The "Will You Be The Solution Or The Problem?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting in the waiting room at Dermatology Associates anticipating what Dr. Lucking may find during my six month visit.  I was one of only four patients waiting in the multi-doctor practice and had no idea how long it would take before I would be summoned to disrobe for my examination.  So...I grabbed the nearest magazine and began to leaf through it.  The August 5, 2019 edition of Time Magazine had a multitude of fairly short stories about just about anything and everything, but the one that caught my eye was a story titled "Is this summer's intense head caused by climate change?"  Now, if you have been following the national news you probably know that according to the President of the United States, global warning is just a hoax and has no scientific facts to back it up.  I'm sure that many feel the same way, but for me.....well, there just has to be some reason why climatologists describe what they call new norms in global temperatures.  When thinking about climate change you must broaden your thinking and don't think just about your local community or even state.  You have to see what is happening all over the globe.  As I looked at the story I read that one climatologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that "We now have a new normal, we are in a new warmer climate.  Just in the 21st century, we've set a new global world temperature record five times."  Pretty shocking to me!  We are only 1/5 of the way through the century and a new record for warmth has been broken five times.  

Can your children, grand-children and great grand-
children continue to survive in a world like this?

My grandkids may have to live in an environ- ment where most summer days may reach 100 degrees or even worse, more of the polar ice cap may melt which in turn will not be able to reflect the sun off the earth's surfaces and thus make our world's oceans warmer which will in turn kill more marine life and....well the chain goes on and on and on.  But yet, some people think this is all a hoax!  It is a fact that in Antarctica, sea-ice coverage in June of this year was 8.5% below the 1981-2010 average, and in the Artic it was 10.5% below.  Why would anyone make up this stuff?  But, our President keeps telling us all these studies and reports are fake.  A report in the Environmental Research Communications predicts that states along the Gulf Coast will see more than 120 days a year that feel like 100 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of this century.  That's almost a third of the year!  Can you imagine how many more dermatologists will be needed to handle all the cases of skin cancer caused by weather like this.  And, 2019's above average rainfall in parts of the United States has been attributed to human emissions of greenhouse gases and that will continue until we humans get our heads out of our butts and find a way to change our behavior and stop modifying the atmosphere.  

The ice caps are melting!!

You do realize we can do that, but only if our government takes the initiative and sets standards that can stop modifying the atmosphere.  The rest of the world is working on it, but not with enough urgency.  Right now there are more than 180 countries that have ratified the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.  The USA isn't one of those at present.  The USA is the second biggest emitter of greenhouse-gas - after China!  We were part of the agreement until 2017 when our President withdrew the USA from the agreement.  Many foreign scientists believe the world can meet the challenge, but our country must be part of the solution instead of the problem as we now are.  Ask yourself how you can be part of a solution to make the world a safer place for your future generations instead of a problem.  I know what I plan to do!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "Making My Summer Job Easier" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Finishing up my summer printing jobs at the high school where I used to teach and still do the in-house printing jobs.  The past few days has been rather humid in the print shop which creates problems for running the printing press.  The humidity caused the paper to curl which in turn causes feeding problems.  One summer about a thirty-five years ago the print shop was moved to a nearby vacant house the school district owned so the wing where the print shop was located could be upgraded.  The old house had no air conditioning and the fans that were used created as many problems as they solved.  I asked for a few window air conditioners, but that wasn't a high propriety for the school district.  It did make me wonder what printing companies years ago did to solve the high temperatures and humidity problems that could occur in summer months in the north as well as year round in more southern locations.  Just when was air conditioning invented?  It was in 1902 that a young man by the name of Willis Haviland Carrier was given the job of finding a solution for a printing company in Brooklyn that was having problems with the high humidity that caused expansion and contraction in its paper supply on the press.  They couldn't get the registration on their four-color printing press correct.  

Mr. Willis Carrier

The young mechanical engineer made schematic drawings for what would be the first successful air-conditioning system.  Mr. Carrier had just recently graduated from Cornell University and was working for the Buffalo Forge heating company.  The system he devised that year formed the basis of the air conditioner that is in use today.  Air was forced through a filter of a piston-driven compressor where it was pumped over coils that were chilled using coolant.  The cold air was then expelled into a closed space using a fan, cooling the room and stabilizing the humidity.  Oh, if I had only known that the year I had to print in that house.  I could have rigged a device to help with the humidity.  

In this artist's drawing, Mr. Carrier starts the engine that
will drive the world's first modern air conditioning system.

Yes, I know air conditioning  had already been invented... but the school district didn't want to put a Carrier air conditioner in the old house.  The impact of air conditioning can't be overstated.  I'm used to living in an air conditioned house in the hot summer months and while on vacation in the Caribbean I love to be able to leave he beach and head to a nice cool room.  And, as for running the press the past few months, I'm just glad the air conditioner worked for the majority of the time.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.   

The "Did I Say He Was In 8th Grade?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about one of Manheim Township School District's students, Ayush Iyer.  Earlier this month he was named one of 18 winners of the annual "World of 7 Billion" student video contest which is sponsored by Population Connection.  For his efforts he was awarded a $500 cash prize.  I have known and photographed this young man the past four years while taking photos for the Landis Run Intermediate School and Manheim Township Middle School yearbooks.  

Ayush Iyer

What is noteworthy about his winning this national award is that he is still in 8th grade!  I can still remember four years ago taking photos of him for the yearbook when he was in 5th grade.  He was part of a variety of clubs and activities while in intermediate school and when I first met him I knew he was going to be something special in years to come.  I took his photo as part of "Odyssey of the Mind" and "Peer Mediators" while in 5th grade and the following year he added "Math 24" to that list.  His activities continued to grow last year while in 7th grade and this year he was one of the leads in his school's musical as well as being picked by his classmates as the male choice for "Most Likely To Succeed."  While taking photos of him, he was always very cooperative and helpful, something that doesn't always happen with children in grades 5 thru 8.  His recent award was special since more that 5,000 students in grades six through 12 participated in the competition.  Students were to create a video exploring population growth as it relates to one of three challenges: feeding 10 billion, preventing pollution, and advancing girls and women.  Ayush has become an expert in vegetarianism, climate change and the responsible use of natural resources; all of which play a role in world hunger.  The contest was judged by 61 people which consisted of college and high school educators, filmmakers and experts in their fields.  His animated video was picked as the 1st place winner in the feeding 10 billion category.  At first Ayush wasn't sure he wanted to participate in the contest, but his gifted class teacher suggested he participate.  Eventually he decided to make the video and then the news came at the end of April of his triumph.  Ayush eventually hopes to go into a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) field.  His parents both work in computer science and I'm sure are extremely proud of his recent accomplishment.  I certainly am proud of his accomplishment for the notoriety it brings to the Manheim Township School District.  Oh yeah, did I say he is only in 8th grade!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "America's Refugee Capital" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Making a visit to one of the schools in the Manheim Township School District in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  My mission today is to take a few more candid photographs for one of the two yearbooks I produce for the school district that borders the city of Lancaster.  Made a visit to one of my favorite classrooms in the Intermediate School, the 5th grade artroom.  Asked the teacher if she would mind if I walked around the room to take a few candid photos.  In no time I was snapping away as they worked of a variety of projects.  I came upon one young boy and asked if he would mind if I took his photo and he looked at me with a puzzled frown.  Another student said he just came to the school from Puerto Rico and didn't speak English very well yet.  Snapped a photo as he wrote his name on a sheet of paper for me and then I thanked him for the photo.  Gave me a big smile as he went back to work on his art project.  Then it struck me.  This young boy has been displaced from his home in Puerto Rico due to the devastation of Hurricane Maria this past fall.  After arriving home from my photo shoot, I pulled out my yearbook from when I graduated from Manheim Township High School in the early 1960s and began leafing through it.  I found TWO faces that weren't Caucasian in the entire high school.  What a difference 50 or so years make.  The names in the school yearbook now reflect the many refugees that now call Lancaster County home.  Two months ago the BBC News Network titled Lancaster, Pennsylvania as "America's Refugee Capital."  Since 2013, Lancaster has resettled 20 times more refugees than the rest of the country.  I had to read and reread the story to take in all the information that I just didn't realize even though I live in the county.  The story that was in Newsweek told the tale of our small, historic city surrounded by fertile farmland that most people think of as home to the Amish, Conestoga wagons, farmer's markets and former President James Buchanan.  Within the city's borders there are now 18,000 U.S. citizens from Puerto Rico that make up 30% of the city population.  For the past 12 years the Mayor of our city has been J. Richard Gray who is a heck of a nice guy and a friend of mine from church.  The city has recently welcomed displaced people from the Caribbean who now call Lancaster home along with 1,300 people from Somalia, Burma, Bhutan, Congo, Iraq, Cuba, Syria and Ukraine.  Most are here as climate-displaced families that are creating economic and social struggles for the city of Lancaster.  The city school district is facing a population crisis. Since Lancaster is close to Philadelphia, New York City, Baltimore and Washington D.C., Lancaster has become a receiving zone for those areas.  And, with sea levels rising due to climate threats such as drought, hurricanes and sea level rise, Lancaster will see many more refugees heading to our town.  We are being touched tremendously by our climate. Are we ready for it.  So far Mayor Gray has handled it well.  But his term recently ended and he chose not to run again.  I'm hoping our new city Major will be up to the task that she will certainly inherit.  Things such as lack of clean water, food scarcity, and even crowded hospitals will be with us soon.  And, I guess I should prepare to type many more names in the two yearbooks that I produce that don't end with Smith or Jones.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "The Banana Is Only The Start Of It!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Taking a ride along the east coast of the island of Barbados.  Carol and I, along with traveling friends Jere and Just Sue, have made two trips to the island that is located in the southern Caribbean.  Along the southeast coast of the island is the town known as Bathsheba which is just beautiful with huge rock formations directly offshore and row after row of banana plants along the opposite side of the road.  

Driving the roads in Bathsheba.

During our stays on Barbados we saw many banana plantations which were filled with bananas in all stages of growth.  Bananas are plentiful in many of the Caribbean islands as well as the countries of Belize, Jamaica, Costa Rico, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Nicaragua, Panama and Columbia.  Bananas do best in areas where the temperatures range from 79 to 88 degrees.  

We passed many banana plants as we
drove the roads in Bathsheba.

Rainfall should average about 70 inches a year with the rainfall distributed throughout the year.  Altitude must not exceed 980 feet and sheltered valleys that have little wind make perfect growing conditions for the plants that have shallow roots and can easily be uprooted.  The banana industry is huge with some countries producing over 200 million tons in a single year.  Raising bananas is a labor-intensive industry and in some cases rivaling the government as the next largest employer on the islands.  In 1950 most bananas were exported from Central America by the American owned United Fruit Company.  Guatemala was paid modest amounts of money by the company for large areas of land on which they grew bananas.  Not only did they control the banana industry, they controlled transportation when they built the first railway in the country which was meant to be used to transport bananas.  In 1950 the company's profits where twice the gross domestic product of the entire country of Guatemala.  But...they did little to understand the biology of growing bananas.  They had one variety...the Gros Michel.  Bananas grown in this area of the World were Gros Michel.  Cuttings from the best specimens were replanted and thus all bananas were genetically identical. The banana plantations of Central America in the 1950s were not only the largest collective organism alive at that time, but perhaps ever.  True genius economically!  As the plantations of bananas expanded across the American tropics, scientists wondered what would happen if a banana-attacking pathogen would arrive.  Well, it happened!  Panama disease (known as fusarium wilt) started to wipe out the banana plantations.  Nearly all the plantations in Guatemala were devastated and then abandoned.  The Gros Michel was in trouble.  But, there was another variety known as the Cavendish, but it tasted different then the Gros Michel.  

The Cavendish banana which we buy today.  But for how long?

The Cavendish was not affected by the Panama disease and was planted in the fields abandoned due to the disease.  It was soon exported to the United States along with a massive advertising campaign lauding the benefits of the new banana.  And, boy did the people fall for it.  They loved the new banana strain.  If you were born after 1950 it is unlikely that you ever ate anything except the Cavendish.  As expected, the Cavendish bananas are all genetically identical.  In 1984 the United Fruit Company rebranded as Chiquita.  And...guess what.  Another pathogen has arrived.  And...what I just wrote is true of many species of our crops.  Many of the key species of fruits and vegetables are in trouble.  We tend to experience pleasure when we eat our favorite foods and the more we feed ourselves the foods, the more we create a world dominated by just a few productive crops that could be threatened just because of their commonness.  Many crops today are at risk from pests, pathogens and climate change.  I for one love strawberries that are grown in Lancaster County during the spring of the year, but the season is only a month or so long.  I long for these strawberries, but when I buy strawberries at the grocery store from other areas, I'm disappointed.  Will scientists be able in the near future to come up with a diversity of crops that we will be able to enjoy at all times?  They must solve the puzzle that we surely will face someday or our food sources may vanish.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.