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Friday, December 24, 2010

CRASH: Gorebal Warming And "White Christmas"

White Christmas was released in 1954, and has become a fixture in American Christmas celebrations, as families gather around to watch the story so many of us have seen so many times before.



Few of us associate the plot with Gorebal Warming, which is a good thing I suppose.  Yet, right there as an essential plot element is this; it hasn't snowed in Vermont since Thanksgiving.  When Bing Crosby and Danny Kay and the the ladies get off the train, it is balmy.  The guy at the station says it was 68 degrees yesterday.  The General's ski lodge is going broke...

And nobody gets panicked.  Nobody flies off to shut down the (terribly polluting steam-locomotive powered) train, or goes around unscrewing light bulbs.


Because it is WEATHER.  Weather is fickle, and it changes.  People don't make the weather or the climate.  People in 1954 knew that.

We can still learn from our elders.

Merry Christmas everybody! (as George Bailey would say).

2 comments:

  1. In addition to "White Christmas", I was made in 1954. Clearly a good year. President Isenhower's idea of "radical transformation" was building the interstate highway system, which I still rather enjoy.

    Hopefully the snow accumulation here will counterbalance the humanity in the east at least through the New Year.

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  2. If Vera Ellen is NOT the REAL Barbie,...well...

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