Climate Change - What to Do About Global Warming?

So, today I read that an annual climate report says that Greenland's ice melted more in 2010 than in any year since they began reporting it in 1958. It's just one of many little bits of news that pop up in the news links on my Yahoo home page.

This is hardly the first time I've read this kind of thing, and it's becoming more accepted every day that we have a climate change problem on our hands. But what are we going to do about it?

I don't know, but looking at the way I run my day, I'd say we need to change the way we go about our business.

Today I'm thinking about work. That's where I'll be today from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. During lunch I'll read my book. My attention all day will be on doing my job.

On the way to and from work, I'll listen to my iPod in the car--perhaps XM Radio. After work, I'm going to play music with my band, Red Paint. I'll have a couple of beers, play our music, and then come home. I'll futz around a little and then go to bed.

Will I do anything today to make a difference in our environmental situation? Not likely. How about you?

Who is going to solve this problem if we're all too busy going about our business to do anything constructive?

Something to think about.

Acura TL - Rhinoplasty at Mid Cycle

Mid-cycle updates are a perfect time to back off on a styling theme if you went just a wee bit too far. The Acura TL for 2012, released in mid March of this year, remedies an exuberance of chrome with a gentle and friendly rhinoplasty, while the tail gets reined in a little, too.

It’s not unknown for car manufacturers to do this. I remember the last of the big Chevy Impalas in the early 1990’s. It arrived with low cutouts in the rear wheelwells—like fender skirts. It made the by then huge vehicle seem even more whale-like, and after a few years, the rear wheels once again showed themselves. The 1996 Ford Taurus, a jelly bean introduced at precisely the time when sharp lines were coming back into style, lost some of its distinctive styling after a few years to keep up with changing tastes.

Not long ago, Subaru decided to emulate Alfa Romeo, or some might even say the Edsel, with a slim puckered grille up front. It was a non-starter, and within a couple of years the cars arrived with wide, generic grilles once again. Kind of sad, really, but the goal is to sell cars, and people have to like the way they look before they’ll write that check.

All this is to say that the Acura TL, the brand’s highly regarded sports sedan, will no longer need to be praised for its "inner beauty." I actually got compliments on the car from colleagues and even an unsolicited "beautiful car" from a guy at the Chevron station. The drama of the overall design is no longer hampered by excess in the details.

Neil Gaiman Draws an Adoring Crowd

My wife got tickets for us to go hear British bestselling author Neil Gaiman last night. I've never read any of his books, my loss, and I intend to do something about that. Mr. Gaiman has written a bunch of them in various genres and formats, and won many awards for them, too. Where have I been?

After hearing his funny and insightful interview/talk, in a church in Berkeley, I can understand the enthusiasm. Gaiman grew up practically living in the library and his love for the written word is sincere. He claims to just "get ideas and write them down," but there's much more to it than that. In his remarks he talked about the hard work that has to take place between the moments of inspiration and exultation at finding just the right way to say something.

Gaiman's American Gods was the centerpiece of his talk--it's ten years old now and available in a Tenth Anniversary Edition. Neil read a passage from it to the crowd--the part that takes place in San Francisco--and had everyone in the palm of his hand.

After his interview, the crowd immediately stood for a standing ovation. The author apologized for his "no autograph" policy, but it would have been a crush for hours if that had been part of the deal. Nobody seemed to mind, although I did see some attendees holding copies of his works.

Gaiman's blog is read by many--I'm going to go check it out now.

Hemmings - The Joy of Old Cars

Yesterday, as I walked up to one of my favorite brunch spots, I saw a 1966 Ford Mustang coupe parked right in front (see photo). It was in nice, running condition, with good metallic blue paint and original wheel covers. I smiled in recognition and appreciation.

As I left after a tasty Creole chicken omelette, I saw a clean, driveable c. 1961 Volvo P1800 drive up and park right behind the Mustang. Heaven.

I love old cars, even if they are not very environmentally friendly. Seeing them out on the road is great fun, and always has been. I also enjoy reading about them, and for that, there's Hemmings Classic Car for American models and Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car for imported cars.

Not only is it fun to look at the photos of the old cars, but you can read about the adventures of people who go beyond looking and take on the often arduous long term and expensive task of restoring these cars and preserving them for future generations. These highly obsessive folks are like the people in, say, a muscle-building magazine who are highly developed, or the tattoo folks with bodies covered with ink. They're the super achievers.

I especially enjoy the Driveable Dream sections in each publication. These stories are about old cars and their owners, but the cars are used by the people and are normally running, clean, but imperfect vehicles--like the ones I saw in front of my brunch spot. Sometimes, they are surprisingly old--like a 1938 Buick, for example, but still have original paint and interior fabric.

Meanwhile, I keep looking and reading, and, someday, I'll get my 1956 Nash Metropolitan back on the road and someone else will get to enjoy it when they see me drive by.

Not Politics as Usual - Dr. Ong for Assembly 2012

I'm not the most political guy around, but I pay attention if I actually meet someone who's running for office. One of those people is Dr. Jennifer Ong, a beautiful and accomplished Bay Area optometrist who wants to do more for people than simply improve their vision.

Her vision, to use the same word, is to run for the California Assembly in 2012 to give back to the country she came to from the Phillipines as a child. And she has ideas.

Dr. Ong's priorities are to balance the budget without cutting police or schools. She wants to create more jobs, so fewer people need to rely on the government. She is concerned about conservation and recycling and has worked with local community groups to make efforts in that direction. As Commissioner/Secretary of the Alameda County Commission on the Status of Women, she is interested in helping women from underrepresented communities begin to believe that they can run for office too and make a difference.

Dr. Ong is concerned about the high percentage of Hepatitis B in the Asian community and wants to make sure more people are contacted and tested.

I enjoyed seeing her and meeting supporters at a luncheon yesterday. Among the speakers was current Assemblyperson Fiona Ma, who gave a short, rousing talk. Other speakers showed how community efforts are always going on and how taking action means focusing on important issues, taking a stand, and, sometimes, putting yourself at a little risk too.

The election is in November of 2012 but it's never too early to start running.

I'm glad there are some people in this world who are not just in it for their own personal interests and actually want to go out and make a difference for other people. Dr. Ong seems like that kind of candidate.

Dancing - Good for Everyone--Every Age

Last night, I had the real pleasure of going to see my friend and bandmate Colin's three-year-old daughter, Francesca, perform for the first time with the West Coast Dance Theatre. Of course the cute, beautifully dressed little people were fun to watch in their costumes, but there were some suprisingly thrilling performances by older students and the dance leaders, too.

I am not especially interested in dance myself, but I am a big supporter of doing what you love--and being exposed to art and music as a child. Having had clarinet lessons when I was 10, I know that there's a temptation to not practice and to get by--if you're not truly motivated (and most kids aren't). I also know what being part of a dedicated band or an orchestra can do for you. I saw lots of smiling faces on the performers last night. I'm sure it meant a lot to them--for many different reasons.

I'd think that a dance class could be a great alternative to a sweaty health club experience. As Marnell Xavier, the Artistic Director of West Coast Dance Theatre says, "A good dance education can be a huge part of a successful life creating discipline, perseverance, health, teamwork, arts appreciation, self-esteem, and so much more." She's been putting on productions since 1973 and performing since the age of four so she should know.

If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact them at wcdancealameda@aol.com and get started.

Darth Fiddler - The Force Hits the Street

I read yesterday about Darth Fiddler - a street musician in Victoria, British Columbia, who plays a black violin in full Darth Vader costume. Now that's cool. What's NOT cool is that a couple of weeks ago, someone attacked him and smashed his violin.

Luckily, the local music store replaced his instrument and even provided a light-saber-inspired bow and he's back out on the street.

Being a street artist is hard, even if you're not attacked. In San Francisco we've had the Human Jukebox at Fisherman's Wharf. The guy sits in his silver-painted cardboard box. Drop in some money and the "door" pops open and a trumpet pokes out and plays a selection.

My musical favorite has always been Norbert Yancey, who's played guitar and sung for forty years by Ghirardelli Square. I spoke with him many years ago--and even played at his same corner once!