Watching the current administration flailing about as it tries to escape responsibility for the economy, unemployment, and failed diplomacy reminds me of an old joke that probably still circulates among managers.
On his first day a new manager is met by the person he is replacing. The new manager asks the outgoing one what advice he might have. The old manager tells the new fellow that he has left three numbered envelopes in the desk and when things get tough and there seems no way out, the new manager can open them in order and will find a solution.
Before long the new manager finds himself in hot water so deep that there seems to be no escape so he opens envelope No. 1. The message is, "blame your predecessor." The new manager does just that and his boss calms down and the new manager is off the hook.
A bit later the new manager encounters another catastrophe from which he can find no escape so he opens the second envelope. The advice it contains is "reorganize." So, he reorganizes from top to bottom and the criticism and threats to his tenure disappear.
Then, another great calamity throws his department into chaos. He tries everything he can think of and nothing fixes the problems so, he opens the third envelop. It reads, "Prepare three envelopes."
Robert L. Porreca
Hillsborough
Many reasons for switching from coal
In light of the recent editorial, "Climate Change Debate Needed" (Feb. 3), which, in the midst of a movement to stop coal use at UNC, questioned the validity of the existence of global warming, I would like to issue a response.
As a student at UNC, I am very concerned about how my university is affecting the environment, and I sincerely believe that global warming is both a problem that has been created by man and one that can be solved by a change in our lifestyle. I understand, however, that some do not share my opinion. Some remain skeptical of global warming, and indeed skepticism can be a very healthy mind set.
But I would like to stress that stopping global warming is not our only motivation for switching to renewable energy. Coal, like all fossil fuels, is a non-renewable source of energy: we will not be able to use it forever. It has also already had plenty of effects on our environment that have nothing to do with global warming: many of our rivers have become completely unfishable due to contamination caused by coal-mining. And when coal is burned, it releases mercury, arsenic and lead into the air, causing asthma, heart attacks and lung disease in surrounding populations.
There are plenty of reasons to remove coal from our university besides global warming. It affects everything in our world: our lakes, our rivers, our mountains, our air and our people.
Andrew Paschal
Chapel Hill
