The Power of Hope and Persistence to Create and Sustain Change

I was reading a post by blogger No Impact Man at http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2009/01/can-a-renewed-presidency-alone-make-a-renewed-planet.html
in which he asked a question about the naivety of attempting to make enormous changes in the world. Here is my reply to his post entitled Can a renewed presidency alone make a renewed planet?

First of all, congratulations on the film showing at Sundance! As for the part of your comment, "Does this sound naive? ... Because a search for a better way of life that also saves our habitat can engender more public support than a geeky-sounding thing like a renewable energy grid ever would." I don't think this is naive at all. I absolutely believe that we need to change the focus of our economy from one of consumption to an economy of service and sustainablity. It is a major paradigm shift that rejects the excesses of Milton Friedman's consumer-based economy for a new way of life.

I've been aware of Global Warming since the early 1980's, as I used to work for Dr. James Hansen at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. I was there when, then Senator Al Gore invited Dr. Hansen to speak in front of a Congressional subcommittee about the results obtained from his global climate model. It was at this meeting that Dr. Hansen stated that Global Warming is happening now. Then, I watched all the naysayers and product defense teams hired by Big Oil attempt to shoot him down. I saw his funding dry up due to this controversy. I read the reports about how he and other scientists were, essentially, muzzled so that a powerful political, energy and economic agenda could be maintained, instead of challenged. In the past 25 years, I've seen most of the world come around to see the truth in his independent, academic, juried research.

So, when you asked if your idea was naive, I thought of this rocky journey that Dr. Hansen has been through and where we stand today. Are you naive? No. Hopeful? Yes! For without hope and persistance in the face of great odds, defeat is certain. Change is only possible when we overcome obstacles with hope and persistance. If people throughout history believed their ideas and aspirations were naive and stopped working toward those dreams, our world would be an incredibly different place. So, in honor of our new President, let's all understand that we can make the necessary changes to save our planet, and our country. Yes We Can!!!

Interesting People I've Known or Met

The beginning of a new year often brings some introspection. I was thinking about people whom I've met that were truly interesting. Here are some of them...

Dr. James Hansen - the "Paul Revere" of Global Warming who was invited, in the mid-1980's, by Senator Al Gore to testify in front of a Congressional subcommittee about climate change. He was the first scientist to state that global warming was happening now. I used to work for him.

Dr. Roger Revell - Oceanographer. I met him at work.

Jacques et Michel Cousteau - Jacques Cousteau was the man who first interested me, as a child, in SCUBA diving through his television specials. He and his son were very nice. I met them while I was at work.

Frank Sinatra - a man who cared enough to ask an 11-yr-old girl if she would like to see her father perform while sitting in the audience next to his wife, instead of only from backstage right. I'll never forget his kindness. (My father lost the autograph Frank wrote to me!!!). I wasn't thrilled about his daughter, Nancy, however.

The Osmond Brothers (actually, the entire family, including Marie and Jimmy, and except for Virl and Tom) - really nice people, all of them! I was so sorry to hear of their parent's passing. The family always stood together in a circle, with hands held together, and prayed before each performance. Their father, George, invited me to join them in prayer.

Fred Astaire - a legend in dance and song. I met him on set, while picking up my father from work. He was very nice; a true gentleman.

Gena Rowlands - actress. A nice lady I met on a Malibu beach while visiting my friend's grandmother. I got to hold a real Oscar - they're HEAVY!

Debbie Reynolds - used to pick up my father in LA before going to the set to work. According to my Mom, her daughter and I used to play together as babies in front of the Tropicana in Las Vegas.

Rosemary Clooney - at a Christmas dance for LA Cotillion. I had learned the fox trot, cha cha, etc., but had to move across country before I got to learn the Viennese Waltz. Someday...

Keith Haring - popular artist, now deceased. I met him at a NYC party given by my, then, boyfriend. He was very interesting to converse with - we spoke about many things, including religion.

Most of the other interesting and wonderful people whom I've loved, befriended, learned from, or worked with are not famous, so you wouldn't know them. However, this doesn't make them any less "important," noteworthy, influential, or amazing. Here are only a few of them, and not in any particular order. They include... Philip Yacos, Elaine Matthews, (Dr.) Bill Rossow, the lunch group at GISS, Herb Lyon, Bill and Carol Erlbaum, Faith O'Neal, Irene Cortes, Frank Palazzi, Fred Aquilino, Nadine Robinson, Bea and Clayton Wilcox, Brother Adams at Fordham University, my 7th grade music teacher at Walter Reed Jr. High in North Hollywood, CA, Teresa Coultas, Dan Dallman, Sabrina Gould, and Phyllis Kontolefa Wendelboe.

Who have been some of the more interesting or influential people in your life?