We are entering the DOG DAYS of summer. Cleo wonders why there are not CAT DAYS? However I guess that all of the other days ARE cat days. She tells us when to get up, when to feed her, when to get on her perch and look out the door, and when to be combed. The grass is brown, the daisies are gone, the chiggers are ready to attack in the grass, the light of the day has a different appearance and "feel". and of coarse the temperature is hot . Being spoiled Americans, however, we contribute to the imbalance of the planet resources and rate of utilization and somewhtat guiltily enjoy air-conditioning. I trust that we will lnot be as stupid as the EASTER Islanders. The book "COLLAPSE" is very interesting. I will append some notes to this blog. Currently I am reading "THE END OF OIL", recommended by my grand son , Zach. The book is very interesting.. Well, HARRY POTTER is alive and well and the main benefit for humankind is that he has inspired countless kids around the world to READ.. This is great. I noticed that it was released in about 50 languages and even in Braille! There are many areas of the world however that the kids do not have access or money to be able to enjoy a book. The "ROOM TO READ" program tries to do what it can to help . www.roomtoread.org -- establishing libraries, schools, publishing in native languages, scholarships for girls etc. "100 million school age children in developoing world are not enrolled in primary school"
My projedt for August is to convert some of the old VHS tapes to DVD. The new tech center of the library has the facility to do that and next week we will be having a meeting to learn more about it. This is a part of the effort to downsize, organize, and eliminate. and simplify!!! This is at least a year project that Mary and I are committed to.. Wish us luck!
I will append some notes from "COLLAPSE".
BOOK NOTES
COLLAPSE--How societies Choose to Fail or
Succeed--by Jared Diamond see other book notes
by same author "third Chimpansee"
This book is a study of the societies in the past
that have disappeared (Easter Island, Pitcairn,
Anasazi, Maya, Ancient Greece, Norse Greenland),
and of some that were able to adapt or change and
survive.
Societies failed because of one of more of 5
factors
1. damage to environment (usually by people)
2. climate change--temperature --drought
3. hostile neighbors
4. decrease in friendly or supporting neighbors
5 societies response to its problems
The full title of the book should be "Societal
collapse involving an environmental component ,
and in some cases also contributions of climate
change, hostile neighbors, and trade partners, plus
questions of societal responses."
The parallels between Easter Island and the whole
modern world is chillingly obvious. Thanks to
globalization, international trade, jet planes, and
the Internet, all countries on Earth today share
resources and affect each other, just as the
Easter's dozen clans. Polynesian Easter Island
was as isolated in the Pacific Ocean as the Earth
is today in space. When the Easter Islanders got
into difficulties, there was nowhere to which they
could flee, nor to which they could turn for help,
nor shall we modern Earthlings have no recourse
elsewhere if our troubles increase. Those are th
reasons why people see the collapse of Easter
Island society as a metaphor, a worse case
scenario, for what may lie ahead of us in our own
future.
In the study of modern societies the author refers
to Australia, China, Haiti/Dominican Republic.
....the world cannot sustain China and other Third
World countries and current First World countries
all operating at the First World levels. ...My best
case scenario for the future is that China will
recognize that its environmenetal problems pose
an even graver threat than did its probelm of
population growth. It may then conclude that
China'a interests require environmental policies as
bold, and as effectively carried out as its family
planning policies.
....these past and recent reappraisals of values
were achieved despite being agonizingly diffficult.
...They may inspire modern First World citizens
with the courage to make the most fundamental
reappraisal now facing us: How much of our
traditional consumer values and Fisrst world living
standard can we afford to retain?
...it won't be easier to reduce our impact, it won't
be impossible either....cause for hope is another
consequence of the globalized modern world's
interconnectedness. ...While the Easter Islanders
were busy deforesting the highlands of their over
populated island'''they had no way of knowing
that, thousands of miles to the east and west at
the same time, Greenland Norse society and the
Khmer Empire were simultaniously in terminal
decline, while the Anasazi had collapsed a few
centruries earlier, Maya society a few more
centuries before that, and the Mycenian Greece
2,000years before that. Today...we see, hear or
read about what hapened in Somalia or
Afghanistan a few hours earlier. Our television
documentaries and books show us in graphic
detail why the Easter Islanders, Maya and other
past societies collapsed. We have the oportunity
to learn from the mistakes of distant peoples and
past peoples. That's an opportunity that no past
society enjoyed.
