Climate Ch-ch-changes!

"It was so hot this summer," said one of my Alaskan relatives.

"It snowed here in Mass. It rarely if ever snowed here before and never this early," said a former college classmate.

"Our vineyards are drying up," said a Sonoma Valley winery.

For each of these expressed woes, there is an inverse of praise.

"It was so warm this summer," said a second-year Alaskan resident.

"It snowed here in Massachusetts. I even got to build a snow person," said a long-time Boston resident on CNN.

"Our vineyards do better every year," said an Rogue Valley, Oregon, winery.

The only constant in life is change, and the climate is no exception. Where some regions are experiencing the adverse effects of climate change, others benefit from it.

Climate change is indeed cyclical, as many global warming naysayers claim. However, the rate at which the world's climate is changing is not normal.

Too many of the signs point to the sad fact that it's too late to stop this accelerated period of climate change. That doesn't mean we can't do our utmost to slow it down, though.

Here are some things you can do to combat climate change:

Park the car!
This is a huge one. Vehicle emissions account for the single largest factor in creating the pollution responsible for global warming. If you can walk to your destination in 15 minutes, then leave your rig in the driveway. Walk or bike instead.

Resist Gadget Glut!
Whether it's the latest iPhone to come out, the newest version of Amazon Kindle, a brand spanking new GPS, or a margarita making machine, all these cool gadgets are created in factories. Most often, these factories are located in countries with almost no pollutant restrictions.

Boycott Excess Packaging!
Ever get a Lunchable for your kid or sibling? Every single item is sealed in its own little piece of cellophane. And what about that nifty little container? All of these items eventually wind up in a landfill, where they remain for decades. The result is massive piles of trash producing an excess of toxic methane gases.

Don't Be a Green Sheeple!
Too many people trust that the products they purchase are better for the environment. All because the packaging says the product is ecofriendly. People buying organic cotton, for instance, believe that they are doing the right thing for the earth. What they don't know is that it takes 4 times as much land to produce organic cotton, which represents a tremendous drain on already meager water resources. A better alternative is to purchase used clothing from a thrift store or clothing produced from recycled fibers, or even better, hemp!

Consider your options. Put them into play. Fight climate change by changing your habits. As for that wacky weather and its effects on your environment, I say, "Roll with it and embrace the change."

My Friend Calls It Like They See It

A year after leaving the publication I helped start, I received an email from someone in the know. I have made a conscious decision to stop harping on the issue of the guy who runs the publication from his castle on the hill, but this email speaks miles:

Did you see the latest issue? Talk about a joke. It's cool that he put in so much political stuff, but the people in all the other towns must be feeling a bit left out. Best of the rouge valley, thats laughable. Good stuff from the mayor candidates though. Bet your chuckling about him saying that he is being democratic by not altering any of the submissions. Too bad most who read that will think he's noble when really he just doesn't want to pay for an editor. What is it you always say? There is a big difference between revising and proofing. What a cop out huh?

I wondered what you thought about him trying to convince people that he is some kind of proponent for democratic and free speech. How many times did he turn down articles or not print them because HE didn't like them or think they were not interesting? How often did he try to tell people how to write their articles? Talk about a hypocrite. But hey maybe he finally had a change of heart and is actually practicing what he preaches. So far I have not seen too many member articles printed, just from those he has in his inner circle. So much for democracy.

He also gave up on his mission statement and switched to something a little more clear. Good to know he has finally figured out that the old one made little sense.

I also notice this issue is real light on ads. Hope for his sake that was a conscious decision to make room for the candidates. And what was up with it coming out a week late? Something tells me that things are falling apart.

The remainder of this email was cut short so as to protect the author from possible defamation charges.

My friend raises a lot of good points. The thing I found most interesting about the editorial in which he attempts to sound like he's all for democracy was that he once again took a stab at his primary competitor's article on the proposed restaurant letter grading. He called the article one-sided. I agree that the article did exhibit some bias, but it wasn't that bad. It's interesting that a pro-Obama person would use such McCain tactics.

He made the entire original proposal/statement that the restaurant grade petitioner made to the city council available on the website, but it did nothing to help make his case. I was most amused that the whole reason the grade proponent went through the whole process of collecting petitions to put the measure on the ballot was that he "thought it was a neat idea." Eh? Well, that sounds like the right reason to pass this fiscally irresponsible measure.

Oh well, chalk one more up for the autocrat who hides behind rhetoric.

Citizen Journalism Should Provide Immediacy

Citizen Journalism is rapidly taking hold of media consumers, and it’s no wonder why. It provides an immediacy that newsgroups just can’t match.

Take the fellow who was arrested in Egypt while doing his senior project. Armed with nothing more than his cell phone, he Twittered one word: “arrested.” Within an hour, his followers had secured legal counsel.

Then there were the quakes in China. Stories of this natural disaster flew across the internet at least an hour before any newsgroup could even get to the scene.

Citizen Journalism is more dynamic, more on it, than any other form of reporting available. Sure, it can result in misinformation and subsequent misunderstandings. But when you empower people to report, not to wait for an “expert” to scoop the story, the information flows like wine.

Although this isn’t the only quality of Citizen Journalism, it certainly is a keystone. It’s about “power to the people” and all that. However, stories must be published in a timely fashion in order to rank as newsworthy. If some time has passed, if the excitement and agitation has waned, the story must have a uniquely human-interest approach in order to qualify as substantive.

Here’s a word for anyone publishing CJ content:
Unless you can break the story immediately, always opt for the unique or human-interest angle. Otherwise, you risk sounding like a follower instead of a leader.

My Citizen Journalism Idea

I'm not going to say too much here. You only get a teaser.

By next Friday, I will have a proposal prepared for a local paper that should create a win-win situation for myself and the paper. Without spilling it, think "Free Citizen Journalism Course with Financial Rewards for Contributors."

Hopefully, the idea will encourage the paper to turn to the average person to write a section of their paper while paying me to implement it. Stay tuned for more updates.