Why Are So Few Alarmed By This?

I read this article,see here, in The Guardian yesterday, I found it alarming. And, I feel despair that no real action is being taken to reduce greenhouse emissions to slow down the global warming which has accelerated at an alarming pace since the 1950's see here.

Mainstream media have reacted with alarm, concern, apathy, depending on their political slant. And comments by readers on the news released yesterday make one despair. The evidence is blindingly obvious that human activity is drastically increasing the rate of warming. So what are we going to do about it?

No one wants to live without the conveniences of modern life, we enjoy good health, a stable food supply, good medical care, homes, freedom, and many more things that make life pleasant, comfortable, secure. But we have to come up with ways to still have these things but without the ongoing spewing of greenhouse gasses into our atmosphere, it is a time for extreme innovation, investment into green energies, and we as individuals need to support the innovation and help to make it the new normal. One thing for sure, we cannot continue as we are or we will face dire consequences. I am in my mid-fifties, in a selfish way I don't have much to lose I have already lived a full life, but what about my children and grandchildren, and future great-grandchildren. I am willing to make and embrace changes for their future. 

If the earth is in a warming trend we cannot stop that, but if human activity is skewing the warming trend to an extreme global warming, we can do something about that. This is an important clarification, as the often heard argument is that the climate has always changed it is just the way it is and we can't do anything about it. I don't disagree, science shows us that the climate has always changed, but not at the rapid pace it is changing now, it has never heated or cooled at the rate it is now. As Greta Thunberg says, "if your house is on fire you panic, you do something", why aren't we all pulling together and doing something?

Reading, Reading, Reading

I recently discovered Dorothy Sayers, and I absolutely love her writing style. I first came across her on YouTube and listened to a few audio books, beautifully read by Ian Carmichael. The audio books were very enjoyable, and a recent trip to the used book store with grandchildren gave me an opportunity to look for a few of Sayers' books, and luckily I found two. I just finished reading Clouds of Witness, it was excellent, I couldn't put it down. The plots are well thought out, the main character, Lord Peter Wimsey, is very entertaining. There is wry humor though out her stories and you find yourself rather amused as she tongue in cheek pokes fun at the formalities of the legal system.

Over the past week BBC 4 extra radio had a reading of Sweet Caress by William Boyd, I listened to an installment one day and really enjoyed it, I looked to see if our local library had a copy of the book, they did so I put it on hold. On Saturday I picked up my library book and having finished Clouds of Witness yesterday I began reading Sweet Caress last night. Well, I lucked out, the story was immediately engaging and I couldn't put it down, I took the book up to bed and fell asleep reading it. Are you ever woken up by the book you are reading as it slips out of your hands onto the floor. It is very enjoyable to find books that just simply hit my sweet spot.

Over Christmas I re-read a favorite Agatha Christie, N or M, a nice quick read with enjoyable characters. The book is not spoiled by knowing, who did it, in some ways it changes it up because you are more aware of the slyness of the perpetrator(s). And another re-read was Less Than Angels by Barbara Pym, I absolutely love her books, and own a copy of all but maybe one, I even have a copy of her cookbook written by Barbara and her sister, and a biography. Pym has been described as the Jane Austen of the 20th century, and I would agree, her stories are really a comedy of manners, they describe ordinary people navigating life within the social norms of their class. The stories are amusing and like a stream they burble along, but beneath the surface a lot is going on. The only sad story she wrote, and it is sad, dealing with the loneliness of old age, is Quartet in Autumn, but that said it is still a really good read.

I really don't care to purchase books, as most are available at the library and many are good for one read only, but a few I know I will read over and over. I enjoy Agatha Christie, and have read and re-read a number of her books, the same with Barbara Pym, and I can now add Dorothy Sayers to the list.

What are you currently reading?

The World We Live In

The events of the past week seem to have kicked off the new year,  the new decade, with an ominous feeling of pending doom. A general is assassinated and escalating threats of violence have continued unabated and rather than making the world safer, we are now all on high alert, and I am quite concerned about where all of this is leading.

We are all impacted by the decisions and choices of a few. At the most basic level we will all pay more for gasoline, but that seems the least of anyone's worries. Are we heading for WWIII? Will there be an uptick in terrorist attacks around the world. The rhetoric is meant to scare, and rightly so, if even a fraction of it is acted upon all of us will be affected. Is there no hope of humankind ever working together instead of against each other.

Meanwhile as grown men keep drawing lines in the sand and continue a war of words and intimidation, people around the world are starving, suffering from natural and man made disasters, lack basic essentials, and very few world leaders seem concerned at all.

I believe that most of humankind simply want to live their lives in peace, in a stable community, with access to education and medical care, and the hope of a good future for their children and grand children. But the power hungry egotists that are in control make this dream nearly impossible for most in the world.

The human impact on climate change must be addressed, we are soiling our own nest and don't even care. Certainly the politicians don't care, they are power hungry, world leaders don't care, they too are power hungry. Instead warmongering is the focus, how will a war make the world a better place? Why should the sons and daughters of the poor be slaughtered due to the decisions of the elite. I sometimes despair because as a woman, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a grandmother, what can I do? I simply pray that my children and grandchildren will have a rosy future to look forward to, but it is hard to imagine exactly what that future will look like.

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.

Happy New Year

Well here we are, January 1, 2020! Why is there something renewing about a new year, perhaps it is the thoughts of what might happen, what things we may do, may change, a time to start fresh. I don't know, but today I feel ready to conquer world!

I don't have any specific resolutions this year, other than to live my life each day, enjoying the small things, and simply being, nothing earth shattering. Just taking one day at a time and making the most of it.

I was up early on this first day of the year, four am. I came downstairs, made some coffee, did about half an hour of crochet, a few crosswords online while I ate my oatmeal, read a chapter of Less Than Angels, by Barbara Pym (one of my favorite authors), wrote this post and am now going to bundle up and go for a good brisk walk. Later this morning I will go to Mass, then come home to cook a New Years Day dinner for the family. I enjoy cooking and will make a stuffed pork loin, potatoes croquette, cabbage au gratin and gravy, the dessert will be banana pudding. For myself I will have a lovely vegan bowl of goodness, lentils and tomatoes, with steamed veggies. 

And tomorrow, well it will have it's own enjoyable moments and I will make sure I try to enjoy them all.

Happy New Year!

Books Read In 2019

Fiction

Bear Town - Fredrik Backman
The Aloe - Katherine Mansfield
A Glass of Blessings - Barbara Pym
Death and the Dancing Footman - Ngaio Marsh
An Unavoidable Delay and other short stories - Diana Athill
Siddhartha - Herman Hesse
The Lilac Bus - Maeve Binchy
God Bless You Dr. Kervorkian - Kurt Vonnegut
White Teeth - Zadie Smith
The Copper Beech by Maeve Binchy
Thornyhold - Mary Stewart
On Beauty - Zadie Smith
Possessing The Secret Of Joy -Alice Walker
Jane and Prudence - Barbara Pym
I Saw A Man - Owen Sheer
No Harm Done - Ruth Rendell
Farewell To Fairacre - Miss Read
The Punishment She Deserves - Elizabeth George
Well Schooled in Murder - Elizabeth George
Educated - Tara Westover
Incredibull Stella - Marika Hamilton
Miss Marple The Complete Short Stories - Agatha Christie
The Mysterious Affair At Styles - Agatha Christie
A Caribbean Mystery - Agatha Christie
N or M - Agatha Christie
Less Than Angels - Barbara Pym

Non-Fiction

The World Peace Diet - Dr. Will Tuttle


Short Stories

Cambric Tea - Marjorie Bowen
Death on the Air - Ngaio Marsh

Poetry

Feminine Gospels - Carol Ann Duffy

Auto-Biographies/Biographies

Innocence - Roald Dahl (auto-biography) (plus 4 short stories)

Religious/Spiritual Growth

Word On Fire - Proclaiming the Power of Christ - Bishop Robert Barron
The Seven Storey Mountain - Thomas Merton


How To

Yoga Body and Mind Handbook - Jasmine Tarkeshi
The Sivananda Companion to Yoga -  The Sivananda Yoga Center

Currently Reading - Greta Thunberg

I recently discovered that Greta Thunberg has a book out. I decided to order it, and already have had some flack from a few people about my choice of reading material. My response to the "flack" is how can you agree or disagree with a persons point of view unless you first are willing to listen and understand the other persons point of view. This is why I decided to read Greta's book.

"No One Is Too Small To Make A Difference" is a collection of Greta's speeches made at climate rallies around the world. Greta is very serious about her subject and does not mince words. Almost everyone has an opinion about her, yet very few have actually listened to her speeches or made an effort to understand what she is saying. Climate change as a topic is a mine-field, it is like politics and religion, everyone has their own opinion and everyone believes their opinion is the only one that is correct. 

It stresses me out to see how polarized western society is with this "us vs them" attitude, it is not productive. The Extinction Rebellion protests, I am not really sure at all what they achieved as some of the tactics used were destructive to the point of vandalism and turned people off. I think Greta is much more effective in getting her message across, she calmly and succinctly makes her points and that is why she has had such an impact. Fifteen months ago no one knew who she was, now everyone knows who she is and what she stands for, and she lives what she preaches. I am glad that she is the Time Magazine person of the year, she deserves it.

I am not a climate change denier, but I am also not sure that mankind is going to stop climate change, as the climate is now, ever has, and always will be changing. 

Being Green - NOT

Last week I listened to a radio program as the host and guests discussed "being green at Christmas". It sounded interesting so I listened. What a joke it became. Here are two of the most hypocritical suggestions from two of the guest "green experts".

Decorate a house plant with Christmas lights so a tree does not have to be cut down or an artificial one be purchased.  The guest was questioned further about this, it turns out she will not actually be home for Christmas, she will be visiting her parents who will have a real Christmas tree for all to enjoy.  To me this does not seem "green" so much as sensible, if you are going away for Christmas why bother putting up a tree? 

The next expert also suggested decorating a house plant with Christmas lights and mentioned she and her family had already had their Christmas celebration with extended family. The host asked what their plans were over the actual date of Christmas, oh, she and her family were going on a skiing vacation, the host asked how they were getting there! FLYING!!! What absolute hypocrisy. She did seem embarrassed to admit she was flying and spent a fair amount of time trying to avoid answering the question directly. The host laughed along with her about feeling "plane shame"!  What the heck!

A caller said they decided against Christmas cards this year as it seemed a waste of paper. So instead had written a brief poem, and made some hand-crafted ornaments and mailed those out to her friends and family.  I think her idea is nice, but I am really not seeing how it saved anything at all, surely the poem was printed or written paper, and the ornament and poem needed to be packaged for mailing etc. 

Others called in with what I thought were more practical suggestions, using newspaper and recycled ribbon for wrapping. Although I wondered why they still took a paper newspaper when most news is freely available on the internet requiring no paper be used. 

A few callers preferred to shop at second hand shops looking for gifts, but agreed this was probably not something most people would be comfortable doing. But of all the "green" suggestions it seemed the most practical.