Global Warming vs The Recession

This story came my way today and had me thinking pretty hard.

Yes, it's quite a shocker. The fact that the shipping industry is in such dire straits, added to the poor bottom-of-the-rung workers this will only hit in 2 years, added to... well there's a whole lot of bad news there.

Been sneaking in an Oprah show or two while making supper lately too. And she's also on about the recession, scrimping and saving, being thrifty, and watching where your money is stored. She's got experts from here until kingdom come to help us along the way.

There was an interesting show on a little while ago about the tent cities springing up as people try and survive a sudden lack of income. Treehugger has a piece on Transition Towns too - people who are finding new (or old?) ways to cope - paring down, foraging and planting their own food, cutting back on the electrics and electronics...

And here's where Global Warming hits the picture.

Step back from all the bad news, add in a pinch of the other bad news - and what do you get?

And entire planet that has basically ground to a halt, has cut their pollution because they can't afford to drive / run a tanker / keep the lights on all night. There are less commuters thanks to jobs disappearing. Families are rediscovering alternative entertainment in the great outdoors as opposed to the latest and greatest gadgetry. And those planting their own backyard (or balcony!) farms have started re-greening what was once simply cement and stone. People are rediscovering what our grandparents knew - how to can vegetables and bake bread and mend things and make things.

In short - suddenly there's a lot less pressure on our environment to sustain a techo-industrial lifestyle.

So I have to ask - could this worldwide recession actually be the best way of fighting global warming (or global destruction if you believe global warming is a myth / natural cycle)? It's one we could never have dreamt up as a solution, and certainly not something you could get millions to do in a hurry.

I dunno, just thinking...

Before & After

Spotted on a 4x4 forum this morning, these old photos are quite eye-opening (all these and more can be found here)! I've gone trawling for current images - check it out:

Long and Winding Road

Growing up in Zimbabwe, we basically ran wild. Everyone had a bike, we spent days outdoors (rain or shine - heck, rain was cool!), there was nothing electronic to distract us. In Gweru we had a treehouse - a huge wooden packing crate hauled up into a tree by dad (in his suit) and the garden boy. The stories I could tell about that place...! In Harare mom made us a real-live teepee, big enough to sleep in - which we often did. We found out which of the plants in the garden were edible, and concocted the most disgusting "food" around our fire. Fortunately avo's from one of the three trees supplemented our "diet" - the trees conveniently hanging over the roof for climbing purposes.

It was a life filled with adventure of the self-directed kind. Scraped knees, random bruises (still seem to get those today, oddly enough), sun-kissed freckles all over your face (I really should learn the value of sunblock), leathery bare feet that could walk unperturbed across a meltingly-hot tar road (though inside you were screaming - but hey, you weren't gonna let a boy beat you). The kid with the best bike was top of the pile. I had a red 12-speed. :-) An outing was a trip with multiple families for a picnic by the dam, or amid huge boulders perfect for clambouring over (don't forget your roll of rope and your knife!).

I remember one day mom needed something from the shops. Being 11, I was old enough to go off on my own and get it, armed with the appropriate cash. Heck - we'd been biking all over town for years anyway, perfectly safe. So off I went, headed toward the first shop that popped in my head.

It was only about 5km away...

But after 1km my bike had a flat wheel! And I walked, and pushed it, and finally made it to the shop. Got my stuff, headed back... and was met by worried parents back home. "Where were you?" they asked, "you've been gone for hours!". Well I explained the distance, the hills, the lack of air in my front tyre, the long and winding road there and back...

Only to be told, "but why didn't you go to the shop just down the road?"!

Duh!

Oh well, learning curves and all that. :-) Needless to say I didn't make that mistake again.

Cricket at Newlands

Was chatting to a friend this morning who grew up in the same area I did in Cape Town. One thing we both used to do as kids/teens was head off to Newlands for cricket now and then.

We lived in Mowbray, just two train-stops from the Newlands stadium, and it was a matter of a quick trip to spend the school holiday days there. Before the entire circle was built up with stadiums and fancy buildings, the prime spot was under the trees next to the main stadium (between stadium and scoreboard in this pic) - a few steps from the entrance and station. There was one crazy bloke that always hung out there, an oldish coloured chap who had the most colourful commentary and threw it at everyone liberally. He'd chat to the watchers, the players, the tv camer blokes, whoever would listen. He once teased a player liberally about his "day-job" - an apple farmer. After the drinks break, the player came out and threw him an apple! :-)

We weren't only in attendance for the big, exciting matches. The 5-day-long tests for our local team would do just as well. If it got rained out, no problem. Up went the umbrellas.. and we often ended up on TV as part of the "scattered few". We'd gather friends and hit the grass with bats and balls - entertain ourselves when nothing was going on on the field.

The best games though were the exciting day/nights, with the big teams and the grounds packed. Mexican waves, checking out the local talent in the crowd, bringing your braai (the smoke drifting across the field in great waves between innings), and travelling home in a rocking packed train rejoicing after a win - never to be forgotten!

These days the trains are dangerous and no kids would hop on them without thinking twice. Gone are the days of catching a train to the cricket, or to Muizenberg beach for the day (and chatting up the surfers on the way home). Gone the expansive lawns - replaced by "assigned seating" usually priced well above a kid's allowance. Gone the freedom for kids to come and go during the holidays.

Damn, I miss those days!

image from answers.com

This Kiss

There's nothing like a really great snog, a passionate liplock where time stands still. Equally, there's nothing as horrible as a bad kisser...

My very first kiss was when I was 15 - yah, I was a late bloomer. I had just hit a new high school - boarding school - and to my surprise ended up with a boyfriend quite quickly. That first kiss was behind the library on a Friday night, after our compulsory evening meeting - and I was totally inexperienced. We locked lips - but French kissing? I knew nothing of that! I had to have it explained to me, then attempted... but I did catch on quite quickly.

And have loved kissing/being kissed ever since.

There's one that completely stands out though. I had a best friend - a guy who I'd gone to school with, and who studied at the same place I did after school. We were a nutty team, always doing crazy stuff like rubbing blue Smarties on our lips and walking around a mall smiling at people. Driving home from Tech with our eyes closed while the other partner in crime directed. Writing entire letters to each other in rhyme - making up words if necesary. Getting "involved" beyond friendship was out of the question, we didn't want to ruin what we had.

But one day we happened to kiss...

I can't even remember what led up to it. All I know is that we were travelling the train from town to city. But once our lips met stations passed unseen. Time went by without causing a single radar blip. I think the conductor must have come past looking for tickets, but we didn't notice. And what seemed like seconds later, we were at journey's end! Now THAT'S a good kiss!

Unfortunately it was a once-off, we never kissed again.

Worst kiss? The bloke who tried to "French" me without a hint of tongue involved. Just this open mouthed slobbery blankness. Gross!!!

I've been kissed in public, kissed in secret, kissed on the dancefloor, kissed in the back row of the movies, kissed long and hard, kissed butterfly-light. Kissed to begin something - kissed to end it all. Greeting-kissed, comfort-kissed, passion-kissed. Kissed all over.

Isn't it strange how the meeting of soft flesh between two people, a stimulation of the nerve endings around your mouth, can be so expressive? So incredibly sensational? So addictive..? Add in the anticipation of that first one with someone new - will it be a match made in heaven or a taste of hell? - and this simple touching of skin on skin turns into one of the most complex experiences. From the perfunctory peck to the passionate embrace, a kiss runs the length and breadth of meaning. A single kiss will tell you more about where you stand in the other's estimation than a page of words.

It's been a while since I indulged in a good kiss or had a run-in with an excellent kisser. I think I'm going to have to do something about that.. :-)

Good old days

Gotta link this one - it's got me all nostaligic today!

Perhaps a reason why The Dangerous Book for Boys is such a best-seller...