It's cold outside

In keeping with a trend already evident since the late 90s, this winter's temperatures are running 0.6-0.7 ^oC below the recent historical average. For those of us living in the northern hemisphere, at least, these numbers come as no surprise. Nor should any sentient adult be surprised by the conventional news media's complete silence on the subject.

When considering such facts, everyone should always keep in mind that spatial averaging of temperatures is, strictly speaking, meaningless. Temporal averaging is meaningful, if the same averaging rule is maintained across time. The evolution of spatially averaged temperature might be suggestive of trends. But a far sounder way to get a handle on such trends globally is to compare temperature trends at different spatial points. Then a truly global trend stands out against strictly local developments.

Then check out the pure gold of Kerry comedy ("weather due to global warming - no human CO2 emissions, no weather!"), showing again what an awful politician he is. Kerry still gets the booby prize as the worst presidential candidate in our lifetimes.

The "global warming" hysteria has taken on a life of its own. It is now free of the plainest common sense, never mind deep scientific thinking.

(Hat tip to Instapundit and TigerHawk.)

POSTSCRIPT: How many blog postings do you read that reference both "Kerry" and "thermodynamics"? - except perhaps in the context of "entropy" and "degeneration" :*)