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Things just aren’t what they seem to be |
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Thursday, 24 April 2008 |
Up Close and Personal
by Clint Hyde
When you buy into something and it really turns out to be something completely different, how do you feel? Have you ever picked up a gadget that was going to change your world, just to find it only worked for a short time? It wasn’t at all what you expected and it didn’t last long enough for you to want another one. That gnawing sensation of being had, swindled, cheated, misled and ripped off creeps into your skull and it doesn’t feel good.
Sound too good to be true? Well, it probably is, but, you investigate anyway, just hoping this time it might be a really good deal. You think about the guy who always says, “I never pay full price for designer clothes.” He probably is one of those shoppers who gets the latest thing at Nordstrom’s and wears the new rags with the tags inside the collar, then returns them. I knew someone like that once. He always looked great, never in the same suit twice. It seems like a lot of work to me to wear something only once and then take it back to the store. I am probably too lazy to be that dishonest?
About a month ago some of our local gentry got excited about a banner slapped up on the side of the former Igor’s Restaurant. In large font it proclaimed, “Starbucks Coffee Coming Soon.” Some of us assumed it would be in that very building, and that maybe, if the town development staff ever allows, there would be a building in the center of a new condo/hotel/retail complex that could house a Starbucks; however, not in that old building that is scheduled to be torn down some day. Turns out it was a hoax. Someone or some bodies who had access to the banner for the corporate-owned Starbucks on the corner of Old Mammoth and Minaret put it up there just to get our reaction. They must have found it in storage somewhere. Maybe they thought we would be upset to see another coffee shop in the middle of the block, like gas stations on every corner in major cities.
Looks like they are at it again on Main Street. The former Blondie’s restaurant building has another, smaller (handpainted) version of “Starbucks Coffee Coming Soon” sign. A very unlikely building for a Starbucks and marginal location for this coffee roaster. We know this coffee corporation is reinventing the brand and at the same time closing down some stores across the nation, so I don’t believe it is going to happen on Main in Mammoth.
If you go to www.terrapass.com you can read a blog and see statistics that convince me some things are not really what they seem to be. This Web site allows you to input, for example, details about your vehicle and how many miles you drive annually. Then it calculates your carbon footprint. In past issues, for example, they showed how much CO2 is produced per passenger per hour in various types of aircraft. A Gulfstream GV private jet with a maximum capacity of 18 passengers creates 10,613 pounds per hour or 590 pounds per passenger. I assume it is an even worse ratio if the Gulfstream is not completely full of passengers. A Boeing 737-800 with a capacity of 162 passengers can create 15,994 pounds of CO2 or only 99 pounds per passenger. A 2006 Hummer H2 by comparison creates 79 pounds per hour and we can all calculate how many more hours it takes two people to get to Mammoth from Southern California in a Hummer versus a Boeing 737.
Now, I am not suggesting we need commercial flights to Mammoth with 737s. It would be nice to know how much the proposed Horizon Air turboprop aircraft will create in CO2 emissions. With all the litigation and threats of litigation against the town of Mammoth Lakes surrounding the operation of commercial air service into our airport, we may never know. Some of you may never care, since you still think it is all right for someone who can own or charter a Gulfstream private jet to fly in here, but you are violently opposed to commercial flights of any kind. Somehow that just doesn’t seem like the kind of thinking that gets you anywhere, since we now know the cost of private flights in terms of carbon emissions.
There has been a lot of attention lately about the use of paper versus plastic in our retail shops. Major cities such as San Francisco and Seattle have either banned them or placed a new tax on plastic and non reusable bags. The Terra Pass journalists tell us the choice of plastic or paper is negligible next to the carbon imprint created by the foods in the bag. Beef versus veggies is the real dilemma, since it can cost 186 times more in terms of carbon produced to eat a serving of beef rather than vegetables. Paper and plastic bags don’t even come close.
Things just aren’t what they seem to be. I need a cup of coffee.
Clint Hyde left home at an early age and lived in Europe before traveling the rest of the world, working in international marketing. He moved to Mammoth in 2002 to pursue mountain biking, snowboarding, backcountry and cross-country skiing, hiking and backpacking. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent policies and opinions of the staff or owners of the Mammoth Times. Reader response is encouraged.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 01 May 2008 )
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