also retrieve those words from the archives of the world wide web – even if you later go back and hit the delete key.
• Maximize down time with the spoken word. Music is great for relaxation or mood improvement, but those earphones can also be used to generate creative thought and self improvement. Libraries have books on CD and tape, which are great to listen to on long drives and plane rides – and all it requres is a library card and player. If you own an iPod, the iTunes program/website is a collection point for podcasts covering thousands of subjects – most of them downloadable at no cost. Many podcasts are now done by experts in their fields, and the production quality rivals professional radio programs. There is a lot to learn out there, and in most cases the price is right.
• Travel the world while young. If possible, enroll in a study abroad program offered by many colleges and universities. You will develop memories that will last a lifetime, and stop viewing world news as a mere spectator. Young travelers are physically able to explore and sightsee better than older travelers, and they can do it cheaper, too. Besides, I know a lot of people who planned to vacation in other countries later in life – but those “somedays” turned into “never dids”.
• Don’t burn bridges. This is important in college and in life. It is a small world, and the “six degrees of separation” paradigm really applies. If you treat someone poorly, the chances are somewhere down the road that person will remember you when they meet someone else with whom you are acquainted. I have a co-worker who asked, during his interview, if he should provide references. I told him not to bother, because mine is a small industry and I certainly know people who know people with whom he had worked in the past. Along that same vein, if you lose or leave a job, don’t vent when you fill out your exit papers. A future employer may call looking for a reference, or sometime down the line, who knows… you might need to work for that company again.
• Try to avoid panic during initial job search. The first job is always the toughest one to get. Every succeeding job you have in your life will be a little easier, because you will gain experience and acquire more lines on the resume. As you get older, the people above you on the employment food chain get older, leave, or die. Just plain hanging around boosts your value as an employee.
• Continue to invest in education. The world keeps advancing, so if you aren’t getting smarter then you are getting stupider – relatively speaking. Even after gaining that diploma, continue to take internet or night school classes. They don’t have to be graduate classes, or even aimed at any degree – simply a course that will improve your skill set. One thing that you will find is that college courses are a lot more enjoyable to take post-graduation, because you actually chose to be there in the classroom. The younger undergrads may be taking the class just to fulfill their major requirements.

Those are my suggestions. If you have any others, please let me know and I will be sure to pass them on to the youth of America!

Jay Television industry, Weather advice, college, Facebook, meteorology, Travel, Twitter, university

The pictures and video were staggering. Rioters and troublemakers the media politely called “protesters” made a mess of central London, breaking windows, attacking policeman, and shutting down traffic because London was hosting a meeting of the world’s top economic nations. One guy caught in the mob was pushed down by a policeman, had a heart attack and died – so his family will probably sue the police. Ironic, since police trying to help the man did so despite being attacked by protesters.

The public no idea how staged these things are. In this country, special interest groups with respectable names collect dues from unsuspecting members, and then quietly funnel money to pay the protesters. The mainstream media simply does not report on the real sources of these rent-a-mobs’ power, portraying them as heroically concerned citizens.

Several years ago I was at an international conference in Geneva, Switzerland. I needed a cash machine, and was told the nearest one was down the street at the World Trade Organization building. I went there, but met a couple hundred quiet protesters standing outside the gate. I went up to a guard, told him I just needed to use the cash machine inside, and after carefully scrutinizing my passport and other documents he let me in. A moment later, the crowd started screaming and chanting – because cars containing television cameras had just pulled up. The photographers shot videotape of the seething throng as I passed through a metal detector and went inside to get my money.

Fifteen minutes later I came out of the building and it was dead silent. There was no one left except for the two guards at the gate. As I departed I asked where everyone went. They told me that the guys with TV cameras shot their video and took off – so the protesters left, too. Mission accomplished for the mob – they made the evening newscast. The comical thing is that news viewers probably though the protesters dedicated their entire day fighting for change, when in fact even the protesters found better things to do once no one was paying attention anymore. Wouldn’t it be great if the newscasts would stop paying attention to them altogether?

Jay News, Television industry Geneva, London, protest

Whenever a chunk of Antarctic ice breaks off, the national newscasts cover it. Whenever the ice in the Arctic thins out (especially if there is video of a forlorn polar bear), the national newscasts cover it. But when a fundamental part of the climate system that affects our weather and climate on a daily basis changes: crickets.

Sunspots (NASA)

On April 1, NASA announced that – contrary to predictions – 2008’s “deep solar minimum” has continued into 2009. 344 of the past 456 days have been sunspot-free, which sunspot expert David Hathaway of the Marshall Space Flight Center calls it the “quietest sun we’ve seen in almost a century.” Sunspots are created by magnetism on the sun’s surface, and seem to peak and decrease in cycles lasting approximately eleven years. While invisible to the naked eye, they are considered an indicator of solar activity. At the same time as announcing the continuation of the solar minimum, NASA also pointed out that during 2008 the earth received a 12 year low in solar irradiance; the sun’s brightness dropped by two one-hundredths of one percent at visible wavelengths since a previous solar minimum in 1996.

Sunspots by year (NASA)

2008 also marked a 50 year low in solar wind pressure and a 55 year low in solar radio emissions.

What does the lack of sunspots and solar acvitiy mean to our weather and climate? It depends on who you talk to, and on which side of the climate change debate they stand. For the record, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has dismissed solar activity as a significant contributor to global temperature change. But IPCC opponents can show convincing graphs matching sunspots numbers and global temperature cycles. A conclusive causal link evades both sides.

Regardless, it would seem NASA’s announcement of unusually diminished sun should at least make network news on the internet. But since such information does not fit with the news divisions’ “runaway climate change” drumbeat, they haven’t posted the story on the websites at CBS, NBC, or ABC. And you certainly won’t see it on the evening television newscasts – unless they can work in a polar bear.

Jay News, Television industry, Weather ABC, arctic ice, CBS, climate change, IPCC, NBC, solar activity, sunspot