It’s really important for people to understand what the data is all about, that NASA is talking about, and the significance of the Maunder Minimum to the AGW discussion (Anthropogenic Global Warming) going on today.
There is a connection and those two posts (Post #8 and Post #11) will get you up to speed, plus the video will give something very easy for your friends and neighbors to understand, and will get them out of this misunderstanding about AGW...
Thanks for the links, they cover it all. It’s hard to get through to non-science types about the difference between the Anthropogenic and Solar Global Warming models. They literally stand there and point to car exhausts as “proof,” without understanding the impact of even one medium-sized volcanic eruption, or the percentage difference between carbon dioxide and water vapor, or the complete disconnect between CO2 levels and temperature, or the sheer power of solar radiation compared to anything else on the planet.
If anyone remembers Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, there was a character in it who had a very expensive BMW motorcycle, but would get furious when anything went wrong with it, and refused to learn how to do any maintenance or minor repairs. AGW people remind me of him - they are so sure of their so-called science, but become enraged when anyone brings up scientific principles, data, inquiry, or anything connected with it - and other than braying their “opinions,” they have zero ability to defend themselves.