Wednesday, August 31, 2005

American Tsunami

With things going from bad to worse along the Gulf Coast today and yesterday, I hear that our city may be host to as many as 50,000 refugees. Officials are setting up to receive them at the fair grounds.

The hotels here are already full. Our churches need to open their airconditioned doors and allow these people to come and stay in their carpeted facilities, sleep on the padded pews and eat in the kitchens. Most have full nurseries to accommodate families with small children and many have showers and other facilities to make them perfect shelters for the victims of this terrible disaster. I hope they will show the true love of Christ and open their arms and hearts to these poor people.

But, what is the world's response to our tsunami?

One was to raise the price of oil $3.00 a barrel to record levels.

I don't hear an outpouring of generosity or willingness to help us in our time of need. Or am I just not listening?

Monday, August 29, 2005

Lazy Post Today...

Boudreaux been fish'n down by de bayou all day and he done run plum outta night crawlers. He be bout reddy to leave when he seen a snake wif a big frog in his mouf. He knowed dat dem big bass fish like dem frogs, so he decided to steal dat froggie.

Dat snake, he be a cotton mouf water moccasin, so he had to be real careful or he'd git bit. He snuk up behine dat snake and grab him roun de haid.

Dat ole snake din't lak dat one bit. He squirmed and wrap hisself roun' Boudreaux's arm try'n to git hisself free. But Boudreaux, him had a real good grip on his haid, yeh. Well, Boudreaux pried his mouf open and got de frog and puts it in his bait can.

Now, Boudreaux knows dat he cain't let go dat snake or he gonna bite him good, but he had a plan. He reach into de back pocket of his bib overalls and pulls out a pint a moonshine likker. He pour some drops into de snake's mouf. Well, dat snake's eyeballs roll back in his haid and his body go limp.

Wit dat, Boudreaux toss dat snake into de bayou. Den he goes back to fishin'.

A while later, Boudreaux dun feel sumpin' tappin' on his barefoot toe.

He slowly look down and dare wuz dat cotton mouf snake - wif two more frogs.

Thursday, August 25, 2005

The Truth About Global Warming

Researchers at the University of Texas released data today indicating that global warming may be tied directly to air conditioning. For some years now, scientists have looked at the release of Freon into the atmosphere as harming the ozone layer and ultimately contributing to global warming. And, it was long thought that greenhouse gasses contributed largely to the phenomenon.

But it is only just recently that a direct connection between air conditioning and global warming has become evident.

Geri Sanchez, head of the Terra-Two Project, which looks at global warming and its causes, effects and remedies, at the University of Texas, Austin, said, “We have been compiling statistics on air conditioning in this country and around the world for the last three years.”

“We show trends prior to 1958 when air conditioning first started to become popular,” she continued, “until 2004 and you can see a dramatic increase in the average temperature of the earth starting about 1964.”

“When you calculate the square footage enclosed in air conditioned spaces, and the average difference in temperature from inside and outside, it’s easy to see that the air outside is being replaced with heated air and the air inside is cool.”

“Multiply the effects of one 1800 square foot house times millions and you realize that it’s no coincidence that temperatures have risen a full three quarters of a degree Fahrenheit over the past two decades. You can’t expect to fill large volumes of space with cool air and not raise the surrounding temperature.”

Sanchez went on to state that this is why we have become so dependent on air conditioning.

“I hear all the time, ‘how did people live without air conditioning in the old days?’ And, the answer is, it wasn’t so hot then so people didn’t notice.”

Sanchez believes that if everyone stopped using air conditioning at one time, the earth’s temperature would drop to previous levels within a few months and people wouldn’t need air conditioning.

“It’s good for people, it’s good for the economy, it’s good for energy conservation, it’s good for the Earth.” Sanchez stated.

For further information, contact g.sanchez@utex.edu