FLY, LITTLE PENGUIN, FLY

Global climate change is devastating penguin populations just like it imperils every other living thing on our precious Earth (no need to convince Californians of this). But there is one type of penguin that is immune to humankind's depredations. Indeed, this penguin, which reveals its visage (or is it "plummage?") only in the winter, owes its very existence to the consumerism that lays waste to the environment. I refer, of course, to the beaded penguin or, as CBP now calls it, the lighted penguin sculpture.

I was once like you, dear reader, ignorant of anything to do with this rare, shining breed. Not until I sat down to write this article had I ever even heard of the species, but then I came upon this notification that CBP was considering revoking its previous tariff classification of beaded penguins. My imagination took flight (with due respect to the flightless birds that are the topic of this article) and I was compelled to try to find out what a beaded penguin looks like. I came across several variations, all pictured below. Perhaps none of are the same penguin in CBP's revocation notice. Still, one can only hope. 

Maybe the lessons are that we are all just tiny penguins beaming with an inner glow that only quickly depleting fossil fuels can generate and that we are all subject to the vicissitudes of that mercurial agency known as CBP.