Why Do People Live In Outlandish Climates In The Temperate Zones?

Jaysus, sing it Henry. You said it.

"Because people are naturally idiots, naturally sluggards, naturally cowards. Until I was about ten years old I never realized that there were "warm" countries, places where you didn't have to sweat for a living, nor shiver and pretend that it was tonic and exhilarating. Wherever there is cold there are people who work themselves to the bone and when they produce young they preach to the young the gospel of work --which is nothing, at bottom, but the doctrine of inertia. My people were entirely Nordic, which is to say idiots."
(T.O.Cap., page 10 in my version.)

Man it's cold here. I must be an idiot.

Hummers Really Blow

Some interesting points from about the Hummer H2, from a great little site, http://www.fuh2.com/

-The H2 is the ultimate poseur vehicle. It has the chassis of a Chevy Tahoe and a body that looks like the original Hummer; i.e. it's a Chevy Tahoe in disguise.

-The H2 is a gas guzzler. Because it has a gross vehicle weight rating over 8500 lbs, the US government does not require it to meet federal fuel efficiency regulations. Hummer isn't even required to publish its fuel economy (owners indicate that they get around 10 mpg for normal use). So while our brothers and sisters are off in the Middle East risking their lives to secure America's fossil fuel future, H2 drivers are pissing away our "spoils of victory" during each trip to the grocery store.

-The H2 is a polluter. Based on G.M.'s optimistic claim that it gets13 mpg, an H2 will produce 3.4 metric tons of carbon emissions in a typical year, nearly double that of G.M.'s Chevrolet Malibu sedan.

-The H2 is a death machine. You'd better hope that you don't collide with an H2 in your economy car. You can kiss your ass goodbye thanks to the H2's massive weight and raised bumpers. Too bad you couldn't afford an urban assault vehicle of your own. Or could you...?

-The H2 is a tax loophole. Under Bush's new tax plan, business owners can deduct the entire cost of their $55,000 H2. If you are in the highest tax bracket, that's a tax savings of nearly $20,000! The government rewards you more savings for buying an H2 than you'd get for buying an electric car.

Check out the site--the best are the emails from the for and against crowd; there's a remarkable similarity with the latter...

All Around Me Are A Million Faces

It's wild to think that as many people as were killed in the tsunami in Southeast asia die each month in Africa due to an ongoing, potentially solvable, preventable problem...starvation.

Riding The Wave?

It's horrible what has happened in the Indian Ocean. Completely and utterly horrible.

And yes, it's great to see this global response to help aid an economically and physically ravaged region. Canadians, Americans, and other Westerners are suddenly reaching into their pockets to help--and appealing to others to do the same.

But my question is this: Why do people only help when the media machine tells us to? Twenty years ago, Ethiopia was the hot topic--Live Aid, an onslaught of commericals, massive appeals to donate--and people responded. But look at Africa now--it's perhaps even worse. And it's like we all just..forgot.

It's so easy to swipe a credit card and send some dollars and pat yourself on the back. Isn't it? Why not go volunteer a few hours at a foodbank? Doesn't cost a thing.

If people found the cash like they have now for a variety of ongoing, neverending problems in the world--HIV medicine in Africa, poverty, countries that *still* have live land mines, homeless people in your city--they'd be done with.

By the way--do you ever wonder how all those images get to us? There are crews and crews of TV and media people all over the region...some have estimated there are 1-2 media people to each 5 relief workers...

Why does Sandra Bullock issue a press release when she donates a million dollars?

Why does everyone email each other, or post on their sites (whether personal or business) where one can donate to the Red Cross, Unicef, wherever?

Sure, keep supporting, keep helping--it's an (as we are constantly told) unprecendented tragedy, and requires an unprecedented response.

But we must ask the question: Whom are we donating for--for them, or for ourselves?

May The Force Be With You Luke...Always

Well, today was pretty much the saddest thing I've ever been to in my life.