The good news is, the BBC posted the truly startling, and encouraging, results of a large multinational poll today - "4 out of 5" people believe humans will need to significantly alter their lifestyles in order to cope with climate change- and they're ready to do their part.
More than 80% in China, and more than 75% in the USA. Those are pretty big numbers- the iceberg IS moving, and in the right direction. And I positively guarantee you- YOUR ACTIONS have been a huge part of making this happen.
"Yeah, I know it sounds crazy, but my neighbor Bill is worried enough that he's started biking to work." Etc. Those are the tiny little pushes that actually get folks to pay attention- and think- and change their minds. Add it all up - our individual actions are powerful.
The bad news is, the Little Blog did finally attract a "troll", and I did finally delete ONE comment for just being, well, sub-human. As Hank pointed out, feeding trolls makes them come back, and I accidentally fed one in the comments on the last post - "Anonymous" (#2). I put his first comment up (and will leave it), not recognizing him as a troll- though Hank did. He was sly- he sounds reasonable, conversational- but ultimately it was just a cranky dig. The one I deleted was more obvious, and pointless.
Partly I put it up because I am acutely aware of the dangers of just talking to ourselves. If we all agree, all the time- something is wrong. And I have no problem with honest, polite disagreement, as I hope I've shown.
The good news is- that troll, who ended his comment with a smug "I know I have no intention of reducing my consumption." - was pretty immediately put in his place by this BBC poll. Troll- you're in the minority now. Right around the world. And yes, you have my pity. :-)
Then; the bad news is... we seem to be running a streak of crummy luck, if you believe in such things. Besides having our mowers flooded, truck stolen, solar panels fried by lightning, having my back go out, and getting our mailbox bashed; a week ago Spice was in a car accident. The other vehicle failed to yield, at a rather poorly set up intersection of rural gravel roads... and she wound up in the ditch, windshield smashed. It was a side impact, so the airbags didn't go off- so.. according to MRI scans a couple days ago, she does indeed have "whiplash" injuries; torn ligaments in her neck and shoulder. Smidgen was in the car- strapped into her car seat, in the back, and is fine, with a little bruising from the straps.
So that's part of why I've been a little short on entries here- we're going to have to take some time off, from everything, so Spice can heal. No cheating- she's got to rest, much of it in bed, no stress on the ligaments. Which means I get to carry the wood; and the water; and do most of the cooking, and dishes. And a lot of Smidgen herding.
And, related good news... Part of today's breakfast conversation with the Smidge- "You're my daddy." "Yes, I am. And you're my... monkey." "Yes, I am." (with no smiles, or joking.) "And sometimes you're my Tigger." "Yes, I am." (no smiles again.)
And she is. One of her recent inventions is to bounce all the way across the room, Tigger style, then grab a parent, and squeal "Tigger-mamma!" then immediately bounce to the other parent and proclaim "Tigger-daddy!" - then... repeat, until the parents can't take any more. And with Spice in a neck-brace...
sigh.
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10 comments:
Holy frijoles, Papaverde, we seem to be living in parallel universes of bad luck. My sister-in-law was just in a car accident too (on her way back from a chemo treatment no less). Same deal, side (front-panel) impact so no airbags. Except this was in downtown Seattle so the speeds were a bit more heinous. She didn't find out until 5 days later she had a punctured lung (lots of rib pain isn't too unusual). Anyway, I feel for you guys. I hope Spice heals quickly and I'm glad Smidgen wasn't too affected.
Oh My!!
I hope Spice's healing comes quickly, that you are gentle with your back, and that your Tigger can help out as much as possible. I am sure she's bursting with energy, and with some creative herding, you could put it to use.
My father always said we could solve the energy crisis if we could just put a small pack on little children that could harvest a fraction of their energy from their kinetic movements.
Be well and go easy.
Very best,
Mary
I hope Spice heals quickly. In our house we're "Chicken Ones". I don't know why, but I'm Chicken Mami and my husband is Chicken Papi and when we hug we're Chicken Ones. I know there's logic in there, I just don't yet understand. I love the things they say. It's something new everyday. Best to you and hopes for some smooth sailing, you deserve it.
My prayers are with you and your family - I'm glad to hear that Smidgen is okay, and hope that Spice heals quickly. Just remember your own healing, and don't overdo. Take good care,
Man, oh man! So sorry to hear about all the trouble going on at your place. I hope Spice heals up well (and really enjoys laying around for a while). Glad Smidgen wasn't too hurt. I know when Big Sprout was in an accident when she was about that age she thought it was the most exciting thing ever!
I agree with Mary and her dad. We need to find a way to harvest the energy of the young. Not only will we solve the energy crisis, but we will save millions of parents from utter exhaustion!
Harvesting the energy of children, you say. Well, if you can't get them to do something productive outright (as is sometimes the case), it's getting to the point where you could think about adapting one of these devices to a favorite Barney backpack or otherwise coveted item the child wishes to carry around at all times. At least make it power their toys. This is, of course, just skimming off of the top, so it's unlikely to actually slow them down much. But you can sure get a lot of power just skimming off the top of a volcano...
1) piezo backpack
2) generator backpack
It seems like it really has been one thing after another for you, Greenpa. Best wishes for rapid healing for Spice and do take care of your back. The little one, well, I suspect she's gonna run you ragged no matter what!
Eesh, hope your families luck turns.
There actually WERE egalitarian scholars in ancient China! Mo di/Mo Tzu /Mozi a little after Master Kung, seems to have been a craftsman who became a scholar, and argued philosophy and politics largely from a craftsman's point of view, including some pretty interesting indictments of the upper class. There is certainly a tension in his thought between meritocracy and egalitarianism, both of which he has sympathies with. His school lasted centuries and spread all over China (although it didn't survive the purges of the Chin dynasty). Zhuangzi a little later is not exactly egalitarian (closer to apolitical) but is definitely not an elitist or snob. Most ideas crop up in some form or another in almost all cultures and time periods, even things like egalitarianism, although often with different flavors depending on the culture.
Our own culture has drifted into pretty stark and extreme classism, and I often wonder if this is one of the forces pushing against the iceberg. To the well-off and college educated, living environmentally often looks well ... low class, kinda like being poor ... and so they invent a high-class version. Contrariwise, to the median folks, enviromentalism often looks like a luxury for rich liberals. Goodwill and Wild Oats, just ain't in the same class, even though both are a step in the right direction. And somehow environmentalists that will talk openly about rural/urban differences of the biofuels issues of the center vs the coasts, don't seem to want to think about the class issue ... maybe just because they have no idea how to work on it.
-Brian M
I keep checking back to see if you've updated not so much because I expect you to write something but because I want to make sure you are all surviving and not doing too terribly considering what you're dealing with. Anyway I do hope that you are healing up and getting somewhat back to normal.
I also keep checking back. Hope all is going well for you and your family.
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