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Storm Hits Weather Community Over

Expert's Global Warming Claims

WASHINGTON — A Weather Channel climatologist is taking some heat after blogging that TV weather forecasters skeptical about man-made global warming theories should lose their professional certification.



Climate expert Heidi Cullen defended herself last week in The Weather Channel's One Degree Climate Change blog after questioning the fitness of meteorologists who disagree with her conclusions.

Click here to read Cullen's controversial global warming blog.

"I've read all your comments saying I want to silence meteorologists who are skeptical of the science of global warming. That is not true," wrote Cullen, host of "The Climate Code with Dr. Heidi Cullen," a weekly global-warming program on The Weather Channel. "The point of my post was never to stifle discussion. It was to raise it to a level that doesn't confuse science and politics. Freedom of scientific expression is essential."
Cullen raised Cain last month when she suggested that the American Meteorological Society decertify meteorologists who don't warn about climate change.
"If a meteorologist has an AMS Seal of Approval, which is used to confer legitimacy to TV meteorologists, then meteorologists have a responsibility to truly educate themselves on the science of global warming," Cullen wrote in the blog. "If a meteorologist can't speak to the fundamental science of climate change, then maybe the AMS shouldn't give them a seal of approval."

The AMS certifies broadcast and consulting meteorologists with three programs. The Seal of Approval, introduced in 1957, aims to "recognize meteorologists for their sound delivery of weather information to the general public," according to the AMS Web site.

According to a statement by the AMS, the society agrees with Cullen on the science of global warming, if not the certification of its approved meteorologists.

"There is convincing evidence that since the industrial revolution, human activities, resulting in increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases and other trace constituents in the atmosphere, have become a major agent of climate change," the statement reads.

On Friday, Matthew de Ganon, executive director of the blog, backed Cullen wholeheartedly.
"We believe that by presenting her perspective in her blog, the site was able to put into action its mission statement, which states, 'One Degree's mission will be to present an open, balanced dialogue around the scientific facts concerning global climate change. We will provide a place where sound science can be heard and a forum where all people can question and debate,'" De Ganon wrote.

But James Spann, chief meteorologist for ABC 33/40 in Alabama, who has been in operational meteorology since 1978, said Cullen is wading into dangerous waters when it comes to judging her colleagues.

"I do not know of a single TV meteorologist who buys into the man-made global warming hype. I know there must be a few out there, but I can’t find them," Spann said on his blog. "I have nothing against 'The Weather Channel,' but they have crossed the line into a political and cultural region where I simply won’t go."

Kent Laborde, a spokesman at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, suggested the whole argument may be off the mark since Cullen and her critics are two different categories of weather experts — climatologists who look at long-term trends and meteorologists who look at short-term conditions.

Meteorologists are "really not going to have as much of a climate perspective," Laborde said.
NOAA doesn't have a position on climate change but contributes to assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

"We have a strong feeling that what they'll do is upgrade their certainty of whether humans are inducing climate change from likely to very likely," Laborde said.

The issue of man-made global climate change has long stirred debate in the scientific and political communities.

On Capitol Hill, Democratic lawmakers have pledged to devote time to the controversial subject in the coming months. Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sought to create a new House special committee to study global warming and suggest ways to cut back on greenhouse gases. If approved, the panel will draft legislation that aims to cut greenhouse gases.
President Bush also plans to lay out a response to challenges of global warming in his State of the Union address on Tuesday.

Cullen said she and The Weather Channel don't have a political position on global warming.
"Our goal at The Weather Channel has always been to keep people out of harm's way. Whether it's a land-falling hurricane or global warming," Cullen wrote. "We aim to help our viewers better understand why scientists are so concerned about climate change — and then to decide for themselves what they want to do about it. The bottom line is ... this issue isn't going away."

Some Good News from CBS

Viewership Down, Down,

Down
By Peter Johnson
USA Today




During 10 winning years at NBC's Today, Katie Couric became a household name thanks to her friendly banter with guests and her probing newsmaker interviews - key ingredients of morning TV.

But when you anchor a 30-minute newscast, as Couric has since she jumped to The CBS Evening News last fall, every second counts. What clicks with viewers every morning may not at night. Couric said as much in an interview last week with The New York Observer and hinted at how she feels about it.


"I think that, probably, it may be off-putting at times to some people who are used to a very, very buttoned-up newscast that doesn't have much leeway for an occasional glimpse of personality, but you know, I try," Couric said. "I've always had the 'less is more' philosophy, believe it or not, but there are times when I think it's personally fine. If people feel discomfort, maybe they should consider a suppository."



Maybe. Or maybe Evening News should cut back on Couric's interviews. That was the impression some staffers came away with after a meeting last week in which that subject arose. Evening News producer Rome Hartman, who ran the meeting, has this version: "We're not giving up on Katie's interviews, but I did emphasize that in order to be as newsy and fresh and distinctive, that we want those interviews to be real newsmakers, that's all. We don't want to interview the same folks that everyone is doing."

Iran Law Demands Death for Woman

You women readers, imagine you are assaulted in a park while out walking with a young female relative. The three men obviously will rape you but you surprise one of them with a knife, staving off the attack.

The same day, it is you who are arrested, charged with murder. Soon, you are convicted and sentenced to death. Never is there a doubt about the motives of the three men. But the law is the law, after all.

On Jan. 3, 2006, 18-year-old Nazanin Mahabad Fatehi was sentenced to death for murder by court in Iran after she stabbed one of three men who attempted to rape her and her 16-year-old niece in a park in Karaj (a suburb of Tehran) in March 2005. She was seventeen at the time. Iran is signatory to international treaties which forbid them to execute any one under the age of 18; however they continue to do so.
Nazanin

Obama Heritage Now Becoming Public--UPDATE

Hillary's remarks on FOX News were "neutral" at best.

hillaryspeaks










Barack Obama











Barack Obama is a United States Senator from the state of Illinois. Recently, the mainstream media and members of the Democrat Party have encouraged him to run for President in 2008 and have begun grooming him as the "new" star on the horizon. Barack Obama began his political career as an Illinois State Senator in 1996. He unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in Illinois in 2000 but in 2004, Barrack Obama ran and won the Illinois junior Senate Seat. By 2008, he will have served as a Senator for a grand total of five years; that is the sum of his experience that he would bring to the Presidency. During his short time as Senator, he has been ranked by Hill Monitor, a vote tracking group, as 4th in frequency of voting with his party, behind Mikulski (D-MD), Sarbanes (D-MD), and Durbin (D-IL). He has been ranked 100% liberal because of his support of partial birth abortion thru the 9th month, opposition to parental notification regarding minor abortions, gun control, socialized medicine, and support of a new procedure showing up around the country known as "Born Alive Abortions." In this new procedure, a newborn is left to starve and die and Barack Obama has supported this in his own state. Despite the fact that Barack Obama is an attractive, well-educated (Columbia University, Harvard Law School [magna cum laude]), well-spoken man who is currently speaking as a centrist, Mr. Obama is plain and simple a Socialist who refers to himself, as they all do, as a Progressive. KEY NOTE ADDRESS In 2004, John Kerry selected Barack Obama, candidate for the U.S. Senate from Illinois, to deliver the Key Note Address at the Democrat National Convention in Boston. He gave a charismatic address in which he misrepresented himself and misled those listening regarding his heritage. It is because of this speech that he personally gave license to people to scrutinize his heritage and his attempts at hiding his full name: "Barack HUSSEIN Obama." When referring to our 35th President, it is almost required to address him as John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Most often our 32nd President is referred to as Franklin Delano Roosevelt and our 36th President as Lyndon Baines Johnson. People in the public eye are often referred to using three names such as Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sandra Day O'Connor; but not Barack Obama. Barack Obama hides his Muslim heritage by hiding his middle name. Anyone watching his key note address would have been impressed by the newcomer for his presentation and his words. However, those words didn't resemble the truth. It is an amazing story which upon dissection is a made-up resume to "wow" people in the African-American community (especially in Illinois where he was running for the Senate) and people who are inclined to vote for the underdog, particularly bleeding heart liberals. Let us examine those words: "Tonight is a particular honor for me because--let's face it--my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father--my grandfather--was a cook, a domestic servant to the British. But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance, my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place, America, that shone as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before. While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. ...My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or "blessed," believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren't rich, because in a generous America you don't have to be rich to achieve your potential. They are both passed away now. And yet, I know that, on this night, they look down on me with great pride." THE TRUTH: - Barack Obama's father was not a poor "goat herder and immigrant." He was a child of privilege and affluence. He never went from being a goat herder in Kenya to graduating from Harvard in the United States. - Nor was his grandfather a domestic servant for the British. He was a prominent and wealthy farmer in the British Colonial System. He not only owned a farm, but he had a substantial ranch with a large herd of cattle. - Barack Obama's family was a prominent MUSLIM family in Kenya. - Barack Obama says he was given an "African" name by his parents. Obama's grandfather was Hussein Obama, his uncle is Said Hussein Obama, his father was Baraka Hussein Obama, Sr., and he is Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. "Hussein" is an Arabic-Moslem name, not African; but even more telling of his desire to hide his Muslim heritage is his first name. In his speech he claimed it was an African name meaning "blessed." However, his father was named Baraka, later dropping the "a" on his son's name to Barack. "Baraka" is an Arabic name meaning "blessed," not African. Baraka is a name originating directly from the Koran. - In his speech, he said "My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation." That love was improbable as it lasted only a nano-second. Senator Obama's father left his mother and him in Hawaii (where Barack was born) to go to Harvard. After he graduated from Harvard, he returned to Kenya to take his rightful place in his Muslim family. His white wife and mixed race son had no place in that family. He divorced her according to Muslim law and remarried and raised a proper Muslim family. Barack only saw his father one time after he left and that was some time around the age of 10. Barak's mother remarried an Indonesian (purportedly another Muslim) oil manager who was never mentioned in his speech. Barack Hussein Obama, at least in his youth, was raised in the Muslim faith. CHRISTIANITY Sometime in his late twenties, Barack Obama found the Lord. His converting to Christianity is suspect due to his attempts to hide his muslim heritage and due to his core values. In his own words: "I was drawn to the power of the African American religious tradition to spur social change. [...] In the history of these struggles, I was able to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death; rather, it was an active, palpable agent in the world. [...] It was because of these newfound understandings--that religious commitment did not require me to suspend critical thinking, disengage from the battle for economic and social justice, or otherwise retreat from the world that I knew and loved..." Barack Hussein Obama is a Christian who supports partial birth abortion in the 9th month and born alive abortion. How does he reconcile that if he is a true "Christian?" Senator Barack Hussein Obama has since called for his party to broaden its base by reaching out to evangelists and other church-going people and has spoken in African-American churches while he campaigned (as a Christian) for democrats in 2006. Will Barack Obama run and win the Presidency in 2008? We believe not. The Clinton War Machine will have a field day with this information on his "real" heritage. (Ref. Wikipedia, BBC News, Kenya Times Newspaper, The Corner/National Review, Mountain Laurel Review, Political Gateway/Andy Martin.)