How to Boil a Frog

Gr 9 Up—Featuring humor, fast-paced editing, and animation, lots of facts presented by experts, Jon Cooksey tells about his awakening to the crisis of global warming. He advocates that the time is now to act and we are all leaders in creating solutions. Five major problems that need to be addressed are outlined: overpopulation, the war on nature, income inequality, peak oil, and global warming. Scenes from across the globe highlight developed countries' over-consumption and dependency on oil versus the poverty and social unrest in developing nations. Cooksey points out that ExxonMobil is a prime example of a corporation responsible for global warming. What can we do to get their attention and to stop their destructive business practices? He suggests that we "drive past Exxon." Cooksey also states that people must change their lifestyles by cutting CO2 emissions, stop eating beef, and practicing birth control to limit families to one baby. He suggests that people organize and use the power of YouTube and "make trouble" for businesses that contribute to global warming. We need to "reboot civilization" and think small. The program is rated PG13 for language and content. Some viewers might be offended by references to the Catholic Church and the Pope. For students to really get the humor, make sure to provide a review of applicable current events and geography prior to viewing.—Patricia Ann Owens, Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, Mt. Carmel