Talk about things going out of fashion. A few years back, the whole panic was over the ozone layer. More specifically, the hole in it. I don’t remember the last time I heard anything about that, do you? You should have heard the hue and cry over it, at that time. That’s when the sun screens came into vogue.
Seems the ozone layer was supposed to protect us from the sun’s harmful rays. With the hole, there was no protection from all that UV. Eeek! One by one came the parade of sun screens to save us from the evil UV. I may be all wet but I don’t like stuff on my skin that’s all oily and yucky. Sun screen is. I refuse to wear it. I have an olive complexion and am not that sensitive to the sun. My husband, on the other hand, is a redhead and he does wear it along with a wide brimmed hat, whenever he walks outside on sunny days. Funny, he didn’t do that when he was a kid although he got some pretty bad sunburns, he tells me.
Yes, I feel sorry for the redheads of this world. Think of all the summer fun they miss. I feel sorry for anyone who has such a sensitive skin that they can’t enjoy nature. That has to suck. But to get back to the Ozone layer, I’m willing to bet, just as dialogue over the hole in it waned, so will the carbon dioxide dialogue. Sooner or later, we get bored. Time to think of something new to panic about.
March 30th, 2007
Posted by
Lugatz |
Environment, Personal Opinions |
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Seems that – oh boy, my face is red – I am confusing pollution with the climate change culprit, carbon dioxide. Hey, wait a minute, maybe I’m not the one confused. Carbon dioxide. Isn’t that what we exhale? Don’t tell me exhaling is bad.
Carbon dioxide – isn’t that what trees breathe in? Isn’t that why it’s good to have indoor plants? Oh, I don’t know. I’m just going to stick to what really bothers me – POLLUTION!
When stinky stuff spews out of tailpipes, that’s pollution. When slobs throw garbage on the sidewalk or anywhere other than trash receptacles, that’s pollution. When I can hear, from the penthouse, boom boxes blaring from cars thirty floors below, that’s pollution. Let’s face it, if you want to blow out your eardrums, that’s your business. Do it with the windows up.
But to get back to air and water quality. We still have to live and work and manufacture things. Without that, we’d be back living in caves. So what are we to do? Well, the technology is there. Solar energy, wind energy, hydrogen fuel, methane gas made from sugar, corn and any number of renewable things. And whatever happened to cold fusion? Wasn’t that supposed to be the energy source of the next millennium?
Oh, come one, we’re smart, creative and obstinate. Are we going to be forever beholdin’ to the oil god?
March 28th, 2007
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Lugatz |
Climate Change, Environment, Personal Opinions, Pollution |
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I know you were all waiting with breathless anticipation to hear my views. Wait no more.
I am a true believer in, “If it smells bad, fix it”. Carbon dioxide has no smell. We exhale carbon dioxide and breathe in oxygen. Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. Ergo, trees are good. Maybe we should only be driving cars in forests. But seriously, don’t you think the whole environment issue is overkill? It just seems to be the trendy thing to talk about, nowadays. It will pass. (Does anyone talk about herpes anymore? Naw. Boring. So last century.) Why all the rhetoric?
OK, anything that spews black smoke from smoke stacks has got to be either fixed or destroyed. Cars should be running on a fuel made from a renewable resource. Personally, I love hydrogen fuel. Cars running on that only have water coming from their tailpipes. That’s it. No stink. I don’t know about methane gas but it’s worth a look at. I’m sure coal could be made to burn cleanly. Surely some smart person has thought of a way to clean it up before the smoke enters the atmosphere.
Yes, we should all be environmentalists. But what is that?
What it is not is vacuous blather about saving the planet. It is being proactive. You can sum it up this way, “Don’t be a slob.” Don’t throw things on the sidewalk – put it in the waste receptacle where it belongs. If you don’t see one around, keep the items with you until you do or bring it home and put it in the trash. It doesn’t take a lot of effort.
Anyone who’s been to Switzerland will tell you how clean the country is. Go into the cities early in the morning. You’ll see shopkeepers sweeping up the sidewalk in front of their stores and cleaning their windows. It’s a pleasure to see. I dare you to find a piece of paper strewn anywhere. What is impressive is that each person does his/her part. That part being tidy. No graffiti. I have no idea why or how that became an art form. I would ban spray paint and throw the perps into jail.
Yes, a city where the air is clean, where cars run quietly on hydrogen, where industry has cleaned up their polluting ways, and where people are tidy, would be a pleasure to live in. I say let’s all work together toward that goal. We don’t need an Al Gore to tell us what we instinctively already know.
March 22nd, 2007
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Lugatz |
Climate Change, Environment, Pollution |
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I’ve been seeing him lately, ranting about the environment. All he needs to do now is carry a picket sign with the words “Repent Sinner. The End Is Nigh” Overkill. On top of which he looks like a drunk. His face is red and bloated and he looks like he just woke up from a major bender. Quite a change from that straight-laced, stiff, robotic stance of yesteryear. But what bugged me even more is what he said lately. “America is the natural leader of the world” Hugh? America is a royal pain in the ass, especially if you live next door in Canada. Especially since Dubja’s entry into the equation. There’s no way anyone follows it’s lead. Time to get off that soapbox and face reality. Time for me to get off that soapbox too.
Poor Al, he’s had a hard time since being Veep. Living in Bill Clinton’s shadow must be tough. We hadn’t heard from dear old Al in seven years. Meanwhile, Bill is making oodles of money on speaking tours. He’s involved in all kinds of humane causes. Every time he appears anywhere, people rush to see him. He has become a star, a folk hero. All the while, making more money than he had ever dreamed of making.
All this time, no sign of Al. Suddenly, he emerges as the friend of the planet. He’s corny and transparent. Maybe he’s hoping to make some money on speaking tours. Maybe he’s hoping somebody will buy his book. Poor Al.
March 22nd, 2007
Posted by
Lugatz |
Climate Change |
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A thought just struck me – what about the population of the Americas? Aren’t we all illegal immigrants? The native people did not give the settlers and looters permission, did they? And they kept coming, ship after ship full of folks looking to grab what they can. Permission, titles, grants came from their home country. Kind of makes you chuckle – in a crazy sort of way – doesn’t it? The natives were just overwhelmed and overrun by these palefaces. They didn’t have a chance.
However, I predict that in the years ahead, they will take over. You can see it now. They are now educated and have accumulated some wealth. They are using the law of the land to their advantage. The reservations, which initally were created to put the natives on designated land and, therefore, away from the palefaces and their daughters, now have the power to run their own businesses including gambling, banking, all manner of services. In short, they are getting rich and with riches comes power.
If you live near a successfuly run reservation, you hire their services. For example, say you need carpeting or flooring. Hire a native contractor working from the reservation and you save the taxes. Furthermore, since they don’t have to pay sales taxes, they buy their materials cheaper and pass the savings on. You can save yourself a bundle by dealing with native businesses. So, let’s support native industry.
March 14th, 2007
Posted by
Lugatz |
Business, Musings |
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