Good Morning Thinkers!

Amazing Grace Movie

Don't miss this one ... it's an inspiring movie about a powerful moment in history.  This year is the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the UK and the leading force behind that change was British politician, William Wilberforce. 

While I knew the story of John Newton, the slave ship captain who became a minister and wrote the title song, I did not know how the slave trade actually ended.  It was interesting to find out that rather than being beat down by rhetoric and reason, the slave trade was sapped of its energy by a legal maneuver that took away the profit in stealing, transporting and selling human beings. 

The movie is a stirring reminder of how much one person can do.  While there were many people involved in this movement, Wilberforce was the catalyst that kept it alive and forced the vote in the political arena.  It also made me wonder how we might remove the profit from war. 

Lest we think slavery is only a nasty note in our past, however, one reviewer reminds us,  "But the work of justice and mercy continues. 27 million men, women, and children are still enslaved around the globe."

An Inconvenient Truth

Can a movie change the world?  Let's hope this one can.  In case you're wondering, Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" is neither boring nor depressing.  It is eloquent, heartfelt and inspiring.  It ends with a clear message about what we can do.

Understanding how to deal with low-probability/high-impact possibilities ... such as the possibility that the New Orleans levees could be breached by a hurricane ... is a standard part of risk assessment known as consequence analysis.  There is no doubt that the potential impact of global warning is catastrophic devastation.  The only real question is the probability of that scenario occurring.  If there is any possibility that it could occur, shouldn't we drop everything and figure out what to do ... right now?

Next to the possibility of the ice caps melting (which has already started) raising ocean levels by 20 feet, possibly inundating most of Florida and large parts of major coastal populations, the questions of gay marriage, who leaked Valerie Plame's name, and whether or not illegal immigrants should get drivers' licenses seem pretty inconsequential.

Regardless of your political affiliation, this is a must see movie.  As Roger Ebert said in his 4-Star review:  "You owe it to yourself to see this film. If you do not, and you have grandchildren, you should explain to them why you decided not to."

More about the movie at http://climatecrisis.com.

My personal next step:  become carbon neutral.  Since I have only the vaguest idea about how to do this, I'm going to start a new blog where I'll put the info I find in case it will be helpful to you.  Here's the link:  http://thinksmart.typepad.com/carbon_neutral_strategies/