Thursday, February 14, 2008

Spring

Hi, gentle readers.
We have finally caught up on the mail that accumulated during our very short weekend trip to observe Imbolc (an Irish-Celtic word meaning in the belly or the womb; thus a festival sacred to the female principle). Yes, it snowed up north, but that was overcome by the warmth of our reception. Thanks again, FireHeart.
When we returned we were greeted by blossoms on the two witch hazel bushes* that bracket our front steps. Always the earliest bloomers, they are welcome even if they are a week or so early and presage more global warming. On that subject, the University of Munich has kept records of the blooming of snowdrops for over a hundred years. The snowdrops they observe have never been caught in a late frost. This year they have already bloomed, over a month early. Kew Garden (London) reports that the spring seems to be two months early this year.
What do you know about global dimming? Not much, right? Well, global dimming is the reduction of heat from the sun, caused by jet contrails (or if you prefer, exhausts). After 9/11 all flights were grounded for about three days. During that brief time, the sky became startlingly clear. NOAA in Boulder noticed a two- to three-degree rise in temperature. Worst-case calculations now show that without the jets, temperatures would be as much as five degrees higher. So here we have a situation where the exhaust gases cause a rise in temperature because of their carbon footprint--and a lowering of temperature because of their dimming effest. So far no one has figured out the loss/benefit tradeoff of these effects.
Back to good old global warming: Apparently insects are hatching earlier, so that their larval stage is over before several bird species hatch and can use them for nutrition. So soon, as Rachel Carson foresaw, no birds will sing.
When you next dance around the bonfire, think about it, if even for just a moment.

* Hamamelis vernalis or
Hamamelis virginiana

4 comments:

Hayley said...

I suppose this is going to sound strange, but while I fully agree with you global warming is a HUGE problem that we need to take steps to rectify and I am doing my part - there's some little known news at the moment that startled me.

It's NOT a certain thing, but in the 1800s there was a mini-Ice-age as some would call it. This was a result of the sun going into a down (do not under any circumstances read this out) cycle where there were fewer flares and thus less heat. There is a body of evidence to suggest that the same is about to happen again, for several decades long.

What does this boil down to?
Global Warming + Sun Cooling = possibly having avoiding a crises in the other direction in the immediate term. And nature granting us something of a second chance we shouldn't squander to fix all the damage we've done.

Hayley said...

(read this out = read this as out in the previous comment)

Dawn said...

Hi, it was great sharing Imbolc with the two of you, Sweeties. Glad to here your snowdrops are bloming. It make me excited to know that my snowdrops are only a few weeks behide. I have been incredibly selfish just doing only what I want to do, and enjoying it. There was mention of interest in our thoughts on your reincarnation work shop. First I would like to say that I had what people refer to as the "near death experience" this can be medicial documented. This happened during surgery which I understand some people may feel this colored my experience. Think as you wish I don't think we have come to total mind control as of yet. To the readers of this blog I am responding for the sake of work being done on rencarnation only. I think the "Frost" basic idealism on rencarnation are correct and are of value. I would like to express that some details vary a bit with my personal experience and from others I have talked with that have had the same experience. There are three issues I would like to bring to light in regard to this subject. The first being; The other side or over there was directly reflective of the beliefs I hold in the living as to what death would be like, or what that place is like. The second being my life was and is forever changed and changing for the better. To accuratetly address this I could write my own book, and I may. The third being the term "near" in near death experience. It's kinda like your speeding down the free way going 70 and a truch brushes you, you spin around like 5 times and say wow that was a near death experience. However to die and then live to talk about this is very different than near. Maybe instead of taking Wicca courses from you my sweet Yvonne & Gavin. Maybe I should take how to write a book course from Yvonne & Gavin. Just being my sweet lovable self.
Many Blessings
Dawn

SecondComingOfBast said...

There's a lot going on that needs to be rectified, for sure. The rain forests need to be protected, and all wooded areas, and land contours in mining areas need to be restored. That would solve a lot of the problem, as would nuclear energy and investment in mass transit, like light rail and other things.

The problem is how best to approach these projects. If they are done in such a way they cause prices to rise to exorbitant levels, and at the same time lead to mass layoffs in the workforce, then you're trading one set of problems for a new set of problems that might be at least as troublesome and severe.

If they are done in such a way as to be incentive oriented, as opposed to the punitive methods usually demanded, it would be a win-win, because an incentive approach would lead to advancement in new technologies, and would be a positive aspect of the economy instead of a drain on it.

I know there's a problem, as it rarely snows in Kentucky any more. This year is a rarity, and even this year snow is comparably light compared to years past. There seems to be more rain now than snow in Kentucky in the winter.

I believe this has to do with the cutting and leveling of mountains due to mining. Still, what can you do when the people that are supposed to enforce regulations always seem to find ways to circumvent them?