THINKING GLOBALLY, ACTING LOCO: Somehow, I managed to miss the Fight of the Century between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, whose last name is pronounced — appropriately for a boxer — “Pa-Kow!” I couldn’t scrounge enough loose change from under my couch cushions to amass the $1,500 to make the scene in Vegas. Manny Pa-Kow is now trying to have it both ways. Despite what the judges saw, Manny insists he won. At the same time, he wants us to know he injured himself while training and fought with one hand — his powerful right — behind his back. Little wonder a group of fight fans are now suing Mr. Pa-Kow for fraud.
Those relishing pugilistic encounters need look no further than Santa Barbara’s very own Air Pollution Control District, known affectionately by the 18 wonks who even know it exists as the APCD. In the past month, the APCD has been the venue for two serious knock-down-drag-outs over Climate Change, Weather Weirdness, and the future of the planet, junk science, punk science, jobs, Blobs, and how many metric tons of greenhouse gases Santa Barbara County will allow the oil companies to get away with before we say enuff.
Representing the oil industry is Andy — “the Mouth that Roars” — Caldwell, whose astonishing durability over 30 years has been surpassed only by his anti-regulatory hysteria. Throwing uppercuts for the sky-is-falling tree-hugger crowd is Katie — “The Chin” — Davis, by comparison still a newcomer. Stylistically, Caldwell and Davis tend toward shrill, accusatory, and scornful. Both are tough, smart, and armed to the teeth with dire stats. Had Davis and Caldwell showed up in lieu of Mayweather and Pa-Kow, nobody would want their money back.