The Arctic ice cap has collapsed at an unprecedented rate this summer and levels of sea ice in the region now stand at a record low, scientists said last night. Experts said they were “stunned” by the loss of ice, with an area almost twice as big as Britain disappearing in the last week alone. So much ice has melted this summer that the north-west passage across the top of Canada is fully navigable, and observers say the north-east passage along Russia’s Arctic coast could open later this month. If the increased rate of melting continues, the summertime Arctic could be totally free of ice by 2030.
I’d apologize to H.o.p. for this, but I didn’t do it.
At Alternet today was an article on people who are building these insanely earth-unfriendly 11,000 square foot McMansions. It pointed to a 60 Minutes story on the same. Following the link, I found on the first page of the comments…
The houses are beautiful. The people can afford them. The world is going to end someday … might as well go out happy.
…which is, I think, an attitude that comes part and parcel with apocalypse-minded, pearl encrusted streets religion which touts grabbing all you can in the present and says nothing about thinking ahead to the seventh generation because the world beyond the end of your street going to holy hell is desired, an ushering in of the End Times and a literal Rapture in which you get to play the Get Out of the Death Jail free card while you can still appreciate the true schadenfreude of it. I’m thinking back to the beginning of the Reagan era when the country cried, “Daddy, make it right!”, far right, fundamentalists swarming and praying for redemption via personal prosperity in the Tammy Faye Baker way of ogling the golden bathroom fixtures, abetted by 24 hour Christian television that put the hard sell on the holy ghost initiated living big, getting back big, living it up while preparing to make the Great Ascension from their cozy couches.
Not that this is much different from the way television in general attempts to feed you a birth to death life in a box. A little over a week into the Direct TV experience and I’m avoiding the BOX except for a few select shows. I’ve got too much else I want to do and the commercials creep me out. About thirteen years ago I pretty much stopped watching commercial television, and I’m remembering why. The commercials. Nearly every one of them feels like a person in a white coat is approaching with needle and syringe, grinning, “This won’t hurt!” They search for a vein, tap, tap, and over their shoulder I see headstones and plastic flowers which they’ve not even bothered to hide because it’s considered an appealing part of ye olde Americana consumer aesthetic. No matter the target age, it’s less a boob tube than a coffin.
Christian television is nothing if not one never-ending commercial.
Back in the mid 1990s, I used to want to do an art installation that would replicate an allergist’s office circa late 1970’s. My vision of it has had some changes as of late, but remains essentially the same. The walls would be a soft sage green with white molding. A few golf paintings would hang on the walls. There would be no windows and no observable door. The mood would be lighter tones of lemon yellowy, dispelling all sepia shadows even into the corners. A man in a pink Izod shirt and brown slacks would enter, sign the waiting list lying on the counter next to a plate reading “Ben Mack, MD” and seat himself. The music would be Isaac Hayes. After an appropriate length of time, a plain clothes nurse would enter, say, “Ben Mack?” The man would put down his magazine, stand and follow the nurse down a hall.
It is purgatory. A place where it would always be Master’s week but you’d been dropped off the Master’s tickets list.
Golf Heaven doesn’t have ice. No, the world is one long lush lawn with blooming flowers embracing the sides of the green.
It’s always Easter week in Golf Heaven.
P.S.: We now have a nice hermit crab, complete with environment and hermit crab food and larger shells for a home should it outgrow its current niche and need to make a transition.
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