Monday, August 6, 2007

ZPG

Mom was a firm believer in ZPG, or Zero Population Growth. She lectured everyone she met on overpopulation, which probably is the single greatest threat to our planet (though it's the least popular environmental issue out there). All anyone had to do was look at her station wagon to believe her. Her tan, dirt-coated wagon with a ZPG sticker on the back smelled of manure and sour milk from her dairy farm (she always carted a thermos of fresh milk around), and it was always packed tight with screaming kids (only 6 of them were hers), dogs, knapsacks, sandwich crusts, sticky wrappers, and a large red bucket in case anyone got car sick. Once, when she took her car to the dealership, the service manager suggested she might want to have her car sanitized. She said it wouldn’t make a bit of difference. In a week her car would be the same as it always was. That's just what happens when you pack too many people in a tight space.

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