“We are at the beginning of a great adventure, perhaps the greatest ever. Together, we can transform the story of civilization from impending disaster to a peaceful and sustainable world. The journey begins with each one of us taking a next step. What’s your next step—big or small? GO.”
by ken winston caine
Dr. Dolittle was very busy.
He was busy trying to decide things.
He was trying to decide: Should he do this? Or should he do that?
And if he did this, should he do it tomorrow or the day after?
And then, should he do it in yellow, or should he do it in blue? And would that be sky blue — as if the sky is still blue anywhere.
Dr. Dolittle decided to consult the internet.
Is there anywhere where the sky is still truly blue? And exactly what shade of blue is sky blue anyway? Does it have, for instance, a PMS number — one of the numbers that printers and designers consult on a chart as they mix pigments in order to assure consistency in colors from job to job and across the industry?
Or, Dr. Dolittle wondered, with computer graphics the standard now, do printers still use PMS numbers?
He decided to consult the internet.
Dr. Dolittle is very, very busy.
Dr. Dolittle fired up his computer.
He planned to Google whether printers still use PMS numbers. Whether he should do this or that.
Whether tomorrow or the day after.
Whether in blue, or yellow, if the day after.
But first, he thought as the computer came to life, I should check my email.
And that caused him to recall six or seven emails that earlier in the morning he had been thinking that he needed to send.
A couple were especially urgent. And a couple were to respond to people who had emailed but to whom he had not responded for several days. One he hadn’t replied to for more than a week. Better do it now, before he forgets, he thought.
Otherwise those people will think that he is impolite. Or doesn’t like them any more. Or is incompetent.
Or dead.
One absolutely must respond to emails.
He began re-composing in his mind a couple of the of the emails that earlier in the morning he had been thinking that he should send.
But it had been too early then. The computer was not on. And he had not had his tea. Or his breakfast.
He had not brushed his teeth.
One should never send an email before one has brushed their teeth.
Nor had he caught the top of the hour news on Morning Edition. And now, (more…)
Passing on this urgent call to action from Cathy Zoi:
Dear ken winston,
Friday is the last day to voice your opinion on whether the EPA -- the Environmental Protection Agency -- should regulate carbon dioxide pollution, the primary cause of the climate crisis. This is a big deal.
The EPA is taking public comment, before making a ruling.
Of course, special interests -- like the oil and coal lobbies -- are working overtime to defeat a positive ruling and have already gotten thousands of comments submitted in opposition.
Most people don't know about this opportunity for public comment, so your voice can make a real difference. And with a new president in the White House, it's likely that someone will actually be listening. Submit your public comment to the EPA here:
http://www.RepowerAmerica.org/EPA
In April 2007 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to regulate carbon dioxide if it is harming our health and welfare. After more than a year of delay, the EPA is finally now requesting public comments on whether carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping pollutants are endangering our health and our climate.
Join us, and send a message about how crucial it is to reduce harmful carbon dioxide pollution. That you expect the EPA to (more...)
