esrosedotblog

THE LAST WORD

I have not been able to let go of this story:

Brainy Parrot Dies, Emotive to the End

Evidently, others have been stirred as well.

There have been three separate articles in the NYT about Alex the Parrot and all three have been on the most e-mailed list for 3 days.

Alex went beyond mere talking and into the realm of conversation.

He could also do calculations and mental tricks.

I always wanted a parrot.

But, I was unwilling to do the work required to have it.

We had friends who had a very talky bird when I was in my 20's and that seemed to satisfy all my craving for avian conversation.

But no.

Every time I encounter one I stay and am captivated by the phenomenon.

I have written about my current neighbor's minah bird which would mostly whistle and imitate motorcycles. Sirens.

S/he died of West Nile.

Now they have a baby who I whistle to every time I go past. It does a good wolf whistle and can do a two note song.

There is a downside here which I have to admit to.

I really don't think that parrots were meant to be kept in cages and trained to talk.

I think that their nature is to be in the forest imitating forest sounds as well as captivating each other for mating.

But these are perilous times for all birds and animals.

Parrots are pretty good survivors but I figure every threatened animal could use some human support.

I don't think that I want a pet polar bear though.

Labels: nature, polar bears

TIPPED

I decided last night and now this article today by David Ignatius in the WaPo

The Climate-Change Precipice

I believe that we have already tipped.

We are sliding down the precipice.

It is pretty clear that all the amelioration that man can figure out will only slow the inevitable rise in world temperatures and the concomitant ecological consequences.

I think the die was cast a long time ago when population data was ignored.

I grew up at a time when there was considerable concern about world hunger, the environment, and all the issues we now are seeing live in living color today.

There was a huge movement to restrain population growth. The malthusian principles were spelled out. The band played on. Between the RC church and the interests of consumerism, we just kept on making more babies. And don't get me started on medical 'advances'.

Today, we have over populated, overused, and overspent our natural legacy.

Will this mean that the end of the world is nigh?

Well, yes. For polar bears. How about bees? How about us?

Not entirely.

I think that there will be catastrophic consequences in future years and that all of these will add up to the decimation of human population.

Nature will do for us what we could or would not do for ourselves.

And then we may get to start over.

The earth will cool, the waters will freeze, some natural order will be restored.

Since I am about to go off the planet, at least in this form, I am not personally threatened by this so it is easy to say.

I don't imagine that anyone will hear it.

It has come to the point where virtually anything I do threatens the world situation. This typing, the next phone call, lunch, dinner, the books I am reading. DVDs? Sure.

We are in the soup along with the polar bears.

I find that I have a great deal more compassion in my heart for the the bears and bees than I do for my own species.

How is that for a little cheer before the weekend?

Try this ray of hope. When things cool off there will be ways to help the polar bears and bees regenerate.

Us? I hope not.

Labels: environment, global warming, malthus, polar bears