WHEN A BUTTERFLY flaps its wings in Sumatra, an oil rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico.Such an exaggerated example of eco-connectedness describes how everything, everyone and all creatures on earth are linked, and then to the cosmos, or God. A potent visual image more powerful than lip service to the environment and religiosity about us all being bretheren and sisteren.The current living nightmare is not even the worst case scenario. BP (one twitterer wrote it stands for Beach Pollution now) has a deeper well, 7 000 feet down in the ocean, then further down to reach the oil.A whistle blower who questioned safety procedures revealed that over 100, perhaps hundreds of infractions existed, and paperwork connected with these mysteriously vanished. Imagine if this one blows too!Maybe the butterflies flew away with the evidence. Oh, but they didn’t survive the toxic spill.Environmental scientists say you can tell if an area is still healthy by the presence of the fragile creatures as they flutterby. Globally, they have been observed migrating to higher, and cooler areas, as climate change overheats lower landscapes.Public horningI have been wondering if the flap of a butterfly’s wings can have such a resounding whiplash around the world, what effect can be expected from the vuvuzela horns in Africa. The sound is monotonous, akin to the buzzing of gazillions of mad bees, penetrating your brain in an aural type of torture similar to incessant water boarding.What is that doing to the heads of those at the games and millions who tune in around the world?In our usual follow-pattern way, will we start this noisy, toneless, musical horning at sporting and other public events, with our adults and children mindlessly blowing up a storm of hot, annoying air? None but ourselves can free our own ears and brains.Ri-Ri’s rednessIt’s nice to see our star girl Rihanna drop in for a visit with her fam and friends. Watch red hair colour disappearing from the shelves as Ri-Ri-ites rush to copy her red “do”.Jam$7m for cokeAcross the stream in the big isle – Jamtown, the word is that Jam$7million ent enuf fi tempt oona peeps to turn him in or give info about his crib site. Sight? Is anyone so suicidal? Whoever bells the big cat needs collateral to get him/her and family far, far away. Maybe to Sumatra.
RSV and tissicThanks to Lowdown Dick Hoad for his tissic missive. I didn’t need to diagnose, but not having listened to my heart and breathing, the docs at QEH, could not.I wonder if I went in now, complaining of difficulty breathing, painful bronchi, cough, being sweet 16, with chronic illnesses, and recent thoughts of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) flapping in the air, if they would examine and test me?At least someone from the Ministry of Health called me to empathise for my “frustration”.I did see quick response to a known asthmatic patient in A&E. But what if you go there with your first asthmatic episode? Isn’t that a priority too?lDawn Morgan is a NATION senior reporter (Advertising) who thinks horning should be done discreetly, privately, and with rhythm. Phone 430-5495 dawnmorgan@nationnews.com