I saw the movie Ice Age: The Meltdown last night. Yeah, yeah, I know, 'twas a cartoon and we intellectual folk aren't supposed to like such juvenile things. Hmph! Yeah. Right. And Donald Trump's coiffure is the height of fashion, too.
Anyway, I watched that movie. And I liked it. A lot. Aside from the obvious question as to how these supposedly pre-paleolithic animals (with stress on the "animal" part of that) knew about boats, much less how to start a fire, it was really interesting. A bit maudlin and gooshy (not a guy-flick a'tall a'tall), but cute.
And they used the "g-w" phrase. No, I'm NOT referring to our pathetic excuse for a preznit, but "global warming." Food for thought, that, huh? I mean, there are those of us who see us being like the critters in the movie: happily and ignorantly playing at the foot of a giant glacier, blithely unaware and unconcerned about said glacier's melting behind the wall we see. I'm sure you all can see all the parallels, and I'm equally certain you just know those were deliberate, so I shall spare you that much, at least.
I am one of those who believes that global warming is all too real, and much of it is our fault, we hairless apes. We started it ... and we can stop it, but we have to act. We need to become more active, not just in our own personal actions (such as reducing our expenditures of fossil fuel as much as we can, recycling, etc.). We also need to speak out loudly for all Earth's children, including ourselves. We need to understand that this isn't just a political issue, despite what the Republicans and their ilk say. We need to take all politicians (all the way down to candidates for dog catcher and librarian) to task and demand they put their actions where their empty words have thus far been.
Am I being an alarmist? Perhaps. Certainly, if you're to believe the Bill O'Reillys, Michelle Malkins, Rush Limbaughs, George Bushes, and Dick Cheneys. But, hey, remember all of them have been far wrong before -- remember WMDs in Iraq?
On the other hand, maybe I'm as scared as I should be. Maybe it's all too real and we humans have opened a Pandora's box we won't be able to close in the not too far future.
You decide.
2 comments:
I'm just testing something here. If this shows up, then I'm considered a "team member." Hmph! I'm not only a team MEMBER, I'm the team's daddy! Piece of shite blog, anyway.
I'll try not to type the dissertation I left the last time when your blog didn't consider me a member of the team. *grins*
Although it might seem really minor to a lot of folks, one of my pet peeves is that people just don't get how even the cumulative effect of the smallest things adds up. Those small things could do a lot for reducing the impact of global warming, not to mention the hit in the pocket we take when we pay energy bills.
This pet peeve is a simple one. Automatic doors. Now, I'm not referring to the doors that open by sensor, although that might be another topic. What I refer to specifically are the doors that can be opened manually (that's with arm power!) but which have a button for handicapped people to use.
Have you ever noticed how many people who are well and able-bodied automatically hit that button?
Why?
Yes, I know that not all handicaps are visible - my co-worker has horrible arthritis in her shoulders and pulling on a heavy door causes pain for her. No problem. She has a need. But, my shoulders are fine, and pulling open a door doesn't bother me. But, it bothers a whole lot of other people. I've had folks walking behind me scurry to hit that almighty button when they see me reaching for the door handle...the door I had been planning on holding open for them if need be.
Heaven forbid that they might have to expend a little effort to walk through a doorway.
And, what of the expense? Let's say it costs a cent and a half of electricity each time the button is pushed. Now, multiply that by the 1000 or so people that go through the door each day. Now add the cost for a month. I work for the state and the taxpayers pick up the tab on the utility bills.
It would be worth it to hire a doorman, truth be told. And, far cheaper, even if insurance was included.
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