Mark’s Musings – Dec. 16, 2015

Mark Fortune

Global warming? Climate change? One year does indeed make a difference. Remember last year? Cold, snow, cold, snow, more cold and more snow. We certainly weren’t thinking that last year were we? But now that temperatures have been consistently above average – in fact, quite a bit above, we are perhaps thinking about a warming of the earth. Research will inform you that these fluctuations are typical and even cyclical “in nature.” It’s called El Nino and you may recall a certain Saturday Night Live skit by Chris Farley from a decade or more ago that attempts to explain it – albeit unscientifically of course.

I mean, even the Browns have an off day once every few years. And yes, I mean a win is an off day – for the Browns. Sorry, but that is the reality that is the once feared, once mighty, Cleveland Browns. Maybe instead of “Here’s Johnny!” the Browns should draft the newest Heisman winner, Derrick Henry from Alabama. And get an athlete that adds to the character of the team instead of subtracting from it. If you watched the Heisman, you know what I’m talking about.

Let’s go back to this weather thing and why the warmth – except for your utility bill – is not necessarily a good thing. The largely clay soil in the Midwest needs the freezing and thawing to allow for better soil, we need the cold to reduce pests in the summer and so on. You have heard all of these things before and they are true. So perhaps we can bask in the warmth through December – it is safer driving conditions certainly – and maybe hope for a spell of cold in January or February, sans ice.

Besides, I don’t know about you, but it is a tad more challenging to get in the holiday spirit with April like temperatures. But hey, people all over the world do it, don’t they? I guess it’s all what you’re used to. And we are used to some cold and snow to call it a real winter.

You should also not be too grateful for cheap gasoline prices. Although I admit to really enjoying filling up the car or the truck for a lot less than two years ago, if you ask anyone worth their salt in the industry, they will tell you that we are either at, or rapidly approaching, the point of loss for U. S. operators. If oil stays around the $40 per barrel price – we could probably expect less rigs operating in the U. S. That means we blinked. And those are jobs that we need.

The stacks have gone silent at WestRock. And that is not the type of “Silent Night” that one typically thinks about during the Christmas season. To all of the families that have had their lives upended during this holiday season, we are thinking and praying for all of you. You know that this community is with you.

It was a true delight to see how this community once again responded in a positive way to the Salvation Army Christmas Castle project. Wonderful!

Category: Mark's Musings, Opinion