Wonkybusker

When Perfect Is the Enemy of Good

Being a fan of the Planet Earth series, I tuned in when I saw Planet Earth: The Future was on.  It was a great show, but heartbreaking.  The enormity of the problem is overwhelming.  And considering that the average American uses three times more than their fair share of resources, I know I am part of the problem and not part of the solution.  I spent last night feeling very guilty.  But, I came to a few conclusions that will at least make me feel I’m doing something to get better.

1. I am going to work to lose a few pounds through diet and exercise.  That way, I consume fewer food resources and avoid going up a size, forcing me to buy all new clothes that harm the environment to make and ship.
2. I will do a better job separating needs from wants.  I will only get wants that make me significantly happier or make life easier on a regular basis.
3. I will avoid purchasing anything wrapped or packaged in plastic whenever possible.
4. By doing the above, I will purchase fewer things.  Then I will spend more on the things I do purchase to make sure they are eco-friendly and lasting.
5. I will do everything I can to cut back on energy use, even if it is a sacrifice.  So the television will not go on simply because it’s the evening, my computer will be off and unplugged unless I have a particular reason to use it (Spider Solitaire doesn’t count), and I will strive not to turn on the air conditioning, among other things.

I know what I do can’t have that much impact overall, but I have to do something.  I can’t just watch everything fall apart knowing I could have easily done more to help.  And while I realize that I will still add to the problem as I continue to consume, actively considering each action and each purchase will be good, if not perfect.

Outlook Not So Good

Earth Day is really annoying me this year.  I am amazed by all the companies jumping on the green bandwagon and doing their part for the environment by selling one organic product among a long line of things made in China.  We have a serious problem and it won't be solved by turning the thermometer down a degree in the winter or buying a rechargeable battery. 

For a long time, the population has been growing and our entire economy has based on this growth and increased consumption.  We take millions of years of stored energy and expend it at ever increasing speeds.  We're reaching the end.  There's no more room, there's not much more fossil fuel energy, and we're changing the earth to a point that it will no longer be able to support us.  So what happens now? 

As people give tips on consuming less energy, no one points out that if we all do go ahead and make the changes necessary to reverse the effects of global warming or at least delay it, our economy, based on rapid consuming, will collapse.  But as awful as that may be, at least it's a choice we can make and a consequence we can live through.  If we don't make that change, our future may be decided for us and it may be even worse.  I'm fairly confident that after all this there will still be people on Earth, but I'm guessing there will be much fewer and life will be forever changed.

As Chris notes, environmentalism is not about the earth; it's about us on the earth and our ability to continue living on the earth.  Everyone's saying we need to do something, but no one seems to actually be doing anything about it.  And what we are doing, myself included, seems to be too little, too late.  I'm not optimistic about the future.  The food shortages have already started.  I hope I'm very wrong.
 

Columbia Heights

Forty years ago, the Columbia Heights neighborhood of DC was engulfed in flames.  Riots began on April 4, 1968 when a brick flew through a drug store window at 14th and U and over the next 12 days, hundreds of buildings were burned, looted, and otherwise destroyed.  For the next 30 years, some entire blocks in the area were simply left as rubble. 

You'd never notice signs of the destruction now.  Cranes dot the horizon and construction blocks roads.  Luxury condos are opening every week.  A new shopping mall with a Target and Best Buy went in, covering up some of the last of the scars.  It's a neighborhood in transition.  I do hope that after all this change, it still retains some of its original character and sense of history.  At least there will still be Ben's Chili Bowl.

Stimulating Conversation

Over the weekend, Chris and I were discussing the economic pros and cons of the stimulus package.  The Washington Post had some editorials on the subject that were interesting to read after our conversation, as they touched on many of the same issues we discussed.

Why the Stimulus Package Shouldn't Stimulate You

A Better Way to Deal with Downturns

Taxation without Representation

Today I saw a corner garbage can that had a sticker on it saying, "DC Voters: Your vote goes here."

Picture Perfect

I recently picked out some of my favorite photos of the ones Chris and I have taken to frame and hang on the wall.  When I framed them, I noticed that they were all pictures that hang vertically instead of horizontally.  It got me thinking and I looked at more pictures that we've taken.  It seems to me that nearly all our best pictures were taken with the camera turned.  Chris suggests that the world is generally taller than it is wide, i.e. people are certainly more vertical than horizontal, as are many buildings, statues, and quite a few plants.  It's an interesting point. 

Are most asthetically pleasing pictures taken vertically?

Goodbye Facebook

*Sigh*  I liked Facebook.  I really did.  But I've read too many articles about Beacon to be on Facebook anymore.  I don't trust them with my information anymore.  Even if they do back down and change the system, I can't help but feel they will wait until the controversy dies down and quietly implement it anyway.  And so, I will have to leave.  It had a good run.  If you want to find out more about why Facebook will no longer be part of my online activities, please take a look at some of these articles:

PC World

New York Times

Huffington Post

Halloween Monsters

One thing I get out of Chris being away is fun phone conversations with him in the evenings.  Last night we were trying to decide what traditional horror character would be best.  I've been thinking about this further and think I can give you my list in order.

Zombie - This is sloth at its best.  You wander around lazily and occasionally snack on someone's brain.  I can't say brain sounds all that appealing, but otherwise it's a pretty nice gig.

Vampire - The living forever thing is a bit of a plus, but then again undead isn't exactly living.  There are a number of ways to be defeated (who's scared of garlic?!?) but turning into a bat and flying away at will could be useful.

Mummy - Being trapped in a tomb for thousands of years until I need to fulfill a curse sounds awful.  Plus, having your brain removed out your nose and your other organs placed in jars is not cool.

Werewolf - Just think; you can't control becoming a wolf and you have to explain your actions afterward.  I think enough movies have covered just how annoying life as a werewolf can be.

Missing Pronouns

In a comment to the language evolution post, George suggested adding y'all as the second person plural.  While I cringe a little at y'all, he makes a valid point.  While English may be said to have more words than any other languages, it is missing some fairly important ones.  There is no plural you except invented terms like y'all and yous.  There is also a missing third person singular neuter.  The formal solution of he/she or one has been tried and just doesn't suffice.  We've filled it with "their," at least informally, and this seems to work well.   

English has evolved as these issues needed to be addressed and we now have solutions to the problem (you all and their).  Perhaps it's time for these to be formally accepted. 

The Dreaded Preposition

Okay, I couldn't stay away for long.  Ending a sentence in a preposition is not grammatically incorrect. It isn't. This is a rule in Latin but not in English. My understanding is that the only reason it is perceived as a rule in English is that a bishop mentioned in a book written hundreds of years ago that sentences sounded better if they didn’t end in prepositions. Why? Because Latin was perceived to be better than English. And so the idea was put forth that a true gentleman would avoid that particular sentence structure. Is that any reason for us today to bend over backward to avoid saying something a certain way?

Of course, there is more to communicate in language than just the ideas behind the words. The way words are put together says a lot about the speaker or author. But really, I think eloquence of the message can show a lot more about writing ability and education than memorizing a particular word order to avoid. And now that there is not such a divide between the ecclesiastic Latin and layman's English, the whole reason behind this particular rule just seems silly.

Therefore, I propose we stop caring if otherwise correct sentences end in a preposition.