Al Gore Speaks Some More

I saw the movie Logan Lucky yesterday: an entertaining yarn that lost me in places. I mean it was hard for me to understand some of what was happening, but that may be more of a statement about me than of the movie.

One of the pre-movie trailers was of the Al Gore sequel. He’s still urging us to stop the inevitable. Maybe he’s got an upcoming presidential campaign? 

Here’s my problem with his thesis. Almost 80% of the earth’s atmosphere is nitrogen and about 20% is oxygen. Greenhouse gases comprise about 1% of our atmosphere, and most of that is water vapor.  CO₂ is only a very small percent of this. In fact, carbon dioxide is about 400 parts per million.  How much of that carbon dioxide is produced by processes under man’s control?  About 5%. So, if you have a million units of atmosphere, the stuff Al Gore wants us to stop producing accounts for 20 of those million units. Let’s suppose we doubled our emissions. Now CO₂ would be 420 parts per million. And if we stopped altogether, then what?  380 parts per million. Somehow it doesn’t look like what we are doing matters a whole lot. Climate is changing with or without us. We do not control solar activity, and this seems to be mainly what drives climate change.

Being Quick to Judge

Someone texted me a Trump tweet: "We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada. Both being very difficult, may have to terminate?"  Then the sender asked me “What kind of man is both president AND capable of writing such a thing?” One that has no pride in his nation’s word” is what I thought. “One who doesn’t think a promise needs to be honored.”  BUT then I read Article 2205 of the agreement: “A Party may withdraw from this Agreement six months after it provides written notice of withdrawal to the other Parties. If a Party withdraws, the Agreement shall remain in force for the remaining Parties.”

It shows how quickly we (or at least I) can pass an unfair judgment.  Good lesson for me.

By the way, do you think that a tweet counts as written notice? 

Is Quality Really Better?

I don’t think quality always beats quantity.  Which would be a more satisfying meal --- an ounce of beef tenderloin and two asparagus stalks in your favorite sauce, or 10 ounces of hamburger and a cup of peas?

I have heard parents talk about how the important thing is to spend “quality time” with their kids.  They never have explained to me what quality time is, but having raised 3 kids, this much I know: you can’t just make quality time happen….you can’t predict its time.  The way quality time occurs is to give it a chance to happen, and the more time you spend with your kids, the greater the opportunity for good and powerful memories to be formed.

Sometimes quality is a waste. There are times when good enough is better than best.