Environmental Talk

Jill Sobule

Somehow, when Jill Sobule sings about global warming, it doesn’t seem all that bad.

Still, it must be quite hard to sing with your tongue planted so firmly in your cheek.

I’m off to New York City this weekend and will let you know about any strange natural phenomenon that I witness (other than everyday life in Manhattan).

Have a great weekend, all.

And check out more great YouTube videos at YouTubeDigger.com

global warming, climate change, Jill Sobule, environment, New York City, Central Park

Lexus’ new hybrid model is sleek and sexy … and the car’s not bad, either.

Lexus took a big leap toward making hybrids sexy with the unveiling of the hybrid Lexus LS sedan.

Sexy isn’t cheap (MSRP is around $104,000, $124,000 fully equipped) but the car pushes technology to levels you usually only see in a James Bond movie.

“The LS 600h L is the world’s first vehicle of any type to be powered by a ‘full hybrid’ V8 powertrain. Full hybrid means the car can be powered by the gas engine only, the electric motor only, or both at the same time.”

I’m not a car guy, but I think that’s good and means that you won’t have any problem passing the occasional Hummer.

From the MSN Auto preview:

When it rolls into showrooms, the LS 600h L will be one of the most technologically dense cars you can buy. There’s a power rear-ceiling-mounted 3.0 VGA 9-inch entertainment screen. Occupants’ body heat is measured with infrared sensors to adjust the cabin temperature while ceiling climate diffusers gently distributes air movement.

The amply sized LS 600h L—provided it has the right options—parks itself. Pull up to a space, select reverse and the car steers automatically into the gap, using sensors and a rear-view camera. All the driver needs to do is modulate the brakes.

And if all that isn’t enough for your luxury needs, this hybrid pleasure cruiser also includes a stunning 19-speaker Mark Levinson audio system, voice-activated hard disk drive (HDD) satellite navigation with Bluetooth technology and XM real-time traffic system.

Suh-weet!

The car is projected to have a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) rating and get you 20 models per gallon in the city. The models you attract may differ according to which city you drive in and what kind of pick-up line you use.

451 Press Note: Will Thompson over at Automotive Blogger has an article on the new popularity of hybrids.

global warming, climate change, Lexus, hybrid, models, Super Ultra Low Emission, Toyota

“Hey, little buddy . . .”

Greenpeace people are smart.

As a publicity stunt, they are building a replica of Noah’s Ark on Mount Ararat - the spot where, if you believe that Noah built an ark, the Ark is supposed to have landed after the Great Flood.

According to press reports:

Turkish and German volunteer carpenters are making the wooden ship on the mountain in eastern Turkey, bordering Iran. The ark will be revealed in a ceremony on May 31, a day after Greenpeace activists climb the mountain and call on world leaders to take action to tackle climate change, Greenpeace said.

When you work for a non-profit organization, you have to make your contributions count and Greenpeace is doing just that. They get an ark built for free, they get oodles of free publicity and they will be able to use the ark to help train future generations of Greenpeace activists in proper boat boarding and sabotage procedures.

Now that’s getting value for your 501(c)(4) dollar.

Seats on the ark should command a premium price if the predictions of Greenpeace activist Hilal Atici are to be believed, “Climate change is real, it’s happening now and unless world leaders take urgent, decisive and far-reaching action, the next decades will see human miseryon a scale not experienced in modern times.”

Editor’s note:
Anytime someone says “Climate change is real” we insert a picture of Method Man and reference his rap lyric, ” …real like Rahway Lifers.”

This is the blog version of doing shots during the Academy Awards every time the orchestra cuts someone off. Feel free to do shots or chug a Deschutes Black Butte Porter every time you see the quote “Climate change is real” or hear a prediction about unimaginable global warming consequences. -MJ

global warming, climate change, Greenpeace, Bill Murray, Method Man, Ghostbusters, Noah’s Ark

“Danger, Will Robinson…”

Inspiration comes in many forms. It may come from a passing scene played out as you ride the bus, from reading a magazine outside your normal area of interest, or from talking to a close friend.

If you’re a writer, there are a number of sources you can turn to for writing prompts, ideas and encouragement. 451 Press has an excellent resource for writers in our very own Jaime over at Fiction Scribe. Jaime dishes out advice, constructive criticism and the occasional well-aimed brickbat while blogging at her site for all things writing. It’s like the old Algonquin Hotel Round Table, except you have to bring your own booze.

Inspiration came from an unlikely source today when I happened to notice an article by Robert Robb in the Tuscon Citizen. Robb (or Rob) had the following brilliant suggestion:

As the discussion of global warming progresses, it would be valuable if distinctions could be maintained between what is known, what is reasonably believed and what is mostly being guessed at.

This is a brilliant idea. We could even have little icons that precede every written statement warning readers that the following assertion was either fact, a reasonable theory or sensationalist posturing.

Face-to-face debates would require that speakers punctuate their sentences with hand signals like rappers or gang members.

“Climate change is real like them Rahway Lifers…”

Of course, this would require a large organization that would certify and classify all statements on climate change into one of the three categories…

Which is why I’d like to take this opportunity to announce the formation of the Global Association on Global Methodology for the Environment.

The role of GAG ME, as I see it, is to eliminate the copious amounts of time spent by both sides on cherry-picking facts, on challenging the motivations of scientists who don’t agree with one’s view and on pointing out the hypocrisy in the other side’s lifestyles.

Naturally, there would be a small fee involved.

Why should those people hustling for government grant or oil company money be the only ones to profit from this discussion?

Disclaimer:
Classification of statements by GAG ME is final and subject to revision at any time. Past results are not necessarily indicative of future performance. Side effects may include nausea, vomiting, impotence and skin rash. Void where prohibited by law.

GAG ME is an equal opportunity cynic.

global warming, climate change, inspiration, Fiction Scribe, Method Man, GAG ME, side effects, void where prohibited by law

Laurie David

Laurie David and Cambria Gordon have dedicated their new book, “The Down-To-Earth Guide to Global Warming” to their daughters. I thought that was such a great idea that I decided to write my own dedication to my son to be used in my next book.

For your dining and dancing pleasure, the two dedications are printed below. Laurie and Cambria’s is first because I’m chivalrous like that …

To Our Three Daughters
We hope that by the time you read this, the solutions to global warming will be well under way. You already know from living with us, how concerned we are about this problem. Sometimes, we go over board with our reactions to everyday annoyances like over -packaged products, leaving lights on in the room, taking too long a shower or leaving your chargers in the wall. We embarrass you when we glare at hummer drivers and or get emotional when we talk about drowning polar bears. But we do this because all of the things that we love and care about are at stake. We do this because we do not want the day to come when you ask us why we did not do more.

We want you to be able to enjoy snowy winters. We want you to be able to cool off between your sheets on summer nights. We want you to see the leaves change colors when they’re supposed to. We want you to visit Yellowstone National Park and spot a bear. If you get a mosquito bite, we want it to itch, not carry a deadly disease. We don’t want your generation to be the generation that is defined by mass species extinction. We want you to live in a world where we face the truth about our problems and do everything we can to solve them. We want you to grow up to be activists.

That’s why we wrote our book, The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming. It’s for girls like you and yes, boys, too. The more people who understand global warming, the better chance we have at bringing about change — change as individuals and change as a country. Change means accepting the fact that the way we are living is causing huge damage to our planet. Change means that once we accept that responsibility, doing everything in our power to correct our course. Change means hope, not despair. Once you understand global warming, you understand how much you can do to solve it. Time is of the essence…lets get started.

We love you so much,
Your mothers,
Laurie David and Cambria Gordon

Mark Jabo

To My One Son
I hope by the time you read this, much of the hysteria surrounding global warming will have dissipated. You already know from living with me, how unconcerned I am about this “problem.” Sometimes, Frequently on this blog, I go over board with my reactions to some of the nonsense associated with the issue: the demonizing of anyone who doesn’t uncritically agree with all the doomsday predictions, the willingness to suspend individual rights in the name of saving the world, or the attempts to bamboozle children on the subject. I try not to embarrass you when I do things to point you in the direction of thinking for yourself. I would suggest that if you are going to get emotional every time a random animal in nature dies, we’ll need to start saving for therapy now while you’re still in grade school. As with every parent, I do this because I love and care about you and because of all the things that are at stake. I do this because I do not want the day to come when you ask me why I did not do more to help raise you as a strong, confident and independent thinker who embodies kindness and humanity.

I want you to be able to enjoy your life. I want you to marvel at all the new technologies that will be invented in your lifetime – technologies that will help keep you cool in summer or warm in winter – and I want to teach you not to be afraid of progress and achievement. You will see many autumns in your life and I hope you enjoy the beauty and complexity of nature. I won’t be so presumptuous as to tell you I know exactly when any of that is supposed to happen. I want you to visit Yellowstone National Park and spot a bear – hopefully, from a distance and before he spots you. You should understand that the bear won’t be nearly as concerned about your welfare as you may be with his. I would prefer that you never get a mosquito bite but, if you do, I certainly hope it will be malaria-free. As long as we’re attaching significance to mosquito bites, I hope you will remember that millions of humans have died due to an irrational banning of DDT and I hope you remember that a single human life is more precious than any colony of penguins, flock of owls or bevy of tree frogs.

No one wants their child’s generation to be defined by mass extinction, but you should remember that some of the worst atrocities in history have been promulgated in the name of “the greater good.” I want you to live in a world where you face the truth about our problems and are equipped, by virtue of your ability to think and reason, to solve them. I want you to grow up to be proud, confident and filled with self-esteem. You should be the one to determine what you become and should not let anyone, not even me, try to tell you what you should be when you grow up.

This is why I’m going to write my next book, tentatively entitled The Down-To-Earth Guide for Down-To-Earth Living Here on Earth. Uh, … that title could change. It will be for boys like you and yes, girls, too. The more that you understand that your survival is based on your ability to think for yourself, the better chance we all have at bringing about productive change – change that respects the rights of individuals and does not demand that you accept the actions or the way of thinking of any group just because there may be more (or less) of them than you.

Productive change means accepting the fact that you are a human being and, as such, your defining characteristic is your ability to think and that there are requirements for your survival that you should be concerned about. Change means that once you accept the right to think for yourself, you should insist on that right being available to others. The right to think for yourself, and the right to reap the consequent actions of that thinking, should remain free for every individual. Positive change means hope, not despair. Once you understand individual rights, you understand how much is possible to us as humans and understand how much everyone benefits when we are all free to apply the best within us. Time is of the essence … let’s get started.

I love you so much,
Your dad,
Mark Jabo

If our children can survive all of us, they’ll probably be just fine.

[tags] global warming, climate change, Laurie David, Cambria Gordon,