Samhain Waxing Moon of the Winter Solstice
Thursday is art day; Friday is Latin day. Today Greg and I will go over my (rough) translation of verses 36-48 of Book I of Ovid’s Metamorphosis. Though slow going, I get a thrill each time I crack a phrase, write it down and it makes sense. Even if Greg later points out I’m wrong. I have a lot of opportunity for improvement and that makes the learning worthwhile. Saturday is errand day and around the house work day. Sunday, again, is Latin. Monday is business meeting and Woolly day. This leaves me Tuesday and Wednesday as buffer days. So far, this schedule seems to work pretty well for me, though my lackluster performance yesterday made me wonder a bit.
(this graphic illustrates the verses I’ve translated for today.)
On the climate change front. The world has begun to lurch forward on two aspects of climate change: reduction of carbon emissions and adaptation. In the more radical wing of the environmental movement adaptation or mitigation has been capitulation, something to avoid since it muddies the gravity of the problem we face. A tipping point may be at hand. Folks have begun to put forth adaptation in the context of realizing the global warming train has not only left the station, but is well on its way. A certain, not insubstantial amount of warming is now inevitable, perhaps as much 2 degrees, possibly more. Given that, mitigating projects that can help soften the damage, are not only a good idea, but necessary. If proposed in the context of inevitable warming, mitigation projects can also underscore the need to take dramatic steps now to prevent more warming. I’m hopeful we’ll see progress out of Cancun.
My comments above do fly in the face of polling numbers that suggest climate change has receded in the public’s mind, especially as the economic crisis has shoved personal financial peril forward. Understandable, but not good. My hunch about a tipping point comes more from the gradual roll out of an increasing consensus about the science. We’ll see.
