Thursday, March 19, 2009

Sad and alarming

I can't believe she died. Man, when it's your time, it's your time. Who'd think a little trip and fall (in the snow!) could kill you. It saddens me this morning to find out that she's dead at 45. She wasn't my favorite actress or anything, but tragedy is tragedy, and well, quelle tristesse.

Yesterday we were talking about climate change in class and I had asked everyone to research something on the topic. Some of the information is really astonishing. Like the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen by 20% since 1960, and this rising is accelerating. (The debunkers would say humans had nothing to do with this rise.) Another alarming statistic is the estimate that we have decimated 90% of all marine animals in the last 150 years. In other words there are not "plenty of fish in the sea", there are only 1 in 10 fish in the sea left. Overfishing coupled with overpopulation, oh yeah, 240,000 human beings are added to the world population EVERY DAY! Not here of course, but still. Anyway it was really depressing. One interesting line was, "If every person in the world lived like an American, the fossil fuel supply would be exhausted in 15 years." Basically, in the next 25 years, we are going to have severe shortages of fresh water, food and fuel. So get out there and enjoy today.

You never know, it could be your last.

17 comments:

CoffeeDog said...

I worry about the wasteful culture Americans live in. I try to do everything I can to have less impact.

Anonymous said...

One of the first places which will vanish as a result of global climate change (now that its not a myth), is my home here on Cape Cod.

I was sad about Natasha, too. You just never know when your moment's going to arrive, do you?

(Wow, I'm the second comment at 10 a.m.? What's everyone doing this morning that I forgot about?)

Rox said...

So sad about Natasha Richardson. You're right, you just never know when it will be your time.

Climate change saddens me. When we were in Nova Scotia and saw jellyfish right there in the water, Kay said "Mom, that CAN'T be a jelly fish! They are never this far north!" and then proceeded to argue with me that it wasn't a jellyfish. Apparently, the more acidic the ocean becomes, the more jellyfish thrive. The whole this is just sad.

TED said...

Living every day like there's no tomorrow is a two-edged sword, though. On the personal side, it's a good way to live fully. On the policy side, it's responsible for a lot of the mess we're in now. Maybe we should encourage people to live every day as if it were their last and they were totally broke. That way they'd spend it with people they care about rather than using up a disproportionate share of scarce resources.

Snooze said...

I was so sad to read about her death too. It makes me grateful that my many many spills while snowboarding haven't been fatal.

Fatinah said...

I can't stop thinking about what happened to Natasha - she was only 2 years older than me - how many of us would take a little spill like that and then decline to go in an ambulance - tons I bet. You're so right - when it's your time, it's your time. I feel so sad for her husband and children.

Patricia said...

What TED said.

I, too, was sad about Natasha. I kept thinking what her other son will always think, that he wasn't there and his brother was. So very sad. I must admit I've lusted after Liam for years. Life will never be the same again. And yet this kind of stuff happens to thousands of people every day. Hard to wrap my mind around.

GayProf said...

And yet Americans refuse to invest in really simple things, like public transportation, that would help the environment and local communities.

Birdie said...

No one wants to hear this, but all those lovely rail-trails should never have been abandoned. Trains are used as primary public transportation almost everywhere except the U.S.

A person's death will affect our lives to the degree of closeness we held them. May you never know unnatural death in your close circle.

(Don't anyone tell Greg about our secret. He's just not ready yet. But soon, soon.)

Anonymous said...

Yes , quite the unreal feeling we are left with the passing of Natasha, I hope she didn't suffer.

I guess God should have made more than 10% of the population gay so that we wouldn't be adding 240,000 humans a day , thanks Octo Mom

Anonymous said...

Over the winter I read a book called "The Weather Makers" about climate change. Fascinating and scary. You'd be amazed by all that has already happened yet we hear nothing about! I guess I'm just glad I live by a water source that isnt about to dry up anytime soon

Peter Maria said...

One of my favorite "pick-me up" flicks is Widows' Peak, starring Natasha Richardson. It was part of that wave of British comedies in the 1990's. I'm sorry for her loss, and hope her family will be allowed some privacy to grieve.

I hate to say this, but I think some of the more drastic parts of climate change you mention (not enough water in just 25 years, etc.) will have to happen before real change will. Slow, incremental change seems to be very hard for humans to register. Hope I'm wrong.

Anonymous said...

aren't you a ray of sunshine today?

I find her death so shocking, like it wasn't even real. She's out there, doing something healthy, takes a spill, and two days later is gone.

Hard to wrap my head around that.

technotory said...

Quick point-
Decimate means to kill one in ten.

How does "decimated 90%" work, exactly? :-D

Rick Bettencourt said...

Adding more gays into the mix is one may for nature, or God, to cut down on the human surplus.

Anonymous said...

The whole Natasha Richardson thing is just so damn scary -- I'm forever whacking my head on something at work or around the house and never thinking a thing about it.

madamerouge said...

She was so talented, and beautiful. And she did lots for AIDS research, too.