November started with recovery from our Halloween party which we always enjoy. Despite several days of rain before, we managed to light a bonfire which kept burning for a couple of days – warm enough to roast marshmallows on two days later. On the night marshmallows were roasted on the BarBQ. Thanks to everyone who made it a fun evening – bringing goodies from wine to pies to home-made sausages, and getting in to the spirit with costumes and make-up. A special evening to mark the changing seasons. (Less than a month to go before the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.)
November has brought us in to winter. Even oak trees have started to loose their leaves especially near the end of the month when the temperature hit zero a few times. We had our final harvest of the season, pulling the last of the onions and tomatoes – mostly green but still tasty. Work has moved on to winter chores like maintenance and logging. Group yoga classes will wind down in a couple of weeks. And the latest PestalozziWorld newsletter is out and will be on-line in the coming days.
We went on a day trip to see the salmon spawning beds a couple of weekends ago. Thanks to the eastern Region Fisheries Board for hosting us. It was very interesting to see the so called redds where salmon lay their eggs and learn about the life cycle of the Slaney’s spring salmon. It was a beautiful and enjoyable trip, but also very sad to learn of the decimation of the species and its habitat. It is not just overfishing that is wiping out the salmon but also destruction of the water quality through agricultural run off and urban effluent. The concentration of oestrogen for example is confusing the species. Although most anglers are happy to put down their rods and just enjoy the river to give the species a chance to rejuvenate, the species like so many others are in danger of extinction simply because of the footprint of humanity.
November also saw further deterioration in economic conditions, especially in Ireland. Many people are upset with incompetent handling by the government here and selfish behaviour by banks. Unlike most governments that are attempting to prime their economies, the Irish government is taking money out of the system by increasing taxes and cutting back – the most heinous cutbacks being in education. I used to think that the prejudice against bankers was unfair, but the behaviour of Irish banks over the past weeks has been unattractive and incompetent – the worst part of it all is that small businesses, which are the lifeblood of any economy, are being strangled by lack of working capital in the system and are suffering the bad debts of the system that were seeded by loose credit policies of the banks. It is sad and painful to see many good people and worthy businesses suffering. But that is probably the same the world over, judging from the media.
Our slide show outlining the Financial Crisis – Background, Outlook and Action is on-line here. While some are looking for optimism, that may not prove to be the best approach – realism is healthy. The one area of optimism, though, might be the natural environment – while consumption slows and our concern for food and energy security grows, the demand for eco-friendly technology and solutions might increase. In addition to which a fall in consumption is a shrinkage of humanity’s footprint on the planet.
While the economic crisis exacerbates, the ecological meltdown has almost been forgotten. But George Monbiot reminds us in a well researched article that this is not so and our lifestyle choices must change radically if this economic crisis is not to pale in comparison to a meltdown of the biosphere. See his article here: The planet is now so vandalised that only total energy renewal can save us. One extract is telling: “A survey by the broadcasting network CNBC suggests that the US federal government has now spent $4.2 trillion in response to the financial crisis, more than the total spending on the second world war when adjusted for inflation. Do we want to be remembered as the generation that saved the banks and let the biosphere collapse?”
November saw an optimistic result to the US election. The election of Obama holds great promise for many, though the conditions under which the next administration must operate will be most difficult. An acquaintance from Washington says that the influx of people to Washington DC from the inauguration will be unprecedented – up to 5 million people a multiple of the previous record of 1.2 million for Lyndon Johnson’s inauguration. America also saw Thanksgiving Day last Thursday – a holiday almost as good as Christmas. I imagine thanks for a new administration was part of many people’s conversation that day.
On the subject of local broadband suppliers, Colm McElwee (Altamont tech guru and wedding cameraman etc) heard that the Ardattin exchange will be coming on-line soon with 2nd generation (i.e. faster/better/more reliable) Eircom broadband, so that may be a cheaper alternative for some. Colm reckons they’ll leaflet everyone in the catchment area when it’s actually on-stream and says that he’s “had Eircom broadband for ages and, aside from one glitch, it’s rock steady, unlike 3 Ireland’s ridiculous offering which shouldn’t be allowed”. However, a call to Eircom and they told me that there are not plans for Ardattin yet (and for me, their service over the years has been so selfish I’m not sure I’d want to change from our excellent ReachBroadband 🙂 ).
Here’s an extract from an ongoing GM debate which has intensified recently as politicians have moved in to promote it:
Do GMOs endanger health? Hard to tell. Some studies show that they may do, others (including almost all those by industry) are reassuring. The trouble is that very few truly independent, peer-reviewed research has been done. Most consumers have sensibly concluded that they would sooner be safe than sorry, particularly as they get no benefit from buying GM.
Can GMOs feed the world? Almost certainly not. Despite all the hype, present GM varieties actually have lower yields than their conventional counterparts. The seeds are expensive to buy and grow, so wealthy developing-world farmers would tend to use them and drive poor ones out of business, increasing destitution. The biggest agricultural assessment ever conducted – chaired by Professor Robert Watson, now Defra’s chief scientist – recently concluded that they would not do the job.
During November someone mentioned RedBranch to us. RedBranch is a not-for-profit organisation that promotes healthy lifestyle choices in Irish children and young people. They work with schools and parents, and act as advocates for healthy food and physical activity choices. The website is worth a visit and they offer sensible ideas for schools and parents.
Now we’re into the winter holiday season, so enjoy those parties, school fêtes, sing alongs, warm evenings with family and friends, and enjoy the material and spiritual possessions we have and spare a thought for our neighbours without.
Tom
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