Um, do you want to give the Solar Flux for Dummies version for us, uh . . . dummies? ;-)
No problem.
“Solar Flux” is a measurement of the strength of the sun’s magnetic field and is measured via a radio telescope.
The magnetic field’s strength is, like sunspot activity to which it is closely linked, an indicator for the brightness of the sun.
When the value is high, when there are many sunspots, the sun cranks out a little extra energy and the result is that Earth heats up too.
But when the value is low (the 64-68 range for solar flux is as low as has been observed), when there are no sunspots, the sun is slightly dimmer and the result is global cooling.
Right now the sun has been unusually quiet as Solar Cycle 23 has come to its end but Solar Cycle 24 has not started. Really, there has been no global warming since around 1998 and the present trend is for cooling.
For some months I was running a “Global Cooling Watch” and there is a kind of a summary post here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1969680/posts?q=1&;page=101#120
Lots of good discussion in that thread.
I’ve been rooting to have the coming minimum called the “Gore-Hansen Minimum” in honor of two of the most shameless hucksters for man-made global warming.