A common and much-justified complaint against mainstream newspapers is how the media can give prominence to even the most speculative charges against a person or company and when those charges are disproved, it’s a fleeting, one-day story buried inside.

Thus, kudos to The Washington Post for so prominently displaying the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s report that cleared Toyota from the accusations their vehicles’ electronics produced incidents of unintended acceleration. Scientific investigation by top NASA engineers disproved the claims: “NASA found no evidence that a malfunction in electronics caused large unintended accelerations,” said Michael Kirsch, Principal Engineer at the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC).

Here’s The Washington Post’s front page. The newspaper also publishes an excellent editorial on the hype and ginned-up attacks against the company, “NHTSA report clears up mystery – and hysteria – on Toyota cars.” Excerpt:

AFTER A 10-MONTH study, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and NASA have concluded that the cause of sudden accelerations of Toyotas last year was not, as widely speculated, a software flaw that the company would not acknowledge. Some of the incidents were caused by “pedal misapplication” – that is, a driver mistakenly slamming on the gas instead of the brake – and some by sticking pedals or floor mat entanglement. And what of the spike in reported malfunctions? The publicity that enveloped the federal investigations – which led to the recall of more than 8.5 million cars and congressional hearings that hauled Toyota President Akio Toyoda to Capitol Hill – “was the major contributor to the timing and volume of complaints.”

In short, human error, mechanical errors that Toyota repaired and a dose of politically induced hysteria were to blame. The congressional hearings often were aimed more at generating headlines than getting to the bottom of a confusing situation. It’s right to ask tough questions of corporate executives and public officials. But the absence of restraint and perspective did not help get at the truth. Company officials were put in an impossible situation, since blaming Toyota customers – though this was true in many cases – would have been a public relations disaster.

The Post’s editorial cites the NHTSA study that concludes that “the most likely cause” of acceleration was “pedal misapplication.” The paper’s good advice to readers — “Remember this when the next crisis hits” — might also be applied to many of the nation’s editors and reporters, too.

P.S. And here’s The New York Times front page coverage. Hardly seems to balance the more than 900 articles and other items on Toyota and acceleration over the past year, does it?

Provocative story in today’s Washington Post, the 6-page Russia Now ad supplement, “Russia makes space for U.S.” The small, sub-deck headline reads, “While Russia burns with ambition again, the United States has grown ambivalent about space exploration.”

The piece reports that NASA has signed a $306 million contract with the Russian Federal Space Agency for U.S. astronauts to fly to the International Space Station in 2012. In addition, “[The] Russian government has increased spending on the space industry by a remarkable 40 percent for each of the past five years, spending $2.8 billion in 2009.”

Not sure whether it’s smart positioning, wishful thinking or just accurate reporting by the Russians, but the impression left is that of a marketing pitch pegged to the theme, “Worn-out superpower can’t afford its own space program, has to turn to Russia.”

The Russians take legitimate pride in their history-making (Soviet) space program. Are they really going to lead the 21st Century’s ventures into space? (One NAM colleague laughs at the notion, remembering the decayed equipment of 1990s Moscow.)

Coincidentally, no doubt, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies held a hearing Tuesday on NASA’s budget request, $19 billion for FY2011:

3/23/10
Hearing- NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) FY2011 Budget Overview
2:00 PM, 2359, RHOB
- Chairman Mollohan(Statement)
- Major General (Ret.) Charles F. Bolden, Jr., Administrator, NASA
(Testimony)

We pass on a news release from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), “ANSI and NAM to Host Event for Congressional Staff on Next Generation Batteries” with the sub-hed, “UL and SAE International join as co-sponsors.”

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is pleased to announce that it has teamed with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) to co-host an upcoming event for Congressional staff on the latest innovations, standards, and conformity assessment activities that support next generation battery technology.

To be held on March 1, 2010, the event will feature expert speakers from Johnson Controls, Nissan, NASA, and the Argonne National Laboratory. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and SAE International are serving as event co-sponsors.

American technical experts are making great advancements in battery technology that are vital to U.S. competitiveness and economic growth. Termed “next generation” batteries, these devices allow longer and faster run times, reduce dependence on other sources of energy, lessen the environmental impact of modern technologies, and lead to smaller and lighter electronics. Next generation batteries will impact nearly every industry, including solar energy, electric vehicles, wind energy, and aerospace. Standards and conformance are key to the manufacture, implementation, and interoperability of this innovative technology.

NASA employee and increasingly erratic climate scold James Hansen recently called for ratcheting up the level of protests against energy production, just in time for Monday’s rally at the Capitol Hill power plant. And in just in time for the biggest snow storm in three years.

From Fox News:

In a video on capitolclimateaction.org, Dr. James Hansen is seen urging Americans to “take a stand on global warming” during the March 2 protest at the Capitol Power Plant in Southeast Washington, D.C.

“We need to send a message to Congress and the president that we want them to take the actions that are needed to preserve climate for young people and future generations and all life on the planet,” says Hansen, who has likened coal-fired power plants to “factories of death” and claims he was muzzled by the Bush administration when he warned of drastic climate changes.

“What has become clear from the science is that we cannot burn all of the fossil fuels without creating a very different planet. The only practical way to solve the problem is to phase out the biggest source of carbon — and that’s coal.”

But critics say Hansen’s latest call to action blurs the line between astronomer and activist and may violate the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from participating in partisan political activity.

“Oh my goodness,” one of Hansen’s former supervisors, Dr. John Theon, told FOXNews.com when informed of the video. “I’m not surprised … The fact that Jim Hansen has gone off the deep end here is sad because he’s a good fellow.”

The Climate Action website proclaims “Mass Civil Disobediance at the Coal-Fired CAPITOL POWER PLANT.” Good thing the site has an illustration of Gandhi along with all the riling/rallying. Too bad today’s protesters have only a passing acquaintance with the theory of civil disobedience, tending to whine when they go too far and are arrested. “But we mean well!” Really? By eliminating 50 percent of the power generation in the United States?

Moot point, perhaps, as the National Weather Service announces:

A Winter Storm Warning For Snow Remains In Effect From 2 PM This Afternoon To 2 PM EST Monday For The District Of Columbia…And Areas Of Maryland And Northern Virginia East Of The Blue Ridge.
(continue reading…)

NASA climate scientist James Hansen is so publicity hungry that he has to inject more and more outrageousness into the public debate about global warming just to maintain the buzz. Readying himself for a Rep. Ed Markey-arranged gathering, Hansen declared, “CEOs of fossil energy companies know what they are doing and are aware of long-term consequences of continued business as usual. In my opinion, these CEOs should be tried for high crimes against humanity and nature.” Hansen mentioned ExxonMobil and Peabody Coal CEO specifically.

Vic Svec, senior vice president for Peabody, responded with a few observations in a note to the New York Times. Excerpts:

1. His use of Holocaust analogies is outrageous and demeaning. It cheapens the dialogue and invites ridicule.

2. The suggestion that a dissemination of ideas be criminalized –- coming from a government employee no less –- does hearken back to World War II. It is stunning and should be pounced upon by everyone who advocates free speech, from the ACLU and talk radio complex to yourself.

3. Blaming big oil and big coal for the broad array of opinions about climate change is disingenuous. If he would imprison those who don’t march in lockstep with his views, the jails would be very, very big. It would include thousands of scientists and university professors and the likes of the president of the Czech Republic, a former founder of Greenpeace and the former founder of The Weather Channel.

Svec adds mention of Peabody’s increased efficiency and environmental sensitivity, including the reduction of greenhouse gases.

The Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival begins today on the Mall here in Washington, a two-week event that’s always worth checking out. Every year the festival offers three areas, three themes: a state or region; a foreign country; and something else, usually scientific and institutional. Inevitably some of the lectures, demonstrations, performances or displays highlight manufacturing in one form or another.

This year the three themes are Texas, NASA and Bhutan. Doubt the Bhutanese will be emphasizing their industrial base, but there’s obviously some good manufacturing connections with Texas and NASA. In fact, for NASA….

·     Aeronautics

·     Earth Science

·     Future Missions

·     Human Spaceflight

·     Kids' Space

·     NASA-derived Technologies

·     Propulsion

·     Robotics

·     Space Art

·     Space Science

We’ll also admit to being excited by….

June 27 Friday
Texas
Opry House 6:00 pm
Texas Songsters
Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines
Joe Ely and Joel Guzman

Because the road goes on forever and the party never ends.

UPDATE (3:05 p.m.): Here’s NASA’s news release. Featuring astronauts!

NASA presenters at the festival include Deputy Administrator Shana Dale, Johnson Space Center Director and astronaut Michael Coats, Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier, “Rocket Boys” author Homer Hickam, NASA Chief Historian Steven Dick, Goddard Space Flight Center Chief Scientist James Garvin, current astronauts Frederick (Rick) Sturckow, Carl Walz, Pat Forester, Sunita Williams and former astronauts Ken Reightler, Pierre Thuot, Jan Davis, Tom Jones, Joe Edwards, Charlie Walker, William Readdy, Brian O’Connor and Loren Shriver.

If you fancy yourself the brave teller of truth, the apotheosis of science, a bringer of insight available only to a Ph.D., it might get frustrating when people say, “No, I disagree with you.”

But when out of frustration you start to call people criminals, you’ve lost claim to be taken seriously. At that point…fanaticism.

NASA scientist James Hansen, speaking at a political event at the House of Representatives on Monday, one orchestrated by Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA):

CEOs of fossil energy companies know what they are doing and are aware of long-term consequences of continued business as usual. In my opinion, these CEOs should be tried for high crimes against humanity and nature.

Conviction of ExxonMobil and Peabody Coal CEOs will be no consolation, if we pass on a runaway climate to our children. Humanity would be impoverished by ravages of continually shifting shorelines and intensification of regional climate extremes. Loss of countless species would leave a more desolate planet.

You know, Hansen, maybe you’re wrong.

And you may also be encouraging the less balanced in the world to do something really fanatical and really criminal.

P.S. Odd in the NYT blog post, as if the reporter was trying to ingratiate himself: “The remark was not tossed off and is much more fully fleshed out in the written statement. (With his permission, I’ve added added the statement to the bottom of this post).”

Why would the reporter ask permission? Hansen’s a public figure making a statement at a public event. Would one ask permission from the CEO of ExxonMobil and Peabody Coal?

P.P.S. More from Walter Olson at Point of Law.