A preview of climate

Do you watch the weather people on TV or listen to the forecast on the radio? Why would you do that when you can just look out the window and “see” what the weather is doing? Is it because they have special knowledge and training regarding the weather? It’s nice to make plans for the weekend and have some idea of the weather conditions that might affect those plans.

This is what climate scientists do on a much larger scale and further into the future. Our previous administration seemed a little slow to accept some of this information. Finally it made some effort to acknowledge the scientists’ predictions. One action was the Paris Climate Agreement, now ended by Donald Trump. Another effort in 2015 was flood-risk management for infrastructure to be climate-resilient. This was ended by Trump on Aug. 15.

Did you watch the record-breaking flooding in Texas from Hurricane Harvey, followed by a record-breaking Atlantic hurricane, Irma?

We don’t see much reporting on other parts of the world, but at least 1,200 people are dead from increasingly devastating monsoons in Bangladesh, Nepal and India. One third of Bangladesh is flooded. These types of events create climate refugees.

Now that we have seen the preview, shall we watch this “movie” together? It may not be too late to change the ending, but it will take everyone working together to do that. TRUDI RUST

Fayetteville there. I explained my shortage. On the bottom of his yellow legal note pad he wrote, “If possible, please give this young man a job.” He directed me to take the note to the campus cafeteria manager, Mrs. W.W. Nedrow. She fulfilled the request and gave me a document to take to the money-taker. Mrs. Nedrow’s words verified my employment. That day, I began my job in the cafeteria. For working four hours and 45 minutes a day I received a room and three meals daily, a monthly value of $45 that I didn’t have to pay upfront, leaving money for future expenses. I believe the per semester tuition fee then was $35.

In that era, the only cafeteria occupied the bottom floor of the largest campus structure, the Commons dormitory for men. My room was in the basement of Danner Hall, a smaller men’s dorm, about one block from Commons.

After 64 years, the memories linger of Dean Moore and Mrs. Nedrow and that pivotal note that made college possible for me that day. I had the will. They provided the way, fulfilling grandmother’s hopes and mine. WILLIAM C. KRAMER

North Little Rock