Cartoon Pen & Watercolour 8″x12″
Copyright 2009 Jean Burman
“For those who believe… no proof is necessary
For those who don’t believe… no proof is possible”
- Eyes of the Beholder
So where does this leave us in the Climate Change Debate?
Precisely nowhere.
But that’s okay because… either way… I still have a couple of outstanding questions.
Things like:
1. Why is the sea level rising in Kirribati and the Maldives but nowhere else?
2. Why are we changing light globes from incandescent to [mercury containing] compact fluorescent globes when the environmental consequences of doing so have not been fully investigated… and there are no established guidelines for their safe handling and subsequent disposal?
3. Why are we legislating that new roofs in the tropics must now be [a heat absorbing] dark brown or green (ironically to blend with nature) when sound common sense dictates that a lighter [white or silver] roof would not only keep the home cooler in summer but also reduce the amount of energy required to cool it?
4. Why are we introducing an Emissions Trading Scheme which could potentially disadvantage many sectors of the economy without first establishing [without a doubt] that the carbon we are attempting to reduce is in fact the true culprit in climate change?
5. And is climate change the real issue anyway?
There has been so much time-wasting debate that were it the real issue… it is now becoming all too late. And if it is not the real issue… then there has been a heck of a lot of greenhouse gas expended in talking about it for no particularly good reason why! [Grin]
So would it not be wiser to address the broader issue of environment instead of climate change?
Would it not be smarter all round for us to focus on the indisputable evidence already to hand of the adverse impact that humankind is having on the planet overall? If this were the case… the hystrionics of the whole climate change debate would cease to exist… and in it’s place would be calm rational bipartisan discussion about “what is good for us” [or not] and what we can reasonably do about it.
I do not know of a single person who would dispute the fact that humankind is having a hugely detrimental impact on the environment… the world at large… and the planet in general. Climate Change however may continue to be debated until the cows come home… [with way too much methane going down by then]
Cleaning up our act and changing our attitude toward the environment in which we live is within the realms of possibility for each and every individual on the planet. It can happen today.
Becoming environmentally aware is the responsibility of all those who draw breath from the scant six kilometres of oxygen in the atmosphere above our heads before there is… absolutely… precisely… nothing. Just that one single thought should be enough to start people thinking about selling their Hummers and carpooling to work.
The big picture is a mighty one. And there is nothing to suggest that it’s not a daunting task.
But it’s the only honest way to go.
Climate Change in and of itself is only one small factor in the greater global catastrophe which may befall the planet if we fail to make immediate changes to the way we live… do business… and co-exist with the natural world.
We must act now… as though our life depended on it.
Because it does.
“Labor Pains”
Cartoon Pen & Watercolour 9″ x 12″
Copyright 2009 Jean Burman
Yes… it’s irreverent. But heck… someone has to say something and it might as well be me (grin) This is the second cartoon that would have otherwise gone off to the Rotary Cartoon Awards had I not found out that the cartoons had to be without captions… and then later discovered (after the closing date) that captions were fine… (okay *sigh* it’s complicated)
For those not in the know about doings here in the Sunshine State…. um… well… what can I say?
It’s a great place to live!
A bit of background though is probably necessary for the decipherment (yes… there is such a word ~grin~ I checked it) of the above cartoon and now follows:
- Queensland currently has a Labor State Government led by Premier Anna Bligh.
- Anna (rumour has it) is a descendent of Lieutenant William Bligh commander of The Bounty.
- Mutiny broke out on the Bounty on 28th April 1789.
- The ship was commandeered by Christian Fletcher who later sailed off into the sunset.
- Before doing so… Bligh and 18 loyal supporters were pushed off onto the high seas in a 23 foot (7 m) launch.
- They were given food enough and water to last for three days… along with a sextant and pocket watch.
- No maps or a compass were issued.
- They sailed for a year and a day and washed up on the shores of Timor 3,618 nautical miles away (oh okay then) not a year and a day but 47 days later.
- All but one survived.
- Um… you didn’t really need to know any of that… but it was rather interesting don’t you think? Grin.
I’ll close with a quote from J.C. Beaglehole who once wrote:
”[Bligh made] dogmatic judgements which he felt himself entitled to make… he saw fools about him too easily… thin-skinned vanity was his curse through life… [Bligh] never learnt that you do not make friends of men by insulting them” [or their intelligence]
The apple… after all… may not fall so very far from the tree.
I rest my case. (((chuckles)))
Cartoon Copyright 2008 Jean Burman
“Obama Unplugged”
Pen & Watercolour 12″ x 9″
Like most of us… I watched with interest (and considerable empathy) from the sidelines last week as Senator Barack Obama struggled to maintain his equilibrium in the wake of the media fallout from his association and past close friendship with the right Reverend Jeremiah Wright.
Regardless of your politics… it would be difficult not to feel some degree of empathy for a fellow human being under siege from all sides. There is no doubt that he’s in an unenviable position. Damned if you do… damned if you don’t. But this is the way of politics.
Watching the antics of the past week unfolding in the political arena… I began to identify with the exasperation etched on Obama’s face… and it occurred to me that he and I might just have had a thing or two in common last week… and that surprising as it might seem…
Blogging is a lot like politics! [It sure has taught me many things!]
Bloggers (like politicians) must have thick skin.
Bloggers (like politicians) must be prepared to “hear the words they’ve spoken twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools” (to borrow heavily from Kipling! LOL)
Bloggers (like politicians) understand the need to diplomatically “handle” comments that are made (even when some views expressed are diametrically opposed to our own)
Bloggers (like politicians) also e-v-e-n-t-u-a-l-l-y come to understand that the person in “diametrical” opposition… doesn’t necessarily “have it in for them”… they are simply attempting to use someone else’s platform to pump their own agenda [if Wright had wanted the limelight he should have gone into politics himself]
Bloggers (like politicians) know how things can get out of hand… and how in the end… the only reasonable thing to do is to reluctantly and diplomatically put a stop to it. [Obama did this week... and sadly... I am about to]
First though… I’d like to thank each and every one of you who visit my blog in the spirit in which it was intended… offering insights and generously giving encouragement and support for my humble enterprise here. You cannot know the good you do in raising my spirits and encouraging me to blog on!
My blog is my gift to you… the reader.
But remember… it’s a free service [grin] … dredged from the depths of my heart! It is not without fault… (no-one’s perfect). And you don’t have to agree with it. But I mean no harm to anyone. I wish only good for the earth… and good things for the people who walk upon it.
What I ask in return… is that your (very welcome) comments remain relevant to the topic… and more importantly… do not overly contradict the writer! It is understood that everyone has a differing point of view… and I love to hear it. I would be the first to acknowledge that our views should never be static… and to be healthy… should “bend and meld” under the influence of new information.
But… I have no wish for my blog to become my whipping post either. A place where my viewpoint is routinely contradicted and I am forced to defend each word. Where on earth is the fun in that?
Besides… this blog is first and foremost about the craft of writing. Clearly I am still learning… (aren’t we all?)
It is also about the art (and the cartoons)… which I have come to enjoy doing more and more. The issues raised are naturally those that are close to my heart… the things I care about and want to share… but they are not the most important thing. When it’s all said and done… they are just the vehicle for the writing itself… and almost always an afterthought for the cartoons!
Now… please don’t make of this that you should stop commenting. On the contrary… I would like nothing better than for even more people to join in the discussion adding richness to the mix. But please remember I am just a human person. The pays nothing to write home about and the hours are long. So be kind okay? [grin]
I hope you enjoy the cartoon… 
Cartoon – Copyright 2008 Jean Burman
“To win by Default”
Pen & watercolour 12″ x 9″
It’s been another week (or so) of strange and perplexing world events.
But none more seriously concerning… than the damaging trend developing in the US Presidential race… where it would seem candidates on the same team remain “hell bent” on destroying one another… and handing an easy victory to their opponent.
I am not professing to know very much at all about US politics… but therein lies the scarey thing. If someone like me… observing casually from the far flung reaches of the other side of the planet can see there is a problem… believe me… there is a problem!
Consequently… there are more questions than answers here on the blog this week:
What on earth are Clinton and Obama thinking?
Do they not realise that (by their behaviour) they are burning off public opinion?
Do they not realise that they are seriously jeopardising the chances of a positive outcome for the Democrats?
Who are their strategists and advisors… and what is their true purpose? (one has got to wonder if they are not on the opposition payroll! ~grin~)
Moreover…how (and why)… in light of these damaging developments… do said strategists and advisors still have a job?
And finally…
Why (you might ask) should I care?
Well… I might live half a world away… but what happens in the US should matter to us all.
It’s been said that “when the US sneezes… the world gets a cold”.
Whilst I’m not entirely sure this will continue to be the case into the future as the balance of world power continues to shift… I still reckon that it does matter very much who wins power in the next US Presidential election for we are (all of us) inextricably linked to the other when it comes to positive global outcomes.
The debacle in Iraq. The ongoing crisis that is the Middle East. The US economy and it’s impact upon other economies. The environment and it’s multiple challenges. Terrorism. Religious extremism (not to mention Jihad… and what the heck we are all going to do about that one!) Surely… these are compelling issues?
In my view… it is the global outcomes that all candidates (and the media) should be focusing on (as well as the solving of some serious domestic issues on the homefront) and not the trivial “who said what…and who did not” that seems to be dominating the airwaves in the current debate.
Time I think for all concerned to finally see “the wood for the trees”. Soon though… before it’s too late and they are banished to that wilderness!
Hope you enjoy the cartoon… it came to me out of the blue around 3am a week ago. I promised myself I’d keep the editorial short this time… but you know me ~grin~
