In one of the best PR stunts I have seen in some time, Greenpeace joined with actress Emma Thompson, comedian Alistair McGowan and conservative political hopeful Zac Goldsmith to buy a plot of land directly in the middle of the proposed site for Heathrow airport's third runway expansion.
And while the current Labour government won a narrow and divisive vote on the issue, Greenpeace's hijinks did not end there. They invited as many supporters as legally allowable to co-own the property with them in the hope that any action taken by the UK government to obtain the land would require them to legally serve each owner in person - whether they live in London proper or the west coast of Bora Bora.
I have offered my opinions on air travel previously, but here is a reiteration. Environmental responsibility is a global value requiring each person to not only act responsibly towards all other human beings, but also to extend that awareness beyond people to the broader world that we all rely on. That requires looking past narrow interests into ever expanding circles of value, and one of the most powerful ways to engender that awareness is to enable others to witness, first hand, the full scope of the world and the diversity of its people.
Airlines should be accountable for their emissions and efficiency like every other sector of society, but moving to restrict or reduce air travel per se is not part of the answer. For without witnessing the world beyond their own shore, why would a person on a beach in Bora Bora care enough about a mile of tarmac in London to play an active role in stopping it?
EAST Bracket
Round 1
1. 1986 Dick Williams OVER 16. 1978 Terry Forster, 22-20
2. 1978 Dave Kingman OVER 15. 1975 Bill Hands, 444-327
14. 1975 Chris Cannizzaro OVER 3. 1978 Mike Paxton, 21-17
4. 1975 Rudy May OVER 13. 1978 Mike Phillips, 62-4
5. 1976 Tom House OVER 12. 1975 Bobby Murcer, 26-2
11. 1977 Dick Pole OVER 6. 1975 Elias Sosa, 23-5
7. 1975 Billy Grabarkewitz OVER 10. 1986 Tim Lollar, 39-27
8. 1978 Jose Cardenal OVER 9. 1978 Darold Knowles, 15-11
Round 2
11. 1977 Dick Pole OVER 14. 1975 Chris Cannizzaro, 22-18
4. 1975 Rudy May OVER 5. 1976 Tom House, 37-22
1. 1986 Dick Williams OVER 8. 1978 Jose Cardenal, 32-19
7. 1975 Billy Grabarkewitz OVER 2. 1978 Dave Kingman, 38-25
Round 3
4. 1975 Rudy May OVER 1. 1986 Dick Williams, 7-2
7. 1975 Billy Grabarkewitz OVER 11. 1977 Dick Pole, 9-5
EAST Final
4. 1975 Rudy May OVER 7. 1975 Billy Grabarkewitz, 141-58
WEST Bracket
Round 1
1. 1976 Juan Beniquez OVER 16. 1975 Sandy Alomar, 6-5
2. 1978 Greg Minton OVER 15. 1978 Oscar Zamora, 27-2
14. 1978 Lyman Bostock OVER 3. 1989 Brady Anderson, 307-11
4. 1976 Oscar Gamble OVER 13. 1978 Jim Todd, 39-4
5. 1980 Bert Roberge OVER 12. 1975 Darold Knowles, 30-14
11. 1978 Jim Dwyer OVER 6. 1987 Frank DiPino, 16-3
7. 1976 Don Kessinger OVER 10. 2007 JD Drew, 18-3
9. 1974 Willie McCovey OVER 8. 1986 Tom Seaver, 19-16
Round 2
2. 1978 Greg Minton OVER 7. 1976 Don Kessinger, 23-5
14. 1978 Lyman Bostock OVER 11. 1978 Jim Dwyer, 12-9
4. 1976 Oscar Gamble OVER 5. 1980 Bert Roberge, 31-2
9. 1974 Willie McCovey OVER 1. 1976 Juan Beniquez, 22-12
Round 3
14. 1978 Lyman Bostock OVER 2. 1978 Greg Minton, 256-126
9. 1974 Willie McCovey OVER 4. 1976 Oscar Gamble, 234-115
WEST Final
9. 1974 Willie McCovey OVER 14. 1978 Lyman Bostock, 169-37
AIR Championship
1975 Rudy May OVER 1974 Willie McCovey, 1337-1033
And the winner is... 1975 Rudy May.
We saw some great matchups in this, the First Ever Airbrush Invitational Rodeo, but none more heated than tonight's. The final score was a mind-boggling 1337-1033.
Makes one think Rudy May himself is sitting in front of a computer somewhere, madly clicking his name, over and over again.
Now I just have to find a spot for May to live on The Blog, so that we all may bask in his reflected glory.