Bighand Thornyhead

Okay, so color me cynical, but I'd love to do what the G8 leaders did and get applauded for it, just like they did.  And, what did they do you ask?  They said that the world should halve emissions blamed for climate change by 2050. 

2050?  That's 42 years away!  Hell, I could do that.  That's four generations in dog years! It's like Snoopy saying that the smog will be half gone by the time his great grandson grows up.  What were they thinking?

And the fun part?  The part that shows the world that they might just be a tad out of touch with public opinion? They thought this was cool enough to put in a time capsule.  The capsule will be buried at the Windsor Hotel - the luxury hotel in the mountain resort of Toyako in northern Japan, which held the summit (what's with the British name?).  The capsule will be opened in 100 years, on July 7, 2108.  It will go along side a monument in honor of the eight leaders in a planned new, $1.5 million dollar park.  The shape of the monument?  Chunk of ice that's melting.  A spokesperson for the hotel said that it would act as a message for future generations to take care of the Earth.  By the time they open it, they'll probably have to use scuba divers to get to it.

Most peer reviewed science research says that we're toast if we don't cut emissions by 40% in something closer to 10 to 15 years.  And that's not even counting the fact that China and India aren't even part of the G8... which makes it kind of pointless.  

Fellow named Paul Collier calls the emerging world's ever growing population (including China and India) as the 'Bottom Billion'.  A population that is now getting access to wonderful new devices called cars.  Take, for example, India's Tato Nano, the under $3,000 car due out this year.  According to the estimates, it will make it possible for some additional 30 million people in India to own autos.  Up till now they've had to resort to riding bicycles or walking, what fun is that? 

Let's see, how much additional pollution is that?  Well, 30 million more cars sitting in India's one lane jammed roads for an hour a day, times such and such gases produced an hour is, let's see, uhmm, a lot. 

And, knowing that there would be no way that with all these extra cars running around that they'd even come close to meeting the G8's air pollution goals both China and India declined to go along, saying that since we (the 8) had made the problem, we should fix it. 

We certainly can't stand on any moral high ground on this argument, or on any other in fact, based on recent history, but it would be nice if we could all join hands and sing a chorus of  Kumbya, my Lord' and figure it out.

And you gotta' love this - after being criticized for their somewhat less than stellar agreement the G8 leaders have been saying it's a milestone, why you ask?  Well as Canadian prime Minister Stephen Harper and other G8 leaders said it as an important breakthrough because it was the first time U.S. President George W. Bush has accepted the need to set targets for cutting carbon emissions.  What?  That reminds me of Brent Miller. 

Brent was the class bully in my 8th grade public school who regularly stole my lunch money.  Actually a lot of kid's money.  Well, finally after enough kids went hungry for a semester or so, the principal found out about it and talked to his father.  And after some behind the scenes 'persuasion' Brent did stop taking the money, and was forgiven.  So we now just got kicked as he walked by.  Somehow this reminds me of Bush.

In the irony department:

British Prime minister Gordon Brown fell into the 'failed to see the larger picture' category when, after noting that the global food crisis was top on the G8's agenda he made a wonderful little speech in which he urged the world to reduce the "unnecessary demand" for food and called on British families to cut back on their wasteful use of food. 

He unfortunately followed this comment by sitting down to enjoy a six-course lunch and followed that with an eight-course "blessings of the earth and the sea social dinner". In total, the Prime Minister was served 24 different dishes during his first day at the summit, and the press found that a bit ironic, can't imagine why.



Just for those that might wonder what they missed out on, here's the menu for dinner:

Dinner Menu 

Corn-stuffed caviar
Smoked salmon and sea urchin "pain surprise" style
Winter lily bulb and summer savoury
Kelp-flavoured cold kyoto beef shabu-shabu, asparagus dressed with sesame cream
Diced fatty fles of tuna fish, avocado and jellied soy sauce and Japanese herb "shiso"
Boiled clam, tomato, Japanese herb "shiso" in jellied clear soup of clam
Water shield and pickled conger dressed with vinegar soy sauce
Boiled prawn with jellied tosazu-vinegar
Grilled eel rolled around burdock strip
Sweet potato
Fried and seasoned Goby with soy sauce and sugar
Hairy Crab "Kegani" bisque soup
Salt-grilled bighand thornyhead with vinegary water pepper sauce
Milk fed lamb from "shiranuka" flavoured with aromatic herbs and mustard
Roasted lamb and cepes and black truffle with emulsion sauce of lamb's stock and pine seed oil
Special cheese selection, lavender honey and caramelised nuts
G8 fantasy dessert

Wine list
Le Reve grand cru champagne
Japanese saki
Corton Charlemagne 2005
Chateau Latour burgundy
Ridge California Monte Bello 1997
Tokaji Essencia 1999 from Hungary


Oh, in case you were wondering you could have purchased about 200,000 Tata Nanos for the cost of the G8 summit.

And, in case you were wondering, a Bighand Thornyhead is a fish.