The Middle-Age Live Earth Concert
I wasn't planning on writing about the Live Earth concert, as I think it is/was a complete joke. I've read that nearly a quarter-million air miles were wasted getting to this thing, 100,000 trees would need to be planted to offset the effects of the concert, and the garbage created showed no evidence of being recycled as promised.
So what was this concert really about? One giant Rubber Chicken spread over seven continents. A catwalk for all these supposed green celebrities to prance around patting each other on the back over their environmental achievements. This was the flavor of the week that made it a place-to-be-seen event as the photo ops continually presented themselves. Here is my favorite assessment, by Roy Spencer:
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[F]olks in the developed world who feel guilty about pollution decide it's time to do something drastic - like throw a worldwide-rock concert. |
In the aftermath we find out attendance was low, ratings were low, performances lacking, and really it was an all around awkward event. Nicholas Wapshott, from the New York Sun, called the event "middle-aged". Wikipeda describes the characteristics of middle-age as adults showing "visible signs of ageing such as loss of skin elasticity and graying of the hair. Physical fitness usually wanes, with a... accumulation of body fat, reduction in aerobic performance and a decrease in maximal heart rate. Strength and flexibility also decrease throughout middle age."
Could there be any better description of this fiasco?