Friday Ice Cream

     Want to join the Climate Movement? Sign the petition from Ben and Jerry's by clicking the image below! Who doesn't like Ben and Jerry's? Who would want to keep the Earth cool enough for ice cream?

Good-bye Jon Stewart

     This is a tough day for me. I have been a Jon Stewart fan for a really long time. Before he scored his gig on the Daily Show, I remember seeing him on MTV on some game show I forget the name of. I remember the "Jon Stewart Show", short-lived but smart and hilarious. For the past 15 years, I rarely missed the Daily Show because, well, Jon always slapped us in the face with truth. He echoed the incredulity and anger that we all shared when it came to the things wrong with our country and the world. He pushed us all to use common sense and logic when addressing issues, while calling for the other media outlets to do the same. That voice was like a beacon of hope, a light in the darkness, the laugh when we needed it. Without his humor, I am convinced that I would be suffering from severe depression and hopped up on untold number of anti-depressants.

photo from: http://media.salon.com/2012/07/stewart_rect.jpg

     The truth is, Jon Stewart inspired me to write this blog. Good or bad, smart or dull, funny or boring, I do this every week (mostly) to try and reach those of you out there who are distressed about the state of our world, who need a laugh sometimes, who need to see a different perspective on things. A perspective that shows you how ridiculous the news-spin can be and how common sense and logic will always show the way. I owe that to Jon Stewart. He made it okay to question, challenge and push all that bullshit to the side and demand honesty and truth. Who else could take a subject as serious as the war in Iraq, the fight for Gay Rights or the hypocrisy that is Citizens United and lay it all out for us, all while still being able to make us laugh? How are we supposed to go on with out him to keep us all honest?

     I always had this fantasy that I would hit it big one day. When I was a kid, it was as a hockey player. In my 20's, it was as an author and a writer. For the past 5 years, as I finished my degree, joined the Climate Reality Project and the Watershed Stewards, I figured it would be for my Environmental and Climate Activism. With my witty and funny blog posts, future books and the fact I will be a hilarious interview, I had this dream of making it onto "The Daily Show", sitting across from Jon and discussing the climate crisis, the environmental issues facing our world and saying "fuck" a lot. The thought scared the crap out of me, of course, because Jon is so smart and his BS meter so sensitive. But I wanted the chance! I wanted to just talk to him. To pick his brain. To pick things apart, dissect idiot comments from idiot public officials that don't know what the hell they are talking about. To say something witty enough to make Jon Stewart laugh.

     That would help me reach more people, would help me make more of a difference in combating our current climate and environmental issues and the ones that face us in the future. It would signal that I was truly making a difference in the world, reaching people, inspiring others to stand up and make their voices heard. I would be making the world a better place, not just posting unread blogposts for my own entertainment or piece of mind. It was a goal I wanted to strive for, but was unsure how to do it. Except to just keep plugging away. Maybe I would make it on "The Daily Show" one day. Maybe not. But having a goal is the first step to attaining it. Who knows what the future holds?

      Sadly, my future does not include sitting across the desk from Jon Stewart on his daily show. I wont get that chance now. I may make it big one day and become a world renowned Climate Activist, but I won't get to walk onto to that stage, make sarcastic comments about the dolts in Congress or pick his brain about environmentalism and what he thinks we should do or be asked to stay past the 30 minute mark to discuss things further and have it thrown up on the internet for viewers to check out after the show. I won't get to turn on the TV and flip to Comedy Central when I feel that despair that can set in when everything seems so overwhelming. I wont get to hear his take on the inequities of the world. Every week for almost 15 years I had that chance. After today, we all won't have that chance. I don't like when tv shows end that I am emotionally invested in. But this, this is different. Saying good bye to this "Daily Show"...this will be extra hard. Why? Because it was real. It was true and it was good for all of us.

     Thanks Jon. I will truly miss you.

 

The White House's Clean Power Plan

    The White House is releasing the new Clean Power Plan for the USA today. It is a revised version of the plan released last year with changes to the plan that addresses concerns raised by opponents of the plan as well as the Supreme Court ruling from this past June. It is a huge step towards showing the rest of the world that America will lead when the Climate Conference in Paris this December takes place.

   
     Watch the video above to learn more. There are better and cleaner alternatives to coal, oil and natural gas, alternatives that greatly reduce pollution in many of its forms. A clean energy future is possible and vital for the future. Back the President and the White House and push for a Clean Energy Future!