Crossposted from Flopping Aces

2009 Dawns in Sydney Australia

Fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House during a pyrotechnic show to celebrate the New Year January 1, 2009. Known for its choreographed and themed fireworks displays, this year’s show, nicknamed “The Creation Storm”, draws hundreds of thousands of people to the harbour foreshore to watch the spectacle.

Happy New Year!

Also:

Democratic Voters Do Not Support Israeli Air Strikes

Sixty-two percent (62%) of Republicans back Israel’s decision to take military action against the Palestinians, but only half as many Democrats (31%) agree. A majority of Democrats (55%) say Israel should have tried to find a diplomatic solution first, a view shared by just 27% of Republicans.

While 75% of Republicans say Israel is an ally of the United States, just 55% of Democrats agree. Seven percent (7%) of Democrats say Israel is an enemy of America, but only one percent (1%) of Republicans say the same.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party’s leadership is fully confused and split, and while Senator Obama wasn’t silent about anything for the years he spent running for President now that he’s been elected…he’s silent (busy surfing, golfing, drinkin’, hangin’ out).

The Democratic Party needs to be led, but Obama is silent
Democratic voters need to be led, but Obama is silent
The American press wonders why Obama is suddenly silent
The European press wonders why Obama is suddenly silent
The Arab press wonders why Obama is suddenly silent

Once again, all I have to say is, “Senator, all glory is fleeting”

Finally:

“Watts Up With That”: The most inaccurate climate “predictions” of 2008

This gave me such a grin, I had to pass it on for the rest of you. Former television meteorologist, Anthony Watts runs a blog all about weather called “Watts Up With That?”…. focusing on weather, “climate change” etc, of course.

Yesterday he posted Dennis Avery’s Canadian Free Press article, “The Worst Climate Predictions of 2008″… a terrific piece exposing just a few of the fools for their Chicken Little forecasts.

[NOTE: I'm using Watt's blog referral URL [above] for the CFP article since you may want to check out some of his other posts while there.]

And yet to play out, let’s also not forget Al Gore’s 2008 prediction:
“Entire north polar ice cap will be gone in 5 years”
-Anthony

By Dennis Avery in the Canada Free Press

“2008 will be the hottest year in a century:” The Old Farmers’ Almanac, September 11, 2008, Hurricanes, Arctic Ice, Coral, Drinking water, Aspen skiing

We’re now well into the earth’s third straight harsher winter-but in late 2007 it was still hard to forget 22 straight years of global warming from 1976-1998. So the Old Farmer’s Almanac predicted 2008 would be the hottest year in the last 100.

But sunspots had been predicting major cooling since 2000, and global temperatures turned downward in early 2007. The sunspots have had a 79 percent correlation with the earth’s thermometers since 1860. Today’s temperatures are about on a par with 1940. For 2008, the Almanac hired a new climatologist, Joe D’Aleo, who says the declining sunspots and the cool phase of the Pacific Ocean predict 25-30 years of cooler temperatures for the planet.

“You could potentially sail, kayak or even swim to the North Pole by the end of the summer. Climate scientists say that the Arctic ice . . . is currently on track to melt sometime in 2008.” Ted Alvarez, Backpacker Magazine Blogs, June, 2008.

Soon after this prediction, a huge Russian icebreaker got trapped in the thick ice of the Northwest Passage for a full week. The Arctic ice hadn’t melted in 2007, it got blown into warmer southern waters. Now it’s back. (Reference)

Remember too the Arctic has its own 70-year climate cycle. Polish climatologist Rajmund Przbylak says “the highest temperatures since the beginning of instrumental observation occurred clearly in the 1930s” based on more than 40 Arctic temperature stations.

(This uneducated prediction may have been the catalyst for Lewis Pugh and his absurd kayak stunt that failed miserably – Anthony)

“Australia’s Cities Will Run Out of Drinking Water Due to Global Warming.”

Tim Flannery was named Australia’s Man of the Year in 2007-for predicting that Australian cities will run out of water. He predicted Perth would become the “first 21st century ghost city,’ and that Sydney would be out of water by 2007. Today however, Australia’s city reservoirs are amply filled. Andrew Bolt of the Melbourne Herald-Sun reminds us Australia is truly a land of long droughts and flooding rains.

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Continue reading in entirety at Anthony’s blog site!