This is an interesting web site. You can look at the ice pack in both the arctic and the antarctic since 1979. While there has been some melting in the arctic, which the media tells you about over and over again, they don't seem to say what's happening in the antarctic. Look for your self. The data from the antarctic is probably what caused the term global warming to migrate to climate change.
Andeas
http://nsidc.org/cgi-bin/bist/bist.pl?annot=1&legend=1&scale=100&tab_cols=2&tab_rows=2&config=seaice_index&submit=Refresh&mo0=07&hemis0=S&img0=extn&mo1=07&hemis1=S&img1=conc&year0=2008&year1=1980&.cgifields=no_panel
Andeas
http://nsidc.org/cgi-bin/bist/bist.pl?annot=1&legend=1&scale=100&tab_cols=2&tab_rows=2&config=seaice_index&submit=Refresh&mo0=07&hemis0=S&img0=extn&mo1=07&hemis1=S&img1=conc&year0=2008&year1=1980&.cgifields=no_panel
DSOs observed:
NGCs 2005, ICs 103, Other 70, Palomar GCs 6, Abell PNs 12, Herschel 400: 316.
Equipment
Celestron CPC 1100, Lunt 60mm Ha Solar Scope