I had a Facebook discussion with Dr. Roy Spencer this morning, because he wrote a note about only having one trick-or-treater show up at the door of his home this year. I quipped:
“I blame global warming.” to which he wryly replied: “You can’t go out tonight kids because it’s almost 1 degree warmer than when your great-grandparents went trick-or-treating!”.
Chuckling, I replied: “surely somewhere, that argument has been made. That “climate change” will affect Halloween. Here, the EDF using the holiday as an excuse to write a scare story: http://blogs.edf.org/…/a-real-halloween-horror-story…/
Without getting into the details, here is their claims, the only one of which has any truth is #5, but would be better served by saying “don’t believe” rather than “deny”, as in 58% of Americans don’t believe in ghosts.
- Extreme weather is becoming more extreme
- Tipping points loom in near future
- Coastal communities battle sea level rise
- Humans are nearing uncharted climate territory
- Many American politicians deny the problem
And the EDF doesn’t stop there, they produced a series of posters for teachers to put up in the classroom:
Indeed, and that wasn’t the only example of climate zealots trying to co-opt Halloween for a climate agenda, I found many others:
- Scary Climate Change Facts to Haunt your Halloween
- Does Halloween Candy Contribute to Climate Change And Destroy the Environment?
- A common ingredient in Halloween candy is contributing to climate change
- Groups’ Halloween Message to Ducey: Climate Change is Scary
- These 3 climate change Halloween costumes will make you the biggest jerk at the party.
- Four of the Scariest Things About Climate Change
- Climate change is scary enough for Halloween
- Samantha Bee’s Halloween Climate Change Spooktacular (video)
As Dr. Roy quipped in his final Facebook comment, when it comes to climate change zealotry “Never let a good holiday go to waste.”
This is one my mother taught me, from her childhood.
From goulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night
Good Lord, deliver us!
http://www.darklanecreative.com/blog/ghoulies-ghosties-and-long-leggety-beasties
Here in the United States we are getting ready for Winter
having just survived the Halloween Climate Change tie-ins
gearing up for a round of Veterans Day Climate Change tie-ins
Thanksgiving is going to be an Arctic blast of guilt
But Trump will give us an extra lump of coal to burn for Christmas
it’s going to be a long one.
Hocus Locus
More than you would have got from Clinton. She would have had her minions hiding round the corner to take the kids candy as they returned from a house visit.
Trick or treat at Halloween is something we older Brits resent as an American import.
We always had the routine of children visiting neighbours houses for treats, but they had to be earned. Every child was expected to, and enjoyed, singing a song, doing a dance, reciting a poem or telling a story before their reward. The concept of a trick was never considered but nowadays they include putting nasty things through letter boxes and hurling eggs at houses.
But if you ever want a legitimately creepy Halloween experience, read Tam o’ Shanter, then go and visit Ayr, in Scotland where the tree lined road Tam staggered down (drunk) during a stormy night, remains, as does the restored, derelict Church (Alloway Kirk) where witches, warlocks, and the devil (playing the bagpipes) were dancing in the derelict Church; and the bridge over the river Doon he escaped from her clutches over, on his horse Meg (Maggie) who lost her tail to the witches. Witches can’t cross running water but managed to grab Meg’s tail before she passed the keystone, which is still there.
Whilst watching the witches dancing like dervishes in the Church graveyard, Tam was swept up in the moment, and beguiled by an attractive young witch, rashly exclaim `Weel done, cutty-sark!’ (cutty-sark = “short shirt”) at which point, the chase began.
The tea Clipper, Cutty Sark, built on the river Clyde and once the fastest ship in the world, and now a museum in Greenwich, London, was named so, after the dress the attractive witch was wearing that fateful night. The figurehead of the Cutty Sark is the witch, Nannie Dee, clutching Meg’s tail in her outstretched hand.
Of course the whole thing was a tall tale Tam concocted for his wife, to cover up for him losing a bet and Meg’s tail being taken as payment.
Tam o’Shanter, the illustrated audio version, you’ll barely understand a word but it’s easy to follow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkiZbpd9stw
This version includes a verse removed by Burns at the request of a friend. It seems opinions then were much as they are now.
“Three lawyers’ tongues, turn’d inside out,
Wi’ lies seam’d like a beggar’s clout;
Three priests’ hearts, rotten black as muck,
Lay stinking, vile in every neuk.”
Cutty Sark, the ship: http://www.carolinegurney.com/uploads/6/1/1/7/6117037/descendants_of_cutty_sark_24_may_2012.pdf
Enjoy.
PS
The Auld Kirk: https://www.google.com/maps/place/55°25'40.5“N+4°38’15.1″W/@55.4276566,-4.6384446,443a,35y,3.31t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d55.427911!4d-4.63754?hl=en