On using one's brain

I notice there are stories in the press in recent days suggesting that the great northern freeze is the start of 30 years of cold weather, global cooling, the environment readjusting itself...and so on.

While this sort of 'analysis' makes for easy reading in the popular press, it has about it the sort of simplistic critique that rather compounds the problem more than helps us understand it.

It's a sort of "what goes up must come down" type of theory.

Some climate-change sceptics have been espousing this for some time...the argument being that the earth has done this for ever and has always moved to correct itself.

What this overlooks is any qualitative analysis of what these 'corrections' might involve, or what the cost might be to world as a whole. Is a correction which involves the permanent disappearance of 35 species of birds, 456 species of tropical fish, the loss of plant life, the permanent changing of land and water structure, Ok because it is part of natural balance?

Some obviously think so.

If we use our brains, we would move to minimise damage. We would not use fluctuations, or even 'corrections' to justify our rapacious attitude towards the environment.

If we used our brains, while we would see that there is plenty of political point-scoring to be done, nationally and internationally...that it is that attitude that has got us into this poosition in the first place.

A bit of an unstructured wander over the subject........I'm sorry ...but maybe you take the point.

Koala Blue

Last night as the middle S Clark was driving me to choir as we pulled out of the drive she said "Ooh there's a duck on the lawn!"

We almost tried to take a photo, but couldn't overcome our lateness and clumsiness.

And anyway as we turned on to the road there was a koala about to brave the traffic.

We pulled over and fortunately they can belt along when they want to and so cleared the road in 2 seconds flat.

I often think about Edwin Muir's poem The Horses when I see a koala. The symbol/sign of the restoration of hope after disaster. Returning Koalas remind us that maybe we are being slightly more caring for our environment.

Extraordinary

It is extraordinary to think that (as reported today) the number of plastic bags saved in SA since the plastic bag ban six months ago, comes not in the thousands but in the millions (some suggest 6 million in six months). The return to the more responsible solution seems timely .
Strange little turn to the story though. In wanting to suggest that we need to guard against other dangers, the cleanliness of reusable bags is mentioned.
Wash them often, one shop owner says! Good idea!
Or buy replacements....rather defeats the purpose!

Not a drop

I was wondering in the shower (necessarily two minutes) this morning just what could go wrong next. This was not just the mere meanderings of my tiny little life, pathetic as it is; this was more mega-stuff.
One could be forgiven for thinking that things are really stuffed. Adelaide may have only 40 days of water left if it doesn't rain soon! The PM suggested yesterday (last ditch attempt of course) that we should all pray for rain...And I mean that! but what did he mean?
Did he mean that we are indeed at the point where there is no solution and so we might as well do something useless like pray? Did he mean ...ahh well it can't hurt? Did he mean tyo suggest that as a person of deep faith he believed that the Lord God (Adonai Elohenu oops...HaShem) could effect the replenishing of the Murray Darling basin....Or did he have a more profound view of prayer...like my friend A who says that rain-prayer helps us to express our needs and commit ourselves to God in everything. It would be good to think that a PM had such a sophisticated view.

Any way back to the shower. I came across the good news that you can now buy caffeinated soap {here}...why? I hear you ask!
So that while you are in the shower for your two minutes. You can also get your fix...which will kick in within five minutes.
Sounds plausible...and you would save the cup of boiling water.
BUT the joy of coffee is to do with drinking it isn't it. I have imagined already this morning sipping capuccino on the Piazza Navona (pictured) or the Boulevard St Germain...................