…in a foul mood
From the earliest accounts that have come down to us, man has tried to explain the forces – like earthquakes and hurricanes – that suddenly wreak havoc with the lives they’ve painfully and tediously tried to eke out for themselves. The Greeks believed it was the work of the Gods taking vengeance for one or another misdeed we may have committed.
But in the millennia since, we’ve attempted to explain those phenomena using the scientific method – which isn’t so difficult to comprehend. We observe a phenomenon; we try to come up with an explanation (a “hypothesis”); we test that hypothesis via experiments and if the results are as our hypothesis predicted, we figure there’s some merit to our explanation. And can begin to act on them.
The problem is when it comes to the changing weather patterns, we have no way of actually conducting controlled experiments. After all, we know for instance in general, warm air rising from the warm ocean waters, with the spin of the earth will tend to rotate. A continued supply of warm water and air will feed the swirling, rotating winds, which will also suck up air and move from being tropical storms to full blown hurricanes.
But are we getting more hot water and air because of increased carbon dioxide and methane we’ve emitted into the atmosphere since the industrial revolution starting in the mid-18th century? Well we do know that increased carbon dioxide levels do increase the capacity of air to retain heat. But can we conclusively PROVE this experimentally? Not with the earth! And this is where the “Climate Change deniers” come in.
They insist the earth always had alternating periods of warming and cooling without the “help” of man. Think of all the “Ice Ages” we know occurred – the latest one where the Bering Straits between Asia and American froze over and our Indigenous Peoples decided to amble over! So, the deniers say, to heck with asking countries like the US to cut back on producing carbon dioxide through burning fossil fuels. It’s not about the fossil fuels – but that might mean a drop in their standard of living.
So what do we do as we observe these massive hurricanes that are hitting our Caribbean islands like never before. Do we dismiss them because “there’s nothing we can do” – pretty much like the Greek saying it’s the work of the Gods? Until the advent of Trump at the helm of the US, there was a growing consensus that the least we can do is reduce carbon dioxide emission. Can’t hurt, can it?
But Trump insists on provoking the Gods!!
…and steak
When your Eyewitness read about it in the papers, the first thought that flashed into his head was: “Only in Guyana!” He’s talking about the latest cause of unrest in our prisons: the prisoners who’s been housed in Lusignan after their torching of the Camp Street jail – demanding steak for breakfast!! Can you believe this?
Being cramped for space, your Eyewitness can understand. He’s sympathetic about not getting meals on time. But demanding steak? Naaah!! Jeez, Even your Eyewitness can’t pull off a stunt like that on his Missus. And he brings home the bacon!! What the heck’s going on? And then, like an epiphany, it all became clear. Lusignan!!
Remember that cow those prisoners were allowed to slaughter and BBQ when the poor creature wandered into the yard they were kept in for a while? Obviously, they enjoyed that feast so much, they’ve become addicted to the taste of steak!
OK, Ramjattan, you fretted about the prisoners’ conditions.
Let them eat steak!!
…and disaster preparedness
Clearly, the Town Clerk’s been looking at the Big Screen TV he’s installed in his expansive office. He wants a disaster preparedness plan prepared in case one hits our not-so-fair City.
Ooops! Too late! He and his Gang of Four were already selected to run City Hall!!
