It's getting pretty spikey as it approaches Solar Cycle 24's very low maxima

http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/SDO_Self_Updating_6.htm

Huge coronal mass ejection on the "south" side

Remember the diameter of the Sun is 109 times that of Earth

That wave ejected into space must be at least 60 Earth diameters or about 760,000 kms long (472,242 miles in old money) or to put it another way twice the distance to the moon (Yep the Sun is that big - it's Huge)

In the quests to navigate the Northwest Passage, the sailboat has met up with the canoe:
Camaraderie in the NWP
They are making good progress, though it has been tough travel. I'd guess they are going to make it even with the larger ice extent this year. Curiously, neither group seems be making guesses on that either way.

If we don't get a hurricane in the next couple of weeks the media are going to rediscover that Global Warming Reduces Hurricanes.

Personally I believe the world has gotten warmer over the last 2-300 years. But that appears to have had no measurable effect on hurricane damage, after one accounts for increasing wealth and increasing coastal populations.

Unsurprisingly, the media-bureaucratic complex prefers a different narrative.

Correct

You only have a Billion $ Storm if you value the lost earnings and collateral damage at a billion $

By and large Storms don't change it's just what they blow over today that makes the difference.

The other element is wall to wall 24 hour rolling global news.

100 years ago it would be weeks after a major event you would hear about it, if at all.

Nowadays the printed news tomorrow will be old news to the connected masses and we are swamped by doom, gloom and global tragedy.

The doom, gloom and global tragedy has always been there it just never got beamed to a 46" LED screen at home, at work, in the canteen, in the pub, on your phone, on the radio, pc, laptop and tablet or straight into eyeball via Google Glass.

Every now and again ignorance really is bliss

Here's today best to make you smile

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDxOnWzSxsk

Thanks go to Christopher Cockerell

Finally my Big Oil Funding has arrived I was beginning to think it would never happen

I got the email this morning

Dear Award Recipient,


In conjunction with other relevant bodies on the celebration of its 58th Anniversary, the ExxonMobil Foundation has given out an annual Grant Award of 16,000,000 GB Pounds (Sixteen Million Great Britain Pound Starlings) to 20 lucky recipients. Your email was selected among the lucky recipients to receive the award sum of 800,000.00 GB Pounds (Eight Hundred Thousand Great Britain Pound Starlings) as charity donations/aid in accordance with the enabling act of Parliament.

You will be required to provide the requested details below for documentation and processing of the remittance of your grant award. Please endeavor to quote your Qualification numbers (G8-222-6747,EU-900-56) in all correspondence.
===========================================
FULL NAMES:
ADDRESS:
COUNTRY:
SEX:
AGE:
MARITAL STATUS:
OCCUPATION:
E-MAIL ADDRESS:
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
===========================================
PLEASE DIRECT ALL CLAIMS AND INQUIRIES TO
Mr. Williams Jackson
Remittance Officer,
ExxonMobil Foundation
Tel: +44-704-576-7609
Email: cv@vejen-net.dk

All provided information will be treated as strictly confidential and will only be used for the purpose which it is meant for.

On behalf of the Board, kindly accept my warmest congratulations.
Regards.
Sir Alan Bullock
Grants Co-ordinator


Looks completely legit

Those extra Starlings will make all the difference as I am sponsored to do their bidding

800,000 Starlings - awesome http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eakKfY5aHmY&feature=player_detailpage#t=79


Must get on I have further correspondence from a Nigerian Chap who wants to share £15 Million with me



Definitely a bit of a bird theme developing here.

Make it a great weekend and remember always be nice to Swans

Dave