OT - Earth Hour participation?
So my girlfriend is all about this earth hour (3.27.10 at 8:30pm local time) and wants us to be a part of it. Just one big problem... The hockey game will be on! I'm trying to get around it by telling her we just need to shut off the lights, not the tv but she isn't buying it. Question, are you doing it? If she holds strong I'll walk up to the bar for an hour if I have to. Who planned this thing for a Saturday night anyway? Why not a Tuesday night?
March 26th, 2010 at 11:27 AM ^
What girlfriend?
March 26th, 2010 at 11:59 AM ^
I'm not doing it, but to maybe help your problem, Most newer TV's have an energy saver mode. Just feed her some BS as to how the Energy Saver mode is super good for the environment.
EDIT: Or you could be a man and tell her UM athletics are more important than stupid Earth Hour. I mean isn't there already an Earth Day? What is one more hour going to accomplish?
March 26th, 2010 at 11:28 AM ^
Dump her.
Seriousily, any girl that that would want you to miss a playoff hockey game for some enviromental thing? Psh.
If I can clear my schedule to watch it, you can.
Edit: Last year at least, the Earth Hour website was still online during Earth Hour. How's that work exactly?
March 26th, 2010 at 11:29 AM ^
that's saying quite a bit.
March 26th, 2010 at 11:33 AM ^
The gf is possibly more rabid about ice related sports* than me, so she wants to see this as well. So we'll be having her family over and introducing them to the joys of American hockey.
*Yu-Na Kim and Mr. Ohno provoke extremely strong responses.
Let not get carried away… how hot is this Ms. Mother Earth?
Rhetorical question – dump away
This will get you points, ask your gf for the tune if you don't know it...
오, 필승 미시건,
오, 필승 미시건,
오, 필승 미시건,
오 오레 오 레, 오! 오! 오!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibmjC48rmwo
All three generations of both families will enjoy. (cheering for the hockey game, the video - maybe not so much).
March 26th, 2010 at 11:32 AM ^
just shut off the lights in the house during a different hour.
March 26th, 2010 at 11:35 AM ^
You sleep for around 8 hours or so a day right? Boom, there you go, everything off for 8 hours. Plus whatever time you're at class or work.
March 26th, 2010 at 11:47 AM ^
The extreme hippies who organize an event such as Earth Hour probably don't care about "Competitive Sports" or "Watching Television".
+1 for saying the buzz word: Hippies.
Make her smoke some HIPPIE lettuce… she will chill out.
March 26th, 2010 at 11:36 AM ^
course to discover that a utility power plant is a process (coal->burn->steam->turbine) that doesn't stop and go based on momentary power demand and that residential lighting in a very small percentage of power use and that global warming could be curbed ever so slightly if she shut her trap about it because I can't hear the announcers and go get me a beer while your at it - rant type of thing.
March 26th, 2010 at 11:43 AM ^
Yeah, I think the idea is to raise awareness.
March 26th, 2010 at 11:53 AM ^
There isn't enough global warming awareness out there for you? I've had about all I can take myself.
Seeing that people still don't believe very basic science facts, yeah, I don't think there is enough awareness.
But, I'll be the first one to admit that things like Earth hour and 350 day are not targeting the right groups of people.
Careful, you're turning on my politics switch and I'd rather not. I'll simply say that 1) doing symbolic things like Earth Hour ain't doin' shit, 2) there is "basic science" to support just about any side of this debate you care to land on...
...and 3) trust me, no matter what side of the debate they do land on, everybody is aware of the issue. If Earth Hour is for "raising awareness" only then it's doing absolutely nothing except get people pissed off at each other, because I'm well aware there are people around me telling me my car is killing polar bears, thxvrymch, I don't need to shut off my lights to drive home the point and neither do you. And if it actually has a noticeable, real effect on global warming and fossil fuels usage and all that, then for chrissake why the hell are there millions of hypocritical fucktards running around who only bother doing this for one single hour out of the year?
Can we talk about the science of global warming and not jump to the politics of it?
(note, I'm a scientist that studies part of the global climate system)
It's kind of hard to do that, isn't it? Even science has an agenda. And to believe in man-made global warming, you have to decide not to believe the science that says the sun cycles affect our climate, or at least to put more weight on one than the other; and vice versa as well. I dunno; I know more about politics than about science, so it's hard for me to see where to separate the two. Especially when there are so many scientists who don't.
there is no belief in science. there is only hypothesis, evidence and theory.
Maybe not in "science"...
But the "scientific community" is definitely proned to dogmatic beliefs at times.
I can't recall how many times "settled science" has turned out to be anything but.
+1 nice use of fucktards
Is that everybody is trying to raise awareness for everything. If the idea is simply to raise awareness, then it's a bad idea.
BorninAA - we are all very impressed that you took a power engineering course. But the notion that one should not do anything because it would only impact "a very small percentage of power use" is backwards thinking that was universally rejected decades ago. Small changes cumulate. In fact, small change is axiomatically the only way individuals can make a difference. We can wait for some grand solution, perhaps some life-changing invention that will save us all, but I wouldn't bet on it.
This is about leaning how to make small sacrifices. About learning that a small sacrifice is just that - a small sacrifice. Millions of small sacrifices are the key to slowing the planetary change. Asking for big sacrifices is not the answer, which is why the OP shouldn't give up watching the game.
"But the notion that one should not do anything because it would only impact "a very small percentage of power use" is backwards thinking that was universally rejected decades ago."
Explain that to Mr Pareto.
March 26th, 2010 at 11:37 AM ^
as well, during our regional out east.
We turned off all the lights in the house and wifey read by candlelight. I had just the TV on to watch the hockey game. I even compromised and turned off the surround sound and watched in silence.
Very few times as a married man have I had the opportunity to "put my foot down." Must have been the expression on my face when explaining to my wife that there was no way in hell I was missing any of the game.
March 26th, 2010 at 11:40 AM ^
Why?
Because Jack Johnson would have destroyed the Earth with his slap shot a long time ago if the Earth were a threat. Then where would her precious Earth Hour be?
Or, since she won't buy that, you could claim that your house pulls power off the grid from a nuclear or alternative source while everyone else's gets theirs from the local coal plant (Unless of course you happen to live near such a power plant in which case no BSing of selective power draw need apply).
March 26th, 2010 at 11:55 AM ^
Global Climate Change is inconsequential next to the impending doom of us all being blown up by the Alaska Fairbanks Demon Bear.
If you thought he was angry at being woken up by a passing oil tanker made of Lego blocks, imagine his dismay at finding out UAF isn't in the tourney.
March 26th, 2010 at 12:57 PM ^
Or, you know, realizing that Alaska is indeed in the tournament?
Yep.
On the bright side, we're all saved!
March 26th, 2010 at 11:41 AM ^
whenever my only option is not Michigan sports!
Oh, wait... I already do this.
Nevermind!
RE: Girlfriend - go to a bar to watch the game since you can indeed turn off all your electronics (which should please her) and yet, since the bar is open (with or without you) you have no impact on the overall effect.
In fact, your dollars are helping the economy. She doesn't want to hurt the economy does she? That would be un-American! Without your dollars the economy could be dead!!! Over!!! Did you say over??? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the German's bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
But I digress... did this help?
For the sake of the reputation of this blog, I hope this was a joke I didn't get.
It is.
Stop whatever you are doing, rent "Animal House," and watch it. Right now. You are living your life devoid of an essential slice of the human experience.
is from an alternate parallel universe where there is no Animal House movie and john Belushi is a US Senator.
forget it, he's rolling
(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077975/quotes)
March 26th, 2010 at 11:42 AM ^
Dude, this sucks, I am all for working together as a couple, but these kind of reactions piss me off. Tell her if she really wants to do it to go right ahead, but she is impossing her will and believes on you which is unfair, and using your trust and care as a tool for subversion.
I am all in favor of conserving energy if you feel its the right move, but impossing it on others and telling them when to do it is just dumb.
March 26th, 2010 at 11:59 AM ^
Personally I turn all of the lights in my house on just to piss people off. Thankfully the hockey team has prevented me from doing it this year since I'll be in Fort Wayne.
March 26th, 2010 at 11:45 AM ^
If it's that important to her. You can fast forward through the intermissions and get caught up by the third period.
March 26th, 2010 at 11:55 AM ^
I definitely disagree with you on this. Some things demand compromise, others should not be subject to it. I feel you may send the wrong long-term message if you give too much on this.
What's the OP going to do during the OSU game next year if something comes up? He'll be expected to Tivo it because that "worked so well with the hockey thingy."
Apologize, make it up to her, be a great man for her, but don't Tivo it.
March 26th, 2010 at 12:44 PM ^
If the OP really wanted to show some balls, he should tell his girlfriend to "TiVo" her Earth Hour and demand that she watch the hockey game with him.
If he considers her a long-term possiblity, this could be the first step towards not becoming a lifetime errand boy.
March 26th, 2010 at 11:56 AM ^
If someone is seriously that anal about this event that she won't even let you watch a freaking NCAA tournament game, then this is probably a sign of things to come. F that.
March 26th, 2010 at 11:52 AM ^
Considering tournament games will be on and I will be at the bar, I guess so. I can just turn everything off when I leave my place. That is participating right? The bar was gonna have all the lights and TVs on anyway, so its not like they're wasting the extra energy on me.
March 26th, 2010 at 12:03 PM ^
How about observing Earth hour AT the hockey game? Turn off all the lights and use a glow-in-the-dark puck and goals. No holds barred, anything goes (as long as the refs don't see it). Would be totally awesome, eh?
March 26th, 2010 at 12:05 PM ^
Not as awesome as your avatar.
Yeah, because a glowing puck has always gone over so well....
Did you work for FOX circa 1995?
March 26th, 2010 at 12:23 PM ^
that if you can watch the game, you'll pass on the shark fin soup you were planning on having for din-din.
March 26th, 2010 at 12:59 PM ^
if she won't let you watch the game during EH (toatl BS) I and possibly several other MGoBloggers will turn on every tv they own out of spite.
She can let you have the tv on or I will have all four of mine on for sure, guaranteed - update needed from you prior to the game for this paln to work...
"You know what this is? It's extortion. Extortion is such an ugly word...true, but ugly." - Wildcats